Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

and because he knows not what that measure or proportion is, he refers himself to the Wisdom and Faithfulness of God to order all for his good: and hence God doth not fulfil Promises of Temporals as he doth those of ⟨p. 346⟩Spirituals: Promises of Spirituals he fulfils in specie, because they cannot otherwise be made good, a drop of Grace being more worth than a World; but those of Temporals he fulfils disjunctively, either in the Blessing it self, or in that which is equivalent by inward contentation and supportation, compensating the absence of the thing it self. These things being so, the Believer in what he hath may experience the Promise in the true proportion and meaning of it; and not withstanding his wants, may know, That in Christ he is so far heir of all things, that if he could want a world he should have it.

As touching Spiritual Promises, these are either Promises of Grace, or Promises to Grace. As touching Promises of Grace, Faith may know these experimentally. The Believer reads in his Bible, That God hath promised to give an heart of flesh, to make a new heart, and a new spirit, to write his Law in the heart, to give an heart to know him, to circumcise the heart that it may love him; and many more such-like: and afterwards reading over his own Heart, he may find these precious Graces all there, and be able experimentally to say of these Promises, as Joshua did of those made to Israel, Not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord hath spoken, all are come to pass, Josh. 23.14. In every holy melting he finds the heart of flesh; in every holy frame the new heart and spirit; in every holy inclination the inward engraven Law; in every holy beam the Divine Teaching; in every holy affection ⟨p. 347⟩the Spiritual Circumcision; all the Promises are scaled and really exemplified in his Heart; and what an admirable experiment is this? To see a Work within answering to the Promise in the Word, is a greater sight than if a Man could have stood by and seen the light start forth into Being upon the Almighty fiat spoken by God in the Creation; unto which the Apostle alludeth in setting forth the Divine light shining into the Heart in the face of Christ,