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Wherefore, whereas God has made many excellent promises of free and great rewards; as, to hear the prayers, and fulfil the desire of them that fear him, and to give life and glory to them that believe and obey him, and that hold fast the confidence, and the rejoicing of the hope to the end; you see that here are promises of the first sort made with a kind of condition; but that God will give his people both to will and to do these things required in the condition, he has absolutely promised; as has been clearly proved.

If you yet reply and say, Are not these latter promises made under condition of our well using the outward means thereof, such as hearing of the word, prayer? &c.

God, indeed, commanded these means to be used; and, if we perform them aright, God will not fail to bless the good use of these means; but this well using them is not in our own power, neither is it a condition for which God is necessarily bound to give faith, and to plant his fear in our hearts, any otherwise than by his promise; but it is a condition by which he has ordained usually to give these graces to all who in the use of them shall wait upon him for them. For both the giving of his word, and the giving us minds to hear the word, and the opening of the heart to attend, and the convincing and alluring of the heart to obey; depend all upon those absolute promises. They shall be taught of God, and the rest before-mentioned, Isa. liv. 13.

Wherefore, let none of years think that without hearing, praying, and the right using of God's ordinances, that ever they shall have faith, and the fear of God wrought in them, or shall ever come to heaven. For we are commanded to pray, hear, &c. and that in faith, or else we can never look to receive any thing of the Lord, Heb. iv. 2; James i. 7. And doing what lies in man's power, in the right using the means of salvation is of great consequence, although it be not a sufficient cause to move God necessarily to give grace; for I am persuaded that the best should have more grace, if they would do what in them lay continually to make good use of the outward means