Senn. XXVII. TheTruth of _God. 655 i. In hope ofeternal life, which God that cannot lie, promifed before the Worldbegan. Heb. 6. t 8. that by two immutable things, in which it was impofible for God to lie, we might have a ftrong confolation, who havefledfor refuge to lay hold upon the hopefet before us. ,,}nd the Scripture Both not only in general attribute this Perfeâion to God, burdoth more particularly allure us of his Sincerity and Truth and Faithfulnefs. Of his lncerity ; that he deals plainlywith us, and fpeaks what he intends, that his Words are the image of his Thoughts, and atrue reprefentation of his Mind. God is very careful to remove this jéaloufy out of the Minds of Men, who are apt to entertain unworthy Thoughts of God, as if notwithftanding all that he hath declared, he had a ferret detign to ruin Men ;therefore he interpofeth his 'Oath for our greater affurance, Ezek. 33. It. As l live,faith the Lord God, Ihave no pleafure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, andlive. WhenGod fpeaks to us, he fpeaks his Mind, and bath no deign to circumvent and poffefs us with Error and Delufion ; if he offer Life and Happinefs, we may believe he is real, and that if he did not intend to bellow itupon us, or if there were no fuch thing as a future Glory, he would not have declared it to us ; this was the temper of our Saviour, who was the exprefs image of the Father, full of Grace and Truth. John 14..r. In my Father's houle are many manfons; if it were notfo, Iwould have told you. And as the Scripture affures us of his Sincerity, fo of his Truth and Faithful- nefs in the accomplifhment of all his Prediïtions, and performance of all his'Promi- fes. As for the truth ofhis Preditlions, and certain accomplifhment of them, the Scripture frequently ufeth this Proverbial Speech, to affure us of the certainty of their accomplifhment ; Heaven and Earth fhallpafs away, but my words (ball not pafs away, Matth. 2,4. 35. For the Faithfulnefs of God in his Promifes, the Scri- pture makes frequent mention of it, Deut. 7. 9. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy. Pfal. 89. 33,34. Iwill riotfuller myfaithfulnefs to fail, my covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing which is gone out of my lips. TheScripture doth record God's punétual and full performance of his Promifes; particularly of that Promife toAbraham, after four hundred Years to bring the Children of Ifrael Out of Egypt, and to givethem the Land of Canaan foran Inheritance, Gen. 15. 13. the Punctual Accomplifhment youhave recorded, Exod 01..41. And it came topafs at the endof thefour hundred and thirtyTears, even thefelf fame day it came to pafs, that all the hafts of theLord went out from the landof Egypt: See likewife yofh. x1. 44, 45. and.a3. 14. I Kings 8. g6. And upon this account it is that God is fo frequently in Scripture ftil'd the God that kerpo. Covenant, 1 Kings 8. z3. Nell, i. S. 9. 32.. and in feverat otherPlaces. And fo likewife of Preditlions of evil to come, God is true in fulfil- ling his Word, 1 Sam. c g. 2,9. When the Prophet had threatned Saul to rent the Kingdom from him, he adds, the Jlrength of Ifrael will not lie nor repent, for he is not a Man that be fbauld repent. III. I come to remove fome Obje&ions that may be made againft the truth and faithfulnefs ofGod. Firji, Ìt is ObjeLted againtt the frncerity of God and his plain dealing, that he is fometimes reprefented in Scripture, as infpiring Prophets with falfe Metfages, 1 Kings a.z. to, &c. Ter. 4. to. 20. 7. Ezek. 14. 9. Anfa. As to three of thefe Texts, it is a known Hebraifm to exprefs things in an imperative and a51ive form, which are to be underftood onlypermively. So where the Devils befought Chrift, that he wouldfuller them to enter into the herd of Swine, hefaid unto them go, Matth 8. 31. He did not commandbut permit them. And fo lobo 13. 2,7. where our Saviour Pays to 7udas, what thou doff, do quickly, we are not to underftand; that he commanded him to betray him, tho that feem to be exprefs'd in the form. So likewife here, where an evilfpitit offer'd himfelf to be a lyingfpirit in the mouth of the Prophet, and God lays go forth and do fo ; this only lignifies a permijiannot a command. And fo 7er. 4. to. where the Prophet complains that God had greatlydeceived the People, flying they fhould have peace, when theflood reached to the Soul ; we are to underftaild this nó otherwife, but that
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