Of Eleflion. f·om his Blood; as the meritorious Caufe of jufiifying us. 2, He in the mean~ ti me bath in hi; eye and thoughts, how glonous a Church he means to make Chap. 6. heruneday ; _ tioth~vingonc fpotor Wrinkle, or any fuchthing; which is~ fpoken, liY, to inlinuate how much he reheves lumfelf, W>tlt what will be th e end of his work of cleanling her, as all Anifis ufe to do. And 4 1y he hoth in his eye the time; and the few years, unrill that day , nameiv', at de.•th, for then it is he means to prefent us tohimfclf, and to his father' wirh greH joy, as you have it in ."fudtls Epifile, and Colaff: I. 25. Whereof Ia.iJ nude .z mintjler acrordmg to the dtfpmjll tion of God, which rs gtven to me for )OU, to Jt~ljillthe wordof God• . 51y, The Apof\le purs m ihat claufe,not having any fuch thing in re :treoce unto our relief alfo, and unto what difcou– ragements the Spirits of Believers ore apt to have by reafon o( fame fuch, or fuch fpccml Corruption; in faying fo, he cloth as it were , P'int at fuch or fuch a thing, the Eminent unto the Soul , with Chrif\s declared intention to cleanfc that efpecially ; and he puts that in,becaufe the Soul is apt to I"Yirs linger, as we fay, on fuch or fuch a fore 00 fuch or fuch a lu(l, that is fo prevailing, .of which the Soul Gghing favs, 0, will this ever be cured! as my Pride, my Uncleanr.efs , my Enmity, ~c. Well, fays the Apollle appofitely to thofe fayiogs in our Hearts, the day is a coming, that thou lhalt have no fuch nor fuch, no nor fuch a thing in thee ; no not t he leafi wrinkle in t hee, which is lefs than a fpot, not fo much as the •ppearance that ever there was,fuch i' thing· in thee. for Chtif\ will fcower and cleanfe and fetch out all uneveneifes perfect! v. • Jlhall further infif\ and inlarge out ofthefe words, as to the purpofe in hand; thefe things. . firfi, That Jefus Chrifi fcrefees this glorious Hiue to come, and hat!~ it in his eye and thoughts, in the midfi of all thy horrid al)d amazing Corruptions th•t are fuffered to bre1k forth , concerning which thou art like one that hath a Sore (unto which the Apof\le alfo alludes) that frill and anon , unto thy; thinking, grows worfe and worfe, and according to the courfe yet held, what hopes is there 'twill ever be cured? But Chnfi, thy healer, he knows what he is a doing, forefees all meaos to make a perfeCt cure of it, whate\'er dif– touragements thou maifr have now in the mean time , and bath that in his mind and intention all the while. And as it is faid of a wicked man, that God fees his day a coming, and relieves himfelf in his prefent forbearance, that there is a day coming in which he lhall recover his glory on him by a jufi D c– flrud:ion; fo on the contrary , he fees thy day a coming, the day of the Re!\i. tution of all things. He knows punCtually when thou lllalt dye, as well as he knew Peter's death,and as well as he ]wow• where thou ltvefi; and thou mai!t know and be aifured of t bis, That Chrifi doth thus know and !orefee that at death thou fbalt be made perfed:; for he takes up into glory, every day, fome Souls belonj),ing to him, that were in his eyes, as full of Corruption, i.>JhJ!t. they were in t hislife, asthinc is now, I fay, this very day (for that Gate is always open too for forne Paffengers or other) there were fame that came to Heaven, whofe hearts were full of Corruption the day before, yea, this very. morning before they died, even as well nigh thy heart is now : As how full of Corruption was the heart of that Thief, of wh<>ni yet Clirifi faith, Thi.s daj jl;a/t tho11 be withme ill Paradi(e? Which Souls, e•re they came up to him , were made glorious Souls, having no fpot or wrinl<le in them. . 2. lt appears from that Scripture allu, that ihis is Chrifi's dearefi intcrefi, ~nd the mofi pleafing thing to h1m, to btingSouls at hfi taultlefs ~nd fpotle!~ into his own Prefence, though now they a're full of Corrupuons. He longs for that day, asmuch.asaBride-groomdoth, orcati do , for his injoymcnt of a fpotlefs Bride. And the Reafon is, for he greatl y delights in the Beauty that is, or lhall ue, in the Saints , Pj'al. 45'· 11, And look what Btauty in a Spoufe is to a Husband, that is full of love and fancy, the fame is perfect Hol inefs ro him. And there is one word, yea, two inferred, which vehemently Ar· gues as much, fiffi To himj'elf, that fpeaks this to be the hig'1efl, inrlearmmt. io himfelf, that the Church lhall be made perfeClly holy ; it , /hews that tlie. was given him·by God fo t615e made, and that for Chfil1's own pleafure and ' · i!el1ght/
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