How. to ¡be to god. 117 empties him of hirnfelf, and draws him toGod : Therefore, I fay, there are certain Graces that every one fhould exetcife, if he would not live to hirnfelf.) What are thofe ? Fitft, the knowledge of God inChrift. Get a more full and particular, and ex- of knowledg. perimencal knowledge of God, Ml our looking to the Creature is, becaufe we know not God perfe6tly: If we did know him, we would account him the ebiefe/l often Caot. í. rhoufand, the Church when fhe knew Chrift, faid fo : We would account him r oar:, r. ( as Elkanah (aid to Hannah; trim not I better to thee than ten Sons P) better cnan ten Friends,then ten Worlds. Get therefore a more full knowledgeof God :that all power is in him :One thinghave I heard once and twice,that power belangeth unto God, faith the Pralmift. Secondly, Get Faith in the exercifemore. All the worthies of the Lord inHeb.i I. ofFaith; What made them live fo íoGod,and not to themfelves as they did ? Becaufe theybe_ lievtd,they did is byFaith a ByFaithAbraham deniedhirnfelf : By Faith Mofes for_ fookthe'pleafares of Egypt : By1>aith tholeworthìes,ofwhom the worldwas notwor. thy, wandred up and down in Sheep; skins, and Goats skint, and would not be deli- vered. When a man getteth Intereft in Chrift by Faith, he (hall fee that in him, that will fatisfeall hisdelires, and anfwerall his loffes. - Thirdly, exercife Love. Faithworks by love. The more we love God in Chrift, ; ofLove: the more perfe6lly we (hall cleave tohim e Love is a uniting grace, that uniteth the Soul to Chrift. The love of Cbriff conflrainethme ( faith the Apofile,z Cor.5.) for a Cor. q. we thou judge, if one died for all,then it isfit they that live (hould not live to them- fettles. And the truth is, the more a Soul loveth Chrift, the more it will live to him. Laftly, a wordof the laft lie, and that for inftruótion: Being convinced that Vfe . filch is the elate of molt men, that they live to themfelves : And that whole Fotinittutlt- eftate (orvet iris, it is a finful efface, and argueth a man out of Chrift : And that on. there is a poflibilicy of gettingout ofthis efface. Let is be for inffrudionto all thofe that in Come meafure live to God, and not to themfelves : Let it be to teach them, andperfwade them more fully to live to him, and lets to thenfelves. A man fimply confcderedwithout any relation to others, or dependance upon another man, he may pleafe hirnfelf : But when a-man is confcdered in his dependance upon God,' and his relation to men ; he muff then obferve the will of his Creator, in that relati- on God bath fee him: He muff carry himfelf as his Creature; and obferve the end that the Creature isappointed to. Nay, he muff carry himfelf asa Chriflian, and obferve the good of the body :Hemull carry hirnfelf as a Member, to dó good to the whole. Let every Chriffian labour co do this, if he would have comfort to his Soul, that he dothnot live to himfelf, that he is of the number of thofe that areaccepted of God in life and death. Labour co imploy, his time,and ftrength, andgifts, and what- foever he is; and hath, to the good ofothers :. Asevery manbath received the gift, let him miniflerto others, ire faithful difpencers of the manifold grace ofGod. If you have received gifts, you have received them from God, you have received them for the good of others, you have received them as Difpenfers: Let every man{ faith the Apoffle) difpenfe the manifold grace of God : If the Apoftle had faid, be Di pencers of the grace of knowledgethat you have, for the feedingof the Soulsof ma, ny: Andnot ofyoureffares: Or, relieve as many as youcan with yourdims, but take no care fortheir Souls : But when he faith, be Difpenfers ofthe manifold gifts of God, his meaning ìs, that whatfoever I have wherewith Ism able to dó men good with,- whether it be inward or outward gifts, the gifts ofthe mind,,t of the outward man, any thing whereby I can be advantagious to-othersI I mutt ferve God and men iri improvingof that. He that willnot live to hirnfelf,isbound co ferve every manWith every gift he hath. IfGod have furnifhed a man with inward Gifts, the graces of his Spirit; If a man have knowledge, and Faith, or Experience, 'or Comfort, whatfoever graces of the Spirit he bath, there areduties appointed, and a Communion of Saints expreft, that men may be furred up to exercife thofe graces, in that Communion for the good , Eor. í,t: of all the Saints. Therefore we are Paid to have knowledge toprofit with. Andgifts to gpb, 4.9; eel;fi
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=