on the I19.T%Ime. 517 PORTION. y. Verf.q.9.Remember thepromifemade tothyferuant,wherein thouhaft cantedmeto traf. Hen he had find, hewould keepe Gods commaundements, he then prayed that icrnighc doe it. Secondly, bec had the pronailefor that hceprayed, to teach vs to rule our prayers by Gods.word. Thirdly, lice fticketh to the promife of the Golpell,not tothe law. Fourthly, whenhefaith remember, he cloth not reprove the Lord of forgetfulnes, but rather prayeth thathe himfelfe might bekept, thatbe fhould not fall. Fichad not any particular promifes, but applyed the generali promifes to himfelfe. This mutt fetueto an(were the dinellaskingWhat promifes we haue offàluation orfor= giuenesof finites for we bane the promifes that are made to the whole Church, which wehaue applyed to our(clues. ForGod bath therefore made his promifes to the whole Church,thateuery one might lookefor hispartinthem. So didthe womanofCanaande- pend on the generali promife, for the particularwas againft her : fodid Abrahamin the death ofhis ionise : for though hehad a particular commandement to kill /faac, yet he flayedhimfelfe on thegenerali promife. Tltyfervent: Tirepromilès are ruade tovs, not tlratwe fhouldabufe them, but thereby should becomehis feruants. wherein thouhafte: Thereis a time betweene themakingand thefulfillingofthepromife, which Goddoth to try whetherwe will account of thepro- mile, and llickeveto it : fo in-prayer; ifwe feele not that we. pray for, prefently, whether we willfaint : fo when we hauefeltcórnfort,and yet nowwe cannot, whether then'we can truft to thepromife and be comforted in that wehave had. By this it is :nanifefl that faith andfeeling are not all one : but that is faith which without feeling beiccueth for ohen feeling it,then it isan experimentalifaith. Vert;yo. It is mycomfort inmy trouble: forthj promife bathquickoaedme: VVHen befelt fveetnes in it,then hewas comforted ; forthere is a changeablework- ïng inGods children':He iheweth the nature offaith,whichwill neither be flayed invaine,iror tricked things; but allhis delight was in the word, wherethough he felt not full comfort, yethehad fomuch as flayed him. This is contrarie tothe narri ófthe world, which in their trouble will either feeke delight invaine things ; or in eu it I things. Then if in fickenes,or anyother trouble, we haue not our chceferecourlèto the word, ourfaith isweake, ifit beany at all. It is the word ofpromife that quickened]. This is thenature of faith to feelecomfort then, when they are at thepoynt of death. This fheweth -that Gods childrenhaue lometime comfort, fometime none. And this is true faith that cancomfort vs whenall ineanes farhe,and when wehaue thiern,yct not to flay irr them. For a righteous man liuech by faith: and therefore when he feeleth Chrilt hue inhim, in fotgiuing his films renewing him, and gluing him hope of euerlafting life ; helloed] : butifhecan- rotfeelethat, then he is as a deadman. Thenlet vs try ; is theword fauorie,though meate be not ? doe wecall God father, when outward thingsthreaten his wrath ? then here is a lifeby faith, which weaneth vsfrom the creatures, and bringeth vs to God. But are we Withoutcomfort in the promifes, whencveareintrouble ?- thenisour faithnothing, and yet this is the mannerof themen of the world. Can we findecomfort and delight in the word, when we cannot findecomfort in any thing els ?this is a notable argument offaith, And thoughwe feele droafines, yet ifwe can byfeare (hake it off, and findefweetenes in theword, this is faith. The word then and prayerare the chiefell comforts in troubles, Yy Contrarily IPr I0i0'
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