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Show 'the Applic.tJio~t"tl[the notion ofChrifl . Th. . ..• "d of Ap•'ic4tioH (as 1 term it, ) wt!l be dtfpatch· ·tree. ts -•o•· r cd in three things. b ' - c h .t of J,Look out thofepromifis rvhi<b Gpd bat maac:! •Or t e r') ~<ge bir eople at aUti"m: rbefe atoll but leaves !l~thts Appletr~e,for th! have their Yea and AmeH in Chrifl,Y ~u wtll find tn. Scrtpture Prdmifes of[ptcia/Providmce:, the 91 Pfal. ~full of them. you w~l lind many mGre ia holy writ, many good ":ord~ of ~od ~hemn God hat~> eng3ged to take a fpecial care qf.h!s peqple.m .e~.tl tlm~l under fad difpenfations: you will find promifes ~f a dtv_me pre• fe-nce with his people in.trials, ~rength under 1r1als, dchverapcf out of them: .you will lind prOO)Ifes of-Glory, and eternal Salva· cion &c. all thefe are of excellGnt ufe co the people C!f God. 1 2 .' Your noxr work muft·be. lf<>commit ya11r. S•"!s ,.,.,. tbt111p ''to bdil!\lle i-n ();od, w mtfl in hiS word., to hope 111 hts tru,th, &c. I~ is an ex<:¥tlenr palfage tbat of Saint.Pem, 1 Pcq • . '9· Wht~t· ~forr:-let them tbat fuffer according to the rJJrN,•fGod,comnllt tb( kttpzng of their Sot<-ls 11111o God in rvrU-doi11g as _unto a f.z:tb{Nl Creator; as I'm to a faithful Creator. A Creator p(odncerhra ·fhl)lg ou.t of nq. ' thing~ this is ati exallent Faith for a man IO-!=Prnmit himfelft.o God as to a faithfhl CreatoJ:Methinks it is like th'~t noble Faith of Abr .. hami recorde<l by the Ap?tllc to the I*brtrPf, Heb. I~ · 19. By Faith Abraham •ffmd "P b1< S~n, &c. accounu~g t?at God rJJilf .. bloo 7'3ifehimfrom the Jr•d. A man that commits ,lumfe~f_t? Gods care as to his Creatour, he never hath ~ye to probabthues nor means· but doth his duty, and believes that if God takes away his NamC: his Eflate his Uvelyhood,his Life,he wiH in faithfulnefs to !\is w~rd create him a new Name, an Efiate a Livelyhood, a new Life 'whatfoever he wants. Thirdly,FoVorvGodby prayer • . The Soul under the Apple_cree •is much in prayer, mercies come m a way of duty; for thefe th_mgs ( faith God') I ... iU be inquired •f by tbe houje of , I{rael. It IS an .cex<'elltni· palfage of Dav!d, Pfal. 109. 4· For my /()"!Je tkt)' are my ttdvf'r]Uries, but I give my felf ta pra;•er. It was a~ hot ume of the day .Wlth Dll"!lid, ~hofe.to whom he bad !hewed kmdnefs were be- . ·l:iJme his ad-verfaries. The trees of the Wocd would not fhelter him what d<;>th he do ? he applies himfclf to the Appletree ( as "i!c·:fuoiher time he· i1\c!mta~th himfelfin h~ God)well; but what 'n\earls' ddth he 'llfe?-1i()w, Mth he apply himfalfunto God? By the way of prayer ; I gil!t myf'elfunto pr•yer. This is the ti rll bran.ch o\the Application. • Secondly,labour to lit under theAppletmwitb t/tligb!.Thisis pow an .hard faying, who can bear ir ? 'Tis eafy to r4joic~ in objects of fcnfc when we obtain our union with them:But 'tis hard to delight in the objects ofFaith:The truth is,the latter is as eafy as the former, were the work of Faith in us as llrong and clear as .t.he operation of Senfe. The reafon why we cannot rejoyce in a good alfured us by Promife, as well as in an objed handled by Senfe, is becat\fe we believe faintly, and have our Faith incumbred with doubtings, which make our Souls union with the good imperfed. But Oh labour for this, labour for the joy of faith' Think it a l11ame ro your Souls, that when one of you hath been much troubled about your worldly concerns, and you have at tail found out fome careful Lawyer that will rake care of your bulincfs, or fome powerful fr!en~ at.C~urt that hath undertaken your lntcrell, that then you can dtfmtfs 1t your thoughts; and ( though your cafe be llill depending ) yet yo~ can be merry and chearful, and pleafc your felf that your whole lnterefl is under fuch careful management; and that when ~ou profefs to have cizft aU your care :tpon God, and to have commuted your cafes unto him, that yet y,6u cannot fit down under Chrifis !had ow with delight, but your hearts mufl muft yet be full of troubles and anxieties; what a .difhonour is this tEl God? What a needlefs diflurbance to your own Souls? and how lhort of you~ duty in believing! But I !hall add.no more to this d·ifcourfc, &c. Cane. 2. 3· I I And hu fruit rv.u pita font Nllto my 'l'•ftt. TH E Sp<;mfe is yet telling us, whar improvement lhe made ?f the Applctree by reafon of which !he put an higher rate . upon lt than upop th~ t(ees of the Wood. 1.For hi< fh•dow,{h([ate undrr rt Wztb grtat de!,ght; 2. As to its fruit,fhe tells us,his fruit was pfeafant to her tafle: fuppofing what l have long-fince laid for a foun~at~on t\) all thefe difcourf~s; 1. Tint the belcvrd ( throughout th1~ So.og ) ls tbe Lord Je~us. Chrill; and the Spouft, the Church,more generally;ty~ore particularly every ti.Uf Believing S'ottl The pr<;>pofition)ies before you. ' , ' ' . Prop. Tb1t tbefr•lt ofCbrij1 K plr#fi117t to tbe t•ft• of evtry bdiev· 111g-&cNI, 1 |