for a Christian the blood of Jesus is said to be a pleading blood Heb. 12.24 And to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then the blood of Abel It is a pleading blood and it saies Father Remember the merits of the Sacrifice of my death remember the satisfaction that thou hast received and do thou continue to love and continue to bless and continue to delight in and to acknowledge these poor ones though they fail and though they provoke thee The believer it may be is so ashamed of himself upon an overcome that he hath not one word to say for himself he can give no reason why a decree of justice should not come out against him but the blood of Jesus that is alwaies speaking and alwaies interceeding whereby we are kept in that justified peace-state with God that in our first coming over to God we are stated in and this may satisfie the Christian under all the disquiets troubles turmoils and unsettlements that he meets withal in this world Secondly Jesus Christ is a powerful Intercessor in Heaven daily urging the merits of his Death and improving the Interest that he hath with God for the compleating of the work begun in the hearts of Believers whereby they are growing up to perfection Jesus Christ is not only an Advocate with the Father silencing and answering all accusations and charges and so maintaining of the Believer in his justified Peace-state with God but as a lively and living Intercessor he is alwaies urging the merits of his Death and improving the Interest that he hath with God for the compleating of the good work of his Grace that is begun Jesus Christ hath not only a Fountain of all Grace for your constant supply but he acts the part of an Intercessor and improves the merits of his Death for the managing of the work of Grace that is begun in your Souls This you have Heb. 9.24 Jesus Christ is gone into Heaven to appear in the presence of God for us And he is not there to appear only as an Advocate or an Attorney but he is there as a mighty Intercessor pleading with God in the strength of the merits of his own Death improving all his Interest with the Father for you Rev. 5.6 In the midst of the Elders stood a Lamb as it had been slain having seven Horns c. This Lamb is Christ Now Christ Jesus he is in Heaven advanced upon a Throne for you He is in the midst of the Throne near unto his Father and how doth he sit or how doth he appear Why says he he appears as a Lamb as it had been slain that is Christ he bears the marks of his Death before his Father upon the Throne he is there to make a fresh commemoration of his sufferings presenting his bloody death and his bloody Sacrifice before his Father As Jesus Christ after he was risen said unto Thomas Come says he behold my wounds and see the print of the Nails in my hands and in my feet So Jesus Christ saies as it were to his Father Father behold these wounds behold how I was pierced behold how I was wounded for these people and as one says so many wounds so many cries Every wound hath a crying mouth that is daily pleading with God for the Believer Jesus alwaies stands as a Lamb as it were slain urging his death urging his agony urging the greatness of his sufferings when justice had him under the lash when he trode the Wine-press of his Fathers wrath alone and he is urging the value of his death for the succeeding of the work of grace begun for the encreasing of strength for the carrying on of your Souls unto perfection Jesus Christ lives upon the Throne carrying on this work and for this great end he considers the Christians state in all his dangers and in all his weakness and under all his wants and he is improving his death for more grace and for an increase of spiritual blessings he knows your dangers by reason of your temptations in the world and he is praying for you there and improving his interest with his Father on that account John 17.15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil O Father saies he they cannot stand against the temptations of the world in their trades and concerns in the world not alone let thy grace be sufficient and let thy strength be sufficient to secure them in their dangers he sees that your grace is yet but small and will hardly stand against a small encounter and therefore he prays that it may be encreased as Luke 22.31 32. I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not as if he had said I know that thy grace will be sorely tryed and will meet with great opposition but I have prayed that it may not fail he pleads with the Father for a more plentiful effusion of the Spirit upon the hearts of his people John 14.16 17. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth c. And when Jesus Christ does pray for the Spirit he prays that he may come in the royalties of his office into your hearts bringing in the fruits of grace of peace and of joy and of spiritual comfort And thus he in Heaven looks after the work that is begun and upon that account he is called not only the Author but the Finisher of our Faith Heb. 12.2 The intercessory work of Christ is not only at your first coming over to God to give you favour with God peace with God but it is a continued act over your whole state till you come in glory Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost or to carry on salvation work till he hath compleated it Why because he ever liveth to make intercession for us Jesus Christ by his intercession does deliver out of one streight to day and he will continue in the same work and if a new streight does appear to morrow he will aid through that also and he will go on so until he hath setled thy Soul in a compleat salvation state Jesus Christ does daily exhibit and urge and present the merits of his death for the carrying on and managing of the work that he hâ—th begun And here take notice by the way that when we say Jesus Christ continueth to interceed you must know that he doth not interceed in a way of free Grace as we do at the throne of Grace he doth not interceed in a precarious way as believers do but he interceeds in the merit of his own sufferings his interceeding is an authoritative act he doth not only pray the Father for Grace and for acceptance for us but he urges the Father upon the account of the infinite price of his own sufferings that
Mat. 18.23 c. The Lord there gives us a Parable of a Servant The Lord had compassion on him and forgave him the debt and the same servant went out to his fellow-servant that owed him an hundred pence and he took him by the throat saying pay me that thou owest me c. Here is set forth the spirit of the children of men they would have forgiveness from others but they will not forgive themselves Well but when Peter came to Christ and said Lord how often shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus saith unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until 70 times 7. As often as he doth offend so often thou shalt forgive Use 6. Again This Doctrine calls for an abhorrence of all Papal Masses as propitiatory Sacrifices for sin You that have heard any thing of the grace of God in the forgiveness of the New Covenant do you detest and defie the Idolatry and the abominations of the Church of Rome who would pretend to forgive sins What is this but to wrong the grace of God What is this but to trample upon the blood of the Covenant as an insufficient thing No pardon of sin doth not come in at so cheap a rate as to be bought with money but it comes in at the door of free Grace through the blood of Jesus Thousands of Rams ten thousand of Rivers of Oil the first-born of the body for the sin of the Soul will not satisfie for they and their money will perish together that would buy pardon of sin with such a price Bless God that you know better and let it raise up in you an abhorrence of that Religion that would thus corrupt you Quest Ay But some poor Soul will be saying Ah! But how shall I come to get God's discharge sealed upon my Soul O! had I but the evidence and witness of this all would be well Ans 1. In the first place Come before God with confessions in thy mouth Bewail and spread thy transgressions before him Psal 32.5 Says David I acknowledged my sin unto thee and my iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin I confest says he and I said I would confess He came and judged himself before God he came and lamented his sinful condition and his sin-guiltiness before God he lamented and bewailed he poured out his confessions before God and the Lord he came and visited his Soul with pardon with the sense of forgiveness 2. Plead with God for his pardon and urge his promise for forgiveness This is that which the servants of the Lord have done when they have wanted the sense of pardon Psal 51.1 Have mercy upon me O God! according to thy loving-kindness according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions When sin lay against Israel God began to threaten Moses steps up and pleads with God for pardon that God would pardon their sin So the Servants of the Lord have all along pleaded with God for pardon in the want of it Do you do thus and urge God with his promise of forgiveness 3. Have your Eye upon Jesus Christ Pardon comes through his blood it is merited it is purchased by Jesus Christ look unto him and put forth renewed acts of faith upon him and in the renewing of thy close with him and in the resignation of thy self by faith to him thou mayest come to have thy pardon sealed 4. Wait upon God in sealing Ordinances It may be thou hast wronged thy Soul to this day that thou hast walked at so great a distance from God in his sealing Ordinances if thou hadst gone thither and attended upon God it may be thou hadst had some hint of his pardoning love to thee that would have more satisfied thy Soul I remember what God said to Gideon I only allude to it Judg. 7.10 11. Go and listen says he and thou shalt hear something that will strengthen thee So I say wait upon God in those Ordinances where God gives out strengthening grace and where God seals up his love to his People and there thou mayest have something that may be a feast to thy Soul there mayest thou meet with something that may confirm this love of God to thy Soul and put all out of doubt more to thee than ever And you that have the sense of God's discharging love in your hearts I have two or three words to leave with you 1. Improve it improve the sense of it unto an influence to all duties and to all obedience to God Let the sense of his kindness to you be so improved and wrought upon your hearts as it may constrain you to devote and dedicate your selves to God in your whole course to lay out your selves in all duties of obedience to God more than ever And know that you can never serve this God enough you can never do for this God enough that hath done so much for you labour to do more for him than ever and to serve him with a better heart and with a better spirit to pray more in your prayers to pray with more fervency and to confess with more sincerity and to walk with God in more exactness lay out your selves to the utmost in this work 2. Extend your pity and compassion unto those that are yet in a condemned state Your Souls should mourn over those that are yet in their sins You know what it is to be under sin and you know what it is to be under grace and therefore your hearts should be full of compassion to those that are yet in that state that by grace you are delivered from Ebedmelech's compassion and tenderness to the Prophet is recorded Jer. 38.11 That he took men with him and went into the house of the King under the Treasury and took with him old cast clouts and old rotten raggs and let them down with Cords into the Dungeon to Jeremiah O Sirs your bowels should work towards those that are yet in their sins I remember what David promiseth to God Psal 51.12 13. Restore to me the Joy of thy Salvateon and uphold me with thy free Spirit then shall I teach transgressors thy waies and sinners shall be converted unto thee He would then make it his business to turn sinners to God he would make it his business to convince and awaken and draw others out of their sinful state that is to labour with them if by any means the Spirit of God may work upon them be you full of compassion to others in a state of condemnation And 3. And lastly Keep up a humble sense of your great transgressions that God hath forgiven you I say keep up and walk under a humble sense of those transgressions that God hath forgiven you Sirs though God hath forgiven your sins yet you should remember them you should remember them so as to walk humbly and softly before God all your daies that you did ever provoke so gracious a God by such heinous provocations and inormities FINIS A Catalogue of Books Printed for and are to be sold by Edward Giles Bookseller in Norwich near the Market place A Discourse of Divine Providence A Word in Season Defensive Armour A Discourse of the Ordinary Matter of Prayer Sermons upon the whole first and second Chapters of the Canticles Allen's Way of the Spirit in bringing Souls to Christ The Glories of Christ set forth with the Necessity of Faith in several Sermons By Thomas Allen late of Norwich Several Sermons of Timothy Armitage late of Norwich Lougher's Precious Promises the Portion of Overcommers The Saint's Ebenezer By Francis English late of Norwich Directions for the Learned to Spell English right The History of the Protestant Reformation as it was begun by Luther The Dead Saints Speaking A Sermon Preached upon the Death of Mr. Newcomb The English Presbyterian
and shall further be glorified upon him and in him I have thought sometimes that many a poor Believer is just as Hagar was when her Bottle was empty and she sate down weeping that now she must die Why she need not fear famishing when there was a well of water near her that she and the Lad might drink their fill Ay but she did not know this well of water to be so near her So the Believer's state is safe and good ay but he does not know it Jesus Christ deals with his People as Joseph did by his Brethren he fed them and nourished them and comforted them a great while but would not discover himself to them that he was Joseph their Brother A Believer that hath an Interest may yet want the evidence of that Interest Thirdly Evidence of Interest is attainable and it is the will of God that Believers should give all diligence to make it clear It is possible that a Soul may come to see his own standing in Christ Jesus and know unto his full satisfaction and rejoycing in all conditions that he is interested in him Many Scripture-Saints have delivered it to us upon record that they did attain to an evidence of their Interest The Spouse in the Cant. did attain an evidence of her Interest Cant. 2.16 My Beloved is mine and I am his Job had a clear sight of his Interest Job 19.25 I know that my Redeemer liveth c. David had his Interest cleared up to him The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom shall I fear Psal 27.1 Paul was assured of his Interest in Christ 2 Cor. 5.1 2. For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from Heaven And it is the mind and will of God that Believers should give all diligence to clear their Interest 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates And 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your calling and your election sure There is the command which implies a possibility of attaining it The possibility of it doth further appear in that the Father and the Son have both sent forth the Spirit to be a Comforter to be a Witnesser to those that are in Christ and his Office it is an Ensuring Office The Spirit he comes being sent forth by the Father and the Son into a poor heart that is full of fears doubts questionings and misgivings and doth settle this Soul in the stedfast belief of his abiding Interest in Christ Jesus and Christ's everlasting relation unto it This you may see Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God And Ephes 1.13 In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise And a considerable part of the Scripture is given forth to this end to clear up a Believers Interest in and Relation unto Christ that he may know his standing in him 1 John 5.12 13. There is Life in the Son says he and I write unto you that ye may know that ye have an Interest in the Son and so have life from him and this is that which the Lord's People have gloried in Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledgeth ' us not c. And this is one end of that grand Ordinance of the Lord's Supper to seal and ensure Believers It is not only an Ordinance of Communion but it is a sealing Ordinance wherein the Lord Jesus does come and set upon the heart clearing up the Soul's Interest in himself and telling of him what he hath done for him and sealing all that hath past upon his Soul It is sometimes hereupon made a feast of fat things It is an Ordinance of Joy It is not a converting Ordinance but it is an Ordinance of comfort unto those that are converted being often owned by the Lord as a sealing Ordinance to confirm all that hath formerly past between God and the Soul So as an evidence of Interest is attainable and it is the will of God that Believers give all diligence to make it clear Fourthly The Interest and Relation that one Believer is owned in with Christ is not different in its nature and properties from what every Believer is owned in but all that are interested in Christ are equally interested in him If you speak of the Interest and Relation absolutely it is the same Jesus Christ is not more one believers than he is anothers Jesus Christ hath not given one believer a greater propriety in himself then he hath given another believer but all are equally interested in and related unto Christ all have an equal share in Christ All have an equal standing in Christ in point of interest and relation Indeed if you speak of interest and relation quo ad effectum as we say if you speak of it in reference to improvement and effects there indeed there is a difference between believer and believer One believer may improve Christ more than another and one believer may grow up in Christ more then another and one believer may in point of application and enjoyment possess more of Christ more of the Grace of Christ then another believer doth but they are all equally interested in and related unto Christ Jesus and the interest that one believer hath is as pleadable and as improvable as the interest that another believer hath Jesus Christ is equally a Head and a Husband and a Brother unto all his People and they are equally Members of the same body in point of interest though not in point of growth saies the Apostle in 1 Cor. 6.17 But he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit It is spoken in general let him be an Apostle let him be an eminent Saint or let him be a meaner or more obscure Saint let him be a strong believer or let him be a weak believer if he be joyned to the Lord he is one Spirit alike joyned alike related and alike interested Fifthly The believers interest in Christ is abiding and can never be crush't it can never be broken it can never be violated but the evidence of interest though once obtained and seem clear may be obscured and darkned A Christians joy that is passing away it is transient but as to his interest that is inviolable and inseparable none can disunite Christ and the believer being once Gospelly joined So you have it spoken out by the Apostle Rom. 8.35 and so on Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword No saies he they
these things that we have laid down in truth though not in high degrees and measures you may be comforted Many Persons they wrong their case and so darken themselves thereupon by looking more unto the height of those things that are notes of evidence then the truth of them Now examine your selves I say by the truth of these things though you cannot yet find that you have overcome temptation that you have got into an holy triumph over temptation yet if that you can find that under all contrary inclinations and drawings the habitual frame and inclination of your heart is secured for Christ you may be comforted though you cannot find that you are able to do much towards the repairing of the glory of Christ in your place yet if you have a heart that is deeply affected with the dishonour that is done to Christ because Christ is dishonoured thereby you may be comfotted Though Christians you can find in your searches but very little of Christ in your hearts yet if your Souls are restlesly carried out after Christ in all your seekings of him that you must compass something of Christ or you cannot be satisfied this seeking heart and restless Spirit after Christ is a note of evidence to you and though you cannot live up to Christ as you would yet if your preparations and reformations be heart-preparations and heart-reformations that the work is begun and going on in you this may be matter of comfort to you and so you may go on to all the other particulars that I have given you look more to the truth of them then to the height and degree of them if you would upon them come to a right understanding of your present state Secondly If upon a search you can find but some of those things that have been given you as evidential of an interest you may be comforted though for the present you cannot speak of them all upon a particular experimental sense The Lord he speaks unto one Soul by one word and he speaks unto another Soul by another word and we don't know what particular word the Lord will make use of nor what particular of all these the Lord hath singled out and made of use advantage and comfort unto any of you but if the Spirit of the Lord hath singled out any one of them and given you a hint of interest thereupon you have cause to rejoice in the Lord and if the Lord hath given you but the least hint of his love and the least intimation by any word of Grace of your interest let not this be lookt upon as a small thing Take heed of refusing the consolations of the Lord when they are offered to you remember him of whom it is said Psal 77.2 My Soul refused to be comforted Thirdly Know this that full assurance and clear evidence of interest is gradually brought into the heart as the light of Grace comes in gradually so also does the light of comfort which is a light unto your Souls to discern Christ and to take comfort in him now the Lord it may be at first let in a little light as it were through the cravis don't set light by this thus doth the Lord work he gives in a little light at one time that doth as it were put the Soul between hope and fear and by and by he comes in with a little more light and then with a little more light and so gradually he carries on the Soul until he hath led him unto a clear evidence and given him a full assurance of interest so as if you have but yet the day star in your hearts don't despise it if you have yet but the beginnings of the light of consolation don't judge this small though comparatively to what some do enjoy it is but small yet let it not be small in your apprehensions but know that the light of interest gradually comes in encreases I may liken the light of interest unto the Prophets Cloud that was at first but like a mans hand and it was a great way off there was some hope of rain upon it but they did not know what would come of it but this was the beginning of such a Cloud that brought abundance of rain So thou hast Christian a little light that is glimmering in thy heart that sets thee it may be between hope and fear well let not this be small to thee for though for the present thou canst not come to a full assurance yet thou dost not know what this will come to thou doest not know what a growing light this is and how much it may encrease in thy heart Now unto those that have as yet but a little light in their Souls some small hopes through grace of an interest but they dare not positively conclude nor they dare not absolutely deny they have not that full assurance that some have neither are they left wholly in the dark unto these Souls I would speak something by way of encouragement and something by way of direction First By way of encouragement to those that have a little hope through grace and have some small glimmerings of their interest and some buddings of their evidence though it is not yet fully blown let such hearts consider First That if thou hast any thing that is a note of evidence or gives thee hope through grace any thing I mean that is in truth know that though it be never so small yet thy interest in Christ is as great as his is that dwells in the height of assurance my friends your interest in Christ is not the less because your evidence of interest is very small but your little evidence that is in truth or this little word of grace that the Spirit hath spoken that gives you some hopes about your condition doth give you as full an interest in Christ as he hath that hath the highest measures of assurance in this world The young Child that can but run to his Father and cry Father Father he hath as full an interest in and relation to his Father as the grown Child that in understanding and judgment is able to reflect upon and improve the relation and so it is with thy Soul in thy union with Christ though thou canst but look up unto the Lord and cry unto him that he would help thee though thou canst but just cry Father though thou art not able to improve thy interest as some others can yet if upon the least hint of grace from the Spirit thou art able to cry Father thy interest is as good and as great as that Souls that is able to rejoyce in Christ in full evidence Christ is yours and you are Sons you are heirs as well as others and you have the same Spirit and the same Fountain of Grace to go to under the smallness of the evidence of your interest Secondly You are under the same preservable maintainable care that those are that dwell upon the top of
all believers and Jesus Christ doth not live and spend upon the fulness of grace that he hath received but he discovers it to the Saints that they may have it to live upon and he lieth under indispensible obligations to dispense it to those that come unto him and Jesus Christ will not debar any Soul that comes unto him for spiritual relief he is engaged in faithfulness unto his Father to relieve those that come and he must deny his office which he can never do should he not do it for the Father hath entrusted him with grace that he might dispense it and he hath given him his fulness that he might communicate of his fulness to those that are in want Psal 68.18 Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led Captivity Captive thou hast received gifts for men Jesus Christ he hath received great gifts from his Father he hath received grace gifts office gifts and he hath received personal gifts and all these gifts that he hath received they are for men and 1 Cor. 3.21 All is yours whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or things present or things to come all is yours all that Christ hath received from his Father or is ordained to dispense he must dispense and he will dispense Isaiah 61 1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison doors to them that are bound c. saies Christ there is a poor Soul that I must deliver and there is a wounded heart that I must heal and there is a bruised reed that I must bind up and there is one weak in grace that I must strengthen and why must I do it Why saies he I am anointed to do this the Father hath commissionated him to do this he hath ordained him hereunto and he must deny his ordination and refuse the office that he is to act in should he refuse a poor Soul and not give liberally to those that come to him John 6.27 Labour not for the meat that perisheth but for that meat that endureth to everlasting life which the Son of man shall give unto you for him hath God the Father Sealed in these expressions are discovered the great blessings of the Gospel that are dispensible by the hands of Christ now go unto Christ Jesus if you be hungry if you be thirsty go unto Christ Jesus if you be naked go unto Christ Jesus if you be empty why will he bless such an one as I am will he look upon such an one as I am yes saies the Father go and you shall speed my Son shall give these things to you for I have sealed him or you may consider these words as spoken by Christ and as the indispensible obligation that lies upon the Son from the charge that he hath received an Office-charge of all that grace that the Father hath designed should be dispensed do not question therefore the Lord Jesus Christ but let your applications be frequent to him he will be faithful unto his Office Eightly There is an exceeding tenderness in the heart of Christ unto distressed Sinners according to all the concernments of his Office There is a very great willingness and forwardness in the Lord Jesus Christ to be dealing out his grace unto those for whom grace was designed or to whom grace is to be dispensed there is an unexpressible desire in the Soul of Christ Jesus to be dealing out the grace that he hath received the charge of all Office-work is most desirable work to Christ though never so hard therefore when he speaks concerning his death saies he I have a Baptism to be Baptized with and how am I streightned till it be accomplished But now we may conceive that there is much more a desire in the heart of Christ to dispense the grace of his death Psal 16.3 Thou art my Lord my goodness extendeth not unto thee but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight My delight saies Christ it is with the Saints to be relieving the Saints and to be comforting of the Saints and to be blessing and strengthening of the Saints The heart of Christ takes great delight in this my delight is with them saies he as to all my goodness as to all my kindness as to all the gifts of grace that I have received and as to all my fountain fulness it doth not extend to the Lord but it is to the Saints and my delight is with the Saints on the consideration of the grace that I have to dispense to them and Heb. 4.25 Jesus Christ he is touched with us he hath a feeling of our infirmities not a feeling in a way of passion and suffering but a feeling in a way of compassion and tenderness that is his feeling as the Mother hath a feeling of the pain and sickness and weakness of the Child through the sympathy of her spirit and the yernings of her bowels over it so the Lord Jesus Christ stands with yerning bowels over his Children and he is touched with our infirmities You have not a weight upon your spirit but in compassion and tenderness Jesus Christ feels it and you have not a burthen on this respect or the other but Jesus Christ feels it such are the compassions of his spirit towards you in all the concernments of his Office It may be you are ready to say in a great strait or under a sore Trial O that such a friend knew how it is with me O that my Father were here or such a Relation were here that they did but know how it is with me Why Soul Jesus Christ he knows and he feels the weight of thy troubles sympathiseth with thee under all thy sorrows We have not an High Priest that cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities Now this tenderness of spirit this sympathy of Christ does influence his hand unto a liberal and free discharge of his Office So that whatever are your losses in the creature and however your outward condition is broken you may go to the Lord Jesus you see he is such a one as you may take comfort in Ninthly Faith is the great instrumental means that receives from Christ and that establishes the Soul in Christ All our blessings they are lodged in the Lord Jesus Christ and there they meet as in a fountain Now faith that is the drawing grace that draws out of this fountain for the Soul's supply The Father hath placed all in Christ and faith is the receiving grace that takes all out of the hand of Jesus Christ that he offers to the Soul by faith we are united to Christ and by faith we receive from Christ upon the union As the Pipe that is laid unto the mouth of the fountain doth receive and
in Isa 9.6 Vnto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and his name shall be called Wonderful Counseller the mighty God the everlasting Father So Isaiah 8.18 Behold I and the Children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel behold I and the Children we are the Lords Children And Isaiah 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledgeth us not O Lord thou art our Father our Redeemer thy name is from everlasting this is spoken of Christ Jesus Now the relation of a Father it is a relation of pity it is a relation of love it is a relation of tenderness when the Lord tells us he stands in this relation unto us he tells us that he will exercise the tenderness the pity and the kindness of a Father unto his Child Now a Father a tender-hearted Father he will consider his Child in all conditions in all his streights and though it be a rebellious Child yet still he will consider it and he will exercise the pity and the tenderness of a Father to it this you may see in David to Absolom Absolom was a rebellious Son that proclaimed war against his Father and would have cut off his Father and yet see how Davids bowels did work towards his rebellious Son when he heard he was dead O Absolom my Son my Son would to God I had died for thee O Absolom my Son my Son these were the workings of his heart towards rebellious Absolom now if there be so much tenderness in a Father in the flesh towards his Children much more in Christ to his Children Saies Christ Luke 11.13 If ye being evil know how to give good gifts unto your Children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that ask him Why the Fathers in the flesh cannot out-love Jesus Christ they have not a larger heart for their Children then Christ hath for his again Jesus Christ he is stiled the Husband of Believers now that is a relation of great care and tenderness the faithful wise able loving Husband how will he defend his Wife and how will he provide for his Wife and how will he safeguard his Wife and how will he pity his Wife in all her exigencies she shall be as his own Soul Eph. 5.28 29 30. So ought men to love their Wives even as their own bodies he that loveth his Wife loveth himself and no man ever yet hated his own flesh this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the Church So as all believers they are betrothed and married unto Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ as a loving able wise tender-hearted Husband will secure and defend and provide for those that are married to him much more then the Husbands in the flesh can do for their Wives Again Jesus Christ he is our Brother our elder Brother Now a Brother under the law was not to see any of his younger Brethren under decay and in a low condition but he was to relieve him if thy Brother be waxen poor and fall into decay then thou shalt relieve him was a Scripture law now saies Christ I am not ashamed to call thâ—m Brethren and he will be a most loving tender-hearted faithful Brother unto all his Brethren whatsoever their streights and their trials are Christians do but propose those aiding relieving auxiliary relations of grace that Christ stands in to your Souls and exercise faith upon them propose them I say to your faith and exercise faith upon them do you consider in your own imaginations what if you had such a Father so wise so able so loving so tender hearted how should your heart rejoice in him why Christian you have all that you can imagine in Christ as a Father to you O you would think if you had such a tender Husband such a kind hearted Husband how would you take comfort in him Christian thou hast all in Christ Jesus that thou canst imagine and much more abundantly imagine the lovingest faithfullest Brother that ever was upon earth and thou hast more in Christ Jesus then can be imagined Christ stands in all these relations to thee and these relations are obligations unto him according to the relation will he act and dispense and according to the obligation of every relation shall the dispense be so as he is not only a Husband but you may believe that he will do all for you being betrothed to him that the relation of a Husband obligeth him to and he will do all as a Father for you that the relation obligeth him to he will do all as a Brother that the relation binds him to And know Christians that you can never out-live the love and the grace of the relations of Christ neither can you ever burthen the love of any of his relations you can never overcharge his love there is a natural love arising in the heart of a Father towards his Children a growing springing love every day that notwithstanding many provocations still the Father keeps his heart upon his Child so though there are provocations in your way unto your heavenly Father yet his heart is kept towards you and his heart is the heart of a Father and his heart is the heart of a Husband and his heart is the heart of a Brother and you can never burthen his love nor out-live his grace nor over-believe the fulness of these relations of grace that he stands in to your Souls Now then if you would come to an exercise of faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ then consider the auxiliary relations of grace that he stands in to your Souls and what is dispensible upon those relations and wait upon him for the fulfilment of all 12. Again If you would come to live a life of faith upon Christ Jesus rejoycing in him under a strait and trial of providence then take up a promise and believe it upon the bare faithfulness of God and never dispute with the difficulty or apprehended impossibility of it There are sometimes great mountains of difficulty that lye before the promise you must not consult with these Christians but consult with the promises as they are in the hands of the faithfulness of God and believe the truth of every promise because God hath spoken it how unlikely and improbable soever unto sense and reason the accomplishment of it is don't say how can this be how can such a promise be fulfilled It is not likely it should be fulfilled to me so unsuitable and so unanswerable but eye the faithfulness of God that made the promise and believe it upon Gods bare truth because he hath spoken it when you have nothing else to encourage you to take it up Thus it was with Abraham the Father of believers Rom. 4.18 19 20 21. Who against hope believed in hope and being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead when he was about