72 DireBiom for a JVe/l grounded Faith. ------·------------ D IR ECT. II. Gr. Dir. 2 • Diligwtly labour in that part of the life of fait/,~ IV!Jich confifteth in t/,e conftant ;,~''\~,;:'~~ t{e of ("rift, as the Meam of the f ouls amjs to God, acceptance JVith him, and ~~,:::~o:: our comfort from him : And think not of coming to theFather, but by him. 9· J, TO talk and boa.fl <:f c.hrifi . is eafie,. an~ to ufe him for t~e~ i~creafe of ou; carnal ~curiry, and boldncfs 1n fmnmg: Bur to l1ve m the dai{Y. Vfo ot Chntl to thofe Ends ofh1s Office to whi:h he is by u~ to be made ufe of, is a matter of greater Jk,jU and diligence, than mJny felf: efi:cer~w~ ProfdTor~ are aware of. What ClniH himfdf hath do11C, or will do, for our falvatjon, is Vel prop~tr not duedly the thmg that we are now confidering of; but what Vfi he rcCJnireth m w make of him !~~~~~~~~1111~er in the life of faith. He .hath told us,. that.his fldl1 is meat indeed>. an~ his blood is drink indeed 1 cre.1tnem a!1d _that cxcc~r we eat h1s flcfh and dnnk h1s blood, we have no life m us. Here is ou~ 'Vji of 11ecdEria fuit- ChnH cxprcflcd by rating and drink,jJig his fldh and blood, which is by faith. TheGweral p.m. of it~cam1rio. _ thc_work of I<cdtm}tioJt, Chrijf hath bimfclf pe1formed for us, without asking our Conftm, or im· ;;~~~:'r~ ~'; polm~ upon us any Condition on our parts, ."it~out which hr would no_t do that work: As rhe Sun dl crEnti.:t & doth Jilufirate and warm the earth whether Jt wJIJ or nor, and as rhc Ram fallcth on the Grafs wi 1 h.. trc~: pctfonx; out asking\\ hether it conftnr, or \\ill be thankful; fo Chrifl without our confent or knowledge, did Jt.:t mCb1Jllo rake our nature, and full-ill the Law, and fatistie rhc offended Law-giver, and Merit grace> and con· :~~;;:r~ffcn- ~uer Satan, D~:ath and Hell, and bccame_the ~loriticd Lord of all :_ ~ut f?r the excrcife of his graces 1i.l!, Dcir:a, m us, and our advancement to commumon w1th God> and our livmg m rhc llrcngth and joyes of :<nima, & faith, he is hirnfclf the Object of our Duty, even of that Faith which we mufl daily and diligently C.lro. cxercifc upon him ; And rhus Chrifl: will profit us 110 further than WC make ure of him by faith. It ~~d~~: fcis not _a forgotten Cl~rijl that objectively comforte~h or en:omaget~ th_e foul; but a Cb~ijt_belicvcd in, "'""'"' and sktlfully and fartbfully Ufcd to that end. It IS Objellrvtly ( pnncrpally) that ChnliiScalled o,., Dlvmitati~eft wifdom, I Cor. J, jo. \hck.,nowledgeof him, and the myfieri(S of Grace in him, is theChrijfianor gcmttb, L-_ DiviJte PbiJojZ.phy or TF"Ifdom> in oppoflrion to thevain Philofophy, which the Learned Heatl.cns boafi– ~1~1;1~l1u~nca;~;~ ed _of. And thncfon: Paut determined to k~ow 110~hing but Chrill crucifi(_d, that is, 10 make ofitn– & rwmJum ' rat1on of no other knowledge, and to glory m nothmg but the Crofs of Chnft, and fo to preach Chrifi carucm laas if he knew nothing eiiC but Chrift. See 1 Cor. I· 23. & 2 . 2· Ga/. 6. f4· And it JS Objefli.vc!y au~. . . that Chrifi is fJid to dwell in our. hearts by faith, Ephef. 3· 17. Faith kc(pcrh him fiill upon the ~~:~i 1~e;~;r heart by contim~al cogitation, ap~l!cation and improvement: As af1_icnd is fa id to dwd1 in o~1.r l1eart~) DeitJ2s .:~d > whom v.e COntlllually love and rnmk of. animlm; Dei:ns •d carn~m ; & :1nimx ad c.:trn::m. Paq(, Sc11li;p Tb~f. p. 7!f. c.rur COlput.EcclcGx. Id. p. 7'l6. Cbriflus folus: & qtid.m Kcndum utr:tmqu: n:tt.!ramdi: E nr §· 2. Chrifi himfelf teachcth us to difiinguilh hctwe<n F,irb in God (as God) and faitb in bim– ~x ,3~t~rtr~~~ fe.lf (.as MLdiator ;) John 14. J. [Let not ur bearJ .be troubled: ye believe in God: (or; Bdieve }'e <lirione, r.er:no in God): beLieve aljO in me. J Thtfe fet rogerhu are rhe fufficicnr cure of a tn;)Ub]ed hea(t, , It is lnptiz:ttur J~ not Faith in Gcd {f.f God, but Faith in Chrijt as Mcdiatol' thar lam now to fpcak of: And that not a'> it ~~ckf:fi Cb~Jis inherent in tl-c underfiandiJ~g, but as it is operative on the htalt a1:d in rhc life: And this is not r~~.:t:~~,' ;1~1us the frnallcH part of the life of f.~itb, by which the jufl arc faid to li\'C: Evc1y rruc Chrifiian mnlt cred:tt mDe- in his meafurc be able to fay with Paul, Gal. 2· 20. I am crucified witb Chrijl-: 1Je:•ertbehjf I Jh,e: ~m P 3 trem,& yet 1101 I, but Cbrijf livctb in me : and the life n biclJ I WJW Jive iJt the ficjh) I Jive by tbe faitb nf the C~ J.erum D . Son ofGod, ncho loved m~, a1tdg.zve him{cif for me. Th~ Pure Godhe.ul is the Beginning and tbe EJtd fil;~:~,un~ u~1 of all; But Chrill is tbe Image of the invifib!e God, tbe fhjl- born fl{ every crc.:zture ; and by him all Spiritum fan- thin;/ were created tb.Jt are i1t Heaven and tb.tt are in Earth, 1.•iji/Jie andinvifibtc,wbrtber they be Tbrmes ot ftum, refp~n- Dominions, or Pri11cipalitieJ or Powers) all thiagi..were c(e:!!..•'d:.by bim and[1r him: and be if b.fiJre all f~n~:~.!~:·;~~rer tbing;, an~ ~y him all thiJtgt d() ,·onfiJf•. And h~ is the I-le_ad of the BiJ~y, the Cb_urch; JPhJ i.r the begin· QylntUmvis niJtg, theft'.lfb. rnfromtbedcad ; tb:zt m a_lltbmgs hemtght bavc_th!! prehcmm~ncc. Col. r. ~~, 17, er:;o hc'·e Gr, 18, J , . bt him it M tb,lt rvc wbowere fomwme fur off, are m.;de mgh, cvm k>' hu bi!Jod: F Oi' he M our fi j_udi, ii a'i- Pt•acc, z.vh1batb reconciled bctb Jew a;rd Gcmile untoGod in one body by tbc Croft, having jl.Jiu tbe e;tmi– qmd h~bl"·, ty thereby: and cameund preached peace to them th:zt wert {.lr off, and to tbcm th,zt were nigh : Fer ~ 1 ~-ir~:~- tbroughhim we buth have an acceji by one Spirit U1tlo the Father: [o tb:zt nor_, we are no more {l-ranzeu f~~;:d~r, pror- a;rd jorrtit,nerJ, but fellow Citiztni w~tb tbe Saints, aJtd of tbe houjhold ofGJJd, Ephef. 2· 13, r+, 16, fufq,_i1a ex:- 17, 18.. In- him it is tb:tt we b.1-ve boldite[I tind ar.ceji with confidwce tbro:-tg,h fuith in bim; Eph. 3· I 2• preile cred(r.:' He i1 tlu TY.;y, the Tru1b a 11 d the Life: and 110 man cometh to tbe F:~tbcr, b:tt by bim: John 14· 6· ~~~;~~~~ im· It is by the blood ofJcjits that we bo~ve boldmfl (and liberty ) ta emer iJtto tbc hJlil}f; b)' a new and p icitc & in- . _ . volute non i(th:rc foium, fed quxcunquc D vinx :it~1·:r ptcrlunr, credit, clc qmbm tun:n n n omni:1::5 i· t rrcgatur, <J'IO{! e1 c::pr,re fcire omnia, i:li minime opus fir. Ac~.rt,tJ ~- c 6. p. 461. Chnflian Rdi"LOn bc~>irn~th :l't :1~ c:1~ !li~hdl:, butth~ l (..w,l/ : wnl' Chriftincarn:tte)teachmg)Jyil;g,&;. Dr. Copp~1i!.p.l11. out of Ll!t'u; :) ·'
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