Of EJef1ion. ~matters of Trufl to faithful Spirits, are matters of greate(\ moment to them, BonK IV. And whether the Parable intend thdirfl Calling of a finncr, or fome new Con– ~ verfion, after one that is Called has b'een going aflray, Lt~ke 1 I'. it is all one to this my purpofe, to lhew the fpeci~\ c.are of Chrifl alter, more than afore, to turn them. And 1f the former Elq~r~t1ion1 No11~ fo..a/1 plttck them out o( my !1!llld, be not expretJive enough of thts,' you have yet a tanher one utter'd by himfelf, which argues flill more care on his ,part, Luke I), { A11d whm he had foemd it, he laid it on hu /boulders rejoyczng ;' he.unlolds his heart there alfo, under the Metaphor of a Shepherd: And that ~sI obferve is That when he bath found his lo{l Slmp, after his much leeking it; he then ;akes the fa fell: and mofl fure way that_could any way be thought of, [o ex'prefs a_Shepherd's keepmg fall fuch firaytng Creature from ev~r gettmg loofe again; He lays it on his }boulders: And that IS the mofi fecunng way .tl)at could be taken, for a Shepherd to have the fore-feet in one hand, and the hinder.feet in the other: He hath it ill hu hm1ds, faith John; ()IJ hufhot~Jders, fays Luke. And it is as if he had fa id, Have I found you? . I will make fure of you from going utterly afiray again; I will not leave you loofe in my hands, holding you by a loot, or a leg, \vhich leaves the w hole Body free to wring or wretl it felf away, but I will lay you on my fhoulders, and therewith retain yourfiragling feet in my hand', as in /uta cujlodia, in fure cufiody. I11. There was a moft folemn M:t palfed by him, in the prefence of his Fa– ther; of Apprehending U1; and this done by him at our CaUi11g, with this i11tf111to11 and avowed engagemmt, to give forth to us the whole, (whatever it be) that is our defigned Portion in Grace a:nd Glory, and purchafed by l1im on the Crofs. T his we have in the intlance of PmtJ, Phit 1.12. !follow <Jf· ter, rf 1hat, I may apprehend [that] for which] atjo [ I am apprehmded of Je{tu Chrifl.] T his is a matter of very great moment, both in the knowledge of the thing it felf, as alfo to our prefent purpofc. \ r. That this Chri!t's apprehending him was performed at the time of his Calling, is evident; not only becaufe he had been afore relating the fiery of his own Converfion, verf. 7· t!l 8. which on Chrifis parr he terms Chnf/'s apprehmding him, becaufe it began, and led on all t hat was to lollow, but chiefly becaufe he termeth that thing for wruch Chrifl apprehended him, to be, as in the 12th Verfe, the mark, price, ofour CaUwg of God i11 Chrifl Je[&, as inVerfe 14. 2. That this is not an extuordinary act of Chri!l towards him alone, (as converting him himfelf from Heaven was) but it declares what is common to us alfo. Chritl, in like manner, and for the fame purpofes, and with the fame intendments, apprehmdeth us alfo at our Callings. And therefore now he calls that, for whcch he was apprehended, the mark of our Gal/ipg, as well as of his own, Now 3ly, The thing for which Chrifi had then at Calling apprehended him, was, that which hitherto as yet he had not fully and compleatlr received, al– though he had been Converted long afore he uttereth this: SoVerfe IJ· I cottnt tJOt my felf to have apprehmded; namely that for which I was at firll appre– hended of Chrifi; I have indeed received part thereof, but it is fo little, That I forgetting thofe things which are pajl, fli!J reaching to thofe things which are brfore ; I prefi towards the mark, (Sic. fo as fays Ptml, I now mindnot fo much, what at the time of his Calling me I received by Grace from h1m, nor what I have received lince, as if that had been the whole, or the main in– tended me by Chrifl then apprehending me : No; but _there is yet a farther thing behind , which the intendment of that Act takes m. 4- The thing therefore he was apprehended by Chri(\ , for himfelf to ap– prehend, was All, and the whole, that was his particular Portion for ever ro be received from God, whioh Chrifi on the Crofs had purchafed for him: And all that God had in and by Jefus Chritl intended towards him, and i11 Chnfl befiowed upon him by Everlafiing Love, as his particular Allotment. And that the whole, the Total of thefe is meant, is plain, befides from what hath tleen
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