The Life ofFaith. 197 when we have finned. Iris the truc nature and ufc of Faith and Repentance to draw good out of fin it Rif, or to make the remembranceof it to be a means ofour hatred andmorti- fication ofit, and ofour love andgratitude to our Redeemer: Not that fin it felt doth (formally or effsciently) ever do any good : But fin obje5iively is turned into good : For Co fin is nofin ; bccaufe to remember fin is not fin. When David faith, Pfat 5r.3. that bis fin was ever before bins, he meanetli not only involuntarily tohis grief, but voluntarily as a medita- tion ufcful to his future duty, and to tlir him up to all that which afterward hepromifeth. Direc`i:. 1.3. In all the weaknejs and larrguifhings of the new creature, let Faith lookup to Chrift forftrengtb. For God bath put our life into his hand, and he is our root, and bath promifed that we /hall live becaufe be liveth, John 14- 19. Do not think only ofufir,g Chrilt, as you do a friend when you have need of him ; or as I do my pen, to write, and lay it down when I have done: But as the branches ufc the Vine,and as the members ule the Head, which they live by; and from which. when they arc feparated, they die and wither, job's 15. 1,2,3, &c. Ephef. 1.22. & 5.27, 30. & 4. 4, 5 ,1205, 16. Chrifi mutt even dwell in our hearts by Faith, Ephef. 3. 17. that is, 1. Faith mull be the means of Chritls dwelling in us by his Spirit; and 2. Faith mutt foha- bituate the heart to a dependence upon Chrift, and to an im- provement of, him that objealvely he mull dwell in our hearts, asour friend doth whomwe moli dearly love.; as that which we cannot chufebut alwaies think on. Remember therefore. that . we live. in Chrift, and that m the life which we now live is by thefaith of the Son of God, who bath lovedus, and given bimfelffor us, Gal, 2. 20. And his grace is ¡officient for sae, aadbit ftrengtb msff manifefted in our wcakrej, 2 Cor. 12. 9. And that when Saran dciireth to lift us, he prayeth for us that our faith may not fail, Luke 22.32. And that our life is bid withCbrift in God; even with Cbrift who it our life, Col. 3. 3, 4. -That he is the Head, in whom ,all the rnerrmbere live, by the communication of his appointed liga- ments and joynts, Epbef. 4. 14, t¡, 16. Therefore when any grace is weak, go toyour Head for hie and lirength. If faith C c. 3 he
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