3ireE. X. Santii/j7ccitiotl; 169 66 not what thou fayeft ?" If an ?oneft man fay, cc Do but take this gift and it is your own; do but 66 eat anddrink, and you are freely welcome:" may not I take the gift, and eat and drink at firft, with but any further ado, and with affurance that it is mine freely ? If I do it doubtingly, I difparage theho- nefty and credit of the donor, as if he were not a man of his word. In like manner, if fearing to be too confident, left we fhould believe a lie, we fhould come to Chrift doubtingly, and in mere fufpence, whether we fhall be freelyentertained, after all God's free invitations and prornifes, fhould we not difpa- rage the faithfulnefs of God? And fhould we not be guilty of making God a liar ? As the Apoftle John teacheth, becaufe of our not believing the record which God gave cf his Son: "And this is the record, 66 that God hath given to us eternal life : and this " life is in his Son," i John v. io, t r. And what, if the falvation promifed, be not abfolutely intended for all to whom the gofpel cometh ? It is enough, that God giveth us his faithful word, that they that be- lieve fhall have it, and none,elfe; andhath abfolutely intended to fulfil his word that none fhall find it to be a lie to them, and bath joined believing and falva- tion infeparably together. On this ground God may juftly caufe the promife of this falvation to,be pub- lifhed to all, and may juftly require all to believe on him af(furedly for their own falvation, that fo it may appear whether they will give him the glory of his truth: and,if they will not, he may juftly rejea them, and punifh them feverely for difhonouring him by their unbelief. In this cafe, we muff not look to the fecret decrees of God, but to his revealed prornifes and command. Thus God promifed to the Ifraelites in the wildernefs, that he would give them the land of Canaan, and would fight for them againft their e- nemies; and required them not to fear or be difcou. raged, that fo thepromife might be fulfilled to them; yet God never abfolutely decreed or intended, that
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