see that we abiding with him in the places he hath set us in he will be with us and blesse us so as we shall want nothing that is good For direction to all such as desire to find the accomplishment Vse 3 of this gracious promise of God to his people that God will be from himselfe an all-sufficient good to them this is to teach them how to walk that they may find this blessing performed to thâ—m let them betake themselves to God alone and cast themselves wholly upon him Let them make him all unto them let them make it appeare that they look after nothing in heaven but him nor desire any thing in the earth in comparison of him as Psal 73.25 Psal 73.25 And then when thâ—ir hearts are taken off from these râ—eds and broken staves which they râ—sted on when it is with thâ—m as the Prophet speaketh Isai 17.7 8. that they look unto tâ—eir maker and not to the creature not to thâ—ir own devices and projects but onely to the holy One of Israel then will the Lord appeare in his glory and will make it manifest that from himselfe he will be an all-sufficient good to his people Let all other things be to us as though they were not use them as though we used them not see a fulnesse of all things in God Let us cast our selves upon the bounty kindnesse and all-sufficiency of the Lord And then will he arise and help us and doe for us according to our need Imitate the practise of Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20. when hee saw himselfe destitute of help Our eyes saith he are unto thee O Lord we know not what to doe Let the Lord sâ—e that our hearts are withdrawn from the creature and those helps which we leaned upon and that we doe faithfully relie upon him and then will hee ride upon the heavens for our help as Deut. 33.26 Deut. 33.26 and say This is a people that will not lie they have cast themselves upon mee and therefore I will not faile them nor forsake them I will be an all-sufficient good unto them For comfort unto godly and faithfull parents that having Vse 4 come over hither have here spent their estates by which they might have provided comfortably for their children they have come hither for the name of Christ that they might enjâ—y him in the means of his worship and though they doe here find grace and mercy from the Lord and a spirituall advantage to their souls yet they meet with losses troubles and straits for the outward man that they can now doe little for them What shall parents now doe What shall children doe Here is comfort look to the all-sufficient God that from himselfe will be all in all to his people Though there bee no blessing in the hand of the Parent yet there is in the hand of the Lord. What hee would have done for the children by the hand of the Parents he wil now doe it from himselfe by his own hand It is said of Isaac that after the death of Abraham God blâ—ssed him Gen. 25.11 Gen. 25.11 If Isaac prosper whiles Abraham lives he might seem to be upholden by the substance of his father But when Abraham was dâ—ad then it was evident that the blessing upon Isaac came from the Lord So whiles the Parents estates continue children might seem to bee enriched by them but when their fathers estates are wasted and come to nothing and yet the children are provided for and prosper then it appeares to bee from the Lord. Lâ—t therefore both parents and children depend upâ—n him and live by faith in him who wil be a Father to them an all-sufficient good to those that trust in him 3. Now to the third and last particular in this promise I will be your God To be God implies soveraignty and superiority over all To be over all as Rom. 9.5 Rom 9.5 and above all aâ— Ephes 4.6 Ephes 4.6 This therefore is also comprehended in the promise That hee wil bee God over us and above us to rule us to command us to direct and order our wayes for us That though he doe advance and set us up on high when he takes us into covenant with himselfe as Deut. 26.18 19. yet so as that he wil be Lord and Gâ—d over us as Pharaoh said to Joseph when he advanced him to that high honour Yet saith he on the Kings Throne I will bee above thee So though God do lift up his people by entring into covenant with them so that all the world are but servants to minister unto them for their good yet will the Lord still retain his soveraignty over them and bee exalted above them As he wil be above all his â—nemies in that wherein they deale proudly as hee was above the Egyptians Exod. 18.11 to breake them in peeces with a rod of Iron So hee will bee above his owne people to rule them with a golden Scepter And this is a blessing of the covenant of grace Now this benefit implies these things First that the Lord will bring his people from under the power and dominion of other Lords which have gotten the superiority over them and bring them into subjection unto himselfe alone so that whereas they might say concerning the time before as Isai 26.13 Other Lords have had dominion over us besides thee yet now they shall rule over them no more but they shall be subject to him only Hence saith the Lord Joel 3.3 4 Joel 3.3 4. c They have cast lots for my people c. And what have you to doe with me O Tyre and Zydon and all the coast of Palestine will you render mee a recompence c. The meaning is as if God should speak to the enemies of his Church You have trampled upon my people and dealt cruelly with them and this you have done in revenge against me because I have plagued you Will you thus recompence me I will break you in peeces and deliver my pâ—ople from under yâ—ur power As a King when he makeâ—h a covenant with a people to be King over them he then covenants with them to save them out of the haâ—ds of all their enemies to suffer no foraigne power to tyrannize over thâ—m So it is here the Lord promiseth that no tyrant shall rule over his people neither sinne nor Satan nor the world nor the lust of their own hearts but he himselfe will rule over them 2. When he hath delivered us from our enemies then he will be God over us to command us and appoint us what wee shall doe to please him Though he communicate himselfe to us in all his goodnesse grace and mercy yet he will not lose his soveraignty over us In Exod. 4.16 Exod. 4.16 Moses was called a God unto Aaron because he was to command appoint and direct Aaron in all and Aaron was to execute all according to the direction received from Moses So the Lord
condemnation but the gift is of many offences unto justification c. Adams one sin brought guilt upon him and all his posteritie because he was under the covenant of workes and therefore justification can be had by that Covenant no more But it is not so in the Covenant of grace neither one sin nor many sinnes doe exclude from life in this covenant But this gift is of many offences c. And this holds true not onely of such sinnes as are committed before our entrance into a covenant of grace with God but of such sins as are committed afterward as is evident Psal 89.31.34 God having made a Covenant with them though he chastise them yet his Covenant will be not breake c. The reason of this difference is from the summe and scope of the Covenant of workes which is to bind us to a totall full perfect and constant obedience of the Law in all things unto the end Gal. 3.10 so that one or once fayling breakes that Covenant But in the Covenant of grace God promiseth not onely to forgive but to multiply forgivenesses Isa 55.7 Isai 55.7 Hence though in many things we sin all as James 3.2 yet 1 Joh. 2.2 1 Joh. 2.2 wee have an Advocate with the Father And 1 Joh. 1.7 The bloud of Christ cleanseth us from all sin No number of sinnes doth exclude from salvation till they be accompanied with finall Apostasie impenitency and unbeliefe till as Heb. 3.12 wee doe by an evill heart depart away from the living God Hence also saith the Apostle Rom. 5.19 Where sin abounds there grace abounds much more God will glorifie his grace by our sinne As sin takes occasion by the Law Rom. 7.10 so grace takes occasion by our sin God will glorifie his grace thereby and make it marvellous in the eyes of the world so that men shall wonder that such grace should be shewed in pardoning such sinnes that they shall say as Micah 7.18 Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee who passest by the transgression of the remnant of thy people Consolation to the weake Saints of God Vse who are often cast downe in themselves through sense of their own infirmities and the many falls they are subject unto by reason of which they are cast into sad feares and doubts concerning themselves yea so farre as to make conclusions against themselves that they cannot belong unto God because as they thinke if they were the Lords people and his grace were effectuall in them they should not be so often overcome But such must know that so long as the sinnes that are in us be repented of and mourned for it is not one nor many infirmities which can make voyd the Covenant of grace which wee are entred into or hinder us of the blessing that comes thereby Wee must remember that we are not under the Law but under Grace wee must not be too severe against our selves like Novatians denying pardon to second falls In so doing we set such limits to the grace of God as he himselfe hath not set God hath not said He will pardon once and no more or that he will pardon sinnes before grace received but not those committed after God never so stinted his grace but his gift of grace is against many offences unto justification of life In denying therefore of pardon to our selves for sins iterated and for our often infirmities so long as there is a spirit of repentance working in us and we are humbled for them before God we doe not onely wrong our selves and deprive our soules of the peace we might enjoy but we do wrong to the grace of God as if that grace were not sufficient for us as if that God could not or would not renew his gracious pardon to us as wee renew our repentance towards him Let such consider what the Lord hath commanded us to doe we must not onely forgive seven times but seventy times seven times if our brother turne againe and say it repenteth me And can wee thinke that God lookes for more mercy from us towards our brethren then he will shew towards his owne children He hath bidden us daily to pray for the forgivenesse of our sinnes as knowing that we are subject to daily infirmities and doe stand in need of daily mercy and forgivenesse And therefore to limit Gods grace as we are apt to doe is in effect to turne the Covenant of grace into a Covenant of workes as if there were no more grace under the one then under the other Know therefore that whiles there is in us an holy watchfulnesse against the sin that dwells within us whiles it is our desire and care to please the Lord whiles we feele in our selves the spirit of grace causing us to mourne over him whom we have pierced by our sinnes though we be overtaken again and again through the infirmity of the flesh that is in us yet know that it is not one nor many offences that can deprive us of the blessing of this covenant of grace in which God hath promised to multiply forgivenesses according to the multitude of his great mercies Yet let no man abuse this doctrine unto carnall liberty this is childrens bread impure dogges and carnall livers that make no conscience of sinning have nothing to doe with this consolation it is onely to support the weak to comfort the feeble minded not to encourage the wicked and impenitent in their sin Let such know that though God abound in mercy and do multiply forgivenesses unto such as are humbled for their sins yet he will multiply plagues also upon impenitent wretches that goe on in their evill way To such neither many nor any one of all their sins shall be forgiven but being under the law they shall make an account to God for every transgression God will repay them all their wickednesses not one shall be forgotten or forgiven He is indeed abundant in goodnesse reserving mercy for his people and so he is also abundant in wrath against rebellious sinners and will abundantly reward the proud doer That the covenant of works if it be accomplished and fulfilled Differ 8 leaves in man matter of glorying and boasting in himselfe but the covenant of grace excludes all glorying in a mans selfe and leaves him nothing of his own to boast of but in the grace of God If Adam who was under the covenant of works had fulfilled that covenant he might have come before the Lord and said Behold Lord I have fulfilled the commandment which thou gavest me and done thy will now therefore justifie me and give me the life which thou hast promised here Adam had had something in himselfe to glory in Thus the Apostle speaks of Abraham that if he had had the righteousnesse of works by his fulfilling of the Law he should have had whereof to glory before God Rom. 4.1 Rom. 4.1 he might have said as the elder son did in Luk. 15.29 Luke 15.29
more cleare and evident the light now is marvellous it is as the Sun shining at noone-day Hence Rom. 16.25 26. Rom. 16.25 26. the Gospel is called the revelation of the ministery which was kept secret since the foundation of the world but it is now made manifest c. Though it was revealed before yet it was but darkly but now it is revealed more clearly since the coming of our Saviour Christ so also Ephes 3 4 5. Ephes 3.4 5. and Colos 2.26 Colos 2.26 Consider the truth of this in some particulars First Consider the promise of eternall life it was darkly covered over not clearly promised to them The promise of eternall life is very rarely in expresse termes mentioned in the old Testament I know but one place which is in Dan. 12.2 Dan. 12.2 where plaine mention is made of life eternall It was shadowed out to them in the promise of inhabiting in the Land of Canaan which was a shadow of eternall life so the threatning of eternall death was typed out by the threatning of exclusion out of the Lords Land Hosea 9.3 Hosea 9.3 When they should be driven into captivity it was a type of their sending into hell if they did not returne to walke with him in his Covenant And hence are those promises They shall inherite the land and dwell in the earth Psal 37.11 Psal 37.11 Not as if that were all they were to looke for but because it was the type of another and better inheritance in heaven This was the cause that made Jacob Gen. 49.29 Gen. 49.29 give that charge to his sonnes that they should not bury him in Aegypt but carry him into the land of Canaan And Joseph Gen. 50.24 25. tooke an oath of his brethren that they should carry his bones with them And why was this done but because they looked at that Land as more then an earthly possession taking it as a type of heaven and by giving that charge they testified their faith in the promise of God concerning the possession of life eternall Therefore also it was that Abraham though he indured many troubles and injuries in the land of promise and had time to have returned into his own Country yet he would not Heb. 11.15 Heb. 11.15 because he looked at that as a land of promise and a type of the rest that remained for him in the kingdome of God Thus was the promise of eternall life obscurely propounded Secondly Consider the revealing of Christ either the person of Christ or his offices and wee shall see that they were darkly propounded unto them in respect of what they are to us Christ was but shadowed out to them in types and figures and dark prophesies Concerning his person it was revealed unto them that he should be God as Isai 9.6 Isai 9.6 where he is called the mighty God and also that he should be man and therefore said to be borne Isa 9.6 But how he should be both God and man in one person was very darkly revealed Which made the Jewes that they could not answer to that question how Christ should be both Lord and sonne to David So for his offices his Mediatorship was typed out by Moses his being between God and the people his Priesthood typed out by Melchisedek among the Canaanites and Aaron among the Jews and his sacrifice by their sacrifices his Propheticall office shadowed to them by Moses who revealed the minde of God to the people Therefore saith Moses Deut. 18.18 Deut. 18.18 A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you like unto me which is applyed unto Christ Acts 3.22 Acts 3.22 His Kingly office typed out in the kingdome of David and Solomon Luk. 1.31 Luk. 1.31.32 God shall give him the kingdome of his Father David But how darke these things were unto them you may perceive by the speeches of the Disciples unto Christ who knew not how he should execute those offices they knew not that he should dye they dreamt of an earthly kingdome they saw Christ under a vaile but wee see him with open face 2 Cor. 3. 2 Cor. 3. end Thirdly The benefits that come by Christ were not so clearly made knowne to them as they are to us Justification was signified by the sprinkling of the bloud of the sacrifice Exod. 24.7 8. Exod. 24 7 8. So sanctification was typed out by the water of purification The benefits which are so clearly revealed unto us that Christ is our wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption were but darkly propounded unto them So that the light now is become like the light at noone day the light that they had was but like the dawning of the day or the light of the starres Hence is that of Christ Mat. 13.16 17. Blessed are your eyes for they see and your eares for they heare c. Quest Why was the Covenant revealed more darkly then and more clearly now 1. Answ Because the work of our redemption was not then transacted and accomplished the things were not then passed as now they be and therefore as the light of the Sun is lesse before its rising then afterward so Christ before his rising in the world was not so fully knowne as since 2. The Church was then in its minority and infancy but now it is of full age Gal. 4.1 2. Galat. 4.1 2. Therefore as a Father gives some hints of his purpose and will to his childe when he is under age but makes knowne all his minde to him when he is growne up so dealt the Lord with his Church then as with children c. 3. It was meet that this glory should be reserved to Christ himselfe he being the great Prophet of the Church that he should reveale more to the world then ever was knowne before It was not meet that all should be revealed before his coming but that he should have the glory of revealing those deepe things which were hid with God making them knowne to his Church and people And therefore they were more darkly revealed before Onely this observe that the further the times were from Christs coming the lesse light they had and the nearer to Christ the more light sprung up The promise to Eve was more darke more cleare to Abraham and still more cleare to David c. And the reason of this is First Because Christ is the light of the world Now as the Sunne the further it is from rising the lesse light it gives and the nearer to rising the more so did Christ the Sun of righteousnesse Secondly The more light was discovered neare the coming of Christ to stirre up the mindâ— of people to wait for Christ and his coming The more knowne the more desired Ignoti â—â—lla câ—pido the lesse knowne the lesse desired Thirdly Before the Law was given there was lesse sense of sin and therefore the lesse revelation of Christ But as the sense of sin increased by the
command us to believe unto life but it must shew us Christ on whom we must pitch our Faith But this the law doth not Christ is only revealed by the Gospel not by the law the Law knows him not Adam in his best estate knew not Christ and yet Adam had then the knowledge of the whole law and of all that the law required The law then not revealing Christ cannot command faith because faith cannot bee without Christ who is the object which it is carried unto Object If it bee said that the law is a Schoole-master to lead us unto Christ and therefore the Law reveales Christ Answ I answer if we take the law for the morall law then its bringing of us to Christ is only occasionall in as much as it drives us from it selfe as making us to see that by it there is no hope of life it curseth all it gives hope of life to none but the Gospel shewing us a salvation to be had in Christ now the Law by the severity of it is an occasion unto us of seeking life where it is to bee found But to bring us to Christ is no proper work of the law It is no otherwise then as if a child knowing the tendernesse of his Fathers love and finding his Schoole-master to be very severe and sharp runnes from the severity of his Master to hide himselfe under his Fathers wing yet not by the teaching or bidding of his Master but his severity is the occasion of it so it is in the point in hand But if we take the Law for the Law Ceremoniall It s true that the Ceremoniall law points out Christ unto us but the Ceremoniall law was Gospel in the substance of it though vailed over with types and shadowes which were to continue till the body was come How the carnall minded Jewes misunderstood those ceremonies it matters not It s certaine that in the primitive institution of them they were ordained for Evangelicall ends and therefore this infringeth not the truth before laid downe namely that the law sc the law of works properly so called doth not reveale Christ and therefore cannot command faith in Christ 4. If faith be commanded not in the Gospel but in the law then unbeliefe is no sinne against the Gospel but only against the law for where there is no commandement or law to bind there is no transgression Rom. 4. so that if the Gospel have no commandement to command us to believe then not to believe is no sinne against the Gospel and if so then those that have had the Gospel preached unto them all their life long shall lie under no more guilt of sinne then those that never had any more then the law only 5. If our calling be by the Gospel not by the law then the commandement which commands faith is a commandement of the Gospel not of the law our faith is wrought by our calling our calling is by the Gospel Gal. 1.15 2 Thes 2.14 and therefore the commandement of faith is a commandement of the Gospel Object Our calling and Faith also is wrought by the Gospel yet not by the commandement but by the promise Answ It is by the commandement though we exclude not the promise the commandement is indeed made more alluring more drawing by the promise annexed but the very name and terme of calling imports that it is not wrought without the commandement and therefore it is that we have these and the like voyces and commandements of Gods calling unto us Come unto me Return unto me Come out from among them Separate your selves and I will receive you Are not these so many commandements of God and by these the Lord inclines and drawes the heart to come unto him In Esay 55.5 there are the words of God the Father unto Christ Thou shalt call a Nation saith the Father unto him and they shall runne unto thee But what voyce is that by which Christ shall call the Nation that comes unto him The Prophet tells us in vers 1.3 Come to the waters yee that thirst saith Christ Come unto mee and I will make a Covenant with you These commandements backed with promises doe draw and make the Nation so called to come to Christ and runne after him so Jer. 3.22 Return O backsliding Iâ—rael Here 's a commandement and what followes Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God See therefore how the Lord makes use of the commandement joyned with the promise to draw men unto him Thus it was with those Bretheren Mat. 4.19 21. and with Matthew the Publican whom Christ called from the receit of Custome Matt. 9. Follow me saith Christ to him he said no more but presently hee riseth up and followes him Matth. 9.9 And thus usually Come unto me saith Christ follow me believe on me c. which commandedements being accompanied with a Spirit of grace going with them the soule follows Christ to apprehend that grace to which it is called The summe of this argument is this that if there be a commandement concurring to our calling then there is a commandement concurring to the working of our faith and if our calling be by the Gospel then the commandement by which we are called to faith is a commandement of the Gospel and not of the Law 6. In 1 Ioh. 3.23 This saith the Apostle is his commandement that we believe in the name of his Son Iesus Christ Here is a direct commandement to believe Is this a legall commandement the whole Epistle breathes nothing but a spirit of grace and of the Gospel many passages in the Epistle might be noted for the confirmation thereof but I am loth to spend time in a thing so cleare 7. The commandements of the law wound and kill as it is in 2 Cor. 3.6 they doe not heale nor give life but the commandement of believing doth heale and give life to those that are wounded How many dying soules have been raised to life how many wounded consciences have bin eased and healed by that sweet invitation and drawing commandement of our blessed Saviour Come unto me all yee c Matth. 11.28 This comming is all one with believing Joh. 6.35 and the commandement to come is a commandement to believe and will any say this is a legall commandement then could it never have healed and given life as it hath done for the law woundeth but healeth not The comfort and sweetnesse which is in this invitation shews of what nature it is not legall but Evangelicall In Mark 10.49 when Jesus had called Bartimeus To come unto him those about him speak encouragingly unto him Be of good comfort say they for he calleth thee there is comfort in the very call invitation or command of Christ To come unto him It encourageth us to come it shews us that it is his will we should come unto him and that he is willing to receive such as come and will not cast them away Ioh. 6. But the Law
he is to be God over us that wee must neither spâ—ak nor do but according to the command of God As a man when he maketh a covenant of marriage with a woman he covenants with her to be her head to rule her that she shal be subject to him to please him or as when a man hires a servant c. So when the Lord takes us into covenant with himselfe it is that we shall bee his servants to doe his will pleasure and commandement When Isaac sent away his son Jacob to Padan Aran hee blessed him but withall he gâ—ve him a charge Gen. 28.1.6 Gen. 28 1.6 in both verses the blessing and the charge are mâ—ntioned togâ—ther So whâ—n the Lord giveth this blessing to us That hee will bee our God the charge goeth with it see thâ—t you keep the charge of the Lord your God and that you do whatsoever I commâ—nd you 3. B cause the Lord knows as he speaks himself Isai 48.4 Isai 48.4 that we are obstinate and our neck is an Iron sinew c. and are râ—ady to say as Jer. 2.31 Wee are Lords wee will not come at thee we will have none to command us Therfore the Lord promiseth this alâ—o when he saith That I will be a God over you that hee will subdue the rebelliousnesse of spirit that is in us and the stoutnesse of our hearts that he will bend and bow these stiffe necks of ours and make us pliable to his will in all things He will subdue our rebellions Micah 7.19 He will over-rule our unruly proud and presumptuous spirits and cause us to keep his Statutâ—s and Commandements to doe them This the Lord promiseth Ezek. 20.33 As I live saith the Lord surely with a mighty hand and wiâ—h a stretched out aâ—m and with fury powred out will I rule over you These words are a promise of grace that though they had other purposes in their minds they were thinking to goe after their Idols and to become as other countries serving wood and stone as verse 32. yet saith the Lord it shall not bee so I will over-rule these sinfull Idolatrous hearts of yours and you shal not serve these false Gods which you are doting upon but I will bring you unto my selfe and you shall serve me And this exposition is confirmed by the 34 37 38. verses compared together I will bring you into the wildernesse and there plead with you face to face and thâ—re make you ashamed and I will make you passe under the rod and bring you into the bond of the covenant and purge out from among you the rebels c. This is therefore a promise of grace There is indeed one word which seems to favour another interpretâ—tion given by some as if God did herein threaten a judgement because he saith I will rule you with wrath powred out verse 33. But this doth not hinder but the words may bee taken up as a promise of grace For the wrath here threatned may bee intended against the counâ—ries into which they were scattered a d who held them in bondage as verse 34. or else it may be extended to the hypocrites and reprobates amongst themselves whom the Lord would separate and cut off from them as verse 37.38 God might threaten wrath to them though he extend grace and mercy to his own people Or if it be understood of the judgements which he would execute upon his owne people taken into covenant with him yet this makes nothing against the interpretation before given Because the Lord doth by his corrections in which he shewes himselfe angry with his people subdue their stout hearts and over-power their rebellious natures and make them submit themselves unto him hee maketh those messengers of his wrath to become meanes of good unto his people he layes his yoak on them to tame their unruly spirits Thus saith the Lord concerning Solomon 2 Sam. 7.14 That if he did sin against him he would correct him And it is said 1 Kings 11.9 that God was angry with Solomon and he powred out wrath against him stirring up adversaries to trouble him A father rules over his childâ—en in love and tender compassion and yet by reason of their unruly disposition hee is sometimes forced to shew himselfe angry with them by some sharp corrections So it is with the Lord in the rule that he exerciseth over his people Therefore though we do restraine the wrath powred forth to be upon his own children yet it may bee a promise of grace that the Lord will by meanes thereof bring under and over-rule the stubbornnesse of their hearts and governe them with a mighty hand whether they will or no. Thus hee over-ruled the spirit of the Prophet Ezek. 3.14 Ezek. 3.14 that though hee had no mind to preach to the Jewes being such a rebellious people yet the hand of the Lord carried him to the performance of it with indignation of his own spirit which was against it 4. When he hath subdued our spirits unto him and brought us to submit unto his will then he will be God over us to teach instruct and direct us in the way wherein we should walk that if either ignorance or heedlesnesse doe turn us out of the way then the Lord guides us into the right way wherein we ought to walk as Isai 48.17 And this he promiseth to doe Isai 30.21 You shall heare a voyce behind you c. we are apt to heare and passe by as though we heard not therefore the Lord is said to call after us as one that speaks behind us and cries to us Ho Ho you are out of your way this is the way c. This also hâ—e promiseth Psalm 25.9.12 Psal 25.9.12 that when he hath once meekned our crosse spirits and made us willing to obey him then he will guide us in judgement and teach us the way which himself chuseth for us And thus the Lord will be God over his people a God above them as a Prince is ovâ—r his pâ—ople an husband over his wife a father oâ—e his children a master over his servants or a shepheard o er his flock to rule and order them according to his owne mind And this is no small benefit and blessing of the covenant For look as it is for the good of a people to be under the government of a gracious King the good of the wife to bee under the government of a prudent husband the good of a child to be under the government of a godly father and for the good of the flâ—ck to be under the guidance of a skilfâ—ll shepheard So it is for the good of the people of God that hee will bee pleased to bee a God over them and that he will not leave them to the rebellious lusts of their own hearts This is a rich blessing of the covenant of grace As it is said of Solomon that because the Lord loved Israel therefore he gave them such a King 2