?02 The Nature and Influence of the, cc. Vol. I. which God, that cannot lie, bath promifed. Whenhe can fay with St. Paul, Ihave fought a goodfight, 1 have ftnifhed my courfe, I have kept the faith, then he may likewife triumph, as he did, henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righte- oufnefs, which God the Righteous judge (hall give me in that day. Upon thefe Terms, and in thefe Cafes, Men may upon good grounds apply to themfelves thefe exceedinggreat and precious Promifes of the Gofpel ; and fo far as any Man is doubtful and uncertain of the performance of the Conditions which the Gofpel requires, fo far he mutt necetfarily queftion his Right and Ti- tle to the Bleffings promifed. And if any Man think this Dottrine too uncom- fortable, and be willing to rejet it upon this account, I (hall only fay this, That Men may cheat themfelves, ifthey pleale, but molt certainly they will never find any true and folid Comfort in any other. This is a plain and fenfible account of aMan'sConfidence and good Hopes in the Promifes of God but for a Man to apply any Promife to himfelf, before he finds the Condition in himfelf, is not Faith, but either Fancyor Prelim/pawl. And therefore it is a very prepofterous Courfe which many take, to advife and exhort Men, with fo much earneltnefs to apply the Promifes of God to themfelves, and to tell them that they are guilty of great unbelief in not doing it. That which is proper to exhort Men to, is to endeavour to perform the Conditionupon which God hath promifed any Bleffìng to us ; and when Men find theCondition in themfelves, they will without any great perfwafion take Comfort from the Promife, and apply it to themfelves ; but till they difcern the Condition in themfelves, it is impofüble for a Man that underfiands himfelf, to apply the Promifeto himfelf; for till theCondition be performed, he bath no more Right to the Promife, than if fuch a Promife had never been made. And 'tis fo far from being a Sin in fuch a Man, to doubt of the Benefit of fuch a Pro- mife, that it is his Duty to do fo; and no Man that underfiands himfelf, and the Promifes ofGod, can poffìbly do otherwife. Therefore 'tis avain and groundlefs trouble which perplexeth many People, that they cannot apply the Promifes of God to themfelves; whereas the true groundof their trouble Ihould be this, thatthey have not been careful to perform the Condition of thofe Promifes which they would apply to themfelves; the other is an endlefs trouble; let them but look to the Condition, and the Promife will apply it felt. I fpeak all this on purpofe to free Men from thofe perplexities wherewith many have entangled themfelves, by falle apprehenfions of the Pro- miles of God, either as if they were not made to us upon certain Conditions to be performed by us, or as if anyMan could comfortably apply them to himfelf, before he hath performed thole Conditions upon which God hath made fuch Promifes. For if Men will believe that which is not true, or expet things upon fuch terms as they are not to be had, they may trouble themfelves Eternally, and all the World cannot help it. I have now done with the Firfi thing I propounded to fpeak to, namely the Promifes which are here fpokenof. The Second thing, (viz.) what Influence thefe Promifes ought to have upon us, that by them we may be made Partakers of the Divine Nature, I {hall referve to another Opportunity. SER:
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