Edwards - BX7230 .E4 1746

PART I. in holy Afetl ons. r7 exceedingly, 2 Cor. 7. 13. And ofhis being filled with Comfert, and being exceeding joyful, 2 Cor. 7. 4. He fpeaks of himfelf as always rejoicing, 2 Cor. 6. io. So he fpeaks of the Triumphs of his Soul; 2 Cor. 2. 14. And of his glorying in Tribulation, 2 Thef. r. 4. and Rom. S. 3. He allo expreffes the Affebtion of Hope ; in Phil. t. 20. he (peaks of his earn ji Expealation, and his Hope. He likewife expreffes an Affection of Godly fealoufy, 2 Cor. i I. 2, 3. And it appears by his whole Hiftory, after his Converfion, in the flats, and alto by all his Eples, and the Accounts he gives of himfelf tre, That the Affe6tion of Zeal, as having the Caufe of his Mafter, Vyand the Intereft and Profperity of his Church, for its Objedt, was mighty in him, continually inflaming his Heart, ftrongly engaging to thofe great and conftant Labours he went through, in inftructing, exhort- ing, warning and, reproving Others, traveling in Birth with them ; confliéting with thole powerful and innumerable Enemies who continually oppofed him, wreffling with Principalities and Powers, not fighting as one who beats the Air, running the Race let before him, continually preffing forwards through all Manner of Diffi- culties and Sufferings ; fo that others thought him quite betide himfelf. And how full he was of Affection, does further appear by his being fo full of Tears : In 2 Cor. 2. 4. he fpeaks of his many Tears, and fo flats 20. 19. And of his Tears that he fhed continually, Night and Day, v. 31. Now if any one can confider thefe Accounts given in the Scripture of this great Apoffle, and which he gives of himfelf, and yet not fee that his Religion confifted much in Affedion, muff have a ftrange Faculty of managing his Eyes, to Phut out the Light which fhines molt full in his Face. The other Inftance I (hall mention, is of the Apoffle fohn, that beloved Difciple, who was the neareft and deareff to his Maffer of any of theTwelve, and was by him admitted to the greateft Privileges of any of them : Being not only one of the three who were admit- ted to be prefent with him in the Mount at his Transfiguration, and at the railing of fairus's Daughter,and whom he took with him when he was in his Agony, and one of the three fpoken of by the ApoffIe Paul, as the three main Pillars of the chriftian Church ; but was fa- vour'd above all, in being admitted to lean on his Mafter's Bofom, at his laff Supper, and in being chofen by Chriff, as theDifciplc to whom he would reveal his wonderful Difpenfation towards his Church, to the End of Time ; as we have an Account it) the Book of Revelation: And to Phut up the Canon of the New- Teffament, and of the whole Scripture ; being preferved much longer than all the reft of the Apo- flies, to fet all Things in Order in the chriftian Church, after their Death.

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