An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…

Observe hence.

That a wicked man neither doth, not can believe deliverance from evil.

That a wicked man neither doth, not can beleeve deliverance from evill.

First, He hath no ground to believe, promises are the foundation of faith. A wicked man may be under promises of conversion from his sin, but he is not under any promise of mercy while he continues in his sin; the whole Book of God yields him not (in hat state) any special promise, for so much as a bit of bread; when he hath bread, he hath it from providence, not from a promise, or but from a general promise. He is fed as a Beast is fed, the Lord being the preserver of Man and Beast: He cannot have a special promise himself, not being an heir of promise: Therefore when he falls into darkness, he hath no ground to believe. Whereas a godly man never hath so much ground to believe, as when he falls into darkness, because then he hath more promises then before; his outward losses gain him the advantage of many sweet promises, which till then he could not plead, for the succour and nourishment of his faith. As a wicked man hath no promise of God (in the sense explained) at any time; so a godly man hath most promises of God in evil, yea in the worst of times.

First, He hath no ground to beleeve, promises are the foundation of faith. A wicked man may be under promises of conversion from his sin, but he is not under any promise of mercy while he continues in his sin; the whole Book of God yeelds him not (in hat state) any speciall promise, for so much as a bit of bread; when he hath bread, he hath it from providence, not from a promise, or but from a generall promise. He is fed as a Beast is fed, the Lord being the preserver of Man and Beast: He cannot have a speciall promise himselfe, not being an heyre of promise: Therefore when he falls into darknesse, he hath no ground to beleeve. Whereas a godly man never hath so much ground to beleeve, as when he falls into darknesse, because then he hath more promises then before; his outward losses gaine him the advantage of many sweet promises, which till then he could not plead, for the succour and nourishment of his faith. As a wicked man hath no promise of God (in the sense explained) at any time; so a godly man hath most promises of God in evill, yea in the worst of times.