Of Eleflion. <an fet down in writing the Imaginations and FiCl:ions of his Brain; yea, and~ God can and cloth fo order them, as to be fure to bring it to I>Jfs, FQr who~ bath rtf{/ltd bJS wi/11 And 'tis as certain. (for 'm the grand Provifo and work commirte<\..to Free-grace to fee to 1t 10 thts dtfpofemenr) That no Terript~tion fuould be brought upon any of his, which he had not in his purpofe a fure and effeCl:ual way to bring them out of. You have had a brief DoCl:rinal Scheme, what it is for God to be a God of Gract in his purpofes about us,fpeci~lly in his fore-ordering fins, Temptation•, .and then R.educements and Deltverances forth of them, or preventings ofthem hitherto delivered, but a• in an Alferrory way. And the two or three latter of thofe Alfertions were (as you have feen ) founded chiefly upon that Speech of 'David's on his Death-bed, uttered to God ; Thou h<l{l made aCovma1lt with me, order'd in all thi11gs, andJure We, In which you have heard of 'David's faith about this great point in hand, [Thi& is all my falvation] (faid he) and foclofeth up his eyes. It may not be amifs to.take inDavid's Experiments alfo, .upon the view of which it was that he uttered this at his death. And for a further encouragement unto this, let us have recourfe umo another Speech of his a little afore his death (for 'twas upon the occafion of one of the laft acts he did, tbat he fpake it) wh~rein he indeed refers us to the whole ftory of his Life, as a moft magnifick Exem– plification of the truth of the performance of that Covenant : And hereupoo, as we ufc to fubjoyn Examples unto Rules,in teaching Am, which add no fmall illuflration to thofe Rules, fo I lhall produce and joyn unro thofe two latter Atfertions or Maxims before given about Covenant Grace, 'David his Trials aud Emergittgs out of them throughout his whole life; in which will rife up and appear an ocular demonftration of what bath been but alferrorily deliver– ed, fpectally in thofe two lafi; and in the whole, of the main Conclufi11n which was from them lnft inferred. The pacrage is in t Kings '• 29; And tht King [wart, a11d {aid, liS tht Lord tiveth that bath redumeil my Soul out of all tli~refs, We. Wherein, in this !aft pu]llick Scene of his Life, which was the crowning of his Succef· for, his Son Solomo11, he fums up the whole in ageneral Proteftation or Oath made, both unto God and for God, the Matter ol which in effeCl: is this, That look as God had promifed him in that Covenant of Grace, that even fo he had exaCl:ly performed for him, in every point and tinle, and therefore would perform that remaining part of his Promife, concerning his Son Solomon, yet left behind to be fulfilled, Concerning which, take it as it is an Oath for God,and about his faithfulnefs to him, I !hall afterwards enlarge in the Clofe of this Head; but in the mean time, it fairly leads us into the examination and view of the palfages of 'Da– vid's whole life, that are recorded (for he refers us, as you fee, thereunto) in the Narrative of which, you will perceive and difcern all things about him, had been indeed ordered and made fore, in the manner we have been dif-. courfing. Now in the Story of 'David's life, his ordering Grace appeared both, 1. In his being preferved in the midft of all outward dijlreffos and hazards to his Pcrfon, which were and had been Temptations to him to try his Faith. And fecondly, In his Sins, which were his greateft Trials, together with Repentances and Rerurnings out of them. The firft had been from Satan and hi's own heart; the other from God; and 1 Ckron. ••·•· yet all fo ordered, as he was fafely and furely carried through unto Salvation in the ilfue. I joyn both thefe Two together: For his very outward diflrelfes and deli– verances from dangers were a Type, and Pawn, and Pledge to him of his be– ing kept unto Salvation, which the promife of the Kingdom !hadowed out, and yet befides, were in themfelVes alfo great Trials of his Faith, as to the point of Salvation; and both involved io that Covenant of his which bath been infifted upon. '• In
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