I 50 Book Ill. L9oking unto g ejtu. ever fo famous in conquering nations,or the whole world, as Abra• ham for his faith and o~edience ; God hath magnified his name a morigl'l: the Hebrewes, who for thefe three thoufand yeares and upwatd have acknowledged none (except Mo/es) greater then .Abraham; the Jewes could fay _to very Chrifr, 11rt thou greater then ~ur father Abraham? - whom ma~ft thou thy felfe? and God hath fo magnified his name , amongft Chrifijans, that all beleevers looke upon it as a glory to be called children of Abraham;nay,we cannot be Chrifts,we have no part in Chrift, unleife we are ,Abrahams feed, and heirt according to the promife. . Gen. 17.s. 4· Vnto thy feed I will give this land, faith God, as an ever- . lafling pojJeJ!ion. Gm. 17. 8. but how fuould that which the 1/r<~~elites poifeifed only for a time, be called an everlafiing poifeilion? The anfwere is, that the word tranfiated ever/afting doth not ever fignifie that which {hall have no end , but an age ' a terme , or continuance ·, as it was faid of S ~rmuel, he foould ~J Slm. I.l1· J>f.I4i•l,2 , Pf. I46,:t Jer.& 5>9• apptare before the Lord, and there abide for ever, (i.) as long as· he lived : and I will pr.:tife the Lord ( faid David) fol' ever and · ever, ( i.) whiles I live will I praife the Lord , as long as I flu.lt have any being I will jing pralfes unto my God. And the defolati· ons of the captivitie were called perpetual defoliuions, (i.) long defolations even for feaventie yeares. · Touching thefe blc!lings, or priviledges I have no more to fay but this, that God gave more ofrhe temporal, lefJe of the fpiritual to the natural feed in the firfi ages, but in the latter ages more of the fpiritual privi-le~ges, and leffe of the temporal; yea, and thus it is this day for the mofi-what among the ·1 c · " Chrifiian feed of ~he gentiles·, fior yefteJour callinl7 brethren , how . or,l .t.u. b th~rt not many wife men lljter the jlefo, not many mighty , not mAn] n8b/e are ca!lfd. 2 . Ofthingsfpiritual, thus we read, feare not Abrahdm, I Gen. I r.:. 11m thy jhie/d, and thy exceedinggreat reward; ! am God alfuffi~ Gen.17 , 1 , . 17 cient or omnipotent, thfa!mighot) God, and lwlll be a God untu · 7• thee,and te thy feed after thec.O what precious promifes are thefe! 1. I am thy jhield, to keep thee from all ~vii; fuch a fhield that no creature can pierce through, fucb a frneld as fhall cover thee over; nay,fuch a fhield as fuall cover thee about; as Cometimes God fpoke of '/er~falem , I, f aith the Lord, will be untD her
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=