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connected with the promife neceffarily; yet they that wilfully neglect the means of reading, hearing, praying, and the like, they are fo far out of God's way, that they are excluding themfelves from the benefits of the promife. If a man wilfully refufe to eat and drink, and use the means of natural life, will he not be accounted a self-murderer, notwithstanding of the abfolute decree concerning the number of his days? And fo, if a man wilfully refufe the word of life, and obftinately neglect the means of grace, will not God judge him for a felf-damner, notwithstanding of the abfolute promise given forth, generally and indefinitely, for the encouragement and excitement of faith, in the external dif penfation of the gofpel?

QUEST. 2. Why, but fay you, If the abfolute promife be presented to us all, how is it true, if it be not fulfilled in us all?

ANSW. A man may give his word, his promife, his charter to us; and yet, if we will not take his word, nor make ufe of his charter, we may reap no good of his word, while yet his word is true: Even so here; God in the external difpenfation of the gofpel, prefents his promife and word of grace to us; but, if we will not take his word, this does not hinder but his word is true, though yet his truth will not be to our advantage, while we will not credit his word, believe his promife, and receive his teftimony. There is a great difference betwixt the unbelief of believers, and the incredulity of unbelievers: the unbelief of believers does them much harm; though it fhall not make the promife of God of no effect, yet it may breed much wo to them in the mean time: but the incredulity of unbelievers, if they live and die in it, is juft the cause of their utter ruin; and yet it makes not the truth of God of no effect his truth in the promise does not profit us but in a way of believing. It is the beft charter and fecurity for heaven and falvation: but as for these that reject this fecurity, and will not take it, it is what will aggravate their damnation; for, "He that >believeth not shall be damned:" but they that by a faith of God's operation, embrace the promife, and take it

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as their only fecurity, they fhall find him faithful, to make out every word of promife to them.

QUEST. 3. But, lay you, If God hath given a pro mife to me, will it not be accomplished whether I believe or not?

ANSW. If he give you grace to believe, and fo giver you it in poffeffion, then it infers an obligation on God to accomplish it; becaufe, to the believer, that receives the promife, it is given definitely and particu larly, faying, Thou art the man to whom it is given; but when it is given only in the gofpel-offer, and external difpenfation, as it is to all the hearers of the gofpel, this infers no obligation upon God to make good the promife to any or every particular man, because it is made only generally and indefinitely, without. defining the perfon in particular, but only pointing at finners in general; and it remains only general and indefinite in the offer, till, in a way of believing, you make it your own particular good; and therefore God is faithful in denying this offered benefit, fo long as you, through unbelief, reject it. If you offer a man your bond for a fum of money, and he reject it, then you are under no obligation, by that bond, to give him the contents of it: if he accept the bond, then you oblige yourfelf; but if he reject, then you are free, and cannot be accused of unfaithfulness to your promife, ar bond. So here, if you truly and believingly take God at his word, then he is bound, by his own promife, to make out all; for then you, believing, have everlafting life but if you will not take God's bond, nor receive his record, but reject it by unbelief, faying, in effect, that it is not good enough fecurity for your falvation and eternal life; then you, through unbelief, make him a liar, and his word a lye, his promife an untruth in which cafe, if you live and die there, he is fo far from being bound to give you the bleffing contained in that charter, that he is bound on the contrary, to execute his threatening upon you; "He that believeth not, fhall be damned." The promise, in the external difpenfation, is like a blank bond, or an indefinite obliga

tion to blank perfons, that it might be a standing claim to all finners of mankind to whom it comes: finners in general are named, no perfon's name is particularly inferted therein; but if you, by faith, fill up your name, then the bond gives right to you in particular; and that which was yours only generally and indefinitely before, becomes yours actually and particularly, upon your receiving it with particular application to yourself.

4. Then, fay you, after all that is faid, it feems the promife is ftill conditional, namely, upon believing.

Answ. Faith and believing is also promised absolutely; and therefore I ask, What is the condition of that promife of faith and the Spirit of faith? If this be not free and abfolute, where is the man that can tell me what is the condition upon which one may have faith, and the Spirit of faith to work it? Nay, the promife of it is free and abfolute, though yet general and indefinite. And as the promife of faith is free, fo juftification, fanctification, glory, and all that follows faith, is freely promifed; not to it, but on the back of it, in the new-covenant order. So that ftill the promife is abfolute, free, and unconditional to us; the proper condition of them all is fulfilled by, and to be found in the glorious new-covenant Head, Christ Jefus: and upon this condition of his obedience unto death, you ought to plead them; for though they be abfolute, in point of proper conditionality in us, yet not exclufively of the ufe of means. Therefore, O pray, pray; and cry that you may find the power of the promise upon your fouls: God allows you to plead for this, Ezek. xxxvi. 37.; where, after the enumeration of many abfolute promifes, the Lord fays, "For this will I be enquired of by the houfe of Ifrael." O cry and wrestle in prayer, and use the means: only take care that you use not the means as a condition, thinking now you have done your part, and therefore God is obliged to do his, and to grant the promised grace: for thus you turn the free covenant of promife to a conditional covenant of works; and fo you turn quite off from the gofpel-way of believing, to the old legal way of doing;

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and confequently you will difappoint yourself, and make Christ of no effect to you, Gal. v. 4, 5. and iii. 29.

QUEST. 5. But, fay you, What tho' I cry and groan for the grace of the promise; yet if the abfolute promise be not particular to me, I can never be a partaker of it. ANSW. In order to clear up this point, and fet it in a proper light, let it be confidered,

1. That though the promise be abfolute, yet it is also indefinite: though difpenfed in general, yet it excludes no particular man; fo that no man in the world, living under the gofpel, can truly fay he is not intended in this promife, as well as others; and feeing, therefore, that God hath not excluded thee by name, and that there is no clause that fhuts thee out, it is a grievous fin in thee to exclude thyfelf: thefe cavilling thoughts and discouragements then do arife from hell; it is the devil. and thy own black heart, and not this doctrine, that difcourages thee. You think, if you had a particular promife bearing your name, you would believe: but, is it not all one, when there is a general promise to finners, and the chief of finners, with a command to you to come, and receive, and apply the promise particularly to yourself, that thus all may be your own?

2. As the general promife lays an argument to your hand, whereby you may plead, faying, Lord, thou that tenders thy grace to me, do thou powerfully apply it: thou who has left me a promife, O let me not come fhort through unbelief; thou who gives the outward means, O give the inward grace. So, if thou thus groan after the Lord, it would be a fign that the promife, which belongs to all in general, belongs to you in particular; and that by virtue of the promife, fomething of fpiritual life was begun in you; even as a figh and a groan, in a man, is a fign of natural life. If you be acquaint with any inward heart-groaning after the grace of the promife, fuch as, perhaps, you cannot put into words, groanings that cannot be uttered, I will tell you for your comfort, it is a fign that the Spirit of grace. is already come, Rom. viii. 26.: the foundation is laid; Chrift will not break the bruifed reed, nor quench the. fmoaking flax: he will fatisfy the longing foul, and fill

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the hungry with good things. That hunger and thirst, that groaning and longing, hath a particular promife of being fatisfied; "Bleffed are they which hunger and thirst after righteoufnefs; for they fhall be filled," Mat. v. 6. Let this therefore turn your water into wine prefently. Take your food, poor foul, and feaft upon it; and let me speak to others, that are not fo far forward as you, fince. I am opening the net of the gofpel to all.

O finner, the promise is held out to you; it is tendered to you, and Chrift in it: or, Chrift, and the promife in him, is prefented to you; for the promise holds out the very remedy for your malady.-Are you dead in fins? the promise holds out life to you; "The hour cometh, and now is, that the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of man, and live." O if power would come along with the promife!-Are you under wrath? the promise holds out Jefus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.—Are you loft and undone ? the promise holds out redemption through his blood, even the remiffion of fins. Are you unable to fave yourfelf? the promise holds out Christ as the Lord our righteousness and ftrength; as able to fave to the uttermoft; and that help is laid upon one that is mighty.-Are you unwilling, as well as unable? the promise holds out a power for breaking that enmity and refiftance; " Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power."-Have you a devilish heart within you? the promise holds out renewing grace; "A new heart will I give you."Are you poor, blind, and naked? the promise holds out tried gold, to remedy your poverty; eye-falve, to heal your blindness; and white raiment, to cover your nakedness.—Are you a poor foolish, guilty, filthy, miferable creature? the promise holds out Chrift to you, as made of God, for your behoof, wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption. Tell me a cafe that the promife does not reach; nay, it is juft propofed, O finner, as a remedy for your malady and therefore fay not, Ah! what fhall I do with these promifes? or, what have I ado with them? Why, man, woman; "To you is the word of this falvation fent" and I will acquaint you, in God's great name, what you are to do with it; you are just to take him

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