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

3. The manner how to act our faith on Christ incarnate, is this—

1. Faith must directly go to Christ: we find indeed in the Bible some particular promises of this and that grace: and in proper speaking the way to live by faith, it is to live upon the promises in the want of the thing, or to apprehend the thing it self contained in the promise: but the promises are not given to the elect immediately without Christ; no, no, first Christ, and then all other things, Incline your ears, and come unto me; 1. Come unto Christ, and then, I will make an everlasting Covenant, (which contains all the promises) even the sure Mercies of David. As in marriage, the woman first consents to have the man, and then all the benefits that necessarily follow; so the soul by faith, first pitcheth upon Christ himself, and then on the privileges that flow from Christ. Say Soul, dost thou want any temporal Blessing? suppose it be the payment of Debts, thy daily Bread, Health, &c. Why? look now through the Scripture for promises of these things, and let thy faith act thus, If God hath given me Christ, the greatest blessing, then certainly he will give me all these things so far as they may be for my good: in the twenty thirst Psalm we find a bundle of promises, but he begins thus, The Lord is my Shepherd, saith David, and what then? Therefore I shall not want; the believing Patriarchs through faith subdued Kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of Lyons, did wonders in the world; but what did they chiefly look to in this their Faith? Surely to the promise to come, and to that better thing, Christ himself; and therefore the Apostle concludes, having such a cloud of witnesses, that thus lived and died by faith, let us look unto Jesus, the Author and finisher of our Faith.

1. Faith must directly go to Christ: we find indeed in the Bible some particular promises of this and that grace: and in proper speaking the way to live by faith, it is to live upon the promises in the want of the thing, or to apprehend the thing it self contained in the promise: but the promises are not given to the elect immediately without Christ; no, no, first Christ, and then all other things, Encline your ears, and come unto me; 1. Come unto Christ, and then, I will make an everlasting Covenant, (which contains all the promises) even the sure Mercies of David. As in marriage, the woman first consents to have the man, and then all the benefits that necessarily follow; so the soul by faith, first pitcheth upon Christ himself, and then on the priviledges that flow from Christ. Say Soul, dost thou want any temporal Blessing? suppose it be the payment of Debts, thy dayly Bread, Health, &c. Why? look now through the Scripture for promises of these things, and let thy faith act thus, If God hath given me Christ, the greatest blessing, then certainly he will give me all these things so far as they may be for my good: in the twenty thirst Psalm we find a bundle of promises, but he begins thus, The Lord is my Shepherd, saith David, and what then? Therefore I shall not want; the believing Patriarchs through faith subdued Kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stoped the mouths of Lyons, did wonders in the world; but what did they chiefly look to in this their Faith? Surely to the promise to come, and to that better thing, Christ himself; and therefore the Apostle concludes, having such a cloud of witnesses, that thus lived and died by faith, let us look unto Jesus, the Author and finisher of our Faith.