He freely made them; but he necessarily performeth them: And therefore the Apostle faith, that Godibat cannot lye bath promifed eternal life, before the world began; which is either [promifed according to bis counsel which he bad before the world Legan] or [from the beginning of the world] Titus 1. 2. Or as the word alfo fignifieth many ages ago. And Heb. 6. 17, 18. Wherefore God willing more abundantly to shew to the heirs of Promife, the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impoffible for God to lye, we might have a strong confolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold upon the hope fet before us: which hope we have as an Anchor of the foul, bo:b fure and ftedfaft--- And therefore when the Apoftle meaneth, that Chrift will not be unfaithful to us, his phrafe is, He cannot deny himself, 2 Tim. 2. 13. -As if his very Nature and Being confifted more in his truth and fidelity, than any mortal mans can do.

Direct. 2. Understand the Nature and Reafons of Fidelity among men, viz. 1. To make them conformable to God: And 2. To maintain all Justice, Order and Virtue in the world. And when you have pondered thefe two, you will fee that it is impoffible for God to be unfaithful: For 1. If it be a vice in the Copy, what would it be in the Original! Nay, would not falfhood and perfidioufnefs become our perfection, to make us like God? 2. And if all the world would be like a company of enemies, Bedlams, bruits, or worse, if it were not for theremnants of fidelity, it is impoffible that the Nature or Wil of God, fhould be the pattern or original of fo great evil.

Direct 3. Confider what a foundation of his Promifes Gid bath laid in Jefus Christ,and what a feal bis blood and refurre&tion · is unto them.

When it hath coft Chrift fo dear to procure them, certainly God will not break them. A Promife ratified in the blood of the Son of God, called the blood of the everlasting Covenant, Heb. 13. 20. and by his rifing from the dead, can never be broken. If the Law given by Mofes, was firm, and a jos or tittle should not pafs away till all were fulfilled, much more the word and teftament of the Mediatour of a better Cove- nant, 2 Cor. 1. 20. Allthe Promifes in him are Tea and Amen; that is, they are afferted or made in him, and they are ratified, and

and (hall be fulfilled in him. Heb. 8. 6. He bath obtained a more excellent Ministry, by how much also be is the Mediatour of a better Covenant, which was established on better Promifes. And those that are better, cannot be lefs fure. It is the fure mercies of David, that are given u', by a Promife which is fure to all the fed, as 13.34. Ifa.55.3. Rom.4.16.

Direct. 4. Confider well that it is Gods own intereft to fulfil bis Promifs for be attaineth not that glory of his Love and Grace in the perfection of bis people till it be done, which be defigned in the making of them.

And certainly God will not fail himself and his own intereft. The happiness will be ours, but it will be his everlasting pleafure to fee his creatures in their perfection. If he was fo pleafed after the Creation, to fee them all good, that he appointed a Sabbath of Reft, to celebrate the commemoration of it; how much more will it please him to fee all reftored by Jefus Chrift, and brought up to that perfection which Adam was but in the way to when he finned and fell short of the Glory of God. He will not mifs of his own defign, nor lofe the everlafting com placency of his love.

Dirca. 5. Confider how great ftrefs God hath laid upon the be lief of bis Promifes, and of how great use be bath made them in, the world.

If the intimation of another world and reward which we find in Nature, and the Promise efit in Scriptures, were out of the world, or were not believed, and fo men had nothing but temporal motives to rule their hearts and lives by, O what an odious thing would man be? and what a Hell would the world be? Thave elfewhere fhewed that the Government of the world is mainly fteered by the hopes and fears of another, life, and could not be otherwise, unless man be turned into far worfe than a beaft. And certainly thofe Promifes cannot be false, which God hath laid so great a firefs on, and the belief of which is of fo great moment. For the wife, and boly, and powerful God, neither needeth a lye, nor can use it to fo great

a work.

Dile&t. 6. Take notice how agreeable Gods Promifes are to the Nature both of God and man.

It is not only Gods Precepts that have a congruence to na

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tural Reason, but his Promifes alfo. It is agreeable to the Nature of Infinite Goodneß to do good: And yet we fee that he doth not do to all alike. He maketh not every creature an Angel, nor a man: How then fhall we difcern what he intendeth to do by his creatures, but by their feveral natures : The nature of every thing is fitted to its ufe. Seeing ther fore God hath given man a nature capable of knowing, loving and. enjoying him, we have reafon to think he gave it not in vain. And we have reason to think that nature may be brought up. to its own perfection; and that he never intended to imploy man all his daies on earth, in feeking an end which cannot be attained. And yet we fee that fome do unfit themselves for this end, by turning from it, and following vanity and that God requireth every man as a free Agent, to ufe his guidance. and help aright, for his own preparation to felicity. Therefore reafon may tell us, that thofe who are fo prepared by the nearest capacity, and have a love to God, and a heavenly mind, fhall enjoy the Glory which they are fitted for. And it clpeth much our belief of Gods Promife, to find that Reason thus difcerneth the equity of it: Yea to find that a Cicero, a Seneca, a Socrates, a Plato, &c. expected much the like felicity to the juft, which the Scripture promifeth.

Direct. 7. Be fure to understand Gods Promiles aright, that you expect not that which be never promifed, and take not prefumption to be Faith.

Many do make promifes to themfelves by mifunderftanding, ard look that God fhould fulfil them: and if any of them be not fulfilled, they are ready to fufpect the truth of God. And thus men become falfe Prophets to themselves and others, and fpeak words in the Name of the Lord, which he hath never fpoken, and incur much of the guilt, which God oft chargeth on falfe Prophets, and fuch as add to the Word of God. It is no fmall fault to father an untruth on God, and to call that his Promife which he never made.

Dirca. 8. Think not that God promifeth you all that you defire or think you want, in bodily things.

It is not our own defires which he hath made the measure of his outward gifts; no nor of our own Opinion of our Neceffity neither: elfe moft men would have nothing but riches, and

health,

health, and love, and refpe&t from men; and few would have any want, or pain, or fuffering. But it is fo much as is good 1. To the common ends of Government, and the Societies with which we live. 2. And to our fouls, which God doth promise to his own. And bis Wisdom, and not their partial conceits, shall be the Judge. Our Father knoweth what we need, and therefore we must cift our care on him, and take not too particular nor anxious thoughts for our felves, Mat, 6. 24. to the end, 1 Pet. 5 7.

Direct. 9. Think not that God promisesh you all that you will ask; no not that which be commandeth you to ask, unless it agree with his promifing will, as well as with his commanding will.

That promife of Chrift, Ask and ye shall receive, &c. And wharfoever you ask the Father in my Name, according to his will,be will give it you, are often misunderstood: and there is fome difficulty in understanding what Will of God is here meant : If it be his Decreeing Will, that is fecret, and the promife giveth us no fure confolation: If it be meant of his Promifing Will, what ufe is this general promife for, if we must have a particu lar promife alfo for all that we can expect? If it be meant of his Commanding Will, the event notoriously gainfayeth it: For it is most certain, that fince the Church hath long prayed for the converfion of the Infidel world, and the reforming of the corrupted Churches, &c. it is not yet done: And it is all Chriftians duty, to pray for Kings, and all in Authority; and to ask that wildom and grace for them which God doth feldom give them. And all Parents who are bound to pray for grace for their children, do not speed according to their

prayers.

Object. That is because that prayers for "other men, fuppofe others to concur in the qualifying conditions as well as our felves:. But the promise is meant only of whatsoever we ask for our felves· as be commanderb, or for others who are prepared as be requireth. Anfw. 1. ffo, then the promife is not only made to our praying as commanded. 2. It cannot be thought that our prayers for Infidels, who must have preparing grace before they can be prepared, fhould be thus fufpended in their preparation of themselves. 3. It maybe a duty to pray for many things for our felves too, which yet we shall not particularly peceive:

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As a Minifter may pray for greater abilities for his work, &c.

Object. We pray not as commanded for any fuch things, if we pray not conditionally for them. Anfo. But fill the difficulty is, What is the condition to be inferted? whether it be, If God will? Or, If it be for our good? Or, If it be for the univerfal good of the world? If it were the laft, then we might be fure of the falvation of all men, when we ask it, and the fecond cannot be the condition when we pray for others: and if it be the first, then it telleth us that the commanding Will of God is not it which is principally meant in the promife.

In this difficulty we must conclude,that the text refpe&eth Gods Will comprehenfively in all thefe three forementioned refpects, but primarily his promifing Will in matters which fall under promife, and his decreeing Wil'in things which he hath thought meet to make no promife of: and then fecondarily, his commanding Will to us, but this extendeth not only to prayer it felf, but also to the manner of prayer, and to our Conjunct and fubfequent endeavours. And fo this meeteth and clofeth with the former Will of God: because we do not pray according to his commanding Will, unteß we do it with due refpect to his promising and decreeing Will. And fo it is, as if it were faid [Of all those things which God bath promised or decreed, whatsoever you ask in my Name, in a manner agreeable to bie command, and do fecond your prayers with faithful endeavours, you shall obtain it; because neither bis decrees or promiles are nakedly, or meerly to give fuck a thing but complicately to give it in this way of asking.]

And as to the Objections in the beginning, I answer, 1. Where only Gods decreeing Willis the measure of the matter to be granted, the text intendeth not to us a particular alfurance of the thing, but the comfort that we and our prayers are accepted, and they fhall be granted if it be not fuch a thing, as God in his wisdom and eternal counfel, hath fecretly dete mined not to do. As if you pray for the conversion of the Kingdom of China, of Japan, of Indeftan, of Tartary, &ê.

And 2. Where Gods Promife hath givensus fecurity of the thing in particular; yet this general promife, and our prayer, are neither of them in vain. For 1. The general promise

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