am, fays he, the trub, the one faving truth, like himself, the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever. One Lord, one faith, one falvation. And whoever believes this aright is in a fafe ftate, in which there is no change with refpect to God; no variablenefs, or fhadow of turning. Whatever

his own apprehenfions may be, the word of the Lord endureth for ever. He may be tempted in a legal hour to caft away his confidence, but the counfel of the Lord fhall ftand. He may change, but I, faith God, change not. For the gracious gifts and calling of God are without repentance-they are fuch that it cannot repent him of beflowing them, or of continuing them, when once beftowed. As the believer has no new truth to learn, only to improve the prin

ciples of the doctrine of Chrift : So he has no new title to expect. Under the free grant and gift of God, falvation comes to him of grace, in the most fovereign way that can be conceived. And his warrant to receive it is the divine command; and when he has been enabled to receive it by the obedience of faith, the divine promife affures him, that he shall not perish for his fins, but that he fhall have everlafting life. Believing the promife is the best title that poffibly can be to this falvation; for we are faved freely by grace, through faith, and that not of ourselves, neither falvation nor faith; both are the gifts of God. And under the title all the bleffings which accompany falvation are included, all the things which are freely given to us of God -a fufficiency of prefent grace, and

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the

the full poffeffion of eternal glory. This is the good old foundation, upon which the heirs of promise have always built their faith and hope. They knew, that all fulnefs was in Chrift for their use and enjoyment: And they were perfuaded, that they fhould honour him moft, by believing this with the strongest certainty. They could not truft too foon, nor too much, to his faithfulness. And therefore they come boldly to the throne of grace, that they may receive out of his fulness at all times, for all things, for body and foul, for earth and heaven, what they wanted, and what he had promised. The more they live thus by faith, they will experience more. occafion to rejoice in the Lord: And to find that his arm to fulfil will always go as far as his

promife,

promife, even to blefs the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all fpiritual bleflings in heavenly things in Chrift. This indeed is ftrong faith, but it is the gift of a ftrong God: it does not depend, in the leaft, on what the believer can do for himself, but on what' the Almighty has engaged to do for him, and in him, and by him : For he requires and commands it in this high degree: 'There is grace fufficient to bring it into use and practice, as far as the commands go, all things promised being poffible to him that believeth: And they who have trufted moft to the faithfulness of God, who against hope believed in hope, have experienced that God did never leave them nor forfake them. He magnified his word above all his name. There

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There he has made his name to fhine forth, and all his attributes are magnified in their greatest perfection. The believers on earth, and the faints in heaven, praise God for his word: because it is the inftrument of his Spirit, by which he bestows grace, and according to which, he gives glory. The fulfilling of his word runs through time, and will run through eternity. Bleffed be God for his word of promife: Bleffed be the Lord, that it will be fulfilling for ever and ever. This being the cafe, it becomes neceffary to enquire into the divine records, and to fee what a full warrant God has given us to trust and not be afraid: And this to every believer, there being the fame ground to believe with the ftrongest faith, as to believe at all.