not fay, Why didst thou hear a wicked Preacher ? Jefus faid to his Difciples, The Scribes and Pharifees fit in Mofes' Seat; all therefore whatsoever they bid you obferve, that obferve and do.' But Jefus never faid, Hear none that live not according to their Doctrine. Tho' aBeliever would not prefer a Judas before a holy Man; yet if Workers of Iniquity preach in Chrift's Name,' he leaves it to Chrift to fay in Judgment, I never knew you (x).'-Faith must remember that God is always prefent, and must never fuffer our Souls to be forgetful of him. Nothing is more the Work of Faith, than to live and act always, as feeing him who is invifible (y);' to. think, as knowing that our Thoughts are always in his Sight; to fpeak, as having him for our conftant and moft awful Witnefs; and to hear and pray, and labour, as those whom God employs, watches over, and will certainly reward. Faith muft even lay our Hearts to rest in the Will of God, amidst all the Changes of Life or Death. Faith fees that a chearful Compliance with the Will of God, is all our Work, and all our Reward; and that we ought to be fully pleafed in pleafing him; and that the Will of God is the only Reft for the Soul. AsGod is often called Jealous, efpecially over the Heart of Man; fo Faith must make us jealous over ourselves, and very watchful, that no Creature become any Part of our chief Good. God is fo great to the Believer, that Wealth and Honour, Eafe and Pleasure, and even the greatest of Mortals, must be as dead, or Nothing to us; rather than be loved, or feared, trufted in, or obeyed, to the Neglect of God. genuine Life of Faith Th E 4 in in God, as naturally annihilates every Creature that rivals him, as the Light of a Candle is loft in the full Beams of the Sun. And thus our Faith is the Victory that overcometh the World (z).' › 1 $9. [II] In order to live by Faith on the Son of God, our bleffed Redeemer and Saviour, let the following Directions be attended to. Always keep in Mind the true Reafons of Chrift's Incarnation and Mediation. Otherwife Chrift will not be known to us as Chrift. How large is Scripture in declaring, that he came into the World, to be a Sacrifice for Sin; to manifeft God's Love and Mercy to Sinners; to feek and to fave that which was loft; to deftroy the Works of the Devil; and, in one Word, as the eternal Wifdom of God incarnate, to reveal and communicate his Will, his Grace, his Spirit to finful miferable Man! We fhould not therefore conceive of God the Father, as all Wrath and Juftice, and of Chrift as more gracious and merciful. The Love of God is the Original of our Redemption. • God was in Chrift, reconciling the World unto ⚫ himself, not imputing their Trefpaffes unto them (a).' Nor fhould we conceive of the bleffed God, as taking Pleasure in the Sufferings of guilty Man, and much less of the holy Jefus; but as the Means of demonftrating his Juftice and Holinefs, and of vindicating his Government and Law, and to warn Sinners against Sinning presumptuously, and at the fame Time to declare to them the Greatness of his Love. Nor should we infer from Chrift's Propitiation, that God is now more reconcileable to Sin. For if while we feek to be juftified by Chrift, we • ourselves (e) 1 Schn v. 4. (a) 2 Cor, v. 19. ourfelves alfo are found Sinners; is therefore Chrift the Minifter of Sin? God forbid (b).'-View the feveral Parts of Chrift's Office in their Connection and Harmony with each other. Look not at his Mediation with God, fo as to forget his Work with Man; or at his Work with Man, fo as to overlook his Mediation with God. Attend to his Sacrifice, without undervaluing his continual Interceffion; and obferve his Sacrifice and Interceffion, without neglecting his Doctrine and Example; and magnify his Doctrine and Example, but defpife not the Gift of his Spirit. Let it not be faid, is Chrift divided (c)?' $10. Ever think of Christ, as near, both to the Father, and to us; and of ourselves, as near to God, only thro' Chrift. Our Distance is the lamentable Fruit of our Apoftacy, and makes us backward to draw near to God, fills us with Fear and ignorance of him, and greatly hinders both our Love and Confidence; whereas the Apprehenfion of our Nearnefs to God, will much contribute to the Cure of these Distempers. It is the Happiness of Believers, to be nigh to God,' who in Jefus Chrift' condefcends to be nigh to us,' and thereby prepares us for everlasting Nearness to him (d) They have familiar Thoughts of God, even Boldnefs and Accefs with Confidence (e).' They may 6 come boldly unto the Throne of Grace (f).' The'r Love is greatly promoted, by thinking how near God is come to them in Chrift, and how near he has taken the human Nature to himself. When a Sinner looks upon God, as out of Chrift, he is con · founded (b) Gal. ii. 17. E 5 (d) Pfalm cxlv. 13. Eph. ii. 13. (c) 1 Cor. i. 13.. (e) Eph. iii. 12. founded. But for God to dwell in us, and we in in him;' is Nearness indeed (g). The juft Apprehenfion of this Nearnefs thro'Chrift, is the grand Means of bringing us to the Nearness of a heavenly Converfation. Let all your Thoughts of Ged be thro' the Mediation of Chrift. The Thoughts of God will be ftrange to us thro' our Diftance, and terrible thro' our Guilt, if we look not upon him thro' a crucified Jefus. God out of Chriftis a confuming Fire' to guilty Souls (h). As our Acceptance must be in the beloved' Saviour (i), fo our Thoughts must be encouraged with the Senfe of that Acceptance; and every Thought must be led up to God, and emboldened by the Mediator. 6 SII.- In every Act of Worship, come to God the Father by the Mediation of the Son. Sinners have Nothing to hope from God, but by Chrift; and therefore all our Prayers must not only be in his Name, but be put into his Hand, that he may prefent them to the Father. Seeing we have a great High Frieft, that is paffed into the Heavens, Jefus the Son of "God,' there to exercise his Priesthood for us, by his heavenly Interceffion, let us hold faft our Profeffion. Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain Mercy, and find Grace to help in Time of Need (k).'In all Scriptural Inflruction and Exhortation, hear Christ as the appointed Teacher of the Church. Hear Chrift in his Goffel and Minifters, and hear God the Father in the Son. Take Heed of being fo ftruck with the Preacher's Voice, as if he greater fhare in the Sermon, than Chrift has. (g) 1 John iv. 15. (h) Heb. xii. 29. had a This, • faid 6 • faid the' heavenly Voice, is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed, hear ye him. It fhall come to pafs, faid Mofes, that every Soul that will < not hear that Prophet, fhall be destroyed fron among the People. When ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us,' fays Paul, ye received it not as the Word of Man, but as it is in Truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh alfo in you that believe.' And Chrift himself declares, my Sheep hear my Voice, and they fol low me (1).--Take every Mercy from God, as the Purchafe, and the Gift of the Mediator. Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all fpiritual Bleflings in heavenly Things in Chrift. He that fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how fball he not with him alfo freely give us all Things? Thro' the Knowledge of him, hath the divine Power given unto us all Things that pertain unto Life and Godliness. The Father hath given all Things into his Hands, that he should give eternal Life (m).' Therefore receive every particular Mercy for Soul or Body, as from the Blood and Mediation of Chrift, that you may rightly understand it, and have it fantified and fweetned by him. $12. Let every Sin renew your Senfe of your Need of Chrift, and bring you to him for a renewed. Pa din. Not that we fhould fin, that Grace may abound (n),' but we must make Ufe of abounding Grace, when we have finned. It is the true Nature of Faith and Repentance to make the Remembrance E 6 (1) Mat. xvii. 5. Ats iii. 23. 1 Theff. i. 13. John x. 27. (m) Eph. i. 3. Rom, viii. 32. 2 Pet. i. 3. John xiii. 3. xvii. 2. (n) Rom. vi, I. of |