29t AQära:nce ie ¡ofJibte. Serin 2I away total)! and finally, and fo cannot have affirance of falvation, becaufe he bath no affurance that he (hall perfevere in his believing and Otte of Grace. To this I oppose these places of Scripture, I Theft. 5. a3, 24. And the very God of peace f.tnEtifie you wholly, and I` pray God your thole (pmt, and foul, .and body, be preferved blamelef , ( therefore preserved from Apoilacy , which is exceedingly blame- worthy) till when ; till the coming of our Lord lefts Chriff; is this a prayer, and nor a promife ? Yea, it is a prayer indi[ed by the fpirìt of God, and bath a prom'fe following ir, if you will read on. Faithful is he that calleth you, who alto will do it. Here the Apoflle that had the ilìiric, prayeth for perfeverance ; and the A;,o1Ite that had the fpirìt, promifeth perfeverance. Certaitaty then of perfeverance doth not make men carelefs in the ufe of means, nor prayers needlefs ; by praying a man obtains the thing promifed , and the certainty that he hath by the promife of obtaining, puts life into his prayers, Phil. I.6. Being confident of this very thing , that he which bath begun agood work ix q pttrars, you , will perform it (cimzsxaos,, will finish ir, will perfect} it, ) runtil:he Qpxpér cu de. day of Jefus Chrif?, I laer. I, 5. Kept (irrifoned) by.the power of God noteth more through faith unto falvation, John 10.28,30. I Cor.Io.13. - Beat fafcty than will wish the :temptation make a way to escape; therefore they !hall pm7]E0cu. perfevere, for to enable the believer to perfevere in all tentations, is to make a way to efcape the defiru&ion and hurt the tentation tend ech to. God loth promife this absolutely, fer. 32. 38, 40. And they fhall be my people , and I.will be their God , and will make an everltrft- i g Covenant with them , that I xirill not turn away from them , to do them good, but I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. They (hall not fo: fake God , becaufe God will not leave them, &z'k: 36.27. And 1 will put my fpirit into you, and [caufe] you to wdk in my flatutes, and ye fhall keep my judgements, and do them. As abfolure as was the Covenant with Noah , that he would not drown the world, Ifa. 54. 9, to. Besides, as God doth make conditional promrfes of pardon and falvation to thofe that believe and repent, fo he Both promife to give the condition , Ezel. 36.25, 26, 27. And herein is one fpecial difference betwixt the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace ; for God promifed happinefs to man under the Covenant of works , if he perfevered in yield - ing perfect obedience, but did nor promise to keep him from depart- ing from him. So that a conditional promise is fufficient fecurity, where the condition is certain`, and dorh not infer the uncertainty of the promife but where the condition is doubtful. Thefe places alfo prove.
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