And so in the relation of a Father, he is a true Father, he corrects when time serves, he rewards and encourageth when time serves, he gives an in- heritance to his children, and hath pity and compassion on his children when time serves. He is a true Father. Other fathers do this and that out of passion, not out of truth and goodness ; but he doth. So when we consider God in his relations, consider of the attribute of his truth.
All truth, in his word, comes from this, God is true. This truth is sealed by this, that our truth to you, our word to you, was not ' yea and nay,' uncertain. God's truth is not uncertain and variable. There is no ' shadow of change in him,' James i. 17, and his word is like himself. We say usually, in the word of an honest man, and that is something. In verbitm Sacerdotis, in the word of a priest, it was accounted in former times a great matter. It should be so indeed. In the word of a king is a great matter. But when God saith in the word of a God, ' The word of the Lord hath spoken so,' Jer. x. 1, it is not yea and nay, it was not flexible, and doubt- ful, because it is the word of him that hath the command of all that he saith. It is his word that is Lord of heaven and earth. Now when he that saith a thing is the Lord of heaven and earth, he is Lord of his own word, therefore what he saith is not ' yea and nay,' uncertain ; for he can make good what he saith. There is the same ground of evangelical truth, as there is of God himself to be true. I will speak no more in the unfold- ing of the point. It is plain that God is trae.
Is this true, that God is true, that he is truth itself? Then many things issue from hence. It is a ground of many other tniths. It was the ground of all the uses that St Paul makes of the word of God. It is pro- fitable every way. I will name some principal, to avoid multiplicity in a plain point.
Use 1. God is true, and his word is true. Hereupon the threateninffs of God must needs be true, even as true as God himself. If this be so, then unless we will make another Scripture, another word, this word is ' yea.' That word that threatens sin, that idolaters, and covetous, and wantons shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven, (' Be not deceived,' saith the apostle, 1 Cor. vi. 9,) that word is ' yea.' It is true. God is true. This must follow, therefore, that whatsoever he saith is true ; therefore his threatenings are true. It is a truth that hath influence into all other truths whatsoever. That which is prefixed here by St Paul, not only as an oath, ' as God is true,' so his word is not yea and nay, but certain. But I say it hath influence into all other truths whatsoever ; threatenings, promises, directions, all are therefore true, because God is true.
Therefore those that shuftie ofi'the threatenings, and think they shall do well, and bless themselves, God's wrath shall ' smoke against them,' Deut. xxix. 20 ; for God must alter his nature, and his word must be altered, or else his judgments must stick on them death and damnation without re- pentance. If God should not be avenged on ordinary swearers and blas- phemers ; if adulterers should live in such sins, and ever come to heaven, they must have another God, and another word of God. This hath said, they shall not enter into heaven that live in these sins. If it be trae as God is true, what horrible atheism is in the hearts of men, to think that God will change his nature, though they do not change their course, and that the word of God shall alter, though they will not alter ? What hope
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can profane, Llasplionions persons have, that make but a trifle of swearing, when Ciod hath said they sliall not t,'o unpunislied ? and those that live in a filthy course, when God hath said, ' Whoremoufjers and adulterers Ciod will jud^o ' ? without horrible atheism how can these men hope for favour from God, when lie hath sealed his word with this, that as he is true, and truth itself, his word is true, they shall never enter into heaven '?
Uae 2. So again, if this be true, that God is true, and his word there- upon is not yea and nay, // serves to comfort iis niniti/ uai/s.
When we are oppressed in the sense of sin, ' If we confess our sins, he is merciful to forgive our sins,' 1 John i. 9. He that is true hath said it, whose word is not yea and nay, but yea. Trust to it. If we doubt of perseverance for the time to come, he that hath ' begun a good work will perfect it to the day of the Lord,' Philip, i. G. He is yea, and his word is yea ; he is true, and his word is true.