\ · Opened and Applied. I mencs, or ar leall, they !er other things come by providence, efpecrally comJ mon bleffings, without goin? to the promife fer their daily bread, or looking •to cbe promii<: out of whofe bowels they are begot, Hrb. q. ~,6. the Apo!tle \there fends them to the promrfe. Or elfe they ufe nor the means,. or I faint in eh:: ~fe of it; ."':"hereby.tb,ey .come to enjoy.rhe Lord by his prom•fe: • \and chat is ref\lds wreHlmg wtth chnn by prayer for 1r, 9en.32.1 z. 'Fhou fa, aft I will furely do t hee good; He migh t have fa id, fhave a proml{e, what need I pray? or he might have faid, I had a prom,fe of (..Je convoy, but now I f ee de I Lord is coming uJtt to brA.. it ; ar d fo be might have petiihed; yet he prays, and wreates, achowledging lnmfelf u· won by of all the truth, &r. So N<h . 1 .8. Men have io little of Chrilt becaufe fo Iicrle of the Spirit of Praye ' , \preffi~g Gods promife; .thodlall aburen, emp,y, weak heart, becaufe the promife 1s not rmpro\l'ed as lt fhou !d b.:. Secondly, Labour ro enjoy him in the Prom'fe; fometimesthe fou: barb \a Promife fai r, and feeks and finds not ; now the heart goes on to leek, bur i exceeding unbdieving, or fad and troubled whiks ic cloth not fee!; a d unchankful ?lfo, nnd accounts it felf miferable whiles ic wmrs, and fo doth not gloryin the Lord, and his fulnefs, which is his in' eh~ Pro'Tlife, unlefs he feels the good come from the promife, like a man that dmh not accounr h•mkl£ rich white be hatb it in his trcalure, a moll fafe and fure place where it is kep' for him, unlefs he gets a little out of it into his pockets ; and fears be ihJli be {lain with tbirll, though be Hands by che Spring and chat be full, if hi, di :, be empry; oh this is vile, Heb. II.q. 7 hefe received not the promif, i.e. things pco'T!ifed, yet faw them, bdieved, and embraced them i.e. in th~ promife. y, u1ay you are finful and born down by your di!lempers, and bafe, .and poor ; I fay you have power, vi61:ory over all li.11 and mifery, and have eternal glo·y ·already in the promife; only here is thy wound, you think you want it becaufe you have it not Out of tbe promife, though you have It in the fwadJing clouts of the promife lapt up there; and by means of this ftnful diftemper of heart you partake not of Chrilt, becaufe you apprehend not your exceeding great riches in tbepromife, 2 'Pet. 1.2. 2Sam.2.3-4- God made an ever!afling Covenant, this is all his deli.re; fweer was Davtds fpirit. z Sa ·.<, 7.22. ff/l,o is tik§ to thee, when be had no accompliihmenr of the promife; Oh fo do you fay. He6,6.17. The Lord b~tth ~tppointed we jbould have jlrong tonjof,ztion by promife and oa rh, not by dreams; it was the complaint of ChriH , unle(S you fee ftgns and wonders ;ou will not believe; fo you call in queil:ion, like Thom.u, unlefs you feel ; Ob clofe with the Promife, keep ic as moll precious; and-chen'P[nl.2<;.Io. Hefaicbnot to them that keeptbcir covenants or their feelings, but his coven~tnt as the•r portion, and get the Lord to underrake eo keep ir for them, and fo make fure. · sEcT. xvm. 3·L Abor to be near the Lord in all his Ordinances alfo,botb privately and publickly, forcbere is his prefence, £;o:.e-':., ult. tdt. Pfal. z6. g. he not only loved Cbrilt's prefence, bur the place where it was ; it was an argumeQt of his integrity. f'J,<f.Io2.f'3. Theydia lovetheduft of Sion; never tbinkrhere is a time of mercy till then. Firll, Be wich him in fecrer as oft as you can, prayer, meditation, daily calling your hearts to an account ; time bath been that you have been fo, when in affliCtion, or at firlt convedion ; but now twenty hindrance< ; and now you cannot only nezleEt, but think you have reafon fo to do; tb~re have l>i>? '•' \ \'-"···
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