334 Of Eleelion. 6~ tor l rake them both: For fome times pafi in our lives, he doth give us, though EooK 1V • not a freedom, yet amore fetled, e!\abliilied frame ofSpirit, in refpell to, and ~in comparifon ofwhat we were moll fufferers in: This, for this life: And Secondly, for the other; that having carried us through them, to the end ofour days ; He then to be fure, promifeth to Crown us, with the performance ofall thcfe in a more Tranfcending manner in Heaven. I. As to Gods performing thefe in this life, as hath been fiated. The open– ing each particular of the four,_ will abundantly cle~r, that the mo.re frequent ufe of all thefe words do mtend 11: Brza runs fo far 1010 tlm fenfe, as he feems to limit the words thereunto ; however that is certain, which he fays, that the Apoflle here treatsofwbat uduri11gourrace}n this prefent!ife: I might for the prefent In!lance 1n each ofthe words; """''"'"• The fir!\ word which we Tranilate, wt!t maktperfeR: It is ufed of advancing the Saints to further de– grees ofFaith, and Holinefs, after a whtle, in this life, I Thef. ~· IO. To perfeR th.tt whrch u l.>ckittg inyour Farth, Heb. I_l· 21. Makt yo11 prrftR i11 tVtry good work; (as the Apoflle prays there tor them:) to do hu wilt, and it is added, workmg i11you, what is wett pteajing in his.fight: All which are a do– ing, whil!\ we are in this life. 2. The next word, ,..rlf.., Tranilated flablijh, its rhe fame word which Chri!l ufed to Peter, in that his command to co11jirm tht Brethren: And rhat in relation to Temptation, and after falls; for it was upon occafion of Pettrs own fall, as bath been opened : God having e!labli– flJed him after his Fall, he bids him toeflabti/h,flrengthm his Brtthren: And thelikein 1 Theff.~··· To jla6h/h you, andtocomfortyou,coztCtr11ing your j:llch : And this in relation to Temptation, Vtrf 5· Jefl by fomt mtmzs tht Tempttr have temptedyot~ : Likewife the Third word, <:~trJ,,., which im– ports flrmgth againft weakntj{ts, which we are incident to in this life: And anf"'er. untogzvi,gflrtngth ill the imrermm1, Ephef. ~-17· Then the laft word, :n....,,:.,,; He wi!ljozmdus, as the word lignifies, namely, in faith in Chrift, and Gods love; thefe are fpoken of as in this life, apparently, as Colof I. •l· and in the fame, Ephtf ~· 17. This ior the zmport of tht wor.ds, that thry rtlate unto this lift: But for the manner how, and in what cafes they are fulfilled in this life; (which I put into my !lating the Affertion,) ofthat hereafter. U. As for the other life, which was the Second thing propofed, I do not wholly limit the extent ofthe words 10 this life, fo as to exclude their reach to Heaven. •· 'TiHertain, that the like promifes, that are in effec9: the fame wl1ich there dO" reach us , and accompany U> till they have f<t us in Heaven, 1 Cor, I. 8. Who./ba!J confirm; •ou to the tnd: That is, of your lives, yea, perform or jzdfiJ ir uzait the dar of Jeftu Chr:jl, Phi!, I, 6. The day of Judge– ment. 2 . Some of thefe words, if not all of them, ferve to exprefs cur fixed condition after deHh, in Heaven: The fir!\ word, ....P,;'"• is ufed to exprefs thecompleat·finiiliing, perfed confummation of Gcdsworks; foofthe firfi Creation, Hfl,, "· 3· 1heUorldswerefrmntdbythewordofGod: (f;amed is the fa me word, ) and ) ou may read Jt P"feRrd, ,[you w1ll: That JS, He compleated both Wcrlds, in this peried fet/~d frame they now exifi in; whicft although rhey were by peace-meal framed m fix days, yet we fee them they arc brought unro this perfed1on; and by faith believe they were thus made cornpleat hy the word ofGod, which Gm. 2. I. at the conclufion ofthe work, tell< us, Th~ts the HeaVtlls, and the Earth wertfimfbul, and ,,Jj the Hofl of them,ond fo fini1hcd, as nothing can be added to the perfeCtion ofthem: And as · this word is thus uled ofthe firtt Creation,Heb.I 1.fo it is, and may be moll apr– ly applied ro the Second Creation, or workmmt/hzp in Chrip Jefus: Which in this life is a framing, (as the World was in fix days), by degrees, but IJJall be finiilied, and made complcat in Heaven : And it is evident that the word, ""'"'"""• cloth fignifie both a gradual framing of a piece afwork, and then atafterward•
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