Certain select cases resolved specially tending to the right ordering of the heart, that…

Your fifth trouble is, you know not how to apply absolute promises to your self,¹ as in Heb. 8. because they are made indefinitely without condition. Conditional promises you say you can, if you can find the qualification that gives you right to the good of the promise within you.

Your fifth trouble is, you know not how to apply absolute promises to your selfe,¹ as in Heb. 8. because they are made indefinitely without condition. Conditional promises you say you can, if you can find the qualification that gives you right to the good of the promise within you.

1. 1Quest. 5.

This useful fruitful question,¹ how to apply absolute promises to ones particular, deserves a larger time and answer, then now in the midst ⟨p. 27⟩of perplexities, I am able, yet willing, to give. For when the Lord saith absolutely without condition, that he will take away the stony heart, and he will put his fear into his peoples hearts, &c. and these kind of promises are made to some, not to all, to those only whom the Lord will, and in general to his people, Hereupon the Soul•s of many Christians, especially such as question Gods love towards them, are most in suspense: and therefore when they complain of the vileness of their hearts and strength of their lusts, let any man tell them that the Lord hath undertaken in the Second Covenant, to heal their backslidings, and to subdue their iniquities, they will hereupon reply, it is true, he hath promised indeed to do thus for some absolutely, though they have no good in them, but I that feel so vile a heart, so rebellious a nature, will he do this for me, or no? and thus the Soul floats above water, yet fears it shall fink at last, notwithstanding all that God hath said. I will answer therefore briefly these two things in general.