á The words of .T he Text explained. C Hi A P. r; ly & there words are rendered by diverfe, we need not mentione) the meaning is this, Thatfach , as will not , in faith & patience , Waite with confidence upon the Lords promife, that fhall be made good , in His good time; but in their pride & impatience of heart, will think to anticipate their delivery , by finiftrous & finful meanes, declare , that their heart is not upright, & that they are void of true faith. Upon the other hand , is is raid , the juft Thal! live by his faith, that is , Such , as are real & true beleevers, will ;: N the exercife of faith, till God's time come; & by this faith miffing & leaping to the faithful promife of God , through the Meffiah, in whom all the promifes are yea & amen 2 Cor. I:20. they 'hall have a life of ir, they (hall be carried thorow fupported , ftreng- thened & comforted. And much to this fame Purpofe, is this paffage, cited by the Apoftle Hebr. to: 37, 38. For yet a little while , d? he that fhall come , will come , & will not tarry , notn the furl (hall live by faith &c. ( of which we have fpoken elfewhere ) in all thefe places , the Apofile leaveth out the pronoun his , which the Prophet ufeth ; but that maketh no great altera- tion , the matter being clear, & that fufficiently underftood. TheSeptua- ints make a great alteration , when they render the words thus, The fufl hall live by my faith. The great difficulty is , how thefe words of the Prophet , fpoken of filch, as were already juflified , & heleevers; & his Paying of them , that they fhall live by their faith (for we need not owne that fenfe of the words; which fome think may not improbably be given, to wit, That he, who is by hir faith jolt (or juftified) (hall live) can be applicable to the Apoftl'es purpofe, to prove juftificationby faith. Not to mentione what others fay to this , nor judging it very neceffary to enquire anxioufly into this mat- ter, feing the Spirit of the Lord's moving & infpireing of Paul toalleige, & apply this paffage of Old Teflament truth , for confirmation of what he was -about to prove , may fully fatiffie us, as to its pertinency, though we fhould not fatiffie all by proprofing our thoughts concernin it. J Con- ceive, the ground may be this, That this being a general truth, & uni- verfally true, that even beleevers , who are already changed , & have a life begun in them, muff all their life long make ufe of faith gripping to the promifes, as yea, & amen in Chrift, (promifed & come) who is the Subftance & Kirnel of them all , to the end they may be fupported, Strengthened. Upheld, & carried thorow Difficulties, Diflref es, Dark - neffes, Temptations & the like, without fainting, or doing what is un- befeeming a living Beleever, in the day of trial; fo that their whole life, even unto the end , is kept -in & continued by faith , bringing new fup- plies & influences from the head, through the promifes ; it will hence follow, that without faith no man can at firft attaine to this life, & chan- ge from death ; yea , that in this cafe , faith is much more neceffarily re- quifite, yea faith only without works is & muff be, the only way to ju- flification of life: for if the progrefs , & continuance of this life , or re- newing of it after decayes, be had by faith , drawing fap, life & influen- ce from the head, much more mutt this be the way of getting the firft chan- ge ma-
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