Words whereby we may be saved. By Thomas Vincent, sometime minister of Maudlins milk-street,…

1. God promiseth that he will be to them a God, and they shall be to him a People; this includes all the rest: It is a full and sweet promise that God will be our God, it hath a great deal more in it, than we can conceive; we may look and look again, and though our Faith have never so piercing an eye, never so large and deep reach, yet we cannot look to the bottom, and fathom the depth of this Promise; we may suck and suck again at this breast, and though we draw never so hard, we can never draw forth all the sweetness that is in this Promise. To have God to be our God, it is very great, it is very sweet: Indeed God is the God of all his Creatures, yea of his enemies, and the vilest sinners; but to be our God in this place sounds and signifieth more than that which is common to all; it speaketh a peculiar relation, a special interest and propriety in God; in this promise God doth make over himself and all that he hath to us, so far as we are capable of receiving; he giveth himself to be our portion, he engageth his Power, Wisdom, Goodness, Mercy, Love, and all his Attributes to be employed for our good, he promiseth to be our God here, and to be our God for ever; it signifieth that he will be our Father to love and cherish us, to preserve, and provide for us whilst we live, and to take our Souls to himself when we dye, and to raise up our bodies at the last day, and make both ⟨p. 61⟩perfectly glorious and happy in Heaven, when time shall be no more. He promiseth also that we shall be his People; we cannot make our selves so, but he promiseth that he will make us so; he will make us his Children, he will adopt us, he will regenerate us, give us the title, and give us the disposition of Children; all this and much more is contained in this Promise, That God will be our God, and we shall be his People, even the whole work of our salvation from our effectual Calling unto our eternal Glorification.

1. God promiseth that he will be to them a God, and they shall be to him a People; this includes all the rest: It is a full and sweet promise that God will be our God, it hath a great deal more in it, than we can conceive; we may look and look again, and though our Faith have never so piercing an eye, never so large and deep reach, yet we cannot look to the bottom, and fathom the depth of this Promise; we may suck and suck again at this breast, and though we draw never so hard, we can never draw forth all the sweetness that is in this Promise. To have God to be our God, it is very great, it is very sweet: Indeed God is the God of all his Creatures, yea of his enemies, and the vilest sinners; but to be our God in this place sounds and signifieth more than that which is common to all; it speaketh a peculiar relation, a special interest and propriety in God; in this promise God doth make over himself and all that he hath to us, so far as we are capable of receiving; he giveth himself to be our portion, he engageth his Power, Wisdom, Goodness, Mercy, Love, and all his Attributes to be employed for our good, he promiseth to be our God here, and to be our God for ever; it signifieth that he will be our Father to love and cherish us, to preserve, and provide for us whilest we live, and to take our Souls to himself when we dye, and to raise up our bodies at the last day, and make both