I cannot well imagine what can reafonably be anfwered to fuch plain texts; but I will tell you what is commonly anfwered, namely, That God gives the condition which he requires: and therefore, though thefe promises run in a conditional form, yet in truth they are abfolute; because he that makes a promise to another, upon a condition which he will alfo perform, doth in effect make an abfolute promise. As if a man promised another fuch an eftate, upon condition he pay fuch a fum for it, and does promise withal to furnish him with that fum, this in effect amounts to an abfolute promife of the estate.

And this is very well argued, if the cafe were thus. But God hath no where promised to work the condition in us, without the concurrence of our own endeavours. God may, and oftentimes doth, prevent men by his grace; but he hath no where promised to give his Holy Spirit, but to them that afk it of him. And he hath no where promised to continue his grace and affistance to us, unless we will use our fincere endeavours; nay, in case we do not, he hath threatened to take his away and affistance from us. And grace if this be fo, then the promifes of the gofpel do not only feem to be conditional, but are really fo. And it is a wonder that any man fhould doubt of this, who confiders how frequently in the New Teftament the gofpel is reprefented to us under the notion of a covenant; fince a covenant, in the very nature of it, doth imply a mutual obligation between the parties that enter into it. But if the gofpel contain only bleffings which are promised on God's part, without any thing required to be done and performed on our part, in order to the obtaining of thofe bleffings, then the gofpel is nothing else but a promife or deed of gift, making over certain benefits and bleffings to us; but can in no propriety of language in the world be called a covenant. But if there be fome things required on our part, in order to our being made partakers of the promises which God hath made to us, (as the fcripture every where tells us there is), then the promifes are plainly conditional. To inftance in the promise of forgiveness of fins: Repent, that your fins may be blotted

blotted out; that is, upon this condition that ye repent of your fins, they fhall be forgiven, and not otherwife. Can there be any plainer condition in the world than is in thofe words of our Saviour, If ye forgive men their trefpaffes, your heavenly Father will alfo forgive your trefpasses; but if ye forgive not men their trefpaffes, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trefpaffes?

This is fo far from being any prejudice to the freenefs of God's grace, who is infinitely gracious in offering fuch great bleffings to us upon any condition that we can perform, that it were one of the absurdeft things in the world, to imagine, that God fhould grant to men forgivenefs of fins, and eternal life, let them behave themselves as they will.

IV. The last thing I propofed for the explaining of this doctrine of the promises of God, was to confider when men may be faid to have a right to these promifes, fo as to be able upon good grounds to apply them to themselves: And the anfwer to this is very plain and eafy, namely, when they find the conditions of thefe promifes in themselves, and not till then.

When a

When a man hath truly repented of his fins, fo as to forfake them, and lead a new life; and when he does from his heart forgive thofe who have offended him, and hath laid down all animofity against them, and thoughts of revenge; then hath he a right to the promife of pardon and forgivenefs, and may apply to himself in particular what the fcripture faith in general, that God will blot out all his tranfgref fions, and remember his iniquities no more. man doth conftantly and earnestly implore the affiftance of God's Holy Spirit, and is ready to yield to the motions of it, and does faithfully make ufe of that ftrength and affistance which God affords him, then he may expect the continuance of his grace, and further degrees of it. When a man makes it the conftant and fincere endeavour of his life, to please God, and to walk, in all the ordinances and commandments of the Lord blameless, and is effectual

ly

ly taught by the grace of God to deny ungodliness and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, and righteously, and godly in this prefent world, then he may with comfort and joy wait for the bleed hope, and the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Chrift; then he may with confidence depend upon God, in fure and certain hope of that eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, hath promifed. When he can fay with St Paul, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my courfe, I have kept the faith, then he may likewife triuinph as he did, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which God the righteous judge fhall give me in that day.

Upon thefe terms, and in thefe cafes, men may up. on good grounds apply to themfelves thefe exceeding great and precious promifes of the gofpel; and fo far as any man is doubtful and uncertain of the performance of the conditions which the gofpel requires, fo far he muft neceffarily queftion his right and title to the bleffings promifed. And if any man think this doctrine too uncomfortable, and be willing to reject it upon this account, I fhall only fay this, that men may cheat themselves if they pleafe, but most certainly they will never find any true and folid comfort in any other. This is a plain and fenfible account of a man's confidence and good hopes in the promises of God; but for a man to apply any promise to himself, before he finds the condition in himself, is not faith, but either fancy or prefumption.

And therefore it is a very prepofterous courfe which many take, to advise and exhort men, with fo much earneftness, to apply the promises of God to themfelves, and to tell them that they are guilty of great. unbelief in not doing it. That which is proper to exhort men to, is to endeavour to perform the condi. tion upon which God hath promifed any bleffing to and when men find the condition in themselves, they will without any great perfuafion take comfort from the promife, and apply it to themselves; but till they difcern the condition in themselves, it is impoffible for a man that understands himself, to apply VOL. V.

us;

the

the promise to himfelf; for till the condition be performed, he hath no more right to the promise, than if fuch a promife had never been made. And it is fo

far from being a fin in fuch a man, to doubt of the benefit of fuch a promife, that it is his duty to do fo; and no man that understands himself, and the promises of God, can poffibly do otherwife.

Therefore it is a vain and groundless trouble which perplexeth many people, that they cannot apply the promifes of God to themfelves; whereas the true ground of their trouble fhould be this, that they have not been careful to perform the condition of those promifes which they would apply to themselves; the other is an endless trouble; let them but look to the condition, and the promise will apply itfelf. I fpeak all this on purpose to free men from thofe perplexities wherewith many have intangled themfelves, by falle apprehenfions of the promifes of God, either as if they were not made to us upon certain conditions to be performed by us, or as if any man could comfortably apply them to himself, before he hath performed thofe conditions upon which God hath made fuch promifes. For if men will believe that which is not true, or expect things upon fuch terms as they are not to be had, they may trouble themselves eternally, and all the world cannot help it.

I have now done with the first thing I propounded to fpeak to, namely, the promifes which are here fpoken of. The fecond thing (viz.) what influence. thefe promifes ought to have upon us, that by them we may be made partakers of the divine nature, I shall referve to another opportunity.

SER

159

XCVIII.

SERMON

The nature and influence of the promises of the gospel.

2 PETER I. 4.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes; that by thefe ye might be partakers of the

divine nature.

The fecond fermon on this text.

Made entrance into thefe words the laft day, in the handling whereof I propofed to do thefe two things.

First, To confider the promifes here spoken of: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes

Secondly, The influence which these promises ought to have upon us : That by thefe ye might be partakers of a divine nature.

The first of thefe I have done with, and proceed! now to the

Second, viz. The influence which thefe promifes ought to have upon us: Whereby are given unto us ex ceeding great and precious promifes; that by thefe ye might be partakers of a divine nature. Not that we can partake of the effence and nature of God, as . fome have blafphemoufly affirmed, pretending, in their canting and fenfelefs language, to be godded with God, and chrifted with Chrift. In this fenfe it is impoffible for us to partake of the divine nature; for this would be for men to become gods, and to be advanced to the ftate and perfection of the Deity. But the word to doth frequently in fcripture fignify a temper and difpofition; and to be partakers of a divine nature, is to be of a divine temper and difpofition, to have our corrupt natures rectified and pur

0.2.

ged: