LoQking unto !fefus. B::>ok I 1 I. lOI ______ _;:_ ___________ how [ehofoaph.l!t exprelfeth himfelfe , I am as thou art, my K' " people as thy pe8p le; my horfrs asthy haji-s : So it is betwixt God 1 m.,. u .1 ' and us . Ifonce he givel.ls t.he Covenant , then his ftrength , is oup ftrength,bis power is our power, his armies are our armies , his atcnbutes are our attributes, we have interefi in all ; there is an offenGve and a defenfive league (as I may fay)betwixt God and us; and i(we put him in mind ofit in all our firaites, he cannot deny us. , As it was with the Nations allyed to Rome, if they fought at any time , the Romanes were bound in honour to defend them, and they did it with asmuch diligence as they defended their own City of Rome; fo it is with the people allyed to God , he is bound in honour to defend his people , and he will do it if they implore his aid; how elfe? is it poffible God lhould break his Covenant? .will he not fiirre up himfelfto fcatter his, and our fpiritual enemies? certainly he will. Thus runnes the tenour ofhis Covenant , I will be a God to thee ,ami to thy feed afterthee. This is the general promife, I may call it the mother- promife , that carries all other promifes in its womb; and we find a [efus in this promife, confider tbat ; it is God in Chrift . that is held forth to us in this phrafe, I will be as a Cjod to thee ; 0 fweet ! Here is the greatefi promife that ever was made , Chrifi-God is more then grace, pardon, holineffe, heaven , as the husband is more excellent then the marriage-robe , bracelets, rings; theWell and fountain of life is of more excellencie then the fin~ames; Chrifi Jefus the objective happinelf~,i s farre a-. bove a creatfd and formal beatitude which ilfueth from h1m 0 . my foul is not this worthy ofthy inmofi confideration? bur of this_ more in the next. 3. Confider [efus in that promife made to M ofes and the Ifraelttes, I am the L ord thy God that brought thee out &f the land of Egypt, out of the hot4fe of bondage. Much hath been fa id ro this. promife before asmatter ofthy confiderat ion; but to contraCt it, confider in this promife the fufficiency, and propriety. 1. Here is fuffi ciency, itisapromifeofinfiniteworth an hid treafure · a rich polfdiion, an overflowing bleffing which none can rightly value;. it is no leffe then the great, and mighty, and infinite God; tfwe had a promife ofan hundred worlds or often hea-. vens, this is more then all; heaven indeed is bea~tifi1l, but God is more beautiful, for he is the God of heaven: and -h~nce it .is - - · - D d tha.c . ~ . .:..)
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