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word, he was invested a Mediator with his triple office,of Priest, and Propher, and King, to be, and to do all this for fuch as are telievers.

Thou doeft not mistake thy felf, nor misconceive of God or Chrift, when thou goeft to the Lord Jefus in any of thy ftreits, then to be a Priest for thee, or to be a Prophet for thee, or to be a King unto thee. Ono, God hath appointed him to be the Saviour of his body, to be the head of his Church, and Chrift,who was thus ably invefted,is as willing and faithful to discharge and performe.

3. These things being to be known and granted, there followes in the third place the conjunction of these two together, which indeed is the very living by faith upon Chrift.

When the foul is in any exigence, and comes to Christ, and puts it felf upon him, and trufts to him for help, this is to live by faith on Chrift. Suppose a person fenfible of much guilt, many finful commiffions, or omiffions lay heavy and fore upon him; he is grieved at heart that he hath fo difhonoured God, take them off he is not able, and therefore he renounceth all in him felf, to Chrift he goes and faich thus, Obleffed Lord Jefus, thou didst shed thy precious blood for the remiffion of finnes, thou haft offered me thy felf, and all thy precious purchases and benefits; I have by faith accepted of thee, of thée alone, with all my foul to be my Lord and Saviour; Now none in heaven or earch can procure me the pardon of thefe fins,but thy felf, and thou canst do it; I beseech thee that thy blood may be mine atonement to thy father; yea, I will, and do caft my foul upon thee, thee alone, for the pardon, and I will truft unto thee for the difcharge, of my many, of all my tranfgreffions; Thy blood is the price that I will truft to, and rest upon. This is to Live by faith in Chrift in that particular; yea, though the sense of guilt be great, and the truth of it undeniable, yet to believe the pardon in Christ, and to offer his fatisfactions; yea, to adventure, and to roll the foul upon him for it, for Chrift bath called me, and he hath faid that he will eafe me, &c.

So againe, fuppofe that thou feeleft corruptions ftrongly working, and temptations grievously affaulting, now to live by faith on Chrift is to come unto him, (knowing the Kingly power of his grace) and to befeech him to fubdue iniquities for

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4. Things.

thee, and to fend forth the rod of his Scepter, the power of his gracious Spirit, to mortifie chy lufts yet more, and to truftepon him,that he will do this for thee, and therefore thou wilt apply thy felf, with patience and confidence to the use of all confecrated wayes and meanes, through which Chrift will manifeft that power unto thy foul thank God through Jefus Chrift faid Paul, Rom.7. As if he fhould fay, I am not able for my life to root out, to beat down these vile motions, but I caft my felf upon Jefus Chrift, I truft unte bim, and verily beleeve he will deliver me; the like may be faid of all the other exigences, but I cannot repeat all.

Confider that the habit or quality of faith is one thing, and the use or exercise of faith is another thing; the foul then lives by faith on Christ, when it improves its interest in Chrift, when it can trust to him to supply all its wants; a man is faid to live by bread,not when he hath it in his Cupboard, but when he takes and eates it; and a man is faid to live upon his money, not when he lets it to lie dead in his cheft, but when he turnes and windes it for his benefit and fupport. So here, to live by faith on Chrift, is to put faith to work, my works are in my self, but the fupplies of my foul are in Chrift; as I go to divine providence, and pur my felf on its faithful powerful goodneffe for my body, so I muft go to the Lord Jefus, and put my felf on his gracious and certaine fulneßle for my foul.

Yet obferve a few things, for the clearer opening of this.

1. To live by faith on Chrift, it is more then a meere complaining of our wants, or an acknowledging of his fulnesse. To fee fcarfity in the house, and plenty in the Market, this may be, and it may be vaine, unleffe we go forth to fetch in the promifes.

Whiles the foul keeps home, it lives not by faith: The life of faith lies abroad: aman may have grace to fee his wants, and yet he lives not by faith, till he can get out unto Chrift. I will go to the Prophes, to the man of God, faid the woman who had a troubled fpirit for her dead child: Yea, this recovered her child againe: If I can but touch the hem of his garment I shall be whelt, faid the in the Gospel; you must bring the pitcher to the well, if you will have water; and the childes mouth must be applied to

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the breaft, if it would have milk; and the foul must go unto Christ, it must approach unto him, or else it is but a fruitleffe trouble, it is not a living by faith on him.

2. To live by faith on Chrift, it is more then a meer going to Chrift,though the motion of the foul out of it felf be required, yet that alone is not fufficient. If I go to a man for to lend me an hundred pound, if either I will not speak to him, or trust him, this is labour loft; fo,though we do addreffe our felves to Chrift for help, but will not truft upon him for fupply, this is not yet to live by faith. For,

The life of faith on Chrift is raised by three things.
Fitft; bis fulnese.

Secondly, bis goodneffe.

·Thirdly, his faithfulnesse, and all these enduce the foul to truft unto him; he is able enough; Ergo, I will truft him; he is ready enough, therefore I will trust him; he is faithful, and will certainly do me good, therefore I will truft him. So that to live by faith, it is to live by truft; one is faid to live by truft,when he hath nothing from another, but his word, or his bond, I think him honeft, or I have him faft bound, therefore I will truft him, Thou haft the Word of Chrift, and the Promife of Chrift, which is a fure truth, to which, if thou doeft cruft, thou doeft live by faith. If feel and do not complaine, if i complaine and do not pray, if I pray and do not truft, this is not yet to live by faith; fo farre as I can truft upon Chrift,that he will fupply and help my foul, fo farre I do live by faith.

3. Nay, Thirdly, to live by faith, is not onely to trust upon Chrift for supply, but it is to expect the perfor

mance.

There is a great difference 'twixt the life of fenfe, and the life of faith: Senfe is opposite to expectation; it is only for the pre fent, what it hath,that makes it up, it lives upon no stock bur that in hand, but faith reckons its eftate more from what lies in bonds, then what the perfon findes in the purfe: It findes the greateft part of the fouls eftate, yet in the promises, and yet in Chrift, and in both graciously, and affuredly undertaken; where upon it doth make the foul not only to go to Chrift, but to truft him, and not only fo, but to expect and waite patiently; he doth hear me he will do me good,be will not suffer fin to have dominion,

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he will fend forth the rod of his power, he will make all grace to as bound,he will not leave nor forfake me, he will fatisfie for me, his interceffion fhall be effectual, I fhall yet feel the power of bis death, the vertue of his refurrection.

As to pray and not to trust, so to trust and not to expect, to truft and then to murmur, to trust and to untrust, whiles we are Ipeaking, to get the foul to put it felfe upon Chrift, and before we have done fpeaking, to pluck of the foul againe, to deface our own fealing, to caft away our confidence, this is ill, very

ill.

It is true that the acts of faith are capable of weaknesse, and alfo of oppofition, one man may more confidently: ruft and ex pect, and another leffe; fometimes the fame man is more pure and high in the act of trusting, and fometimes he hath much ado with his heart, to get it to roll it felf on Chrift; but yet he doth do it against many feares, and against many corrupt reafonings; now he lives by faith, but then know it is an ill buftnefle inftantly to reverse the acts of faith, faint in it, or but to fufpect Jefus Chrift himself, either in his power,or goodneffe, or truth.

Fourthly, to live by faith on Chrift, it is an extensive work, it is to truft on him, not for one thing only, but for every thing, which concerns the ftate of the foul. The foul is a needy thing, naturally it is fo, and fo it is fpiritually; either it needs grace, or more grace, or ftrength, or comfort, or peace, or mercy, and pardon, fome thing or other it wants;now Chrift is an adequate Tupply to the foul, he hath grace enough, and righteoufneffe enough, and power enough, and peace, and plenteous redemption: Now then as our wants appear, or as they multiply, fo muft faith appear and abound in its acts, if we will be faid to live by faith.

I will be righteousnesse to thee faith Chrift, and I will truftupon thee for it faith faith; I will be fanctification to thee faith Chrift, and I will truft upon thee for it faith faith; I will be redemption to thee faith Chrift, and I will truft unto thee for that too,faith faith, yea, I will truft upon thee to be my continu al propitiation, continual interceffion, to be my continual fufficiency and ftrength,for more grace, for quickning, for comfort, for falvation, for all.

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Doth corruption work againe? and I will to Chrift againe to fubdue it, he will do it for me; doth Satan renew his temptations? and I will renew my addreffes to Christ, who will againe (Itrust ) bruise him under my feet; my comforts are gone, but I will to Chrift, I will live upon him, be will come again and then my joy shall be full.

And indeed the life of faith, as it is a multiplied work, ( for it makes the foul to live upon Chrift for its manifold grace,) so it is a repeated work, it leads on the foul often and often even for the fame kinds of fupplies.

Obj. O faith the foul, I did go to Christ, and did beseech him to rebuke Satan, and I trusted on him, and followed my fuit, and found it fo; but now Satan tempts again, now fin works again, now my heart is down again, dull, and dead, and feeble again.

• Anf, I fay to fuch an one, to live by faith, is to keep house with Chrift, it is to be a daily gueft; it is to relie upon him,it is so often to come as we have need, it is to draw water often from the fame fountain: As if Christ did lay to a person, whatsoever thy foul needs, come to me for it, and whenfoever, yet come I will do it for thee, and the heart goes confidently to the Lord of its life, and hope of its falvation.

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SECT. IV,

Quest, 4 Hat Arguments to move us, not onely to get faith in Chrift, but also to live:

by it?

gin.

Sol. They are fo many, that I know not well where to be

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First, If we confider our own condition, this might put us upon the life of faith.

First,the life of faith is congruous to our condition:for what is our condition, but a depending being, fuch a being as fubfifts upon, and by another?

Take us as creatures, and fo we are but beames of light, which the funne lets forth, fupports, contracts, drawes in; Weare>

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