2W The GofpelMyjery Direa XL. the firft hearing of it. And we muff not defre or wait for any evil of fin, fuch as thefe defpairing thoughts are, that good may come of it : neither fllould we expel: to be worfe before we be better, when we may and ought to be better prefently, by believing on Chrift. The FOUR TH thing in the direction, is, that we Mould continue and increafe in the mots holy faith. And, that we may, we mu ft not think, that, when we have once attained to the grace of faring faith, and thereby are begotten anew in Chrift, our names are up in heaven, and therefore we may be carelefs: but, as long as we continue in this life, we mutt en- deavour to continue in the faith, grounded and fet- led, not moved away from the hope of the gofpe?, Col. i. 23. and to hold the beginning of our confi- dence, and the rejoicing of hope, fledfaft to the end, lieb iii. 6, lg. and to build up ourfelves in our moft holyfaith,Jude`ver.2o.abounding thereinwith thankf- giving, Col. ii. 7. Though we receive Chrift freely by faith; yet we are,but babes in him, t Cor iii. r. And we muff not account, that we have already attained, or are already perfect, Phil. iii. 12, 13. but we mutt ttriveto be more rooted and built up in him, until we come unto a `f perfect man, unto the mea- " fare of the future of the fulnefs of Chrift," Eph.. iv. i 3. If the new nature be really in us by regene- ration, it will have an appetite to its own continuance and increafe, until it come toperfusion, as the new- born babe, i Pet. ii. 2. And we are not only to re- ceive Chrift, and a newholy nature, by faith, but al- to to live and walk by it, and to refill the devil, and to quench all his fiery darts by it, and alfo to grow in grace, and to perfect holinefs in the fear of God; for we are kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto falvation, i Pet. i. §. As all our Chritti- an warfare is the good fight of faith,, r Tim. vi. 12. all fpiritual life and holinefs continue, grow or decay in us, according as faith continueth, groweth, or de.-
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