ed, in
whole, or in parts, I advise you to forbear, till your judgments be
better informed. "Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin." Provided, that
this be not done merely in a pretence to evade and elude this service,
to which God and the two nations call you, as here in the text. "Come,
let us join." Take heed of casting a mist of willing prejudice and
affected ignorance, before your own eyes; such the apostle speaks of, to
no other purpose, but that your own malignity may steal away in that
mist undiscovered; for be sure, your sin will find you out. An ingenious
ignorance and truly conscientious tenderness, is accompanied with an
ingenuous and conscientious use of all means, for information and
satisfaction; and to such, I make no question, the ministers of Christ
will be ready to communicate what light they have, for resolving doubts,
removing scruples, and satisfying conscience, whensoever you shall make
your addresses for that purpose. In the mean time, if there be any that,
under pretence of unsatisfiedness, do shun the duty and information too;
they will be found, but to mock God and authority; to whose justice and
wisdom therefore I must leave them. God tells His people, when He joins
Himself to them, "I will marry thee to Myself, in righteousness, and
judgment." How in judgment? Because God considers what He does, when He
takes a people or person to Himself; not that God chuseth for any wealth
or worth in the creature, faith foreseen, or works foreseen; but that
finding it (on the contrary) poor and beggarly, and undone, and
foreseeing what it is like to prove, crooked and froward, unteachable
and untractable; He sits down to speak after the manner of men, and
considers, what course to take, and what it is like to cost Him, to make
them such a people, as He may delight in, and then consulting with His
treasures, and finding He hath wherewithal to bear their charges, and
to bring about His own ends; He resolves to take them, and marry them to
Himself, whatsoever it cost Him. The result of such a consultation you
may read, dropped from God's own pen, "And I said, how shall I put thee
among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of
the hosts of nations?" Here is God's wise deliberation on the matter:
"how shall I put thee?" That is, how shall I do this? But I must do it
to Mine own dishonour; for I see before-hand what thou wilt prove; thou
wilt be the same that ever thou wast; as idolatrous, a