cept and reward that which is fincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections*. VII. Works done by unregenerate men, although, for the matter of them, they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others; yet because they proceed not from an heart purified by faith", nor are done in a right manner, according to 2 Cor. 8. 12. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted, according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. Heb. 6. 10. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the faints, and do minister. Mat. 25. 21, 23. His lord faid unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful fervant; thou haft been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. VII. y 2 Kings 10. 30, 31. And the Lord faid unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and haft done unto the house of Ahab, according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall fit on the throne of Ifrael. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Ifrael, with all his heart: for he departed not from the fins of Jeroboam, which made Ifrael to fin. Phil. 1. 15, 16, 18. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and fome also of good will. The one preach Christ of contention, not fincerely, fuppofing to add affliction to my bonds. What then? notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice. z Heb. 11. 4, 6. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent facrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead, yet speaketh. But without faith it is impoffible to please him for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, See Gen. 45. the word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore finful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God. And yet their neglect of them is more finful, and displeasing unto Godd. a 1 Cor. 13. 3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Ifai. 1. 12. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? b Mat. 6. 2, 5, 16. Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not found a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men, Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be feen of men: Verily, I say unto you: They have their reward. Moreover when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a fad countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. c Fiag. 2. 14. So is this people, and so is this nation before me, faith the Lord, and so is every work of their hands, and that which they offer there is unclean. Tit. 1. 15.-Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and confcience is defiled. Amos 5. 21. 22. I hate, I despise your feaft-days, and I will not fmell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings, and your meat-offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts. See also Hof. 1. 4. Rom. 9. 16, and Tit. 3.5. d Pfal. 14. 4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord. Pfal. 36. 3. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wife, and to do good. Job 21. 14. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us, for we defire not the knowledge of thy ways. See alfo Mat. 25. 41, 42, 43, 45. and Mat. 23. 23. T CHA P. XVII. Of the Perseverance of the HEY whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and fanctified, by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally faveda. II. This perfeverance of the faints depends, not upon their own free-will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father'; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the I. a Phil. 1. 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, John. 10. 28, 29. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me, is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. See alfo 1 John 3. 9. and I Pet. 1. 5, 9. Job 17. 9. II. b 2 Tim. 2. 19. Never. theless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this feal, The Lord knoweth them that are his; - Jer. 31. 3. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, faying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlafting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn. thee. c. Heb. 10. 10, 14. By the which will we are fanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for Spirit and of the feed of God within themd; and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which arifeth also the certainty and infallibility thereoff. III. Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous fins"; and for a time continue therein": whereby they incur God's displeasure', and grieve his Holy Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts'; have their hearts hardened, and their all. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified. John 17. 11, 24. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name, those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. Father, I will that they also, whom thou haft given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou haft given me: for thou lovest me from the foundation of the world. Heb. 7. 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make inter. ceffion for them. Heb. 9. 12, 13, 14, 15. Rom. 8. 33. to the end. Luke 22. 32. d John 14. 16, 17. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;-Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive; because it feeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I John 2. 27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the fame anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie: and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 1 John 3. 9, Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin; for his feed remaineth in him; and he cannot fin, because he is born of God. e Jer. 32. 40. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. With Heb. 8. 10, 11, 12. f 2 Theff. 3. 3. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. I John 2. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us. John 10 28. They shall never perish. I Thess. 5. 23, 24. III. g Mat. 26. 70, 72, 74. But he denied before them all, faying, I know not what thou fayest. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. Then began he to curse and to swear, faying, I know not the man. h 2 Sam. 12.9, 13. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his fight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and haft flain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. -And David said unto Nathan, I have finned against the Lord. And Nathan faid unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy fin; thou shalt not die. i Ifa. 64. 7, 9.-For thou haft hid thy face from us, and haft confumed us, because of our iniquities. Be not wroth very fore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever; behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 2 Sam. 11. 27. And when the mourning was paft, David fent and fotched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a fon; but the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. k Eph. 4, 30, And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are fealed unto the day of redemption, 1 Pfal, 51.8, 10, 12. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou haft broken may rejoice. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Rev. 2. 4. Nevertheless, I have fomerubat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. m Mark 6. 52. For they confidered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened. Mark 16. 14. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven, as they fat at meat, and upbraided them with their un. belief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him, after he was risen. Pfalm 95.8. |