Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/165

 Rh

Kingdome, that shall never fade; an heavenly and spirituall Kingdome, which shall not cease, before things that are in Heaven doe perish and vanish away, that is, never; not earthly and corporall, which is subject to change and alteration. In this sence David saith, This was all his Salvation, and all his desire, although he made it not to bud, that is, he rested in this alone, that God would effect and make good his promise; not for their righteousnesse, (for Davids house was not such as it ought, kept not Covenant with God) but for his great names sake. In the second sence many things were promised, which never tooke effect, and yet God is faithfull and true, because the condition was broken. To the spirituall house of David, so to speake, was promised pardon of sinne, adoption, comfort, joy, and an heavenly inheritance; all this was made good, for God freely called them by his Spirit, and by his power kept them by faith unto Salvation. Though the house of David lost the Kingdome and government in Israel, yet God preserved his posterity untill Christ came, in whom the throne of David was established for ever: for this was absolutely promised. But the temporall glory of Davids house, and the peace of Israel was changed, because they changed the ordinances, neglected the charge, and brake the Commandements of God. If ''his sonnes forsake my Law, and walke not in my judgements: If they prophane my statutes, and keep not my Commandements; Then will I visit his transgressions with the rod, and his sin with scourges. If ye turne away, and forsake my statutes and my Commandements, which I have set before you, and shall goe and serve other gods and worship them, Then will I pluck them up out of my Land which I have given them, and this House which I have sanctified for my Name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a Proverbe and a common talke among all people. And this House which is most high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it, so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus to this Land, and to this House? And they shall answer, Because they forsooke the Lord God of their Fathers, which brought them out of the Land of Egypt, and have taken hould on other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them, therefore hath he brought all this evill upon them. Davids heart was not perfect with the Lord in the matter of Uriah'', and for that cause the sword of God never departed from his house. When Solomon waxed old, and gave his heart to pleasure, his outlandish