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The
Faithfulneffe
ofGod
ingaged in
his
Promifes.
C
A
P.V.4: s;.
faiihfull,by
whom
you are called
to
the fellowfhip
of
his sonne : in
the foregoing
125
verfe he
telleth them
that
God
will
confirme them to
the
end ,
that
they may be
blamelejjein
the day
of
the
Lordchri.fí;
of
which confident
Aßèrtion, he
gives
them
this
account
, God
is faithfull to make good
his
Promifes made
unto
them,
he
changeth not. When
a
Promife
is
once paffed,
that
which firft
pre
-
fents
it
(elfe
to
the confideration of them
to
whom
it
is
made, and whole con-
cernement it is,that it be
fulfilled,
is
the
Faithfulneffe
of
him
that
bath made
the
Promife.
This property
of
Gods
nature doth the
Apoftle therefore mind
the
Saints
of,
to
lead them
to
a
full Affurance
of
their prefervation.
His
Pro-
mife
being
pa
%d,
feare
not
his
faithfulneffe for its Accomplifhment.
Might
there
in this cafe
a
fuppofall
be allowed
of
any fuch
interveniences, asmight
intercept them
in
the
way
of
enjoying
what God
trulypromifed,
and
caufe
them
to
come
Ihort thereof,what
a
ffurance could arife
to
them from the
of
the
Faithfulneffe
ofGod,
who made thofe
Promifes
unto
them?
The
Faithfulneffe
of
God then
is
ingaged for theAccomplithment
of
the thing
promifed,
which alfo (hall
be
done,
in
cafe
that
faile
not.
So
alto
the t
7hef.
5.
23,24.
'The
very God
of
peace
fanlli
fyyou
wholly,
and
I
pray
God,your
fpirits, and
foules, and
body be
preferved
blameleffe
unto the coming
of
our Lord
!elm
Chri"l:
faithfull
is
he
that
calleth
you, who
will
alfo
doe
it.
He
aflìares
them
of
theirpre
-
fervation in, and
unto the enjoyment
of
the
things
which he
prayed
for, and
that
upon
the account
of
his Faitbfulneffe
who
had promifed
them:
and,
faith
he
he
will
doe
it: viz.
becaufe he
is
Faithful!.
Let the
oppofitions
to
it
be ne-
ver
fo
many, the
difficulties
never fo
great, the
intervenienceswhat they will;
He
is
fai
thfull,and
he
will
doe
it:
as
it
is
affirmed
2
The
f
f
3. 3.
Ent the Lord is
faithfull,who"
hall
e
flablifhyou,
and
keepeyou
from
evil!: as
alto
in the
t
Cor:
so.
13.
God is
faithfu
l,who
will
not
fiíi
ff
eryou
to be
tempted
above
that
you
are
able,
but
will
with
the
temptation
alfo
make
a
way to efcape,
that
you
may he able
to
beare
it. The
fame
Faithfulneffe
of
God
is
held out
as
that
upon the account
whereof
no
temptation (hall
befall
Believers, fo
as
to
feparate them from him.
The
Promife
here peculiarly confirmed by
it,
and e(tablifhed on
it,
is
fuch as
no
condition can
tollerably be
fixed
unto. I
will
not
fuffer Believers
to
be
o-
vercome with
Temptations,
in cafe
they be not overcome with
Temptations,
is a
Promife
not
to
be afcribed
to the
Infinite Wifdome
of
God
,
with
which®
we have
to
doe, and yet no
other
can
with the leaft colour be propofed. All
finne,
all
falling from
God
is
upon
temptation. Though
Sathan
and the
World
(hould have
no hand
in
drawing man
afide
from
God,
yet what they
doe
from
their
own1ufts,
they doe from
Temptation.
lam.
t.
54,1
5.
If
God in
his
Faithfulnéffe will not
Suffer
any
Temptation
to
prevaile againft
Believers,
unleffe
they
negle&
their duty
and
fall
from
him, and they
can no
otherwife
negle&
their duty, nor depart from
him,
but
upon
the
prevalency
of
Temp-
tation, their
abiding with
him, their
finall
unconquerableneffe
bath'
a
cer-
tainty
anfwerable
to the
faithfulneffe
of
God.
This part
of
our
ftrength Mr
Goodwin
attempts
to
deprive
us of. Cap.
t
t,
sell:
i8.p.
236.
in thefe
words.
Whereas
the
Apoftle
mentianeth the Faithfulneffe
of
God,
as
that
Divine
principle
in him,
or
Attribute,
out
of
which
he
is moved to
ellablifh,
and
confirme Believers
unto the end,
andfo
to keepe
them
from
evil!;
by
Faithfùlneffe
he
doth not
necefarily
meane
that
Property or
Attribute
of
his
,
that
renders
him
true,and
juft,
or Confiant
in
the performance
ofhis
Promifes,
as
if
the
Apoftle
in
thefe, or
any
likeplaces,fuppofed
fuch
a Promife
,
one
or
more
made
by
him,
by
whie
he
"lands
obliged
to
eflablifh
and
confirme
his Saints
unto
the end
by
a firong
and irrefillible
hand.
Anf.
The
fumme
of
this Anfwer is,that
the
Apoftle
by laying
God is
Faithful!,
doth
not
underftand Gods
Faithfrtlneffe.
What
other virtue
is
intended
in
lk
3
God