-----------·----- ro'l Booklll, 1Loolting unto 'jJtftt.S. Chap 2 .Secr. 5 . -------- 4-· If thy heart , and foul, and all that is within be lingularly enbrged to praif; PI.IOJ. r,,,J. God for h1s pardons; BlejstheLord, O""'yfoul, andforgernotallhis benefits; whofiYr– gwtth all thme mtquam. Ifthrne heart fed hrs pardons, thy momh will ling his praiies . and hereby thou may'll be aiTured that God harh pardoned all thy fins. ' Come now ; are. thefe, .0 my foul, the grounds of thy hopes? a livdy faith in Jefus? an accomphlhment 11~ fo~e meafure of the promifes of the Covemnr? why, thefe are the fewel of hope; rfthls be thy cafe, ad thy hope ftrongly on Chri!t, and 011 the covenant ofgrace, fay not, hope is onely of things fumre, and therefore if I be already in covenant , what need I hope~ for whether thou art in covenant or no it is the m~in queftion here; nay, though it be granted tharthou art in covenant, a;d that hope IS [wallowed up m the compleat prefence of its object · yet it is not at all dimi– nilh~d, but rather_eocreafed by a partial prefence. As in m;llie bodies, though violent mo.non be weakeft m the end, yet natural motions are ever fwifrdt cowards the cemer : , 1 fo rn the hopes of men, though fuch as are violent and groundlefs prove weaker and weaker, yet thofe thar are ftayed and natural (or rather gracious) are evermore ftrongerandflrongertill thel' procure the utmoft prefence a;ld union of their objet'L The nearer we come to afruition ofa good, the more impatient we arc to vvanr i,. 0 then hope in Jcfm! draw on thy hope yet more and more in this Covenant of graco ! bo not content onely with an hope ofexpectation, but bring it on ro >n hope of conf.dence;· or aiTurance; thou canll not fail if thou bangel\ thy hope on Jefus: Chrifl is not faflened , as a loofe nail , or as a broken rotten hedge in the covemnt of grace; he is then:i 1 •· "·'3•' 1 • M a wil in a fur~ place; and they jha/1 hang on him a!! the glory of his Fa hers houfe; the off- JP ring and the ijfoe ; allvejfels of [mall q~tantitv, fro·n the vejf<Is ofc11ps, even to all the vejfels ofjlaggons. Come foul, thou an a veiTel offrnall quantity , hang all thy weight on Chrifr, he is anail th~t cannot break. PM.'~· 4• I'f. 8S 7• v-er. 9· 1ra. 39· 14· .Mat. 'J.oj6. SECT. V. Of belie'Ving in {e[U! in tht~t refPe". 5·vvE mull: believe on Je[~~< carrying on this great work of our falvation in a way ofcovenant. Many a time Sathan comes and buries in a temptation, what? i; it lik!ly that GodJlmtld enter intoa<ovenant with thte ? yea,fometimes he fo rivers in this temptation, that he darkens all within , >nd there's no fight of comfort in the foul : 0 but now believe ! now if ever is the feafon for fairh to act; little evidence and much adherence fpeaks faith to purpofe. We read of fome who could flay themfelves upon the Lord, whiles they walked in darknefs upon the margin , and borders of a hundred deatbs. Davidfears no evil, though he walk,[dthr011gh rhevnlleyof the JhadolY of dtath; for his faith told him, t!mGod was with him. Hernan could fay, thy wrmb lieth hard upon me, thouhaft afjliiled me with all thy waves ; fure he thought, God could do no more to drown .him; not only a wave or two, but all Gods waves were on him, and over him ; and yet he believes, Lord Jhave c"/ltddally tlfM thee. Heukiahs comforts were at an hard pcinch, mine eye.<failwitblookfng ~tpwards : 0 Lord I am op· prejfed; yet praying argues believing, Lord Jmdertak.; f m· "·'· Chrit1s fenfe of com– forts was ebbe and low, when he wept, and cryed, that l!e w :IS forfaken o~ God; yer then his faith is doubled, as the cable ofan Anchor is doubled when the!torrn IS more than ordinary, my God, my God. . Poor foul! thou ftandefl wondering at this great condefcem1on of God; ll'hat? rh.e Godjhould enter into c011enant with me? what? that Gojhouldmllk,[ _{itch great andprteiou< premifes with me? furely the(e comforts, and the(< pnvrlrdges, are too htghfor me, or for any foul brtAthing.---It may_be fo; ~nd yet b: notdifcouragcd, for God will rnagnifie bis grace, ana therefore he.wrll do _thiS great rhm_g, all_that thou haft to do, an~ all d!ar God requires of rhee, in thiS cafe,_ 1s onely_to belreve i mdeed rho_u hall no p~r~ mChrdt, no part in the covenant ofgrace, Ifthou wilt not beheve; farth 1s the condmon of the covenant <If grace; and thereforeeither b~li~ve, or no covenant. . I know it is not ealie to believe; nay, lt 1s one ol the hardeft t!ungs under heaven to perfwade a foul into faith : what? will the great God of heavcnmak.; a covenant wrthfucb 11 wretch "'I am? I cannot believe it. Why,what's the matter? .Ah my fins, my fins, my fins! God isa 'confuming fire agai"JI[uch. he cannot endure tobehold i"iq11ity ; littlehopes i"' ever Godjhould enter into a covmant with me. But to help on, or to allure afoulrn,confi fi' 0 rhoufoul, ofthefe following paiTages. z. Con I•
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