The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…

The second Reason is, Because God hath (for divers wise ends) decreed, that all the obedience of his children shall come from Christ, and by Faith. This is express in the Scripture, to the end that no man might glory in himself, but that all glorying might be in Christ: God hath decreed this, that no obedience shall be wrought by any that is acceptable, but what shall come from Christ by Faith. Now if it come from Christ by Faith, then it must come by a promise, for there is nothing the object of faith but a promise, and a divine promise: To the end therefore they may have a promise, God hath promised to enable them to all he commandeth, that so they by faith resting upon this promise, they might come to this obedience by faith, and so may have nothing to glory in themselves. Here are the two Reasons of the point: And so you see the observation clear, that God commandeth his people nothing, but he promiseth to make them able to perform it.

The second Reason is, Because God hath (for divers wise ends) decreed, that all the obedience of his children shall come from Christ, and by Faith. This is expresse in the Scripture, to the end that no man might glory in himselfe, but that all glorying might be in Christ: God hath decreed this, that no obedience shall be wrought by any that is acceptable, but what shall come from Christ by Faith. Now if it come from Christ by Faith, then it must come by a promise, for there is nothing the object of faith but a promise, and a divine promise: To the end therefore they may have a promise, God hath promised to enable them to all he commandeth, that so they by faith resting upon this promise, they might come to this obedience by faith, and so may have nothing to glory in themselves. Here are the two Reasons of the point: And so you see the observation cleare, that God commandeth his people nothing, but he promiseth to make them able to performe it.

There is only this caution to be added, that howsoever God promiseth to enable his people to do all he commandeth, yet this shutteth not out their endeavour. His promise ⟨p. 83⟩of enabling them is upon this supposition, that they do endeavour in the use of the means he shall appoint them. The Lord in promising doth not mean that they should be idle, and look that he should do all; but his promising includeth their endeavouring, and upon their endeavouring in the use of the means that God hath appointed, he hath promised to enable them to do what he hath commanded. And this is very express in that same of the Prophet,