OCR Text |
Show chrifl able and wiOing to soulr Jicftof Lo~e. they find their hearts in no bmer frame, that they find fo little of the love and fear of God within them, &c. thm fears that they {hall one day fall away, &c. . . 3· The Soul wtarird with Satant 'lemptat!ons, and not findtng the flre~g th of Chrift within it impowering tt to the refillance ?f them, ( which it importunately deli res to fi?d ) becomes agam · Jic~ 0( Lovt. The gracious Soul, l?oks upon Stn as the greatell and trucfl evil in the world : Hen_ce tt cannot but l?ok upon all ~"!'Ptations which are !lrong, and imporcun~te motions and folhcttations to Sin as the greatell burthcns m the World, and fr?m which it defireth rather to be freed than from any outward Evrls: now when it finds a want of this ll;ength to refill thefe motions, it becomes again{ick... of Love. · The fourth and !all when the Soul apprehmdetb the want of ~ods prefence with it,it' ju!lly looks at the pre fence of God with it as the greatc!l good, which it is in this life capable of, the gradual manifeflations of which it is very poiliblc that a Soul rpay want, and it is impoilible, that a gracious Soullhould n?t earne!lly <!~fire them : now when the Lord is pleafed,for fome wtfe ends, to wtthhold thefe manifellations and llraiten the Soul as to its SatisfaCtiOJJ in this thing; as hopc'deferred, fo the fatisfaction of the Souls deli res deferred make the heart fick.. of Love, Thefe are the Souls feveral kinds ofLove· ficknefs. 2. Now if in the fecond place we confi'c'lcr the capacity of our Lord and Savidur Jefus Chrill, we !hall find him able t~ relieve the Soul under all thefe di!lempers. There arc three thmgs if you obferved the Souls dillcmpers-well, that Will certainly under them relieve and cure it. -1, Senfe of pardon. 2.lncreJje of Gr11u, 3.lnwarf jlrmgtb and fupporrarioli. again!! all its Spiritual enemies, and underits fad burthet1s & dillemperature. To prove that there is in Jefus Chri!l an ability to .difpenfe out all the~e,I !hall Med do 110 more than tell you that he ts G<1d. 2 . That he >1 G<Jd-man, .and hath lulfercd for us. 3. 7bat be u a[ceHdeJ and fitteth on the nght hand of God. 3 Gl!tat.Articlu of a Chriflianfzith. 1 • • . • l• I fay he is God, God over all bleffid'forever. Th1s nouo~ of our Saviour fpeaketh two things•: 1, That he u omnifcttnl• 2 That be l1 Omnipt~tent. . J. He is Omniflientand ll,nows all the c~fes of alllm people, _all that happens to them or can happen tb them; there is not an .ak1<1g hc•d noJ "heart among!l them ·but·is·known' 'to theLonfijefus ' Chrill, Chrift able and willing to foeco~tr Stmls jicfto[Love. Chri!l, with the particular cau!i: ~~its grief, forrow or wound. Secondly as mighty in power as tn k,n,wledg, able to do whatfoever he pkafeth: But yet this is not enough, for God is not able to do any thing, which is contrary to ju!lice: we mull thcrefere confider the Lord Jefus: Secondly, . 2. AsG.dand M'lt in one perfon, as the Mcflias and SaviOur, that notion of Chrilt fignifieth to us, r. That he !was a perfon "· nointed and Jip,.ated of God. So the term Mef!izh, and the te~m Chri!l lignify. 2. That he did the work to which he was appotnted: In God there was from all eternity a fulnefs of Grace; now it pleafed the father that inChrijl alljidnejijhot<ld dweU.The evangel ill tells us the reafon , 'that of hu /ttlnefs we mig,ht receive Gr~ce f" Grace ; he was appointed by God, anointed, fet a put by lu.m ror what 1 for the work of our Redemption; for the accomph!lung of it in the whole, and in every part. To pay a price to his fathers ju!lice, a price for what 1 for all Grace any way nece!fary, or advantageous for the Souls of his people. And Secondly, he dtd pay thif price; other wife he had been no actual Jefus, no actual - . Saviour. AU powerfi'OJ given to him in Heavm anti Eartb. A power o~er aU f/efh that he might give OHieternallife to thofe given him of his Father. Add to this that the Apofl\e in the fecond Chapte~ to the Hebrews doth prove that our Saviour Chrift, therefore rook upon him our nature,that in it experiencing the miferies to which 6ur nature wa~ fubjccted, and our infirmities, he might be more able to fuccour us. 3. He is not only God and our Redeemer,but he is rifen and fitteth on the right h•nd of God. The Apollle tells you of a vertue in Chrijlr R•furrellion; That afcending up on high, he gave gifts "'m men; That he being with the father we have an advocate ""lth the[ather, evw Chrijl tbe RighteoU<,by his being appointed our Mef!i•I:hc was commiflioned for the work of ourRedemption,for the' obfain-· ing of all Grace for his people; by his fuJfering and dying he made the actual purchafe ; by his afccnding up on high, and fitting down on the right hand of God, he evidenceth himfelf in a capacity to deal out all this Grace to the Souls ofliis people ; doth the Soul then want fenfe of pardoq 1 he hath purchafed pardon for it, he is able to apply pardon to it, and to lignify it by the witnefs ofhis Spirit. Doth it complain for want of the increafe of Grace or that is not able to difcern in itfelf a truth of Grace ? he there- . fore came that his people mightlivr,and that their life might aboHnd, R 2 and |