Praflical Chriflianity, -------~~------~~~----------are not o,1ly deJ.d, but rotten and noifome. Every Du ty Men perform in a Prov. 28. gracelefs State and Condition God muft needs lo<~:th it and them for it. The 9• Prayer of the Wirked iJ an' Abomination unto the Lord. It is as hateful unto Gad as Vapors that afccnd up out of 'Tombs, from putrified Bodie$, arc unco us' \yhat then? Mu!l: fuch Perf~ns give up. themfelves. to Sin therefore? God for~ b1d. No, rather let fuch thn.tk thus ; ~f ~u: Duues and our Rightcoufncfs be ~o l?athfome~ what are ou_r ~tns and Imqmtles? Though every Sinner be de~td 1-n Sms and Trefjaff:s, yet IS tt.lefs olf~nfive to. have a ~ead Carcafs embalmed ~han t? hav_e lt he open.. ~ttll theretore contmuc work_me;, but in your work· 1ng, FH/f, :urn at the obtatnmg of Grace, before you ann at the obtain ing of Heaven and Salvation; let it at no time content you that fuc:h and fhch Duties you have performed~ bu~ loo_k what Grace have you aaed in them ; what is there of God breathing m thls Prayer that 1 now put up? How am I in Hearing, in Meditation, in Difcourfing of the Tbit1gs of God? Is my Heart holy and fpiritual? Are my Affections pnte and fervent? Are my Graces aCtive and vigorous? And are they vigorous in this Work of Obedience? Elfe ro perform Duties, and to negleCt Grace that alone CJn enable us to perform Duties acceptably, is only to go to He/J a little more cleanly. Direll. 2. Secondly, lj you roould work out your own ~alvation, as you mufl/ook to the aUings of Grttce, as well as to the ptr{ormtt11Ct of l)uttts, fo JOU muft labour to grow and increa{t in thofe Graces that m·e moft a[hve and roorking, and they are Two, the Grace of Faith, ttnd the G'race of Love. To grow fl-rong in thefe Graces is the moft compendious way for a Chriftian to difpatch his great Work; I may call them . the tv.o Hands of a Chriftian; and he that is m oft a'llive in thefe, works out his S.:1lvation with both Hands carncftly. ( 1.) Firft, 'Tiu 11ff:ngs of FAit? is of mighty a.dvantage ro the. working out of our Sttlvatton. Two S~njes there are m wh1ch S.:t lvatlon ':1-•Y be fa1d. to be wrought our. Fhft, In Tttk: And, SecondlJ, In actual Poffe(hon and EnJoyment. Now Faith is a working out of the one, and a compendious furtherance towards the working out of the other. (1.) Firft, Upon our believing Salvation is already wrought out f6r us in Right and Title. He that ~dievcth jiMil be faved .; h:re is the Title. The great Work is then done and fimfhed, when once Falth Is wrought: And therefore, John 6. when the Jews came to enquire of our Saviour, How they fhould do to work the 2~1 2.9. Works of God? Our Lord tells them, This is the Work of God, that you believe on him whom he bath font. Nay further, as a Faith of Adherence or Acceptance gives a Right and Title to Salvation, fo a Faith of full AJTurance is this Sal· H b vat iOn it felf: For, Fairh is the fubfl4nce of Things hoped for, the Evidence of c: .ll.t. Thiugs not Jeen: In its juftifying Act it gives a Title to Salvation, in its aflllring Aa it gives the fubftancc of the Thing it felf; for it is much at one to a ftrong Faith to believe Heaven, and to enjoy it. (2.) SecondLJ, Faith doth compendioufly further and promote the working out .of our Salvation in a8ual polfeffion; and that becaufe Faith is that Gr:~.ce which fetcheth all that ability and ftrength from Chrift, whereby a Chriftian is en.:ibled to work: Faith is not only a Grace of it [elf, but it is a Sreward and Purveyor for all other Graces, and its Office is to bring in Provilion for them while they are w01 king; and therefore as a Man's Faith grows either ftronger or weaker, fo his Work goes on more or lefs vigoroufly. When other Graces are in want, and cry Give, Give, then Faith betakes it felf to Chrifr, and fairh Lord, fuch a Grace ftands in need of fo much Strength to fupport it, and fuch a Grace ftands in need of fo much Support to act it, and I have nothing to give it my felf, and therefore l come to fetch Supplies from thee : And certainly this Faith that comes thus empty-handed unto ChrHt, never goes away empty-handed from Chrift. What is it that you col)lplain of? ·Js it that the '"Nork ftands at a ftay, and you cannot make it go forward? Is it that Temptations arc ftrong and violent, tha~ Duties are hard, irkfome and difficult? Why fet Faith on work to go to Cbrifr, and there you m~y be-fure to have Supply, becaufe Faith is an omnipotent Grace; .AIL things are poffibte to him that bellt'Utth, and that becaufe all things are pollible to that God, and to that Chrift, on whom Faith is acted. There is no Grace, nor no Supply 1 nor Mercy laid up in the Lord Jcfus Chrift, but it is all in the Hands of a Believer's Fanh,
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