242 The Life of Faith. He freely made them ; but he flee:ffarily peiformeth them And therefote.the Apofile faith, that Godtbat cannot lye bath promifedeternal life, before the world began ; which is either [pronifed according to hie counfel which he had before the world began] or [from the beginning of the world] Titus t. a, Or as the word alto fignitieth many ages ago. And Heb, 6. t7, FS, Wherefore God wiling more abundantly to fliers to the heirs of Pronsife, the immutaOility of bir counta, confirmed it 1y an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impoPle for God to lye, we might have a firong confolation, whohavefl eifor refuge,, to layhold upon the hopelet before its : which hope we have as an Anchor of the foul, bothfire and ffedfaft-- -And therefore when the Aponte meaneth, that Chrift will not be unfaithful to us, his phrafe is, He cannot deny hisnfelf, 2 Tim. a, t 3. As if his very Nature and Being confined more in his truth and fidelity, than any mortal mans can do. Dire&_ 2. Vnderftand the Nature and Keafons of Fidelity . among men, viz. r. To make them conformable lo Godt And 2, 7emaintain ail Mice, Order and Virtue in the world. And when you have pondered thefe two,you will fee that it is im- pcfiiblefor God to be unfaithful: For a. If it be a vice in the Copy, what would it be in the Original! Nay, wouldnot falfhood and perfidioufnefs become our perfe£iion, to -make us likeGod ? 2. And if all the world would be like a companyof entmics, Bedlams, bruits, or work, if it were not for the remnants offidelity, it is impofhblc that the Nature or WiD of God, fhould be the pattern or original of fo great evil. Dired. 3. Confider what a foundation of his Promifes God bath laidin>Jefas Chriftiand what a tealbis blood andrefurreaien is unto them. When it hath colt Chrifl lo dear to procure than, certainly God will not break them. A Promife ratified- in the blood of the Son of God, called the blood of the everlafiing Covenant, licb. 13. 20. and by his riling from the dead, can never be broken. If the Law given by Mofes, was .firm,_and a pot or tittle fhould not pals away till all were fulfilled, much- more the word and tettament of the Mediatour of a better Cove- flint, 2 Cor. a. 20. All the Promifes in bin are Tea andAM'; Oleic, they arc aferted or made in him,- and they arc ratified and;
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