554 CHRISTIAN IWORALITY, viz. ES /R1W. Xx1. therefore he hathmagnified his love, anddivinely demon- strated it to be sincere and true, beyond all possibility of jealousies and exceptions. God is faithful to all the promises of his gospel ; all his ways are mercy and truth to his people : He is a God keeping covenant through all generations. This is the illustrious title that he assumes,to himself, and glories in: And this is the name by which the ancient saints have delighted to make their addresses to him. These hea- vens shall be dissolved and perish in the flame, and this earth, become a smoking cinder; heaven and earth shall pass away, but the word of the Lord and his truthabide for ever ; not one jot or tittle of them shall perish, but all shall be fulfilled. By two immutable things, in i'hich it is impossible for God to lie; that is, his oath and his promise, he bath esta- blished his covenant of grace, that the heirs of salvation might have strong consolation, Heb. vi. 18. Hereby it comes to pass that we have a sure hope of eternal life; for God that cannot lie bath promised it to us in Christ Jesus before the world began, Tit. i. 2. and 2 Tim, i. 9. And though it was so long ago since the first promise was made, the first promise made to Christ before the found dations of the world, and the first promise made to fallen. Adam a. little after the foundations of the world were laid; yet our God hath not forgotten his promises and his covenant; he remains still faithful to fulfil every word of grace that is gone out of his lips, Ps. lxxxix. 33, 34. And should not this oblige us to like faithfulness to our follow-creatures, since God, who is so infinitely our su- perior, is pleased thus to bind himself by promises, and thus to fulfil them ? The constancy and immutability of God in his designs of mercy to sinners, should influence us to the practice of the same constancy of spirit in our professions of his gospel, God acts always like himself, conformable to the glory, and holiness, and dignity of his nature, so should we, who are the sons and daughters of the most high and holy God. He is uniform in his counsels and methods of grace and peace, he is unchangeable in his love, and always the same : And Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; constant to himself, and consistent with himself in all the purposes of his mercy
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