94 / 504
C
A
p.I
i.
4: I
i,a.
iIfa.Ch:44.
v.
1,:,3,4,5,6,7,$ opened.
38
obferved, thefe
dales
have given great force unto:
We
fee
many, who
teem
to
have
the
vigor
of
youth , and the ftrength
of
young men,
in
the
wayes
of
God, that
have fainted
in'their
courfe , and utterly
failed
;
they began to
runne
well,
but
lay downe almoft
at
the entrance;
and be
it
fo,faith
the
Lord,
it
tball
fo
come
to
paffe
indeed: many
that
goe
out
in
their own ftrength,thall
fo
fall
and
come
to
nothing:
But
what
is
that tothee,o
Jacob,
my
chof
en, thou
that waited
upon
the Lord
?
v.3
t. The
unchangeable
God
will fo
make out
ftrength
to thee,
that
thou
fhalt never
utterly
faint,
nor
give
over, but
abide
flying, running,
wanking,
with
fpeed,
firength , and fiedfaflnefe,
unto the
end.
That
expref
on,
they
that
wayt
upon
the Lord,
is
a
Def
ription
of
the
Perfons,
to
whom
the
Promife
is
made, and
not
á condition
of
the Promife it
felfe.
It
is
not,
if
they Waite
upon
the
Lord,
but,
they
that
waiteon
the
Lord
:
if
it were
a
Condition
of
this Promife,there were nothing promifed;it
is'only
laid,
if
they
wait
on
the Lord,
they
fhall
Waite on
the
Lord: But
of
the
vanity
of
fuch
condì-
tionalls
I (hall
fpeak afterwards.
4.
iz.
A
Scripture
of
the
like importance you have Ifaiah
44.
I
>2,3
>4
>5,6
>7,8
verles,
Tet now
heare
O
Jacob
my
fervant,
and Ifrael,
whom
I
have
chofen:
thus
faith
the Lord,
that
made
thee,and
framed
thee
from
the
wombe,
which
will
help
thee;feare not
O
Jacob
my
fervant,
Ieffsrun
whom
I
have
chafers,
for
I
will
pour
water
upon
him
that
is
thirfly, and
floods
upon
the .dry
ground
,
and
1
will
put
my
Spirit
upon
thy
feed,ánd
my bleffing
upon
their
off-
fpring,'
and
they
(hall fpring
up
as among thegraffe,
as Willowes
by
thewater
courtes:
one
(hall
fay,I
am
the.
Lords,
and
another
(hall
call himfelfe
by
the name
of
Jacob,
and
another
(hall fnbfcribe
with
his
hand
unto the
Lord,
and furname
himfelfe
by
the
name
of
Ifrael, thus
faith
the
Lord,
the King
of
Ifrael, and
his redeemer; the
Lord ofHofls,
I
am the
frf
!,and
I
am the
lafi,
befides mee
there
is
no God,
&c.
I fhall
not
need
to
infift
long on the opening
of
thefe words:
the
generali
defigne
of
them,
is
to
give,
Confolation
and
Affurance
unto
Ifrael, from
the
Eternity,
Vnchangeableneffè,
and
Abfolutenefe
o£God
:
with fóme peculiar references,
to
the
Second
Per-
fon,the
Redeeraer,who
is
defcribed,(Rev.
s.
8.)with the titles, forthe
fubftance
of
them, whereby
the
Lord here
holds
out
bis
own Excellency.
I
than only
obferve
fome few
things from
the
words,
for
the
Illuftration
of
the
Truth,
we have
in
hand,contained
in
them.
The
State and Condition wherein
Iacob,
Ifrael!,
Iefarun,
(feverall
titles upon feverall accounts given
to
Believers)
are
defcribed
to
be,
is
two fold; Firfl,
of Fare
and
Difconfolation, as 'tis
inti-
mated
in
the redoubled Prohibition
of
that
frame in
them: v.2.feare
not,
and
v.8.
feare
ye not, neither
be
afraid:
fome
temptation
of
farther diftanceor
fe-
paration
from God,
(the
only thing
to
be
feared)
was fallen
upon
them.
This they are frequently
exercifed
withall;'tis
the
greateff,
and
moft pref-
fing
temptation,whereunto theyare lyable and
expofed;
To
conclude
be-
caufe fome Believers,in
Hypothef,
may,under temptation,
feare
their
own fe-
paration fromGod, therefore
Believers
in
They,
may
be forfaken,
yea
that
unleffe this
be
true, the
other
could not
befall
them,may
paffe
for
the
Argu-
ing
of
men, who are unacquainted with
that
variety
of
Temptations, fgiritu-
all motions, and commotions, which
Believers
are
exercifed withal!.
This
I
fay
is
the
Firfi
part of
that
State,
wherein they are fuppofed
to
be
: a
Condi-
tion
Of
the greateft
difficulty
in
the
World,
for
the
receiving
of
Satisfa&ion;
Secondly,
of
Earrennefe, Vnprofitablenefe,
and withering,
which feems
and
that
juftly,
to
be
the
caufe
of
their
feare:
v.3.
They
areas
the thirfly
"and
dry
ground, parched in
it
felfe ,
fruitleffe
to
its owners,
withering in
their owne
Soules,and
bringing
forth
no
fruitto
God.
A
fad condition on
both
hands;
within they
find
decayes,
they
find
no
a&ive principles
of
bringing forth fruit
unto
God: and
without
defertion,
fears
at
leaft,
that
they are forfaken
5
upon
this