The finfulnee o f Sinn e. ;65 how fhall this excellent promife of God be ceded ; I t follower, Then, lee call upon me, and yee fhallgoe and pray unto me,and I will hearken unto you, &c. So againe, The Lord maketh a promife of forgiveneffe offinnes, I,eveís I am he that 6lotteth out by trap /greffion f;r mine owne fake, and will not remember thy f noes. But for the execution of this pr omite, God will be fought unto.Put me in remembrance, faith he,and let us plead together : for when we pray unto God to fulfil his promifes,we tefii- fie firft,that they are promifes of Mercie,and not of du- tie or debt ; becaufe God is not bound to tender them unto us,but we to begge them of him. Secondly,we de- clare our need, and by confequence efiimation of them, and dependance upon them.And lafily, we fubferibe to the truth, and acknowledge the wifdome, power, fide- lity,& waycs that God hath to make good all his owne words unto us.We have no reafon therefore to efieeme any thing a blefling,or ft uit of Gods Promifc,whieh we doe net receive from him upon our knees, and by the hand of prayer. As promi fes are the rule ofwhat wee may pray for in faith ; fo prayer is the ground of what we may expe(l with comfort. Thus we fee what ufe we are to make of the promifes to cleanfe us from all filthinefe of f e fh and (wit : and the Time: ufe we may make of them likewife to perfea our holinefre in the feare of God. For as the exceeding great and precious promifes of God doe cleanfè our natures, and make us efcape the corruptions or filthinefie which is in the world through lufi;fo do they ferve to adde one grace to another, and to make them abound in us, till we come to charity, which is the bond of per fedion,as St. Peter fhewes : And againe, Crow, faith he.in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Iefus Chri/l, The more a man doth abound in the knowledge of Chris, who is the fumme, fountaine, Peale, treafury of all the promifes, the more will he grow in grace & unto perfeelion.For- as Ef.y 430,4,26. 2 Pct.1.4,8. zPct.3.18.. z Cor. I.i0,
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