nothing but unbelief shall keep off any from the enjoyment of the promise, and that all believers, whatever difficulties they may meet with in themselves, or objections against themselves, shall certainly and infallibly enjoy the promise and be saved: and the immutability of his counsel herein God hath made so evident, that there is no room for any objection against it. This is tendered unto you to whom the gospel is proposed. Greater encouragement to believing, and more certainty of the event, you shall never have in this world; you cannot have.

2. It discovers the heinous nature of unbelief. The gospel, which is a message of love, peace, mercy, and grace, yet never makes mention of unbelief but it annexeth damnation to it. "He that believeth not shall be damned." Those that will despise all that God will do, yea, with reverence be it spoken, all that he can do, to give them assurance of the truth and stability of his promises, have no reason to expect any thing but what he will do in a way of justice and ven

geance.

§17. Obs. 5. It is not all mankind universally, but a certain number of persons, under certain qualifications, to whom God designs to manifest the immutability of his counsel, and to communicate the effects thereof. It is only the "heirs of promise" whom God intendeth. But herein two things, are to be considered; the outward revelation or administration of these things, and God's purpose therein. The former is made promiscuously and indefinitely to all to whom the gospel is preached, yet the grace of it was intended only to the elect, as our apostle declares, Rom. xi, 7. But why then doth God cause the declaration to be made promiscuously and indefinitely unto all, if it be some only whom he designs to a participation of the

effects of his counsel and the good things promised? I answer, the nature of the thing itself doth require this dispensation of the promise indefinitely to all, though the benefit of it be designed for some only. Such ways alone appear suited to glorify God and his grace in the rational minds of his creatures; for how could this be done but by the declaration and preaching of the promise, with commands, motives, and encouragements to believing?

$18. Obs. 6. God alone knows the due measures of divine condescension, or what becomes the divine nature therein. Who could, who durst have once apprehended, that the holy God should swear by himself to confirm his word and truth to such worthless creatures as we are? And as we are with holy confidence to make use of what he hath done in this kind, seeing not to do so is to despise the highest expression of his goodness, so we are not in any thing to draw divine condescension beyond divine expressions.

$19. Obs. 7. So unspeakable is the weakness of our faith, that we stand in need of inconceivable divine condescension for its confirmation. The immutability of God's counsel is the foundation of our faith; until this be manifest, it is impossible that ever faith and hope should be sure and steadfast. But who would not think that God's declaration, therefore, by way of promise, were every way sufficient thereunto? But God knew that we yet stood in need of more, not that there was want of sufficient evidence in his promises, but such a want of stability in us as stood in need of a superabundant confirmation.

A

$20. Obs. 8. Fallen sinful man stands in need of the utmost encouragement that divine condescension can exhibit, to prevail with him to receive and lay hold of the promise of grace and mercy by Jesus

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Christ. There is nothing that we are so prone to as to distrust the promise of God; nothing that we are with more difficulty won over to than to mix them with faith. There are secret thoughts in the hearts of men (which are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked) that neither the promises nor threatenings of God are true in the terms and sense wherein they are proposed to them. They neither think that it shall be so bad with any as he threateneth, nor so well as he promiseth; they think that there are still some reserves and latent conditions in the promises and threatenings of God, and that God knows it shall be otherwise than they seem to pretend. Whatever may be the truth of the promise, yet they cannot conceive that God intends them therein; whereas yet there is no declaration or intention of God, whereby our duty is to be regulated, and whereon we shall be judged, but what is contained and expressed in the proposal of the promise itself. The curse of the law having, by the guilt of sin, been admitted to exercise dominion over the whole soul, it is a great thing to receive and admit of a testimony to the contrary, such as the promise is. What the law speaks, it speaks to them that are under it, as all men are by nature; and it speaks in the heart of every man, that "the sinner must die:" conscience complies also, and adds thereto its ready suffrage; this fixeth a conclusion in the mind, that so it will be, whatever may be offered to the contrary. The testimony of God in the promise is, that there is a way of life and salvation for sinners, and that God offereth this way and an interest therein to us; now nothing but the exceeding greatness of the power of grace can enable a guilty sinner, thus circumstanced, to "set to his seal that God is true:" on these grounds it is that poor sinners have such need of the reduplication of divine assurances.

$21. Obs. 9. Sense of danger and ruin from sin is the first thing which occasions a soul to look out after Christ in the promise. It is implied in the word (nala+ QUYEN) which we render "fly for refuge." As the Lord Christ came to seek and save that which was lost, so if men are not sensible of their lost condition, of the sin and sickness of their souls, they will never in good earnest look out after him; and, therefore, those by whom conviction of sin and humiliation for it are despised, as they are by many, Christ himself also, who is the end of the law (and all its convictions) for "righteousness," is despised.

§22. Obs. 10. A full conviction of sin is a great and shaking surprisal to a guilty soul; hence is such a one here tacitly compared to him who had killed a man at unawares. He was just before in a condition of peace and safety, fearing no man, but with quietness and assurance attending his own occasions; but having now slain a man at unawares, he finds all things on a sudden changed around him; fear from within, and danger from without, beset him on every hand. If he seeth any man, he supposeth him the avenger of blood; and if he seeth no man, solitude is dreadful to him. No otherwise is it with them who are thoroughly convinced of sin. They were "alive," as the apostle speaks, Rom. vii, and at peace, fearing no more evil than they felt; perhaps persuading themselves that all things were well between God and their souls, or not much solicitous whether they were or no, In this state the commandment comes and discovers their guilt and danger, and unveils the curse which until now was hidden from them, as the avenger of blood ready to execute the sentence of the law. This being a thing which they never expected nor feared, fills them with great surprisals. Hence are those cries

of such persons, "What shall we do to be saved?" That argues a great distress and no small amazement; and those who know nothing of these things, are utterly ignorant both of sin and grace.

$23. Obs. 11. The revelation or discovery of the promise, or of Christ in the promise, is that alone which directs convinced sinners in their proper course and way. This is the "setting of an hope before them;" and they are called to turn into this strong tower, as prisoners of hope, that they might be brought out of the pit through the blood of the everlasting covenant, The manslayer probably may have many contrivances suggested in his mind how he might escape the danger to which he was exposed; but, alas! all these things did but keep him out of his way, and divert him from his duty; and the longer he entertained them in his thoughts, the more his danger was increased, and his life hazarded. It was the remembrance alone of the city of refuge, set before him in the divine appointment, that directed him to his proper work, and set him in his way to safety: just so it is with persons under convictions of sin.

§24. To these observations we may subjoin the following brief ones:

1. Wherever there is the least degree of saving faith, upon the first discovery of Christ in the promise, it will stir up the whole soul to make out towards him, and a participation of him. As faith is begotten in the soul by the promise, so the first natural genuine act of it tends to a farther participation of that promise.

2. It is the duty and wisdom of all those to whom Christ in the promise is once discovered, by any gospel means or ordinance once set before them, to admit of no delay of a thorough closing with him.