may be, and it is most likely), suppose that the faithfulness. of God in these places under consideration, may be taken in such a sense as that before described. But,

1. This is no sense at all of the faithfulness of God, neither is the word ever used in Scripture to signify any such thing in God, or man, nor can with any tolerable sense be applied to any such thing; neither would there be any analogy between that which in God we call faithfulness, and that virtue in man, which is so termed: nor is the faithfulness of God here mentioned upon any such account, as will endure this description, being insisted on only to assure the saints of the steadfastness and unalterableness of God in the performance of his promises made to them: neither is the obligation of God to continue his love and favour, with grace and means of it to believers, founded upon such a such a disposition as is imagined; but in the free purpose of his will, which he purposed in Jesus Christ before the world was: so that there is not the least appearance of truth, or soundness of reason, or any thing that is desirable, in this attempt to corrupt the word of God.

2. Then the faithfulness of God in the Scriptures in hand bespeaks his truth and stability in the performance of his promises, made of establishing believers to the end, keeping them from evil, not suffering any temptation to befall them, but making withal a way to escape: in all which, God assures them he will prevent all such carelessness, and negligence in them, as inconsistent with their establishment, which he will certainly accomplish. And thus is our major proposition with its supplies of light and strength, freed from such exceptions, as Mr. Goodwin supposes it liable

unto.

6

For the assumption, I shall not much trouble myself with that ridiculous sense (called a sober and orthodox explication) which Mr. Goodwin is pleased to put upon it, to allow it to pass current. In this sense,' saith he, it is most true, that God hath promised that all believers shall persevere, i. e. that all true believers formally considered, i. e. as such, and abiding such, shall persevere: viz. in his grace and favour; but this he presumes is not our sense,' chap. 11. sect. 2. p. 226. And well he may presume it: for whatever his greatest skill may enable him unto, we can

make no sense of it, but this: God hath promised believers shall persevere, in case they persevere; which is to us upon the matter no sense at all. To persevere in God's grace and favour, is to continue in faith and obedience, which if men do, God hath solemnly promised, and sworn that they shall so do. Certainly there is an orthodox sense in God's promises, that is not nonsense. Be it granted then, that this is not our sense, not so much because not ours, as because not sense, what is our meaning in this proposition? It is (saith Mr. Goodwin) that God will so preserve believers, that none of them shall make shipwreck of their faith, upon what quicksands of lust and sensuality soever they shall strike, against what rock of obduration and impenitency. soever they dash.' But I beseech you, who told you that this was our sense of this proposition? being, indeed, no more sense than that which you give in for your own: by striking on the quicksands of lust, and dashing upon rocks of sensuality, impenitency, and obduration,' you have in no other places, sufficiently explained yourself to intend their falling under the power of sin. And is this asserted by us to be the tenor of God's promises to believers? or is it not? or do you not know that it is not so? did ever any say that God preserveth men in believing under obduration and impenitency? that is, under unbelief? for no man can be obdurately impenitent but unbelievers: do not you know that we maintain that the grace faithfully engaged to be bestowed on them, is given them to this end, to preserve them from the power of sin, from obduration and impenitency, and shall certainly be effectual for that purpose? Prima est hæc ultio, quod se Judice, nemo nocens absolvitur.'

CHAP. VI.

The former argument confirmed by an induction of particular instances: John i. 5. opened. The concernment of all believers in that promise, proved by the apostle; Heb. xiii. 5. The general interest of all believers in all the promises of God cleared. Objections answered. How Old Testament promises may be improved. The promise insisted on relates principally to spirituals. The strength of it to the end intended. 1 Sam. xii. 22. To whom the promise there is given. The twofold use of this promise: threats to wicked men of use to the saints: promises to the saints of use to wicked men. Isa. iv. 2—4. Psal. lxxxix. 30—37. opened. A condition of backsliding supposed in believers: yet they not rejected. God's abiding with his saints, upon the account of his, 1. Faithfulness, 2. Loving-kindness, 3. Covenant, 4. Promise, 5. Oath. The intendment of the words insisted on, from 1 Sam. xii. 22. Isa. xxvii. 2—4. Zeph. iii. 17, illustrated. The intendment of those words, I will not forsake thee.' The reason of the promise, and means promised therein: no cause in them, to whom the promise is made. Ezek. xxxvi. 32. Isa. Ixiii. 22–25. opened; also Isa. Ivii. 17. The cause in God himself only. The name of God what it imports: his all-sufficiency engaged therein, and his goodness. The rise and fountain of all God's goodness to his people, in his own good pleasure: the sum of our argument from this place of Scripture. Psal. xxiii. 4. 6. opened: the psalmist's use of assurance of perseverance. Inferences from the last use. 2 Tim. iv. 18, opened: all believers in the same condition, as to perseverance, with David and Paul. The second inference from the place insisted on. Assurance a motive to obedience, and is the end that God intends to promote thereby. Psal. cxxv. 12. explained. Psal. xxxvii. 28. Deut. xxxiii. 3. Inferences from that place of the psalmist: perpetual preservation in the condition of saints promised to believers. Mr. G.'s objections and exceptions to our exposition and argument from this place, removed. Promises made originally to persons, not qualifications: not the same reason of promises to the church, and of threatenings to sinOther objexions removed. Isa. liv. 7—9. The mind of the Lord in the promises mentioned in that place opened. The exposition given on that place and arguments from thence vindicated. Direction for the right improvement of promises. Hos. ii. 19, 20. opened. Of the general design of that chapter: the first part of the total rejection of the church and political state of the Jews. The second, of promises to the remnant, according to the election of grace. Of this four particulars: 1. Of conversion; vet. 14, 15. 2. Of obedience and forsaking all false worship; 3. Of peace and quietness: ver. 18. 4. Discovering the fountain of all the mercies. Some objections removed. To whom this promise is made. The promise farther opened: the persons to whom it is made. Ver. 14. of that chapter opened. The wilderness condition whereunto men are allured by the gospel, what it imports: 1. Separation: 2. Entanglement. God's dealing with a soul in its wilderness condition. Promises given to persons

ners.

in that condition. The sum of the foregoing promises: the persons to whom they are made farther described. The nature of the main promise itself considered. Of the main covenant between God and his saints. The properties of God engaged for the accomplishment of this promise. Mr. G.'s exposition of this place considered, and confuted. John x. 27-29. opened; vindicated.

HAVING cleared the truth of the one, and meaning of the other proposition mentioned in the argument last proposed,I proceed to confirm the latter, by an induction of particular promises. The first that I shall fix upon, is that of Josh. i. 5. 'I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.' This promise (it is true), in this original copy of it, is a grant to one single person, entering upon a peculiar employment; but the Holy Ghost hath eminently taught the saints of God to plead, and improve it in all generations for their own advantage, and that not only upon the account of the general rule, of the establishment of all promises in Jesus Christ, to the glory of God by us; but also by the application which himself makes of it unto them, and all their occasions, wherein they stand in need of the faithfulness of God therein; Heb. xiii. 5. Let your conversation be without "covetousness, and be content with such things as you have for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.' The apostle layeth down an exhortation in the beginning of the verse, against the inordinate desire of the things of this world, that are laboured after upon the account of this present life; to give power and efficacy to his exhortation, he manifesteth all such desires to be altogether needless, upon consideration of his all-sufficiency, who hath promised never to forsake them; which he manifests by an instance in this promise given to Joshua, giving us withal a rule for the application of all the promises of the Old Testament, which were made to the church and people of God. Some labour much to rob believers of the consolation intended for them in the evangelical promises of the Old Testament, though made in general to the church upon this account, that they were made to the Jews; and being to them peculiar, their concernment now lieth not in them. If this plea might be admitted, I know not any one promise that would more evidently fall under the power of

a 2 Cor. i. 10.

it, than this we have now in consideration. It was made to a peculiar person, and that upon a peculiar occasion, made to a general or captain of armies, with respect to the great wars he had to undertake, upon the special command of God. May not a poor hungry believer say, What is this to me? I am not a general of an army, have no wars to make upon God's command, the virtue doubtless of this promise expired with the conquest of Canaan, and died with him to whom it was made. To manifest the sameness of love, that is in all the promises, with their establishment in one Mediator, and the general concernment of believers in every one of them, however, and on what occasion soever given to any, this promise to Joshua is here applied to the condition of the weakest, meanest, and poorest of the saints of God; to all, and every one of them, be their state and condition what it will. And, doubtless, believers are not a little wanting to themselves, and their own consolation, that they do no more particularly close with those words of truth, grace, and faithfulness, which upon sundry occasions, and at divers times, have been given out unto the saints of old, even Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the residue of them, who walked with God in their generations: these things in an especial manner, are recorded for our consolation, that we through patience and comfort of the Scripture might have hope;' Rom. xv. 4. Now the Holy Ghost, knowing the weakness of our faith, and how apt we are to be beaten from closing with the promises, and from mixing them with faith, upon the least discouragement that may arise (as indeed. this is none of the least, that the promise is not made to us, it was made to others, and they may reap the sweetness of it, God may be faithful in it, though we never enjoy the mercy intended in it; I say), in the next words he leads believers by the hand, to make the same conclusion with boldness and confidence from this, and the like promises, as David did of old, upon the many gracious assurances, that he had received of the presence of God with him, ver. 6. So that' (saith he, upon the account of that promise) 'we may say boldly' (without staggering at it by unbelief,) that the Lord is our helper;' this is a conclusion of faith; because God said to Joshua, a believer, 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee' (though upon a particular occasion, and in refer