175 / 504
The
vanity
of
impofimg Conditions
on
God
`s
Promifes.
CA P.V.4:
eo,
dent
with the matter
of
the
Promife it
felfe.That condition,or
thofe
conditi-
ons
muff confift
in
fome
A&,
Ads,
Way or Courfe
of
acceptable Obedience
in
them, to
whom
the Promifes are
made:
This the nature
of
the
thing
it
felfe
requireth. Now every
fuch
A
&,way,or courfe
is
the matter
of
the Promife,
even univerfall Obedience.
Now
if
one man fhould promife
another
,
that
he
should
at
fuch a
time and
place be fupplyed with an
hundred
pounds
to
pay
his
Debts, on condition
that
he
came
and
brought
the
Monies himfelfe,
ought
he
to
be elteemed
to
havea
mind
to
relieve the poore
man,
or
to
mock
him?
To
affirme,
that,when
God
promifeth
to
write
his
Law
in
our Hearts,
to put
his
Feare
in
our inward parts,
to Create
in us
a
NewHeart, to
.circumcife
our
Hearts
that
we
may feare him
alwaies,
to
give
us his
Spirit
to
abide with
us
for ever,to preferve
us
by
his
Power,fo
that
we
fhall
never leave him
nor for-
fake him, (hall live
to
him, and finne (hall
not
have dominion over
us
&c.
he
doth it upon
condition,that
we
write
his
Law in
our hearts,Circumcifethem,
continue
to
feareHim, abide with Him,
not
forfake him, &c.
is
to
make him
to mock and deride at their
mifery , whole reliefe he
fo ferioufly
pretend-
eth.
What
ever Promifesthen
of
this
kind (Promifes
of
working Obedience
in
us,for our abiding with
him)
shall
be
produced, they
will
be found
to
be
Abfolute,
&
independent
on
any condition whatever, &
their
Truth
no
waies
to
be maintained, but
in
and by
their
Accomplifhment.
2.
For thole
of
the
firft
fort,
which
I (hall now
handle,
farther to
cleave
the foundation
of
their
enfuing
Application,
I
(hall
propofe only
fome few
things
unto
confideration.
As
I. That
they are
not
tobe
taken,
or
looked upon,
as
to
their
ufe
for Ar-
gument
in
the prefent Controverfy, feparated
and
divided from thofe
other
Promifes formerly
infifted
on, which affure Believers,
that
they
fhall
alwaies
abide with God,as
to
their
Obedience: all hope
that
any
have
to
prevaile
a-
gainft
them,
is
by dividing
of
them.
It
is
a
very vaine fuppofall and
founda-
tion
offand,
which
our
Adverfaries
build
their
inferences
upon, which
they
make againft the Do&rine
of
the
Saints
Perfeverance,
via, the
Impoffibility
that
God fhouldcontinue
his
Love and
Favour to them,
whileft they wallow
in
all manner
of
Abominations, and defperate Rebellions
againft him
:
An
Hypothefis crudely
impofed on
our
Doárine,
and repeated
over and
over,
as
a
matter
of
the
greateft deteftation
,
and abomination
,
that
can
fall
within
the thoughts
of
men. And fuch fuppofalls
and
conclufions
are made
thereup-
on,
as
border
at
leaft upon
the
curled colt
of
Blafphemy.
but
cui
fini,
I
pray?
To
what
end
is
all this
noyfe? as
though any had ever Afterted,
that
God
promifed
to
continue
his
Love and gracious Acceptation alwaies
to
his
Saints,
and yet took no care
,
nor
:had
promifed
,
that
they
fhould be continued
Saints:
but
would
fuffer
them
to
turne
very Devills.
It
is
as
eafy
for
men
to
confute
Hypothefes
created
in
their
own imaginations,
as
to
cafe
downe
men
of
tirare
of
their own framing, and letting up.
We
fay
indeed,
that
God
bath
faithfully promifed,
that
he
will
never leave nor forfake
Believers
;
but
with
-
all,
that
he
bath
no
leffe
faithfully engaged
himfelfe
,
that
they
fhàll
never
wickedly
depart from
him,
but that
they
fhall
continue
Saints
and
Believers.
Yea
(WI may
fo
fay)
Promifing alwaiesto accept them freely,
it
is
incumbent
on
his
Holy
Majefty,
upon
the
account
of
his
Truth,
Faithfulneffe,
and
Righteoufnefie,
to
preferve them fuck,
as
without the
leaft difhonour
to
his
Grace, and
Holineffe, yea
to the
greateft advantage
of
his
Glory, he may al-
waies accept
them, delight
in
them,
and reioyceover them: and
fo
he tells us
he
Both,
ierem.
31.7.
Tea
I
have loved
thee
with
an everla
fling
Love,
thereforè
with
loving
kindneffe
have
T
drawn
thee:
he drawes
us
with
his
kindneff'è,
to
follow
119
ß
iÓ.