Encouragements to faith Drawn from several engagements both of Gods Christs heart to receive…Encouragements to faith Drawn from severall engagements both of Gods Christs heart to receive…

Now 1. this immutability of his counsel he shows by two oaths; the first made to Christ, the second to us.

Now 1. this immutability of his counsaile he shews by two oaths; the first made to Christ, the second to us.

1. To Christ, Heb. 7. 21. This Priest (Christ) was made with an oath, by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever, &c. And this was from everlasting; for then it was that Christ was first made Priest: Now then God foresaw that he could never have a relenting thought at the pardoning of sinners through him, this his Son would so satisfy and please him: and thereupon he sware.

1. To Christ, Heb. 7. 21. This Priest (Christ) was made with an oath, by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever, &c. And this was from everlasting; for then it was that Christ was first made Priest: Now then God foresaw that he could never have a relenting thought at the pardoning of sinners through him, this his Son would so satisfie and please him: and thereupon he sware.

2. To us, Heb. 6. 17, 18. God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things (in which it was impossible for God to lie) we might have a strong consolation, &c. The thing I allege this place for, and which I would have observed, is, that this oath is not mentioned as that now which makes God so immutable, (though that be a truth) But Gods oath is here made that whereby God did declare unto us the immutability of his purpose formerly and from everlasting taken up, and so that immutability of his counsel was the cause of his oath, and that was to pardon sinners: for it is the Promise made to Abraham and his seed, that is there specified.