188 / 504
CAP.VI.g:4,5.
Pfal: 89.3o,3t.
Opened.
132
iniquities
andtranfgreRons:
yet
his
kindnefre,t hat
fhall
abide with
Chrift,in
reference
to
the
prefervation
of
his
feed;
his
Faith
fulnefe,
that
fliall
not
faiïe,
his covenant, and
his
oath
iliall
be made good
to the
urtermoft.
It
is
fuppofed, which
is
the
worft
that
can be fuppofed,that
in
force degree,
at
leaftfor force feafon, they may
forfak
the Law ,
not
keep
the
Commande.
ment:, andprophane the
statutes
of
God,
which
continues the
burthen
of
poore
Believers
to
this
day:
yet
the worft
that the
Lord threatens
them on
this ac-
count,
when they might have
expe&ed
,
that
he would have
utterly
catt
off
fuch unthankful!, unfruitful! backfliders, poore creatures,
is
but
this
,
I
will
vifit
them
with a rod,
and
with flripes;
they
(hall
have what ever comes
within
the
compaffe
of
corre&ion
or
affli&ion:
Rod
and
Stripes
shall
be on
them,
and-that
whether outward
correítion,
or inward defertion.but
will
the Lord
proceed no farther?
Will
he
not
for ever caft them off,, and
eafe
himfelfe
of
fuch
a
provoking Generation? No,faith
the
Lord: there
lye five things in
the
way, upon whofeaccount I cannot
fo
deale with them
.
All
regard
the
fame
perlons,
as
is
evident from the Antithefs
that
is
in
the
difcourfe.
I. There
is
my
Loving-
kindneffe
(
faith God ) which
is
eternall,
and
un-
changeable: for
Ilove
them
with an everlafting
Love.
Ter. 3
i.3.
this
I
cannot
ut-
terly
take
away, though it may
be
hid and eclipfed,
as
to the appearance
and
influences
of
it yet utterly
it (hall
not
be
taken
away
as
to
the reality
of
it. Though
I
chaften
and correít them, yet
my loving kindneffe (hall be
con-
tinued
to
them. And
then,
(faith
he)
2.
There
is
my Faith
fulneffe,
which
I
have engaged
to
them, which,what-
ever they
doe, (that
is,
that
I will fuffer
them
to doe
,
or
that
they
may
doe
ifa. 43. 22,
uponfuppofition
of
the Grace
of
the Covenant,wherewith
they are fupplied)
23,24,2s,
though
they behave thernfelves very foolifhly,andfrowardly, yet that I
muff
26,
take
care
of,that mutt not
fails.
2
Tim.
-2.
13.
He
abideth
faithfull,
he
cannot
deny
himfelfe:
And this Faithfulneffe
(faith
God)
I
have
engaged
in
three
things.
1.
Firft,
In
my
Covenant,
that
I
have made with them
to
be their God,
and wherein
I
have prornifed
that
they
(hall
be my
People: wherein
alto I
have
made plentiful! provifion
of
Mercy, and Grace for
all
their
failings
and
this muff
not
be
broken,
my Faithfulneffe
is
in
it,
and it
muff abide. My
Covenant
of
Peace
that
I
make with them,
is
an everlafting Covenant: it
is
an everlafting covenant orderedin
all
things andfure.
2
Sam:
22.5.
Ezell:
37.26.
it
is a
Covenant of
Peace. an everlafting
Covenant.
2.
Secondly,
In
the thing
that
is
come
out
of
my
lipps
,
or
the
Grace and
Love
I
have
fpoken
of
in
the
Promife,
berein allo
will
I
be
Faithfisll,
and
that
tha11
not
be
altered: all
my Promife: are yea
and
amen
in
lefts
Chrifl.
2 Cor:
I.
'2o.
And,
3.'
Laftly,
All
this I have confirmed by
an
Oath, I
have fworne it by
my
Heb.6.18.
Holineffe,andIwill
not
lye:
fo
that
in all
thefe
immutable
things,
wherein
it
is
impoffìble
for
God to deceive,
he hath treafured up (trong
confolation for them
that
doebelieve.
Though then the
feed
of
Chrift, which he
is
to
fee,upon
the
account
of
his fuffering
for them
(Ifa:53.
io.)
doe
finne and
tranfgreWe,
yet
God hath put
all
thefe Gracious obligations upon himfelfe,to reduce them by
Corre
&ion
and
Affli
&ion, but neverto proceed
to
finall fentence
of
utter
Reje
&ion.
To
this
purpofe
I fay
are
the
words in
the
place
of
Samuel
now mentio-
4
5
ned.
t.
Firft,'the matter
ofthe
Promife,
or
what hepromifeth
the
People,
is,
he will
not
forfaite
them.
Gods
not
forfaking them
,
is
not
a
bare not
calling
them
off,
but
an aftive continuance with them in love and mercy. He exer-
cifes