340 Haw muß we Pray in Faith ? Senn. 14. God of no effeet, 2 rim. 2.13. In the I t and I2 verfes the Apo-fire faith, if we are dead with Chrifl ( not if we believe we are dead with. Chril't) we fhall live though we do not believe we are dead, if we are dead it fhall not hinder:for if we believe not,Godis faithf,:l,2 Tim,2, i 3.for fup- pofe one dyes and leaves fuch an one a Legacy,though he to whom the Legacy is left doth not know of any fuch Legacy,yet the Executor wilt not therefore not give him the Legacy ; nay though he will hardly be lieve it when he tells him, yet he will keep it and give it him ; fo the Legacies that Chriftbath left to the Saints though they little think any fuch Legacies are left by Chrift to them , yet their ignorance final( not frufirate Chrilfs Love , nay.though they will not for the prefent extend their hind of Faith to receive tr, yet God will and loth keep Mercy for rhoufands, until they will receive it, Excd. 34. 7. I I. Th.: fecond life is an life of Exhortation. i. Put in thy Claim_ for Mercy, for thy Claim will hold, nor according to thy fenfe, know- ledge or belief that thou hall an Intereft , but according to the Truth: of thine Intereft. Suppofe thou fhouldeil promife to give to every one of thy children fuch a gift if they were good children. Suppofe one of your children who had obeyed your commands, and had been very in- quifìtive to know your will , I fay, fuppofe fuch a child fhould fit weeping becaufe he thought he had not obéyed your commands, and becaufe he thought you were angry with him, and upon that account would not come for your promifed gift, would you not therefore give.. it him nay would you not onely be pleafed with his obedience , but that he took fo to heart your fuppofed anger ; So O poor Soul that fit, tell weeping with thine eyes full of tears, and thine heart full of for- row, under the fcn.fe of Gods fuppofed difpleafure, {hall not God wi pe 411 tears from thine eyea, and give thee the Promifes he hash made to thee, though thou through the fenfe of thine unworthinefs doeft not believe thou hail any Intereft in them? 2, The fecond advice is, that thou fhouldefl endeavour to obt inn the Graces to which the Promifes are made, viz.Fear and Love of God, and nprightnefs of heart, &c. whilst others are examining, and going from Minifler to Minifier to know whether they have thofe Graces, be: thou getting of them. For I . Thou {halt be fure to get an intereft in the Promifes , for they are made to fuch as have the Graces , not to thofe that know that they have thofe Graces; and if thou hail a Title thou fhalt have pof- feiíion. z, By gettiflg greater degrees of Graces, the trouble of examina.:. (ion
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