209 / 504
Htf,
z
v,y,zo.
opened and vindicated.
CnP;V1.4:32.
and bring about. But
will
not the Lord,when
he pardons once,
and
againe,
153
at
length be
wearied by
our
innumerable provoéations,
fo
as
to
caft`us
off for
ever?
No (faith he) thiswill
I
doe
in
Faithfulnefe. He
doùbleth the expref-
lion
of
his
Grace,and addeth
a
Property
of
his
nature
,that
will carry him
out
to
abide by
his
firft Love
to
the utmoft;
r
will
(faith
he)
even betroth
thee unto
my
felfe in Faithfulneffe. Hisfirmeneffe,
conftancie,
and truth,
in all his
*aies
'
and promifeswill he ufe in this
work of
his
Grace,
Deut: 32.4. But
perhaps
notwithftanding all this,
theheart
is
not yet quiet: yet it feareth it
felfe,
and
its
own treachery, leaft it fhould
utterly
fall
off
from this gracious
Husband;
wherefore
in
the
dole
of
all,
God undertaketh for them
alfo
that
no
temple
may remaine, why
our
foules
fhould
not
be fatisfied,with
the
fincere
milke
that
floweth
from
this
breaft
of
Confolation3
Thou
'halt (
faith
he
)
know
the
Lord;
This indeed
is
required, that
under the
Accomplifhment
of
this
graci-
ous
Promife, you
know the
Lord
,Ç
that
is)
believe,
and
truft,
and obey
the
Lord: and (faith
he)
thou
(halt
doe
it.
I
will by my
Grace keep alive in'
thy
heart
(as
a
fruit
of that
Love,wherewith
I
have
betrothed
thee
to
my
felfe)that
Knowledge,:Faith,and Obedience,
which
I
require
of
thee
This then
is
force
partofthat,which
in this
Promife, the Lord holdeth
out
unto
us
,
and affureth us
of:
notwithftanding
his
Reje
&ion
of
the
carnall
7ewes,
yet for
his elect,
both the
7ewes
and
Gentiles,
he
will fo
take
them
into
a
Marriage
Covenant
with himfelfe,
that
he
will
continue
for
ever
a Husband
unto them: undertaking alto,
that
they
(hall
continue in Faith
,
and Obedi-
ence,
knowing
him
all their
dayes:
and
of
all
this,he
effetually
affureth
them,
upon the account ofhis
Righteoufnefe,
judgement,
Loving-
kindnefe,
Mercy,
and Faithfulnef
e.
I cannot
but
adde, that,
if
there
were no
other
place
of
Scripture
in
the
whole
Book
of
God, to
confirme
the
Truth
we
have
in
hand,
but
only this:
I
fhould not
doubt(the
Lord
affting)to
clofe
with it,upon the
fignall
Teftimo-
ny given
unto
it thereby, notwithftanding
all
the
fpecious
Oppofitions
that
are made thereunto.
FortheClofe,
I
(hall
a
little
confider
that
leane and hungry Expofition
of
ß,
35.
thefe words, which
is
given
in
the
place before metioned Ch.
11. Sec1:8.
pag.
229.
I
will betroth them
unto
me
in
Righteoufneffe,and
in judgement:and
in
Lo=
viny- kindnefe,and
Mercy: fo
the
words are expreffed
in
a
different
Charaefer,
as
the
very words
of
the
Promife
in
the Text.
a. (Thee)
that
is,
the
church
,
i5
changed into (Them)
that
is,the
5'ewes,
and their Children
or
carnali feed,
as
a
little
before
was
expreffed:
and
then
that
emphaticall
expreffion
( for
ever)
is
quite thruft
out
of
the
Text,
as a
ftubborne word
,
not to
be
dealt
withall
upon
any faire termes.
Let
us fee
then,
how
that
which
remaineth
is
treated
and turned
off.
(I
will
betroth
thee)
that
is,
I
will
engage
and
attempt
to
infure
bothihem, and their
of
"ettions to mee,
by
all
variety
of
wales,
and
meaner
,that
are
proper
and
likely
to
bring
fisch a
thing
to
paf
e :
But who
knoweth
not that
this
is
wooing,and
not
betrathingswe need
not
goe
flute
to
find
out'
men
lear-
ned
in
the Law,
to
informe
us,
that to
try,
and
attempt
to
get
and
affure
the
affections
of
any one,
is
not
a
Betrothment.
This then
is
the'firft part
of
this
Expofition:
(I
will betroth)
that
is,
I
will
woos
and
effay,
attempt
and endea-
vour
to
get
their
affe&ions:
which befides
the
forementioned abfurdity,
is
at-
tended
with
another
fore overfight,
(to
wit) that
God promifeth
to
doe
this
very thing
in
the
laut
words
of
y. 20. which
is
affirmed,
that
he
doth but at-
tempt
to
doe.
To
proceed:
(he
faith)
Twill
doe
t.
Ey'hewing
my
fel
fe
7nft
andRighte-
ous
unto
them,
in
leeping
my Promife
concerning
their
deliverance out
of
captivi-
ty,
at
the
end
of
70
years. So
then,
in
this new
Paraphrafe,
t
will Betroth'
thee,
x
(that