182 / 504
CA
P.
V.4ta4. M.
G's
notion
of
God's Faithfulnet1e,weighed
&
rejaled.
126
God by
his Faithfulneffe,
but that
whereby
his
Truth
and
his
Conftancie in
Words
and Promifes
is
fignified, I
know
not. Let the
places
from the
begin
-
ing
of
the Scriptures
to the end,
wherein
there
is
mention made
of
the
Faith,
or
Faithfulnefe
of
God,
of
his
being
Faithful!, with the
Application thereof,
the
Scope,
and intendment
of
the place,be perufed,
and
fee
if
they
will give
the
lealt allowance
to
turne
alide from eying
the Property
and Perfection
of
God before mentioned,
as
that
which they peculiarly
intend.
Deut
:7.9.
FT:
36.5.
Pf
8g.
i,2,
5.
Pf
:143.1. Ifai:
49
7.
Hof
2.20.
Rom.
3.3.
2
7th,:
2.
i
3. Heb
:,
10.23.
I
Iohn 1.9.
are
fomeofthem.
Why
we ffiould wring
out
another
fence
of
the
expreffion
in
this
place,
I
know not.
2.
The
Faithfulneffe
of
God
is
not'
mentioned
as
that
Divineprinciple,
out
of
which he
is
moved
to
eftablilh
and
confirme
Believers
to the
end,
but
only
to
confirme
them
in
the faith
of
his
Unchangeableneffe and Conftancie,
in
the
accomplifhing
the
worke
of
his
free
Grace,
which he
had begun
in
them,
and
promifed
to
confirme
to
the
end.
The
work
flowes
from the
Principle
of
his
free Grace in
Jefus
Chrift, whence alone, he
gives
them
great,
free, and
pre..
tious
Promifes. His ftability
and Conftancie
in
thofe
Promifes,
a.s
to
their
performance,
is
intended
by
his
Faithfulnefe and
Truth
in
them.
What
are
the
Promifes
of
God
improperly fir called,
and
not exhibited
inwards,
which you
intimate,
I
know not.
3.
The
Apoftle
doth
not
only
fuppofe,.
but
in
the
name, and
Authority
of
God,
gives
a
fually
in
the
places
under
conGderation, Promifes
of
the certain
and
infallible prefervation
of
Believers
to the
end,
afferting
the
immutability
of
Gods engagement
in
them from
his
Faithfulneffe. In briefe:
not to darken
counfell and
underftanding with
a
multitude
of
words;
by
the
Promifes
of
God,
we
intend
in a
peculiar
manner, thofe expreft
in
the Texts under cone-
deration.
via.
That
God
will
eflablifhh
Believers
to
the
end
, keep them from
e-
vill,
and all
Temptations,
that
would overthrow them: and
by
the
Faithfulneffe
.ofGod,
fromwhence
Believers
have
their
Affurance
of
the
accamplifhment
ofthefe
promifes,
that
which:the Scripture holds
out,
and
all
the
World
of
Believers
have
hitherto
taken
tobe,
the Faithfalnefé
of
God
,
as
was
before
defcribed.
But it
kettles the word
is
here
ufed
otherwife. For
(faith he.)
It
ie
fach
a
kind
of
Faithfeelnefè, or difpofition in him,
as
that
meant
by
Peter,
when
he
flileth
him
a
faithf
ull
Creator:Now
God
1.s,
and
may
properly
be
termed
4
faith
fullCreator,
becaufe he
conflantly perforates
unto his
Creature,
whatfoever
the
Relation
of
a Creator
promifeth in an equitable
and rationall
way unto
it,
which is
a
great
care
and
tenderneffe
for
the
prefervation and
well-being
of
it:
in
like
manner
he
may,
yea
it
is waft
likely
that
he
is, called
faithfull
in
his calling
of
men,
as he
is
a
fpirituall
Father
or Creator,
a
giver
o
f
a
new
being
unto.men,
be..
caufe
he
never
faileth
to
perform
unto thofe
new
creatures
of
his,
whatfoever
filch
a
being as
this
regularly
interpreted, promifeth
unto
him,
who
receiveth
it
from
him
who
is
the donor
ofit: (that
is)
convenient
and
f,
f
ficient
meaner
for the
pre
-
fervation,
and
well
-being
of
it.
So
that
the Faithfulnefe
of
God
in
the Scriptures
in
hand,
fuppofes no
fach Promfe
made
by
God,
as our
oppofers
imagine, viz.
Whereby
he
fbould
in
termes
,
or
words
(land
engaged to eflablifl:, confirme, or
keep
.Believers
from
evil!, his
new-
his
regenerated
ones,
after
anyfuch
a
man
-
eier,
but
that
they
if
they
be
carelefe
or negligent
themfelves,
may
be
flea-
ken
and
decline,
and
commit
evillnotwithfianding.
.Anf..
That
by Gods Faithfulnefe mentioned
in
that
place
of
Peter, fuch a
difpofition as
you
afterwards defcribe,isintended,you had
better
fay,
then
un-
dertake to
prove.
It
is
evident the
fcope
of
the
Apoftle
is
to
exhort the
Saints
of
God
in
all
their trialls and
afflierions,
to
commit
2hemfelves
and
their
waies, with
patience
&
quietneffe
unto
God, upon the account
of
his
ponce
to
r