185 / 504
OfparticularPromifes.
Iofh.t,
s.
Opened.
_
C
A
P.
V1.4:
i,
perties of
God engaged
for the Accomplifhment
of
this Fromife. 32,33,24.Mr
G.
Expofition
of
chis
place
confidered,and confuted,
351ohao.s7,28,29.opened.
36.Vindicaced.
reg
Aving
cleared
the
Truth of
theone,
and Meaning
of
the
other Pro-
s
:
pofition
mentioned
in
the Argument
laft
propofed,I
proceed
to
con=
firme
the Latter,
by an indu
&ion
of
particular
Promifes.
The
firft,
that
I
(hall fixe
upon,
is
that
oflofhuah
r.
5.
I
will
be
with
thee,
I
will
notfaile
thee, norforfal¿e thee.
This Promife
(it
is
true)
in this originali
Copy
of
it
is
a
grant to
onefngle
perfon,
entring upon
a peculiar
employment
:
but
the
Holy Ghoft
hath
eminently
taught the
Saints
of
God to plead, and im-
prove
it in all
Generations for
their own
Advantage, and
that
not
only
upon
the
account
of
the generall rule,
of
the eftabli(hment
of
all
Promifes
in
Jefus
2
cot.
Chrift,
to
the glory
of
God by us;
but
all()
by
the
application which himfelfe
makes
of
it
unto them, and
all
their
occafions,
wherein
they
ftand in need
of
the
Faithfulneffe
of
God
therein.Heb:
r
3.5.
Let your
converfation
be
without
Co-
vetoufnefJ'e,
and
be
content
withfuch
things as you have
; for
he
hath
fad,
,I
will
never
leave thee
norforfake
thee.
The
Apoftle
layeth downe
an
Exhortation
in
the
beginning
of
the verfe, againft
the inordinate
defire
of
the
things
of
this
World,
that
are laboured after upon the account
of
this prefent
life
:
To
give
power
and
efficacy
to
his
Exhortation,
he manifefteth all
fuch
delires
to
be altogether
needleffe,
upon confideration
of
his Allfufficiency
,
who
bath
promifed never
to
forfake them
,
which
he
manifefts
by an inftance
in
this
Promife
given
to
Iofhuah,
giving
us
withall
a
Rule
for the Application
of
all
the
Promifes
of
the Old T.effament,
which
were made
to
the
Church
and
People
of
God.
Some
labour
much
to
rob
Believers
of
the
confolation
in-
tended
them in
the
Evangelical!
Promifes
of
the Old Teftament
,
though
nade
in generall
to
the Church,
upon this account
,
that
they were
made
to
the
jewes:
and being
to
them peculiar
,
their concernment now lyeth not
in
them.
If
this plea
might be
admitted,
I
know
not
any one .Promife
that
would more evidently
fall
under
the
pówer
of
it
, then
this
we have now in
confideration. It was
made
to
apeculiar
perfon,
and
that
upon
a peculiar
oc-
cation, made
to
a
Generali,
or
Captaine
of
Armies, with rcfpe&
to
the great
Warres
he had
to undertake,
upon
the
fpeciall
command
of
Cod.
May
not
a
poore
hungry
Believer, fay,
what
is
this
to
mee?
I
am
not
a
Generali
of
an
Ar-
my, have noWarres tomake upon Gods command,
the vertue
doubtleffe
of
this Promife expired with
the
conqueft
of
Canaan, and died
with
him
,
to
whom
it
was
made.
To
manifeft
the
fameneffe
of
Love, that
is
in
all
the
Promifes, with
their
Eftablifhment
in
one Mediator, and the-generall
con-
cernment
of
Believers in
every one
of
them, how ever, and
on
what
occafiofi
foever given
to
any, thisPromife
to.7ofliva is
here applied
to
the condition
of
the
weakeft, meaneft, and pooreft
of
the
Saints
ofGod; to
all, and everyone
of
them, be
their ttate'and
condition, what
it
will. And
doubtlefre
Believers
are not
a
little
wanting
to
themfelves
,
and
their
own confolation,
that
they
doe no-more particularly.clofe with
thofe words
of
Truth,
Grace,
&
Faithful-
nefse,
which
upon fundry
occafions
and
at
diverfe times have been given
out unto
the
Saints
of
old,
even
Abraham,Ifaaclt
,
5acob,
David,
and the
refi-
due
ofthem,who
walkedwith God
in
their
Generations: Thefe things
in
an
efpeciall
manner, are recorded for our
confolation,
that
we
throágh
t.at
+enre
and
comfort
of
the Scripturemight have
hope.
Rom:
i
5.4;
Now the
Holy
Choft
knowing the weakneffe
of
our Faith,and
how
apt
we
are
to
be beaten from
clofing with
the
Promifes, and from mixing
them
with faith, upon the leaft
difcouragement
that
may arife, (as
indeed
this
is
none
of
the leali,
that
the
S
Promife