·50 .B'ook n. 1Lrotting unto ]cfu.s'. Chap·2.Scct~ •. the goodnefs of God, the power of God, the wifdom of God, the Eternal CounfeJ0 God, lhould work for me, 10 make me glorious, bleifed, happy? to make me. one woh himfelf, and one with his Son, and one with his Spirit ? what care take I of every d~il of the Earth, or ofevery fand on the fea-fl10re? and yerrhefe are my fellow-creature . there's a thoufand times more difproponion betwixt God and me, and would God ta~~ care of me before I was, or before the world wa~? what, would lie bufie himfe]f a d his Son, about fuch a wonhlefs wretched worm? would he decree Chrifr to come fro~ the Fatherf?rme, 10 bemy Redeemer, my Jefus, my Saviour? I canno~,Idare nor, I will .not bel1eve. 0 fray my foul ; and be not faithlefs, but believing, I'le.rakerhy argument in pieces: Jer. , 9 .u. As, I. Thou fayfr, bath God any thoughts of me? Yes: fatrh God, I k_z,ow the thoughts that I thmi<, towards you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil; and before rhe world was· Prov. 8. 3 1 • my thoughts, and mydelights were with the Sons ofmen. 2. Thou fayfr, I have no thoughts' no c~re of my fellow-creatures, a; of th~rduft,or [and, or atomes? and what then? my thought; are not M your thoughts, neither areyour ways my 1vays, faith the Lord; for a; the Heavens arehsgher then the Earth, fo are my ways higher then(o"r W'!)'s, and my tho~eghts thenyou.r Ir•. ss. 8. thoughts. What if rhou halt no rhoughrs or care o rhe fmaller creatures? yer God ex. tends his thoughts, and care,and providence not only rorhee, bur even to them: neither can a Sparrow fall to the ground, nor an hair from rhy head, nor a leaf from rhe rree wirhour the providence of our heavenly f'!ther? 3. Thou f1ylf, I dare nor believe, i Mart· •o. '9• am all:onilhed ar, confounded in rhefe thoughts of Gods erernal love. it is roo high for 3o. me, I cannot bdieve ir. I anfwer, herein thou faylt fomerhing : I k~ow it is an hard -rhing to believe thefe ~ear things in reference to rhy felf: Bur fee now how Cod and Chriil: ll:oope and condefcend ro make thee believe: God ltands much upon rhis, thar tlieliearts· of Saints lhould confide in him: lie accounts nor himfelf honoured, excopr tliey believe; and therefore mark 0 my foul, how Chrilt fuits himfelf to rby weaknefs. · what is ic rhat may beget this Faith, this confidence in thy Son I what is it (fairh Godj that you poor crearures do one to another, when you would make thihgs fure between your felves? Why, thus 1-- ' r. We engage our felves by promife one to anorher. And fo will I, faith God: poor foul, thou halt my promife; my faithful promife; I have made a promife both Mls a. 39 • to JirWs and Gentiles, and thou art the one of thefe two forts; the promife is to you, and toY""' children, a•d to ""that are afar off, even a; m.tny a; the Lord OJ<r God jha/1 caD. Be only farisfied in that ground of rhy hope, that thou arr ca/ltd of God; and rhen every promife oferernallife is thine, even rhine. Thou maylt find a rhoufand promifes fm– tered here and there in the book of God ; and all rhefe promifes are a draught of that promife which was made from all eternity, and therefore it is fo much rhe more fure; it is as if Chrilt lhould fay, wilt thou have engagement by promife? this is paft long agoe; my Father bath engagtd~imfelf to me beforethe Worldbegar~; yea, and I have made many, Andmany a promife finct the World began? Read in thevo!Hme, and tho~t wilt find here and there a promi{e, h~rre and there a draught of the firft copy, of th.ttgreatpromife, v.hich my Father made lmtomefrom alleternity. 2. When we would make things fure to one another, we writ~ down; And fo will I, fairh Go.d: thou haft the Scripture, the holy writ, thofe facred v~mes of rrurh and life, and therein thou haft the golden lines of many gracious promife~; are they nor as rhe Srars in the firmament of the Soriprure? thou haft my B1ble, and m the B1blerhou hall: many bleifed glorious rrurhs : but of all rhe'Bible merhinks t.hou fl10uldll nor parr wit~ one of thofe promifes, no, not for a world. Lmher obfervmg the many promtfes wnt down in Scripture, expreiferh thus, the whole Scripture dorh e[Prcially_ aim at thi<, that Wl Jhould not do~tbt, but h1pe, confide, believe, that God,; mercif~<i, k.!nd, pamnt, and bath a pur• pofeanda delighttofave o11r {o~els. ' 3. When we would make things fure 10 one another, we fet to our Seals. And f~ will I, faith God: thou ball: my feal, the broad Seal of Heaven, my Sac~ar_nenrs, the Seals of my Covenant; and thou halt my privy feal alfo, the feal of my Spmr. Gneve llphef. 4· Jo. not th~ holy Spirit, whereby ye arefealed untP the day of Redemptz.on.. , 4· When we would make things fure to one another, we take Wltneifes. And fo w1JI I, faith God: thou fl1alt have wirneifes as many as rhou wilt, wirneifes of all forts, Wit– ··, ndTes in heaven, and witneifes on earrh; for there are three that bear recordin heaven, the John 5• 1> 8. Father, theWord, and the Holy G6oft, and thefi three are one. Andthere arethreethat h<P.r wirnefs in earth, thefpirit, and thewaur, andthe blood, And, thefe three ilgree mone. b S· Wen
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