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C

A

r.VI

[.g,25

The

Spirit

bellowed on,&

abiding

with

Believers.

176 fuch an

extent

of

this Promife,

as

to

the

objeff

of

it,

and

'tis

very weakly

at-

tempted

to

be

proved

from

Pauls

accommodation, and interpretation ofthe

verfe foregoing,and

the

Redeemer

fhall

come-to

Sion,

6.

e.

in

Rom:

H.

I

26.

for

it

is

moll evident,

and indifputable

,

to

any one who [hall

but

once

calf

an eye

upon

that

place;

that the

Apoffle

accommodates, and

applies

thefe

words to

none,

but

only thofe who

[hall

be faved, being

turned

away

from

ungodlinefjè

to

Chrill;which are only

the

feed

before defcribed.And thofe

he calls

all

Ifrael

either

in

the

fpirituall

fence

of

the word,as taken for the

chofen Ifrael

of

God,

or

elfe indefinitely

for

that

Nation,upon the

account

of

thofe

plentiful!

fruits,

which the Gofpell

[hall find

amongff

them,

when they fhallfeare

the Lord

and

Hof.

3.5.

his

Goodneffe

in

the

latter

dales.

5.

This

then

is

a

Promife equally made

unto

all

Believers;.

it

is

to

all

that

are

in

Covenant; neither

is

there

any

thing

that

is

of

peculiar

importance

to

any fort

of

Believers

of

any

time,

or

age,

or difpenfation,therein

cgmprized.

It

equally

refpeafeth all,

to

whom

the

Lord extends

his

Covenant

of

Grace.

Certainly

the

giving

of

the

Spirit

of

Grace

is

not

enwrapped

in

any Promife,

that

may

be

of

private Interpretation:

the concernment

of

all

the

Saints

of

God

lying

therein.

It

cannot

but

be judged

a

needleffe

labour

to

give parti-

cularinftances,

in

a

thing

fo

generally known

in

the

word

;Though

the

Ex-

preflions differ,

the

matter ofthis

Promife

is

the

fame with

that

given

to

A-

Gen.iy.r.

brahám,

the

Holy Spirit being the

great

bleffing

of

the

Covenant,and

beffow-

ed on all,

and

every one, and only on

them,

whom God

hath

gracioufly ta-

ken into Covenant

from the foundation

of

the

World.

ß:z5

Mr

Goodwin

then

labours

in

the

fier in

what

he

farther

objeCcs,

Seii.6.

That

this

Promife

exhibiteth, and

holds

forth

fätne

new Grace,

or Favour,

which

God

had

not

vouch

fafed

formerly either

unto theperfons, to

whom

the

fail

Promife

is

now

made,or

to any

other: but

for

the.

Grace

or

favour of

final

Perfeverance,

it

is

nothing

(at

leaft

in

the

opinion

of

our Adverfaries)

hut

what

is

common to

all

true

Believers

and

what

God

hath

conferred

upon

ene

and

other,on this Generation,

from

the

beginning

of

the

World.

Anf.

The

Emphafis

here put upon it,

cloth

not denote it to

be

a

new

Pro-

mife,

but

a

great

one,not that it

was

never

given

before,

but that

it

is

now fo-

lemnely

renewed,for

the

Confolation and Eftablifhment

ofthe

Church.

If

wherever

we

find,

afolemne

Promife

made

and confirmed and

ratified

to.

the

Church

we

muff

thence

conclude, that no

Saints

were before made

par-

takers

of

the

Mercy

ofthat

Promife, we

muff alfo-in

particular

conclude,

that

no one ever had theirfinnes

pardoned,

before the giving

of

that

folemne

Promife.

jerein.

3

5.3

2.

6.

We fay,that

the.Grace

of

Perfeverance

is Inch

as

Believers may

ex-

pea

,

not

upon

the

account

of

any thing

in

themfelves,

nor

of

the

dignity

of

the

ffate,whereunto by Grace

they

are exalted; but meerely on

this bottome

and foundation,

that

it

is

freely

promifed

of

God;

who hath alto

difcovered

the

rife, and Fountaine

of

his

Gracious Promife to

lye

in

his Eternal!

Love

towards them,

fo

that

they

can lay

no

other

clame

unto it,

then to

any

o-

the

Grace whatfoever.

W

hen

we

have the

Affurance given

by

any

Promife

of

God,

to

fay

that what

is

Promifed

of

him, may

be

expeïíed

ofcourfe,

is

an

expreffion

that

fell

from Mr

Goodwin,

when in

the

heate

of

difputatgon,

his

thoughts

were

turned

afide from

the

Confideration

of

what

it

is,

to

mixe

the

Promifes

of

God with Faith.

7.

Whereas this

is

given

in

for

the

fence

of

the

words,

that

God

willad-

vance the Difpen

fation

of

his Grace andGoodneffe,

towards,

or among

his

People,

to

fuch an

Excellency

and height,that,

if

they groove

not

extremely unworthy,

they

(hall

have

of

the

Spirit, and

Word

of

God

abundantly

ansong.fi

them, andconje-

quently