Thirdly, Thefe Words, hall comes make thy Coming to be alfo the Effect of an abfolute Promife; coming Sinner, thou art concluded in a Promife: thy coming is the Fruit of the Faithfulness of an absolute Promise. It was this Promife, by the Virtue of which thou at first receivedft Strength to come: And this is the Promife, by the Virtue of which thou shalt be effectually brought to him. It was faid to Abraham, At this Time I will come, and Sarah fhall have a Son. This Son was Ifaac. Mark! Sarah fhall bave a Son: There is the Promife; and Sarah had a Son There was the fulfilling of the Promife: And therefore was Ifaac called, the Child of the Promife, Gen. 17. 19. chap. 18. 10. Rom. 9.9.

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Sarah hall have a Son: But how if Sarah be paft Age? why ftill the Promife continues to fay, Sarah hall have a Son: But how if Sarah be barren? Why ftill the Promife fays, Sarah fhall have a Son. But Abraham's Body is now dead; why the Promife is ftill the fame: Sarah hall have a Son. Thus you fee what Virtue there is in an absolute Promife; It carrieth enough in it's own Bowels to accomplish the Thing promifed,. whether there be Means or no in us to affect it. Wherefore this Promife in the Text, being an abfolute Promise, by Virtue of it, not by Virtue of ourselves or by our own Inducements do we come to Jefus Chrift, for fo are the Words of the Text; All that the Father giveth me, shall come to

me.

Therefore is every fincere Comer to Jefus Chrift called also a Child of the Promife. Now we Bre thren, as Ifaac was, are the Children of the Pro mife, Gal. 4. 28. That is, We are the Children that God hath promised to Jefus Chrift, and given to him; yea, the Children that Jefus Chrift hath

promifed

promifed fhall come to him. All that the Father giveth me ball comed isang uch Fourthly, This Word (hall come) engageth Chrift to communicate all Manner of Grace to thofe thus given him to make them effectually come to him. They fhall come; that is, not if they will, but if Grace, all Grace, if Power, Wif dom, a new Heart, and the Holy Spirit, and all joining together can make them come. I fay, This Word (ball come) being abfolute, hath no Dependance upon our own Will or Power, or Goodness; but it engageth for us even God himfelf; Cbrift himself, the Spirit himself. When God had made the abfolute Promife to Abraham, That Sarah Jhould have a Son, Abraham did not at all look at any Qualifications in himself, becaufe the Promife looked at none; but as God had by the Promife abfolutely promifed him a Son; fo he confidered now not his own Body now dead, nor yet the Barrennefs of Sarah's Womb. He ftaggered not at the Promife of God through Un. belief, but was forong in Faith giving Glory to God, being fully perfuaded that what he had promifed, he was able to perform, Rom. 4. He had promised, and had promifed abfolutely, Sarah hall have a Son: Therefore Abraham looks that he, to wit, God, must fulfil the Condition of it. Neither is this Expectation of Abraham difapproved by the Holy Ghoft, but accounted good and laudable; it being that by which he gives Glory to God. The Father alfo hath given to: Christ a certain Number of Souls for him to fave ; and hei him felf hath faid, They fball come tabi.eu bet the Church of God then live in a joyful Expdctation of the utmott Accomplishment of this Promite; for affuredly it shall be fulfilled, and not one thoufandah Part of a Tittle thereof shall fail: They shall come to meswol vingan si El tak ilg: 15553 01 etsvluid And

And now, before I go any farther, I will more particularly enquire into the Nature of an abfolute Promife.

First, We call that an abfolute Promife, that is made without any Condition; or more fully, thus: That is an abfolute Promife of God, or of Chrift, which maketh over to this or that Man any faving fpiritual Bleffing, without a Condition to be done on our Part for the obtaining. thereof. And this we have in Hand is fuch an one: Let the best Master of Arts on Earth, fhew me, if he can, any Condition in this Text depending upon any Qualification in us, which is not by the fame Promife concluded, shall be by the Lord Jefus effected in us.

Secondly, An abfolute Promise therefore is, as we fay, without if or and; and that is, it requireth nothing of us, that itfelf might be accomplished. It faith not, they hall, if they will; but, they fhall not, they fhall if they use the Means; but, they fhall. You may fay, that a Will, and the Ufe of the Means is fuppofed, though not expreffed. But I anfwer, no, by no Means; that is as a Condition of this Promise: If they be at all included in the Promife, they are included there as the Fruit of the abfolute Promife, not as if it expected the Qualification to arife from us. Thy People shall be willing in the Day of thy Power, Pfal. 110. 3. That is another abfolute Promise: But doth that Promise suppose a Willingness in us, as a Condition of God's making us willing? They fhall be willing, if they are willing; or, they fhall be willing, if they will be willing This is ridiculous; there is nothing of this fuppofed. The Promife is abfolute, as to us; all that it engageth for it's own Accomplishment is, the mighty Power of Christ, and his Faithfulness to accomplish. The

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The Difference therefore betwixt the abfolute and conditional Promife is this:

First, They differ in their Terms. The abfoJute Promifes fay, I will, and you fhall: The other, I will, if you will; or do this, and thou halt live, Jer. 31. 31, 32, 33. Ezek. 36. 24, to 34. Heb. 8.7, to 13. Jer. 4. 1. Ezek. 18. 30, 31, 32. Matt. 19. 21.

Secondly, they differ in their Way of communicating of good Things to Men; the ab folute ones communicate Things freely only of Grace; the other, if there be that Qualification in us, that the Promife calls for, not elfe.

Thirdly, The abfolute Promifes therefore engage God, the other engage us: I mean God only, us only.

Fourthly, Abfolute Promifes, must be fulfilled; conditional may, or may not be fulfilled. The abfolute ones must be fulfilled, because of the Faithfulnefs of God, the other may not, becaufe of the Unfaithfulness of Men.

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Fifthly, Abfolute Promifes have therefore a Sufficiency in themfelves to bring about their own Fulfillings; the conditional have not fo. The abfolute Promife is therefore a big-bellied Promife, because it hath in itfelf a Fulness of all defired Things for us; and will, when the Time of that Promife is come, yield to us Mortals that which will verily fave us; yea, and make us capable of anfwering of the Demands of the Promife that is conditional. Wherefore, though there be a real, yea, an eternal Differ ence in thefe Things (with others) betwixt the conditional and abfolute Promife; yet again, in, other Refpects, there is a bleffed Harmony betwixt them; as may be feen in thefe Particulars.

First

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First, The conditional Promife calls for Repentance, the abfolute Promife gives it; Als 5. Am 15975 vodTu Secondly, The cor ditional Promife calls for Faith, the abfolute Promife gives it, Zeph. 3. 120 Rom. 15. 12.

Thirdly, The conditional Promise calls for a new Heart, the abfolute Promife gives it, Exek: 36.

Fourthly, The conditional Promife calleth for holy Obedience, the abfolute Promise giveth it, or caufeth it, Ezek. 36. 27?"

And as they harmonioufly agree in this, fo again the conditional Promife blefleth the Man, who by the abfolute Promife is endued with it's Fruit : As for Inftance;..

First, The abfolute Promise maketh Men upright, and then the conditional follows, faying, Bleffed are the Undefiled in the Way, who walk in the Way of the Lord, Pfal. 119. 1.

Secondly, The abfolute Promife giveth to this Man the Fear of the Lord, and then the Condi tional followeth, faying, Bleed is every one. that feareth the Lord, Pfal. 128. 1.

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Thirdly, The abfolute Promife giveth Faith, and then this Conditional follows, faying, Bleffed is be that believeth, Zeph. 3. 12. Luke 1..45.

Fourthly, The abfolute Promife brings free Forgivenefs of Sins; and them fays the Condi tional, Bleffed, are they whofe Tranfgreffions are for given, and whose Sin is covered, Rom 4.87, 8. ·?

C i Fifthly, The abfolute Promife fays, That God's Elect thould hold out to the End then the Conditional follows with his Bleffings, He that fall endure to the End, the fame ball be faved, i Pet. 1. shold & of 915015 (8799924 19 4, 5, 6. Matt: 24. 259 sledi di mest od yam es è modi Thus