The Life ofFaith. 3t55 Thçrcfore in point of praseice, the firti thing that we have to do, is to learn to know God himfelfas God and our God, and to live as from him, and uponhim as our Bonsfan or, from our hearts confeffing that we have nothing bat from him, and (hall never be at reff but with hint, and in him, as our ulrimate end and therefore to let out felves to feek him as our end accord- ingly; which is but to leek to love him, and be belovedby hire, in theperfe6ion ofknowledge and drlight. a. The wholefratrie of means appointed by God for the at- tainment of this end, muti be taken together, and not broken afunder ; as they have all relation etch toother. And r. The whole frame of Nature muttbe looked on as the fini great means appointed to man in innocency,forthe prctervation and °swe fc of his holincfs and righteoufncfs : 2. And the Cove- nant or Law.pofitive, as conjoyned unto this : 3. And the Spirit of God, communicatedonly for fuch a meer fujlciencyof necefary help, as God faw meet to one in that condition. And though thclemeans(the Creatures, and the Spirit of the Creator in that degree) be not now fufficient for lapfed man ; yet they are Bill to be looked on as delivered into the hand of Chriti the Mediatour, to be ufed by him on his terms, and in order to his bleffed ends. 2. But it it theframe of the recovering andperfet ingmeans, which we are now to ufe : And in this frame r. Chrif the Mediatour is the firft and principal; and the Author of oar Faith, or Religion ; and therefore from his Name it is called Chriffianity. He is snow the fir? means ufedon Gods part for communicatingmercy unto man; and the firft in dignity te be received and tiled by man bimfelf ; but not the fittt in Time, becaufe the means of revealing himmuti go ftrti. f 2. The fecondmeans indignity (under Chrifi) is the opera- tion of the Holy Spirit as fent or given by the Redeemer: which Spirit being as the foul of outwardmeans (which are as the body) is given varioufly in a fuitablenefs to the feveral forts ofmeans (ofwhich more anon.) ;. The outwardmeans for this Spirit to work by and with, have been in three degrees: i. The low*degree, is the world et creatures (calledThe BookofNature) alone ; a. The fccond degree was the Lawand Promifes to the Jews and their fore- C c c fathers
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