1. Absolutely, and so the faithfulness of God is his sincerity, firmness, and constancy in performing his word to his people in all times and cases. So Moses describes him to Israel, Deut. vii. 9- " Know therefore, that the Lord thy God he is God, the " faithful God." And Joshua appeals to their experience for the vindication of it, Josh, xxiii. 14. " Ye know in all your hearts, *' and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the " good which the Lord your God spake concerning you ; all are *' come to pass, and not one thing hath failed thereof" And it is also fully asserted, Jer. xxxi. 35, 36, 37. and greatly admired even in the darkest day. Lam. iii. 23. Great is thy fait? fulness. And it is well for us that his faithfulness is gTeat, for great is that weight that leans upon it, even all our hopes for both worlds, for this world, and for that to come. Tit. i. 2. " In hope of eternal life, " which God that cannot lie promised before the world began."
364 THE RIGHTEOUS MAN^^S HEFUGE.
It was was a very dishonourable character that * Suidas gave of Tiberius, " That he never made sliew of having what he desired " to have, nor ever minded to do what he promised to do :"" but God is faithful, and that will appear by these following evidences of it.
Evid. 1. By his exact fulfilling of his promises of the longest date. So Acts vii. 6. four hundred and thirty years were run out before the promise of Israel's deliverance out of Egypt was accom- plished; yet. Acts vii. 17. when the time of the promise was come, God was punctual to a day : Seventy years in Babylon, and at the expiration of that time, they returned, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 21. Men may forget, but God cannot, Isa. xlix. 15, 16.
Evid. 2. By making way for his promises through the greatest difficulties, and seeming impossibilities. So to Abraham when old. Gen. xviii. 13, 14. " Is there any thing too hard for the Lord ? " At the appointed time will I return unto thee, according to the *' time of life; and Sarah shall have a son.'' And likewise to the Israelites, Can these dry bones live ? Ezek. xxxvii. 3. Difficulties are for men, not God, Gen. xviii. 14. What art thou, O great mountain, Zech. viii. 9- " If it be marvellous in the eyes of the " remnant of this people, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes .^ '' saith the I^ord of hosts."
Evid. 3. By fulfilling promises to his people, when their hopes and expectations have been given up. So Ezek. xxxvii. 11. Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, we are cut off for our part. And Isa. xlix. 14. " Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my " Lord hath forgotten me." There may be much unbelief in good men, their faith may be sorely staggered, yet God is faithful ; men may question his promises, yet God cannot deny himself, 2 Tim. ii. 13.
Evid. 4. By God's appealing to his people, and referring the matter to their own judgment, Micah vi. 3, 4, 5. " O my people, " what have I done unto thee, and wherein have I wearied thee .^ " Testify against me, for I brought thee up out of the land of " Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants, '• and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my *' people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, " and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim '' unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord ;" q. d. If I have failed in a punctilio of my promise, shew it : Did not Balak and Balaam court me, and try all ways to win me over to them by multitudes of sacrifices ? yet I did not desert you. So
* Eonim qiuB ajrpetebat ne guicguam prcs sejerebat, et eorumqua dicebat,ne quicqwim Jacere volebat, Suidas.
THE RIGHTEOUS MAN's REFUGE. S6S
Jer. ii. 31. " O generation, see ye the word of the Lord : Have I " been a wilderness unto Israel, a land of darkness ? Wherefore *' say my people, We are lords, we will come no more unto thee,'* Isa. xliv. 8.
Evid. 5. The faithfulness of God is abundantly cleared by the constant testimonies given unto it in all ages by them that have tried it, they have all witnessed for God, and attested his unspotted faith- fulness to the generations that were to come. So did Joshua, chap, xxiii. 14. " All is come to pass,'' and so did Daniel, chap, ix. 4. " O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the cove- " nant and mercy to them that love him :" with which David's testimony concurs, Psal. cxlvi. 6. " Happy is he that hath the God " of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, " which made the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein '' is, which keepeth truth for ever." Thus his people have been witnesses in all generations, unto the faithfulness of God in his pro- mises ; the consideration whereof leaves no doubt or objection behind it.
Sect. II. And if we enquire into the grounds and reasons why- God is, and ever must be most faithful in performing his promises, we shall find it is built upon stable and unshaken pillars : viz. ^1. The holiness of his nature. S. The all-sufficiency of his power.
3. The honour of his name.
4. the unchangeableness of his nature.
1. The faithfulness of God is built upon the perfect holiness of his nature, by reason whereof it is impossible for God to lie. Tit. i. 2. Heb. vi. 11. The deceitfulness of a man flows from the cor- ruption of the human nature, but " God is not a man that he " should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent : hath "• he said, and shall he not do it.'' Or hath he spoken, and shall he *' not make it good ?" Numb, xxxiii. 19. If there be no defect in his being, there can be none in his working ; if his nature be pure holiness, all his ways must be perfect faithfulness.
2. It is built upon the all-sufficiency of his power; whatsoever he hath promised to his people, he is able to perform it ; men sometimes falsify their promises through the defects of ability to perform them; but God never out-promised himself; if he will work, none can let, Isa. xliii. 13. He can do whatsoever he pleaseth to do, Psal. cxxxv. 6. The holiness of his nature en- gageth, and the Almightiness of his power enables him to be faith- ful.
3. The glory and honour of his name may assure us of his faith- fulness, in making good the promises, and all that good which is
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