341 / 504
(..onfiffency
of
Prom: ofPerf.3efrxhortationstó the
Life
öf
ineanes.
di
&ion
thereupon, upon
the account
of
the
undertaking wherein againft
al-
2$5
moft
all
the
World,
he
was
then ingaged,
&
the
caute for which he
was coin
-
mitted
to
their company and cuftody,
was
foriherly declared.
Notwithftan-
ding
this, he
afterwards exhorts them,
&
dire
&s
to
the
ufe
of
all meanes
ima-
ginable,
that
were fuitable
for the
fialfilling
ofthe
Promife
he
had,
&
the Pre-
diction he
had made. Evident
it
is
then,
that
there
is
no
leconfiflency,
nor
any
thing unbecoming any perfe
&ion in
God,
in
that
compliance
of
Prom
Wes,
&
Exhortations
which we
mfift
upon: He having
directed Paid
,
to
walk in
that
very
way and
path.
God (we lay)
in
the Covenant
of
Graée; bath
promifed
that
his Saintsßiall never
leave
him
nor
farfake hint
5
that
he will
abide
in
un-
changeable conftancy
to
be
their
God
that
he
will
preferve them
,
and
keep
them
in
his
hand
unto the
Kingdome
of
his
Sonne
in
glory,
faxing
his Redee-
med
ones,
with an everlafting Salvation
to
the accoinplifhment
of
the
End
Promifed
,
which
he
will
upon
the account,
of
his
Truth
and Faithfulnef
e
bring about,
by
Meanes
fuitable
unto
,
and
inftituted by
him for
that
end.
In
the
compafiing and
effecting
ofthis great work, God dealeth
with men
under
a twofold
confideration.
Firft,As Rationallcreatures
5
So
hé
difcovers
to
them the end
promifed,
with
its Excellency, Lovelinefïe,
and
Satisfaction.
thereby
flirting up
in
them
delires
after
it,
as
that eminent,
&
proportioned good
which
they
in
the
ut-
moft
iffue
of
their thoughts and
delires
aime
at
Farther
on the fore
mentio-
ned account,
that
they
are
Rational! Creatures, endued with a rational! Ap-
petite
or
Will,
for the
choofing
ofthat
which
is
good, and
an Vnderflanding,to
judge
of
it,
&
of
the
meanes
for the attainment
of
the end, God reveales
to
.
themthe
meanes conducing
to the
end, propofing them
to
them
to becho-
fen
and embraced, and
clofed
withall for
the
compaffing
of
the
end
propo-
fed5
And
that
they may be yet dealt withall agreeably
to theirNature
,
and
thofe
principles in
them ,
which they
are created
withal!
,
that
God might
have gloryby their
acting fuìtably
to
fuch
a
Nature,&
fuch principles,He
ex-
horts, and provokes them
to
choofe
thofe
waies &
meanes, which he
hath fo
allotted,
(as before mentioned) for
the
end aimed
at
5
And
that
they
fhould
be
thus dealt withal], their very
Naturall
condition
of
being
free
intelleCfuall
Agents
doth require.
Secondly,
As
sinners,
or
Agents
difenabled in
themfelves for
the:work pre
-
fcribed
to them,
and required
of
them,
for
the attaining
of
the
end they aime
at,
namely,
in Spiritual] things:. And
on
that
account
,
he puts forth towards
them,
and
in
them
the
Efficacy
of
his
Power
for
the immediate
and
fpeciall
working
of
thole
things
in them, and by them, and
which
as
Rational!
Crea-
tures, bound
unto
an
orderly obedience, they are
Preffed
and Exhortedun-
to. To
manifeft
the
inconfiftency
offuch
a
procedure,
and the unanfwerable-
nefl'e
ofit, to
the
infinite
Wifdome
of
God
(
though
the
Scripture exprefly
deliver it
in
innumerable
places, as
bath been
fhewen)
is
that
which by
Mr
Goodwin is
in
this difcourfe
attempted;
His
particular
endeavour
in
the place
under£onfideration
is,
to
manifeft
that,
when God promifeth
to
bring about
&
effect
any
thing
infallibly
(by
the
ufe
of
meanes)
'tis
in
vaine
altogether,
that
any
Exhortation fhould be urged
on
them,
who
are
to
ufe
the
meanes
fo.
appointed,
for
the
accomplifhment
of
it. And
to
the
inftance above
mentio-
ned, concerning
Paul
he
replies Ch.
r3.
Se
&:
S.
Firfi,
It
is
the
generally received opinion
of
Divines,
that
Promifes
of
Temporali
4.43.
good
things, are
ffill
Eonditionall, and not
Abfolute5
which opinion
they
maintain
upon grounds
not
eafilyßiaken;
Now
evident
iris,
that
the Promife under
Que(li-
on, was a
Promife
o
f
this Natureand
Kind,reláting
only
to
the prefervation
of
the
Temporal!
Lives
of
Men,
003
Anf