340 Of Eletlion. ~~----~~~--~~~ ~~--------~----~. outward, being intended; this word therefore imports a meet fupply, and BooK IV. making up of [piritual wallts ; even as there, in 1 Thef!al. 3. 1 o. u is meant ~of the perlechng at Faith, and what is wannng in it. Now, this per,ecting ot what is wanting in Graces to us, may receive a double intendment: 1. Simply; viz. That the work of Grace begun in any of us, being at fir!t lhort and imperfect, in its d<grees , which are requifite to make itlully perfect; in refped: thereunto God's Promife here is, That he will go on to perteCl: that work begun; as Phit. 1. 6. Being conftdmt of thu very tbi11g, that he whzch·hath 6eg1111 "good work i11 you, wtll perform 11 ttnttl the day of .'Jejli4 Chnjl. 'T1s fa id of the Perfon , who wall<ing up to the Grace re,eived ! is without any wilful failure or n<'glcct in his courlc, and is not guilty of grofs or perverfe ImperfeCtions: Which was 'Paul's cafe alter his Calling; who yet fays, he was not already Perted:, after a long tlage in Chri!tianity: Phtt. 3• 12. Not as though I had already attanud, ruhrr were already perft£1: lmtl follow after, 1j that I may apprehend that for whuh alfo I am apprehmded of Chnfl Jefiu. And this is the Cafe which the Text refpects: For it may, yea and doth be– fall feveral Chri!tians, who have had the fpecial priviledge fo to have walk– ed from the fir!t, who yet need further additions to make them perfect; and to whom God will, above all other Chri!tians , perform this promife , ol ma– king them perfect more and more on Earth, unto a Coofummation or them in Holinefs in Heaven; yet fo, as the common law of Sufferings fir!t malt take hold of them: A Law common to them, with all others of their Brethren, as in the Text: and thofe Sufferings, either outward, wherein the Apollle Paul abounded; or perhaps inward Aiiaults from Satan, t bough fiill relilled, {o as not to li>e overcome by them : After which Conflicts, God comes anew , wonderfully to perfect and ellablifh fuch in Faith and Holinefs. And this feems to have been the Cafe and prefcnt !tare of thofe Tbef!alollimu, when the Apo!tle wrote that Epifile to them: (for we we read of no Church he wrote to, whom he fo commends, for having kept their fir!t Cooverfion work fo pure, and without the lea!t defectioA, as by his rejoycing in them, in that Epillle appears:) Jl.nd yet he tells them in the words tore·cited, that there were things wanting in their Faith, the fupply of which he expreffeth by this word, (which isthe end I cite it for) Tbat we mtgbt perfefl: thcJt whzch u lacking illyour faith. Let men Called have had never fo great and eminenc Converfions, ( as thele had, as in Chapt. 1.) yet God hath m !tore relerved, and in defign laid up for them, great and glorious Acce[es of Gnce to perfect them, which they all afterwards attain, ia their refi!tancc and overcomings of Temptations, and firickt walkings with him: Whereofthere is an infiance likewife in that decaying Church of Sardu, (of whicb by and by;) A few Elect, choice Chriflians in God's account, were found even there; who are mentioned in Rev. 3· 4· Thou ha(! afew N ames evm in Sardis, which have ,wt drfiled .their Garments; mzd they jha/Jwalk with me itt white, for they are worth~. The word, ;r•p'~·1•, in that to theTheffalonians, tranflated lacking;,. your faith, is the fame that is ufed by the Apofile, Coloff. 1. 24. of our Sufferings for Chrifi.; which, as it is Tranflated, runs thm, To fill ttp that whicb u 6e– hind of the Ajjlzfl:ions of Ch~ifl: And the filling up of thefe, is the matter of the Promife here in Peter; as if he had fa id, The God of all Grace that bath caOed us, will fill up what is behind in his Ordination; and lacking to what we received at fir!t Calling, unto an higher Perfection: Befides, what is wanting in the Doctrinals of Faith, there are Addirionals to the fpecial Faith ofChri!\i– ans : God hath a11 all riches offull .A/]itrance, to be added unto our Fai1h of Recumbency received at fir!t: And to that rich af!urmzceofmzderflmidl1lg, he bath joy mzfpeaka61e, a11d ftt!t of glory , to be fuperadded; and unto "'"· ki11g our Elel1toTJ ji~re , he hach an a6unda11t etztrmrce imo Fleavm, begun in this life: For which compare I Pet. 1. 10, I I, Whertfore the rmher, Brr– thrm, gzve dzltgence to make j'Otlr Calling mtd Elefiio11 jitre: for zj ,rc11 do theje thi11gs, ..Yefha!Jtteverfall. For jo rm entra11ce jball6e mimflred un.ro)'OU ·a6u11dalllly, znto the everlaflmg K111gdom of our Lord mzd Sa11iour .7t/u< Chnf/.
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