Opened and Applied. power of immediate Re.,.e latio 't , without the mediFtm of die Word; rbe Wo.rd they gram bar b its u\e, and 'ti s good to attend to it; as to a light 1n a dark p:ace , btt<,ttay nil rhe d•y-tlar r<! arue; rbe Word 1s obfcure , aPd I may de ceive, bur this canpot ; at'd rhey tbrnk Chrifl never apprehend> them-, rill rh is dotb ; atid rpis fome fed, and rett upon, as upon a light anti comfort inlicknefs, aud k.1ve o',hers to the Word; fome feel and, hold no other ev idena bur this ; fume b() !d ir, bur never felt ir, but live in admiring of 1t , and 'tis a prety new thing, &c 1 confers rbe Spi.'it mutt reveale rhe meaning of the Word, before ever it can draw any [ Q believe , and it mutt mishrily' immediately apply the \\;ord; but for Chri~l eo r.:veale himf-:!f wir!wur a Word , and a Word of promi1e in rhe Gofpel truly unde r!tood, is a delullon, efpecial!y if the evidence of rhe Word be herein defp.!fl;d_ Ram. I 5. 4· 7 aut had Revelations; fo may a godly man have more rhan common manifeflarions of favour at / tome rimes; bur p,ut/ fpea~s not of there, H cb_ f. I i - ;h::t we m ight hiive (/ra 1g canf olatian, G"c , All the Heires of rh~ promifes, as'Heires rhar have Legaties lefr them, rhey go to rbe Will of the deceafed Father, and that comforrs that they bold ro; that is fure, [uch a one lhall have ir , if his name be there; bur if ont: lball fay, Such a one harh promifed me fuch lands, is it inrbe Will ? No; bur fince he dyed, as I was taking a Pipe, he came ro me ; ob be nor deceived 1 bur fay fome, I hold eo the Will; ler us fee , where is it? I love fuch and, fuch,fairh the Lord; true; but whom ? 'ris Children beli~ving , broken, poor, bumbled. Now if you fay, No, I regard no fuch Will; ·then you regard nor the Lord; [o 'tis here, Eph~f. z. zo. Built tJ[On the f oundatJ,on of rh1 A poftles; i. e. upon the Word, and Chti!t in it, &c. Hence, if you build wirhnur che Word, you build withone a Foundation, and you will fall; and do you hold to char comfort char theWord never ,gave you? Chri!t is nor che ob;ea of Faith, but as revealed; John 6. 45· He that hath.feen , &c. Ch rifi is nor revealed, but in his Word of the Gofpel preached ; all your conceptions wirhouc ir, are idolatrous and mon(lrous ; you neither fee nor apprehend ChriH , nor Chrifi you. 5: By clofing with ChiiH upon falfe tignes oL grace; there is a company of people, if they have bur fome pangs, and fome Ref0rmations how and ' then, they are prefenrly Chritts, theyhope; and if rhey l:e like umo all other g?od people'· apd do as rhey do, now all is well. Th~1s . rhefe iooliih Virgms dtd dccewe and delude rhemfelves; they cvere Vrrg111s, they were like orhers , and rhey thoughc well of them, and hence they fell to have hopes, our of fomdleightywork oft~ Spirit ofrheLordJ~fus -; bur rbeyare in rhe interim, ltrangers ro rhe life of God, and Chrilt, and Grace ; rhefe lbould have looked to have oyle in their Vell'els, befor~ now. Secondly , What is it for Chri!l nor to apprehend fuch , and to . withdraw fr omfucb? A nf w. You may know this byche Aflirmarive. What is it for Ch·iH Jefus to apprehend ? Confider a foul drawn home to the Lo rd Chrifl eo bdieve ; rher~ ~re two things he dorh apprehend his people by. A,, • Ftr!t, By an eternal Covenam -of grace which rhe Lord makesandenrers inro wirh a poor linner, whereby he bindes himfelf for ever ' rob~ his, aGod unro him; we cannot makphe Lord apprehend us. (as in z s~m- ~· I, 1, 3·) Bur by his ~ov~nam ,_he bindes hi!l)felf onto rhe fouls of h's people; !fa- s)· z., I· wbtch ts a mtghty flrong Covenant, as flrong as Cods purpofe is; for 'ris norhing ~ut Gods purpofe revealed. Now this ,the Lo;d re· veals ufua!ly rwo wayes_ · 1. In the Word, wirhour the confcience kno\\ing it , fo as thar
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