MIL Serm.4. inconfißent with Grace ? 83 ceived and abufed turns away and never returns but becomes like the fallen Angels. 2. Even godly and gracious perforas are fubje5t to fall, and therefore mull not be fecure,they muff workout theirfalvatien withfear and tremb- ling Phil.2.I 2.they are bidden to fear left they fhouldfallfhort,Heb.4. I. Standfait,' Cor.16.13. Take heed left they fall, I Cor. i o.I 2. Look gently left any fail of(or fallfrom,fo is the other reading)thegrace of God, Hcb.I 2.15. Take the wholearmorer of God that theymay be able tohand, Eph.6.I2. Even the very Ele& have this root of bitternefs and feeds of Apo- {lacy within them. Even Peter had fnk if Chria had not put forth his hand to five him from the water, Mat.14.3 T. and had been win- srowed ets chaff, ifChrift had not prayed for him that his faithfhould not Lwk. a.3tLp fail. Let not him therefore that puts on his harnefs boaft, as he that puts it off, I King.2o.I I. 3. Yet a truly regenerate foul,* plant of Gods planting by the water fide; a plant or graf'fe grafted into Chrift, and rooted in Chrift can ne- ver fall away totally or finally : Peter could not when. Chrift prayed for him. The Ele& cannot, Mat.a4.24. In the general Apoftacy of the Chriflian world, and the greaten perfecutions under Rome-pagan and Rome-pfeudo-Chriftien (Antichriflian both times) when all the world wandred after the Dragonand tieBeaflz : they who had their names writ- ten in the Lambs book held out, and warped not, Rev.13,8. and I7.8. The Ele& are as Mount Si.n that cannot be moved, and are as fixed oars that fall not.The houle on the Rock Rands firm in all weathers.The Tree by the waters fide, yer.17.8.Seed in good ground, Mat.13.They who have afeed of God in them cannotfofin, I Joh.3.9. And they tbat are born of God, I foh.5.18. They who are in the hand of Chrift, new can pluck,there out, Joh. t o.28. Yec as to the fallings of the Elea(not prefuming to tell you the mi- virnasm orft mmum pod fìc) we frill make theft conceflions, or obfer- vations, I. We grant that the godly, as well as others, are fubjeé to this fal. I Pofs. ling-ficknefs, having feeds of Apoftacy in them ; and would certainly fall irrecoverably, if left to themfelves.Byflrength (his own) no man (hall 13 to fias prevail or Rand, I Sam.39: non n.s,Aum. a. Grace received truly fah&;fying is not for its cr.eafure fo great, 2 Pefrt. or for its nature fo immrtable and invincible, but might be overborn and would,if no divinely fupported and continually fupplyed ; as the 1/1 2 Widows
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