301 / 504
L)oet.
of
Sts
Perfev. its
ufefulne[fe
to promote
GOell.Obedìence. C.X;g:
i
o,
wards
Holine(fe,
and Obedience
,
then
the
.ingenerating
of
fervile
feares
2
1,5
gendering unto bondage,
can
do.
This
then
we
have
obtained;
firft
that
the
Promifes peculiarly
infifled
on,
are
motives
to,& furtherances
of
Obedience; fecondly,that the
way,'whereby
they become fo,
is
by being mixed
with Faith;
and the
.
ftronger Faith
is
the
more
effe&uall
will
the working
ofthofe
Promifes
unto
Holineffe be
thirdly,
that
the Do&rine
of
the
Perfeverance
of
the
Saints,
and
flability:.of
God's
Love
to
them, givinglrim
the
Glory
of
all
his
Excellencies, which
in his
Pro
-
mifes
are
to
be confidered,
is
fuited
to the
carrying on
of Faith,
in
its.grówth
andincreafe.
Indeed,
that
which makes
our beliefe
of
the
PromifesofFaith
divine,
is
the rife
it hath,and
the
bottome
whereinto it is,refolved, viz...The
Excellencies
of
him,
who
makes
the Promifes:
As
that
he
is
7rr:e,
Fairhfull,
Alfufficient;
the
Glory
of
all,which
is
given him
in
Believing,
as
the
Apoflle
informes us,
Rom.
4.2o,21.
Yea
and
all
this He mutt
be.rceived
to
be,
in
re-
ference
to the
accomplilhment
of
his
Promifes,
or
we
Believe
them'
not
with
divine, fupernaturall,
(if
that terme
may be allowed) and laving
Faith.
Surely
they mutt needs
think
us
very
Bale
of
beliefe,
and
wholly unexpéri-
enced
of
any Communion with
God, who
(hall fuppofe
that
we will
be
perfwaded
,
that
the
Doetrine
which
eminently affetts and
afciibesunto
God,
the
Glory
of
all
his
Attributes,
which he would have
us
to
eye
in his
Promifes, ftrengthning Faith
on
that
account, doth annihilate the Promi-
fes
in
the
Word
of
the
Minifiry,
as
to
their
ufefülneffe
untó bur
Obedience.
Let
us
deale
byinftance: God hath promifed
to
begin
and
perfefs
a
gnádworke
7n us;
according+as
thisPromife
is
mixt
with
Faith,
fa
it
will
be
ufefull
and
profitable
to
us;
If
there
be
no
Faith
it
mill
be
of
no
ufe:
Whale,
of
little;
if
more,
of
more
;Let
a
man now be fuppofed
to be
wavering
about
his mixing
thía
Promife
with
Faith, whereupon
the
iflue
of
its
Efficacy
and Fruitfulneffe
(as
was
faid,) doth
depend: And
let the Do
&rine
we
teach he called
in,
to
fpeake
in
thisCafe, and
let
us
trye whether what it
faies
be`
prejudicial!
to
eftablifhment
of
Faith,
or
whether
it
be
not ail
that
]óokes
towards
its
Con-
firmation.
It
faies
then unto the
foule
of
a
Believer;
:
why
art
.
thou fo catt
downe, thou poore
foule
?
And why
are thy thoughts perplexed within thee
?
It
is
true
thou
art
weake,
unflable, ready
to
fall
away, and
to
perifh:
thy
temptations
are many,
great
,
and prevalent
,
and thou haft no ftrength
to
Rand againft
the power,
and multitude
of
them. But looke
a
little
upon him,
who hath promifed,
that
thou
(halt
never
depart
from
hitn; who hath pro
-
ifed
to
finifh
the
good worke begun;
he
is
Unchangeable in
his
Purpofes,
Faithful
in his
Prómifes,and
will
put forth the
exceeding greatneffe
of
his
pow
-
er,for
the Accomplifhment
of
them,
fo
that
though thou
faileft, he
will caufe:
thee
to
renue thy
ftrength, though thou
fallefl,
thou (halt
not
be
caft downer
Hefhathmidert:#ken
to
worke, and who
(hall
let
him ?
The
Councell
of
his
heart,
(as
to the
fulfilling
of
it)
doth not
depend on any
thing
in us;
what
finne
thou
art
overtaken
withal], he will
pardon and
will effe&ually
fupply
thee with
his
Spirit,thatrthou fhalt'not
fall
into,
or
continue
in
filch
finnes,
as
would cut
off
thy
Cot minion
with him;
And
4th
pot
tbis.En
}76e;:
foresnentionedPremifes with Faith,
anafá
render
it
4itettuall totkettinryP
ing
on
ofthe
worke
of
Love and Obedience,
as
was
mentioned? And
as
this
Dot-trine
is
fuited
to
the
eflablifhment
of
the
foule
in Believing,
and
to the
flirting
of
men up
to
mixe
the the
Promifes with
Faith,
fo
there
is
not
any
thing that
is,or
canbe
thought
more
effe&uall,
to
the
weakening, impairing,
and
fhatteringof the
Faith
of
the
Saints,
then
that
which
is
contrary
there-
unto,
as
(hall
afterwards be more fullymanifefled.
Tell
a
foule,that God
will
write
his
Law in him, and
put
his
feare
in his
inward partes,
that
he
{hall
I
i 3
never