Of EleC!ion, ~ ni!hment (as ]o!JII often, and Aquit,,, P rifcd/.,,) Sickncfs through ill u!Oge, BooK IV. D eath; Mrfenes on Wrves, Children, Families. ~ Now for an Apofile, God's Herald, to proclaim this with fo great a triumph to all joy and glorying (us verf, g.) thus aforehand, whea they were but put· t :ng on rhctr Armour, when men ufe to do, that when Victors put it off ; and to mculcate tlm a~ the befi news, and greateft hnppinefs and bleflcdnefs that could befal them, verje 12. Bltffed" the mm1 that end11reth trmptatiot~, C!ic. All tlm mufi have thts fuppofal or dung taken for granted at the bottom of it, That the God of all Gra.ce had afore deGgned a mofi gloribus ilrue and would moft infallibly ~nd ccrtamly uphold an? carry all , truly called,'through all thefe Temptanons to the mofi glonous t!fue and atchievement at lafi ibat the heart of man could con~eive or expeCt; for fo he inferrs, verf ~. 4· [Knowing thu, C!ic.] that rs, la) mg down t!us for a certain truth, take it for granted and be affured of it at the very entrance into them: And indeed, to have mad~ this Proclamation without this Foundation for the bottom of it, had been the moft weak and uneffectual Exhortation, not to fay the greatefi Vanity, in the world : For otherw1fe, Wtthout thts Affi!lance and undertaking from God, fuch Temptations do work uponJldh the clear contrary; and it is impoffible, at lea!t an infinite hazard and danger, but that they fhould do fo, and fo they would be matter of the greatdl dtfcouragement as could happen unto man; only un– derfiand all this to belong unto found Chrifii•n!, and to none elfe. Now what is this, but the fame and no ot,Jerthan the grand point we have been upon all this while out of Peter here in the end of his Epi!tle, and with which alfo himfelf had made his entry in tne beginning of the Epi!lle, Chap. 1. verf. 6. 7• Whertill)'t grtrllly rtji!Jce, tbotzghllowfor a [eafim (if 1zeed be) ye are in heavi1!t(s through manifold Temptations : that the trzal of your faith, bei•1g muchmort precio~ts tha11 of gottl that perijheth, th011gh it 6ttry'd with (ire, might be found anto the praije, f!c. 'Tis true mdeed, jamts fpeaks of outward Temptations; yet thefe are al– ways, we !mow, for a feafon, accompanied with inward Temptations many ways, as in the fame ways Peter acknowledgeth, inthofe words, Though11ow for a fea(on,ye are it1 heavinefs thro11ghmani{otd temptatio11s: And our Jamer gives a fet and folemn Admonition about them alfo, Verf. q. Let 11o man Jay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, C!ic, Ofwhich more afterward, But although this about Temptations was James his entrance, and he be· gins with that as a necelrary exhortation for thole times, yet it ferved but to lead on to another greater, and more principal defign, and that was a difcove– ry offalfe and unfound Profelrors, who fill'd the if Churches, ofwhom in Temp– tation , many already had , and others would fall away : And indeed, the ve– ry defign of God himfelf in fending thefe Tarnptations was, and is to try and difcover the found and unfound, by enduring Temptations; foVerf. 4· that the trying your Fatth, viz of you, and the Faith that is in you, whether it be found or no. And Verj. 12. Btef{ed i&the Ma11 tbat en– dt~reth Ttmptatio11, Hence, though this about Temputions was his Preface, yet it gave but the OccaGon and Introduction to that other more general Scope now fpecified; and this Difcovery to have been the fer general dnft of the E· p/wesf•nt ,,,.. pifile, Aretius was well aware of, though few (ifany Interpreters elfe)That ''"I'm pro11ltho11gh there are ( fays he )mmty other particttlar Propofiti01J! bmidttd 6y ;,:f;~:;s·t~~: James, yet there iJ tioge11erat o1te, which yore mtzy fnd( fars .he) nz Verf. ,.1;,,q.,~f•m• 22. Be ye doers of tbe word, a11d 11ot Hea~ers only, decnvmg your ow11 ex "P'" ': v. jetves: And ojte11 ( meffiR) agam repeated m the Et•F~e. _And ~he occafi· :,;; q~;,~·;:d, on was, fays he ; that there were many that pr~fefi Rehgron m thetr Church– aliq"''" r~ji· es that were not found, of whom the Apofile grves many and furewd Chara• '''"· Sec his tiers, through this Epi!lle, which other Interpreters fmother, noting them ::;::·~~~~~:·E· only under the notion of vices or corrupuons in pract_ife among. them: Thefe pifile. Charatl:ers are fu•h as thefe, ll double-mmded Man" tmj/abte m a/J hu ways.• Verf. 8. And Verf. 2 5· If' any be a hearer of the word and not " don·, hns /iketmto a Mmt behold in~ his nat11rat face i11 agtafl, C!ic. Then Verf. 26. If mty J.:la•1 among you jeem to 6e religious, and /;ridteth 110t his Tongue,.fmt deceiveth hi& own Heart, tbi; Mans Religion is vai11, In the zd Chap. and allowe
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