188 -1 The Parable oftbe TenPirgins, \ faith either in your judgement an,J praClice,or pra.:hceonly? I would but'on- : ly a>k of fuch thefe ~eflions. \ Firlt, l f we were only ro look ro Chrifts apprehendino . us \Yithouc the! . • or her, why dorh rhe Apoftle put fuch a weizhr upon Faith0 as that aH the ' ?enefirs of Chri!l ~re. communicated by in Heb. p 4- w: ptmak! •fChrift, ·' •( >V' hold thtbegmn;ngof our confidence ftedfajf; and 1-!eb.lo. 38. The ;nff: tlfe 4· ln·erb;It, norfromu. ' Secondly , If fo , why dorh Sa ran fo much fhike at faith? when Terer fell, wh.1rdid he fhike ar? what did he winnow him for ? To Jhake ou.r his fairh; and hence Chrift prayes that it {11ile mt; When Satan comes m ChriH , the lirH thing which made way for all. his temptations, was, If th• 11 : lmjf the s.,, &c. Our bie!led fello1vlhip with Chrifl , he fees confifls of\ two things; Faith on our parr,and the Spirit on Chrifls; and Satan (l:rikes at the weakefllirfi. ThirJly? lffo, Wh¥ dorb the Lord .J~fu~fo carefully feek toprefen•e !c? l both medurely by all meanes anJ MmtHnes , Word, Sacraments, whi.ch j arerof~ed Fatth; andhence Tnul, I7hef?. 3.2. To tjfahlifh puin faith. And ver_. S· he hence :e;oJ•ce4; and ver. Io. We 111ould be yo~~rs to prrfell l your Fazth. And alfo tmmedtately ; Peter falls,Chrifl: praye> hi.· faith faile not, his grace ihould nor l And I Pet. I. 2, 3· Trefervtd bJ f.-tith ta SaluatJon. Objell:. Em 1 cannot believe? Anf•v. Before faith you cannQt; and after you do believe, the Acts of faith, and lively working of faith, may be many rimes in diferrions of the foul from God, or God from the foul, hindered ; and when he hath thofe lively workings of it, ic's from rhe power of Chrill, that it is acted, as ~veil as preferved; but yet if Cbri(l hath once given power to beli(!ve, he maintaines it conHant(y, and increafeth it ; and therefore you have no caufe to plead , I cannot; fo that you cannot fin, and live in it , efpecially in unbelief , and lie there , you cannot draw back eo perdition , but believe eo the falvarion of your fouls ; the inft livn by faith ; we fay we mull: live; Faith will be Hirring , when no other grace can be fo ; it ViCl:uals rhe whole Camp, Relieves the b~fieged ; and it's moll firong, when man is mofl weak. 'Tis true. indeed, rhere may b:! many atl:s of prefumprion for one att of faith ; rake heed of thlt; That faith is not prefumprion , which the more it j works , the more humble it, makes the foul to be , and vile in his own eyes; ~caufe as Faith ever fercherb of Chrifls folnefs eo th:! foule , fo it eyer is attended with fence of emprinefs in the foule naturally , and rhen ic• .> right. Oh refifl not the Lord Jefus, when he comes to appreh~nd yo~ by his Almighty Arme! In a lhipwrack, if a man fees many drowning,and perifuing, never a hand ro cake hold of them , when one is reached out to him , I will be relifl it ? Oh no! I know indeed when the rime of love comes,there is no power of overcoming aml fruflr:uing the grace of God , but yec ehere is a power of refilling., which the Lord c?mpl~ines .of in them~ 0Els 7· 1 and which he ~kes hts people to complame wuh buternefs of m hts bofome when his rime comes. Ifainh )O. z. The Lord cryes out of his peo- ~ pie when rhey had fold tbemfelves into the band of their enemies, and were ape to lay the fault on the Lord, as men do. Now the Lord gives not me a heart to believe ; Saich he, wherefore when I c.rme, WM there noHe to an· fwer? Obje£1. You can never pardon fucb finners, help againfl fuch finnes, i mercy cannot reach us ? 1~ mJ harul {hortntd ? No fuch matter. I do nor prefs you now to apprehend Chrifl, but relifl not the Lord when be har.h ' ~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=