Looking ur;to :JeftU. Booic. IV· priviledges chat flow from Chriil:. Say foul, doll: thou want any temporal bleffing? fuppofe it be the payment of debts, thy dayly bread, health, e:Y-c._ Why,look no~ through the Scripture for_promifes ofthefe things, and let thy fa1th act thus, if God hath given me Chrifl, the greatefl blejfing, then certa~nly be willgive '!'e all theje things fo far as they may be for my good: tn the twenty third Pf11!me we finde a bundle of promifes, but he begins thus, the Lord p[ 1 . iJ myfoepherd, faith David, arid what then? therefore I fhall nat 3 m. 2.p. w11nt· the beleeving Patriarchs through faith fubdued Ki;rgdomeJ, wrought righ~eoufnef{e, obtained promifes,.~oped the -n:ouths of Lyon_s, Heb, 11 , , did wonders m the world ; but what dtd they chtefl y look to tn 3 J this their fai~h? _furelyto the promife to come, and to that better v. 39.40 , -thing , Chnft h1mfelfe; and therefore the A poftle concludes, having fuch a cloud of witne(Jes , that thus lived and died by faith, let m look_ unto 'fefus, the Authour and .finijher of our Hcb.u,2.; faith. -- 2. Faith mull: dired:ly go to C brill: as God in our flefb; fome .think it a carnal apprehenfion ofJefus Chrift, to know him as in flefh ; I confe£fe to know I1im only fo, and abfolutely fo; to confider Jefus no other way, but as having flefh, and going np and down in weaknefs ; it is no better lihen a carnal apprehenfion· but to confider C hrift as God in flefh, and to confider that flefu as acted by God, and filled with God, it is not a carnal, but a true and fpiritual apprehenfion of J efus Chrift ; and hither is faith to be directed immediately, and in·thefirft place; fuppofe a cafe of danger . by fome enemie5, and ! finde a promife of protection from my enemies, I look on that; but in the firft place thus I argue, if the ·Lord hath given me Chrift (God in the flefh) to fave me from hell, then much more will he fave me from thefe flefhly enemies. Thus '1 uda had a promife that Siria fhould not prevaile againfr 'fudah, they doubted of this, but bow doth the Lord feek to aif~re them ? why thus, a virgi~ foal! conceive, and I Ia 7 , 14 ; ~ beare a_fon, and hts name/hall be Immanuel, this feems a ftrange reafon to flefh and blood ; I knew .one turne infidel, and to deny Jefus Chrifr upon this very argument. Ah (thought he) what a grand impoflure is this, · that Chrifts conceptim, and Cbrifls birt.b many years after /hou!d be a prefent figne ofthe ruine of Rcz,in King of Aram,and of the prefervation of Ahaz.K ing of'fudllh? alas poore foul, he was not acquainted with this art of tivi.ng by faith; he U u 2 might"
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