Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BT768 .O9 1654

All Believers mayhave fame A(hurance.. CAP.Vl. §:I O. Peacewith them, may not make the fame conclufion of Mercy with them; I 37 viz,. That theMercy, c&Goodnes ofGodwill follow themall the dayes of lives that theyPallbe deliveredfrom every evill worke, and preferved to God's Heaven- ly kingdome. To flyhere to immediateRevelation as thoughGod had particu- larly,and immediately affured fome perfousoftheir Perfeverance,which begat in them a confidence, wherein others may not (hare with them, betides that it is deftru&ive ofall the vigour and ftrength of fundry, ifnot all theArgu- ments, produced againft the Saints Perfeverance, it is not in this placeof any weight,or at all relativeto the bufineffe in hand. For evident it is, that oneof themeven David, is thus confident upon the common account ofGods Re- lation unto all his Saints,as he is their shepheard: one that takes careofthem, andwill fee,not only whilft hey abide withhim,that they fhall have Failure and refrefhment,but alto will find them out in their wandrings and will not fuffer any ofthem to be utterly loft. And he is a shepheardequally in careand love to every oneofhis Saints,as he was to David. He gives them all thefare Mercies ofDavid,eventhe Mercy conteined &wrapped up in thePromifethat tta 55 3 was given to them, and what by virtue thereof, he did enjoy, with what he received fromGod in that Covenant -Relation wherein he flood. And for Paid, it is moft evident that he grounded his Confidence and Confolation, meetly upon thegenerali Promifeof thePrefenceof God with his,that hewill neverleave them nor forfake them, but be their God, and guide even unto death. Neither is there the leaft intimation of any other bottome of hisConfolation herein. Now thefebeing things wherein every Believer,even the weakeft in the world, bathan equall (hare and interefi withPaul, David, or any ofthe Saints in their generations,what fhould lye in their way,but that they alto maygrow up to this affurance, being called thereunto. Ifay they maygrow upunto it: I doenot fay that every believer can with equall affu- ranceofmind thus make their boafts in the Lord, and the continuanceófhis kindneffe to them. The Lord knoweswe are oftentimes weake, and darke, &at nofmall Joffe even as to themain ofour intereft in the PromifesofGod: But there being an equall certainty in the things themfelves, ofwhich we fpeake, itbeingas certaine that the Goodneffe andMercyof Godhall follow them all their dayes,as it did David, and as certaine that God will deliver them fromevery evill worke, and preferve them to hisHeavenly kingdome ashe didPanl, they alfo may grow up unto, and ought to preflè after ihe like Affuranceand Confolation With them, whom Goodneffe and Mercy (hall follow all their dayes, and whohall beof God preferved from every evill worke,they can never fall tot allyand finallyout of the FavourofGod: That this is the ftateand Condition ofBelievers is manifefted from the In- .ftances given ofDavid, and Paid, teftifying their full: perfwalion and affu rance concerning that Condition, on Grounds common to them with a11)Be- lievers. 2. The conclufion and inferencethar the Pfalmiffmakes, from theAffi - §, to: rancewhichhe had oftheContinuance of the Goodneffe, and Kindeneffeof Godunto him,followeth in thewords infifted on, All the dales of hirlife he would dwell inhis Houfe.He would for ever give up himfeffe unto hisWorfhip and fervice, feeing this is the cafe of my Soule that God will never forfake me, let me anfwer this Loye ofGod in my conftant obedience.' Now this conclufion followes from the former principle upon a twofold ac- count. i- As it isa motive untoit. The Continuance of the . Goodneffe, and Kindneffe ofGod unto a Soule is a conftreining motive untO that Soule to.. continue withhim in Love, Service and Obedience: It workes powerfully T upon

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