The Morning exercise [at] Cri[ppleg]ate, or, Several cases of conscience practically resolved

4. The Apostle forbids this Faith vers. 7. therefore it is not the Faith here commanded, for then it should run thus, you must believe you shall receive the thing you ask for, but if you do not you must no•; many more arguments may be brought to prove this, but these shall suffice, besides what shall be s•id in the Positive handling this Question, viz. What Faith is required as to our believing absolutely and undoubtedly, in kind the very thing we ask, which I shall Answer in several Propositions.

I. When we ask Temporal blessings as we ought, we are bound to believe we shall receive them as we ask them; for our Prayers for Temporal things should be spiritual as to the end, and moderate as to their measure, and conditional as to their effect upon us, i. e. if it be for our good. now since our desires are to be Conditional, and Gods Promises of Temporals are Conditional, we must not absolutely believe we shall receive what we ask: a Conditional promise cannot be a foundation for an absolute Faith.

II. Our Faith and Confidence of obtaining the thing we ask, should proceed pari passu should be as strong to the event as it is to the Conditions. If we are very confident what we ask is for the glory of God ⟨p. 346⟩or our good, we must be as Confident that we shall have it; for as we are to put no Condition to absolute Promises since God hath put none, so we are to add no more Conditions to Conditional Promises than God hath put, and upon those Conditions we are as fully to rely upon Gods performance, as upon his performance of absolute Promises.