The Faith of tJur fave you ; youmufi take poffeffion of him, and make ufe of him as your own, for falvation, if you would · be actually faved by him. ,There's a wide difference betwixt a thing being our's in fimple right thereto, and its being ,ours in po!fe.ffion. 'Tis in the former way only, that Chrifi: is yours, before uniting with him: and, if you do not improve that, by receiving him, and taking poffeffion, you'll perifh eternaJly for all that, Heb. iv~ 1. ' Let us therefore fear Iell: a promife being left us of .entring into his refi, any of you iliould feem to come fhort ofit.' Luke xvi. 12. " Ifye have not been faithful in that which is ano– ther man'~, who fhall give y0u that which is your own?' Objell. 2. But Chrifl a Saviour, his perfect righ.. teoufnefs and eternal life, are things fo exceeding great ~nd precious ; and I am fo very finful ahd un.. worthy, that it !s mighty hard for me, to believe they are mine. ./lnj'w. Yea, here indeed lies the great difficulty of believing; when ohce a finner'S eyes are opened, to fee the tranfcendent excellency of Chrifi, _the exceeding finfulnefs of fin, and his own utter un– worthinefs ; a difficulty not to be fu:rmounted, but by the effeCtual operation of the Spirit offaith, eau· 1iFlg one to ·' · believe, according to the working of his mighty power,' Eph. i. 19. But for your help, confider, they are_yours by mere free gift ; which is fo far from requiring any worth in the creature, that it excludes ,all refpect thereto. Chrifl himfelf is the Father's gift to you, John iv. 10. and vi. 32. His righteoufnefs is a gift too, Rom. v. 17.r And fo is. ,~ternal life in him; I John v. 11. Now, what's freer than a gift ? And then, howbeit they are indeed a gift far beyond whatever you could have expeCl:ed; yet they are not too great for an infinite God to giv7. In making of. this gift, he acted not according to the dignity of ~he party in whole fav01:1r it was made; but according to Himftlf, his own greatnefi and md- . jefly. # . ,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=