On the Excellency of the Soul. 329 in our hearts, the work" of Faith, Befeeve, and thou fhalt e laved Now their, this work of Faith , thou mutt rightly know what it is, and the way of thy beleeving ; and how thou doff _ receive Jefus Chrill in thy beleeving; and the power of thy Faith how that is wrought; and what the work of it is upon thy heart; now thou having "laid- Chrift for thy foundation, and underllöod the `myflery of the Gofpel , then When tildu cornett to beleeve, in this great myi+ery of the Gofpel, thou mutt confider what is it that I am now to beleeve; why I am now to beleeve this, that the thoughts of God from all eternity were for the good of the children of men s and therefore hee bath fent the fecond Perfon in Trinity into the world to take mans nature upon him, to . die an accurfed death for the fin of man : And for mee in particular, the thoughts of God were thus upon me from all eternity, to fend his fon into the world to take my nature upon him, and to bee made a curie for my fin , to pay a price for my foul, and through him (when I beleeve) I do beleeve all my fin to bee pardoned, the infinite, holy , dreadful God tobee at peace with mee, my foul to bee re- conciled; this wretched finful foul of mine to bee received into mercy, into the love ofGod, as the love of a Father , to bee made an Heir of God and Eternal life, when thou doll beleeve, this is the Obje6t of thy Faith; now this is a mighty work, a mighty thing to beleeve fuch things as theft are : Confider therefore what thou doeft, when thou fayetì thou doff beleeve in Jefus Chrift, put that to th / foul, cant thou, O my foul, dofe with thefe things ? calla thou ven- ture thy foul upon fuch things as thefe are ? and when thou cornett to beleeve, what doll thou ? it is not that thou thinkefl that thefe things are true, but thou doll in thy be- leeving receive Jefus Chritl according to the condition of the Gofpel, that is, thy heart cloth open to receive into it the King of glory; Oh it is Ch:ifl that is the foundation of the New World that God is to raife up ; It is Jefus Chrifl that brings in all the good, and happinefs , and glory of God to the children of men, and it is hee that my heart T t opens
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