God'soneGoodpleafure the Rife of his Goodneffe to His. CAP.Vf.4:7,ß eth the voyceof his Servant,thatroalkethindarkneffe and hathno light let him 135 truft in thenameofthe Lord and fray upon his God. When all other holds are gon, when flefh failes, and heart failes, then Both God call poore foules to reff upon this Name ofhis. So the Pfalmiff Pfal:73.26. Myflef.,,and my heart faileth, (all ffrength,naturall and fpirituall , faileth and is gone) but God is the Iirength ofmy heart (faith he) andmyportion forever. Now this is the fole motivealto ofGods continuance with his: He will doe it , becaufe he him- felfe isgood, gracious, merciful!, loving, tender : and he will lay out there Properties to the turnoff in their behalfe, that it may be well with them, lift- ing up,exalting,and makinghimfelfe Gracious in fodoing.This the Lordern- phatically expreffeth five times in one verfe, Ifa.46.4. Even toyour oldage Iam he, even to hoaryhaires, will I carryyox,I have made,and I will beare, I will car- ryandwill deliveryou: this then I fay is the reafon , and onlyground : This the principali aime and End,upon the account whereoftheLordwill not for- fake hit People. 3. The Rife ofall this Goodneffe,Kindneffe,Faithfbineffeof God to his 4. 7. People, as to the exercifeofit, is alto expreffed . and that is, his.own good pleafure,becaufe it hath pleafed the Lord to make you his People. This is the fpring, and fountaine of all the goodneflè mentioned. God is effentially in himfelfeofa good, gracious, and loving nature, but he as all thefeproper- ties, as toworks that outwardlyare ofhim , according to the Coanfell of his Will, Eph: r. i I. according to thePurpofe which he purpofeth inhimfelfe,and his Purpofes all ofthem have noother rife, or caufe, but his own good plea- fure. Whydid theLordmake us his People , towards whom he might a& according to theGracious Properties Ofhis nature, yea and lay them forth and exercifethem to the utmoff on our behalfe? Was it becaufe we were better then others? didhis Will?walkedwith him? Did he declarewe fhould behis People upon condition we did4b and fo ?Not on any ofthefe, or the like groundsof proceeding doth he doe this, but meerely becaufe it pleafeth him to make to his People. Mat: r i. 26. and fhall we think thathe who tookus to behis People,notwithffanding our univerfall alienation from him, on the account ofhisown good pleafure, which caufed him to make us his People, (that isobedient, believing, feparated from the World) will, upon any ac- count, being himfelfeUnchangeable, not .perferve usin, but reje& us from that Condition ? Thus is God's Mercy in not forfaking his People, refofved into its originall principle, viz, his ozone good-pleafure in choofing ofthem, carried on by the Goodneffe & Unchangeableneffeofhis ownNature to the appointed Iffue. This then is the fumme ofthis Argument. What workeor Defigne the Lord enterethupon meerly fromhis own goodplea lure, or folely in anfwerto the Purpofe, which he purpofeth in himfelfe, and engaged' to continue in Mercy for his Name fake,thereby taking uponhim to remove,or prevent what ever mighthinder the accomplifhmentof that Purpofe, Work, or Defigne ofhis, thathe will 'abidein unchangeable to the end.Eut this is the flare ofthe Lords undertaking toabide with his People, as hath been mani- felfed at large. Let us adde in the next place that of the Pfalmifl, Pf 23. 4, 6. Thoueh I 4 S. walke through thewally ofthe fhaddowof death,' will feare none evill,forthou artwith me;thy rod & thyfiaff'e doth comfort me:Surely Goodnef/è 6 mercyPall followme all thedayes of my life, and Iwill dwell in the houfe of' the Lord for ever. ThePfalmifi expreffeth an exceeding confidencein the middeff ofmoft inexpreffibletroubles and preffures. He fuppofes himfelfe walking through thevallyofthefhadow ofdeath, as death is the worfl ofevillsand comprehen- five ofthem all, fo the fhaddowofdeath is the moff difmall and darke Repre- fentation
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