Chap.9. Se8: 3· 3J:f)t r£.tft Of jfaitf). 211 --~--------------~----~----~~--~--~~~---~ are to rclyc upon God for t~e performance of it by an ad of recumbancy , though \~C cannot with an act of full afl urance, rhe promife not bcmg ~mvcrfal, but mdefintte: Of like nature arc all other promifcJ of thmgs temporal or thmgs fpt_ntual, not abfolurely necelfary to f•lvation; a> long ltfe, nchcs, hunor,..Afjimm~e ,of Evtdem·~. to them that £ . him the tenor and purport of whtch p>·omif c, ts not as tf abfolutcly,mfalltbly, and C.al er r,'lly . God doth ah<~:y perform thefc tu thofe that ate tiUly quahfied, With the UOIV • ' ;r. h b h S . . fl d ditions fpecified in rhofc rrom'Jcs ; t e contrary or cnpture, m ancfs, an comconn experience fhcws · they are therefore indefinitely meant, anJ fo tu be undcrltood f, 00 us. bccaufe when c~er God cloth difpence any fuch mercies to any of his, he would d~ it by' promife : i\nd he requires anfwcrably an act of (aith,fuitobte. to tha: his mea– nin in the promife ; that as he mtended not m fuch promifcs; an abfolute, mfalltblc, uni~erfal obligation of hi~nfclf, to the performance of them t~ all that fe.ar him; fo the . ad of faith which a man IS to.put forth toward thts promife, m the aj)pl)cattOn of tt for his own porticular,is not required to be ~n abfolute,mfalltble pcrfwahon and afl'tuance; th t God will bellow there outward thmgs upon~tm, havmg thefe ~ualtficatwns m h a but onely an indefinite act (as I may calltt) of rccumbancy and fubmiffion, nn, . . < h < f' calling and adventuring our fclves upon htm wr t e pcnormance o tt tu us,not know- ·ng but he may in his outward difpenfatiorts make tt good to us; yet with fubmiffion ~0 ~is good pleafure, if otherwife he difp,ofe it; and if he grant, to confiderthen, That whatfoever we have, it is not by a merr Provident~, but by vertue ofa Promifo. SE CT. 3· Ofthe manner of this Life of Faith in particu!ar,as in Tomporal evils. l N particular that we may live by faith, obferve we,--·-– S I. The Promifes. I 2. The exercife of faith concerning the Promifos. . "d bl . . h . 'd f { Our felves. And both thefe are conn era · e, ett er m regar o Others. r. In regard of our felves ; and therein we fhall { Temporal. confider matters SpiritHal, Etern11l• .h. I . h { Evil. - T_mgs tempora are ett er Good. We fhall begin firll with Temporal Evils i and concernin'g them , firll give you-tlie Promifes; and fecondly, the exercife of faith in the refped of thofe promifes. I. The Promifos that concernTemporal Evils have reference to thofe evils, either. :- S General. m I Special. I. · Evils general, are afllictions and dangers, concerning whiCh we have Promifls, \ Prevent, fome to ') ~alifie, ( Romove thoie affiictions, . -I. The Promifes to prevent Affiictions, you may read in the Word, and they are thcfeandthelikc: Pfal. 91. 10. Pfal. 121. 7· Job. 5.19. Zech.2. 5· where the Lord promifeth to be a wall offire to his people; (not of!lone, or brafs, faith Theodoret) that 1~ may both fray a far off, and keep offtoo at hand ; protect them,and defiroy their enemtes. 2. The Promifes to qualifie evils, are thefe and the like. Ffal. 103. 13, q. If 49: 13, 14, 15. Ho f. I 1. 8, 9· In this !all promife,God imitates Parents (faith Thoodoret) when any mifery is upon their child, their bowels yern more; never fits the childe fo much on the Mothers lap, rtever lies f9 much in her bofom, as when he is lick: So the Spoufe betng fick of love (i.e.) in fome mifery, Chrift ftayeth her tVirhflaggons, com~ forts her wnh apples, his left hand is under her head, and his right hand doth embrace her: Cimt 2 • s. ' Pfal. 56. 8. where we may read Gods compaffion to his children in their calamities, that he narro':"IY obferves every one of them; -Thou tclleft my wandri11gs J yea, he makes fu prcctous o reckoning of their griefs and farrows, that not a tear falls to the grouud, buthekecpsit, preferves it (as precious liquor) in his bottle; Put my tears mto thy bottle J yea he keeps them in memory, he notes them arrd writes them in hiS' E e z book,
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