Houston-Packer Collection BV4253 .B85 1649 .B85 1649

andcare of, hisPeople under Temptation. 273 my faith, and labours to make, my faith to faile. In this cafe, let a mans heart fpeak thus : Firft : If the Lord do commandme to beleeve, then the promife 3, belongs tome,for Icannot beleeve unlef;Iapply thepronsife : now in this time, at thisvery time ofmy temptation, the Lord doescommand me to beleeve, elfe it were no fin not to be- leeve ; 'tis a fin for me not to beleeve, now therefore the Lord commands metobeleeve; but beleeve I cannot unlefs I apply the promife, thereforeGod would have me to ap- ply the promife, therefore the promifedoes belong to me, and I may apply it. Again, Let theheart fpeak thus : If the Lorddoesgive out 2. a Tbreatning that it may not be fulfilled; iixdbe does giveout a Promife that it may be fulfilled : If the very applyingofthe Threatning, makes the Threatning not tobelong to me ; and the very applyingof the Promife, makes the Promife to belong tome then the Threatning does not belong tome, for I have applied it ; and the Promife does belong tome, for I have applied it:Oh! I remember how my foul hath lien trembling before the Threatning, the Lord knows I have often applied theThreatning : but now this is true, That the veryapplying ofthe threatning, makes thethreatning not to belong to a man ; and thevery applyingof the Pro- mife,makes the Promife to belong to a man ; and therfore Satan, theThreatning belongs, not untome, but the Pro- mife does. But then again Thirdly, let him fay thus: If I be more 3 godlynow, than I was when Satan toldme, that the Threatning did not belong to me; and the Promife did belong tome, then there is no reafonfor this temptation. When I went on in a wayof fin, then Satan told me, the Threatningdid not belong to me ; and thenhe toldme, the Promifedid belong to me : Oh ! but now I am moregodly than I was then, I h ave more ofChrift than I had then Iam fure, & therfore Satan, Dian thou tel me, that the Promife did belong to me then therefore it belongs much more tomenow. Thon toldit me heretofore, when I went on in away offin, the Threat- ning

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