Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

5. Faith in going to Christ, as lifted up, it is principally and mainly to look unto the […] meaning, intent, and design of Christ in his sufferings, as he was lifted up; we are not barely to consider the History of Christ's death, but the aim of Christ in his death: Many read the History, and they are affected with it; there is a principle of humanity in men, which will stir up compassion, and love, and pity towards all in misery: whilst Christ was suffering, the women followed after him weeping; but this weeping, not being spiritual, or raised enough, he said to them, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for your selves. The way of Faith drawing virtue out of Christ's death, it is especially to look to the scope and drift of Christ in his sufferings. As God looks principally to the meaning of the Spirit by Prayer, so doth faith look principally to the meaning of Christ in his sufferings: mistake not, my meaning is not that we should be ⟨p. 393⟩ignorant of the History of Christ's death, or of the manner of Christ's sufferings; you see we have opened it largely, and followed it close from first to last; but we must not stick there; we should above all, look to the mind and heart of Christ in all this: some observe, that both in the Old, and New Testament we find this Method; first, the History, and then the Mystery; first, the Manner, and then the Meaning of Christ's sufferings; as in the Old Testament. We have first, the History, in Psal. 22. written by David; and then the Mystery, in Isa. 52. written by Isaiah. And in the New Testament we have first the manner of his sufferings written at large by all the Evangelists; and then the meaning, written by the Apostles in all their Epistles. Now accordingly are the acts of Faith; we must first look on Jesus as lifted up, and then look at the end and meaning; why was this Jesus thus lifted up? Well, but you may demand, what was the end, the plot, the great design of Christ in this respect?

5. Faith in going to Christ, as lifted up, it is principally and mainly to look unto the 〈…〉 meaning, intent, and design of Christ in his sufferings, as he was lifted up; we are not barely to consider the History of Christ's death, but the aim of Christ in his death: Many read the History, and they are affected with it; there is a principle of humanity in men, which will stir up compassion, and love, and pity towards all in misery: whilst Christ was suffering, the women followed after him weeping; but this weeping, not being spiritual, or rais'd enough, he said to them, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for your selves. The way of Faith drawing virtue out of Christ's death, it is especially to look to the scope and drift of Christ in his sufferings. As God looks principally to the meaning of the Spirit by Prayer, so doth faith look principally to the meaning of Christ in his sufferings: mistake not, my meaning is not that we should be