Serm. XLIII. Promifes of the G%el. 299 the Spirit of God upon the Minds of Men, which we read of in the fiat Begin- 'tugs ofChriftianity. 3. There is likewife the Promife of Eternal Life to reward and crown our Obe- dience. And this the Scripture fpeaks of as the great Promife of the Gofpel, I fob. 2. 25. This is the Promife which he hath promifed us, even Eternal Life. And upon this account, the new Covenant of the Gofpel, is prefered before the old Covenant of the Law, becaufe it is e(lablifhed upon better Promijes. All the fpecial and particular Promifes of the Law were of Temporal good Things, and thefe were the great Encouragements that were given to Obedience, under that imperfeft Difpenfation : But nowGodlinefs hath not only the Promife of the Life that now is, but of that which is to come; as the Apoftle tells us, I Tim. 4.8. The Gofpel hath clearly revealed to us ahappy State of Immortality after this Life, of which Men had but very obfcure and doubtful Apprehenfions. So the Apoftle tells us, 2 Tim. I. If). That it is nowmade manife[l, by the appearance of our Saviour 7efur Chrifi, who bath aboiifhed Death, and bath brought Life and Immortality to light, through the Gofpel. Holy Men had good hopes of it before ; but they had no fure diftinl±Apprehenfionsof it, no fuch full Affurance concerning it, no fuch clear and exprefs Promifes of it, as the Gofpel hathgiven us. Thus you fee what thofe great Promifes are which the Gofpel hash given us, namely, the Promife of the Free Pardon and Forgivenefs of our Sins, upon our Faith and Repentance ; the Promife of God's Grace and Holy Spirit to affift our Obedience, and the Promife of Eternal Life and Happinefs to reward it. Thefe are the three Eminent Promifes of the Gofpel, and in all Probability thofe which the Apoftle here calls great and precious Promifes, which brings me to the H. Thing which I propounded to confider, namely, why they are Paid to he exceeding great andprecious, reì e y;a ÿ a4 isa zn ?7rayybus.ov, the greatefi and the me valuable Promifes. And to fatisfy us that they are fuch, the very Confedera- tion of the Bleffings and Benefits that they carry in them will be fufficient. ` If we conlder,the Condition that Mankind was in, when God was pleafed to make thefe gracious Declarations to us, we (hall fee great Reafon to fet a high value up- onevery one of thefe. Promifes. Mankind was extreamly degenerated, all Flefh had corrupted its ways, and the whole World was guilty before God, and liable to all that Mifery which the Sinner had reafon to apprehend from the incenfed Juftice of the Almighty. Wehad forfeited that Happinefs to which our Immortal Na- ture was deligned, and, which made our Condition more fad, we were without firength to recover our [elves out of it, by our Repentance for what was paft (if God would have accepted of it) and by our future Obedience. Now the Pro- mifes of the Gofpel offer Relief to us in all thefe Refpe&s, and thereby obviate all the Difficulties and Difcouragements which Mankind lay under. The gracious Promife of Pardon frees us fromGuilt, and fecures us from the terrible Wrath of God, which our guilty Confciencesdid fo much dread ; and without this Promife, Mankind would have been under the greaten Doubts and Difcouragements. For when Men are afraid their Sins are greater than will be for- given them, they are apt to fall into Defpair, and Defpair is an effe&ual Bar to Repentance ; for whenMen think their Condition is defperate, they care not what they do. And the Promife ofGod's Grace and Holy Spirit, to affft and enable us to do our Duty, does fully anfwer all the Difcouragements and Obje&ions from our own Weaknefs, and the Power of Temptation. We may do all things through Chriflflrengthning us ; and how weak foever we are of our felves, we arefirong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. If God be for us, who, or what, can (land againft us ? The Devil is a very powerful Enemy, and much too nrong for Flefh and Blood to encounter in its own Strength ; but there is another Prin- ciple in the World, which is Mightier and more Powerful than he, the Holy Spirit ofGod, who is always ready to help, when we do not repulfe and refufe his Affinante; Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the World, lays the Apoftle, I Joh. 4. 4. The Spirit of God dwells in all thofe who are willing to Q 9 á admit
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