Houston-Packer Collection BV4253 .B85 1649 .B85 1649

2,I2 The Spirituall-aaings of Faith 4. -..._ the great things that God hath promifed the great things that Faith loath done. As- words of anger do draw out anger , fo experiences do draw out Faith, Onely I pray take heed , when ye fpeake of your experiences , and what God hath done , that ye don't lay, or ground your Faith upon your experience , but upon the promife. 'Tis a good fpeech that 73arifienlis hath, Experience (fayes he) "Tu like thecrutch, the lamemans crutch, it does uphold the lame man , but it don't cure him : And fo, an experience, it flayes up thy foule for the prefent , but experience cannot cure youof your unbeliefe; 'cis onely the prainife cures you ofyour unbeliefe. 'Tis faid in the ro6. Pfalme , concerning the children of Ifrael , When they law the Egyptians lie in the fea before them, then they beleeved in God, andfang hisprai f e: And the next words that follow , are, Theybone forgate hi works. I, when as we beleeve the word onely becaufe of experience, no wonder that we- foone forget our experi enees , andall. Therefore takeheed, tell of your experi- ences, draw out your experiences for to ftrengthen your Faith, yet laynot your Faith upon your experience, but up- on theWord. And againe in the fourth place. Above all things, confider what great difficulties ?eft/4 Chrift bath broke through to come toyou. Ye reade ofhim fodefcribedin the Canticles, He comes leaping over the mountaines ; many are the moun- taints , that Jefus Chtift came leaping over to come to you. Tajfion-worke is greater and harder then Creation-Worke : he came leapingover the mountaines of worke. Oh 1 fhall Jefus Chrift come leaping over mountaines , and difficulties to come to my Soule, and fhall I go over no mountaines, and breake through no difficulties to get to JefusChrift ? thinke what difficulties he broke through to come to you. And laftly, Neverfpeakwithyour difficulties or difbourage- mentsapart from the prornife. If a man be travailing in the rode , and a thiefe can finder him from his company -, draw him alone into the woods , a hundred toone but he takes his purfe , if he fave his life. And if the Devil! can part you from.

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