§. 140. Of the immutability of Gods oath and promise.
THe two things here intended, shew that both Gods oath, and also his single pro∣mise are immutable. We heard before of the immutability of his coun•…•…ll, §. 135. This phrase, The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, (Psal. 110. •…•….)* 1.1 proveth the immutability of his oath. Not to repent is to remain immutable. To like purpose tendeth this phrase, The Lord hath sworn in truth, He will not turn 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it, Psal. 132. 11. And this, I have sworn by my self, the word is gone out of my 〈◊〉〈◊〉 righteousnesse, and shall not return, Isa. 45. 23. Of Gods single word, it is thus said, God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should repent: •…•…th be* 1.2 said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numb. 23. 19, 20. My words shall not passe away, saith Christ, Mark. 13. 31. In this respect, i•…•… is said, Faithfull is he that promised, Heb. 10. 23.
By just and necessary consequence we may hence infer, that whatsoever proceed∣eth from the mouth of God, is unchangeable: and that upon the same grounds up∣on which his counsell was proved to be immutable, §. 135.
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1. A strong motive, this is to stir us up without wavering to believe, this is the* 1.3 end why God addeth one immutable thing to another.
This therefore is seriously and frequently to be meditated on. Nothing is of such force to remove all manner of doubts as this. There are many doubts, which use to arise partly from our own inward corruptions, and partly from Sathans injections. Sometimes doubts arise from the exceeding greatnesse of the things promised: sometimes from seeming difficulties: sometimes from oppositions, lets, and in•…•…m∣brances; sometimes from our own unworthinesse. But if Gods word and oath be immutable, who can imagine that it shall not stand. Put these two immu•…•…able things into one scale, and all manner of doubts into the other, and you shall 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that the former will infinitely weigh down the latter.
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2. A good president this is to make us unchangable in our promises and oaths. For this end we ought well to ponder what we promise and swear, Psal. 119. 106.
Rashnesse in this kind oft causeth repentance, 1 Sam. 25. 22, 33. See v. 13. §. 100.