Of EleClion. 343 to keep my fclf ta tb,e words thereof; and take only fuch fuppom as they ~ give a Ground for: And I look upon this Scripture as an Abundary , 'and Ma- Chap. 12, gaztne, as taptrfrv.~ra~re-romforts ; to make a C.hrr{han complcat therein :~ And Ithall the(efore mvrte them but to drznk and taf/e the watt rs out of zh:s otlt nf/f'>'n; anddraw thtUJ forth out of thJS writ of Confoiatio~t ; And if this Promife of perfeding reaches the Cafes of thefe ChriQians then anv other, the worfi fuppofable, that pf total Apofiacy excepted,'which God never fuffers his Called Ones.to t,ll into; but feuing that afide, thefc foremen· tioned cafes ane the worfr, that do befall any of the true Saints , after Calling, in the CQurfe af their Lives, between their Calling, and their Deotos. Now for the whole, or total of the(e cafes, and as touching them all at . once; lt is certain that the word••••~•, imports a m,lkitJg whole, or ptr.. '{ c~:.~ur"~.r· f {tfl agaitt. of what is any way rtnt , tor11, tatttrtd, maimed, 6roktn , di[. (, ~:;da;i~i~ 11 jo.Jn.ted, orthe fi.ke ; ~nd ftgnifies an.lnftauralion, a Rtfl~tt!tion, or R_tflau,· i:p;l~;~~~~;':; ""''on of awy th~~~~ JifP.ylrd: And mthe proper, and ongmal ufe of 1!, fig· ), 1..,,.,, 1,. nifies the making whoJt of any thing that is endamaged, or {poyled: And J•m,d;v;J••, from ~ence rh is its proper fignilication, litly in a way o~ Metaphor, comes to ~~;·;;;,;,:~: be tranllated here t<> Mens Souls, and the finful emparrments thereof; that drbilir.t•m; fenfe being ufed in the Text; aod foit doth moll aptly include the fore fa id ea· ~:;;,~:~";::: fes·, and tmpo•ts.the fottmg up agam, and rtf/ormg of a Soul or Perfon once "· A L'apidc t.ruly called (for of one after Calling he only fpeaks) that yet after Calling inmb<lm. hath been both greatly wanting, decayed, and deficient in good works, and •b•dem. alfo fain in togr~at,and Enormous Crimes,or both,( for both thcfe do oft times aoco.mpany one theother;) as well as of the carrying of the Soul on ·io an un· blameable eourfe of uninterrup1ed firidnefs: And for this the proper fignifi. ~ation of it , Interpreters (and it is~ famous infiante among them,) do for expounding of this word in the Text, alledge and apply out of two Evange· . lifis, what is more properly fpoken of the Apo~les mmding thtir ruts,~~~·:-~;: whilfi Fifhermen , when /;rokeu : From whrch they take occafion by way of Metaphor , or fimilitude ( which is the form of Language v.. ba h•<q•t· ufed i~ all thefe four wor~s ) to explain this l'articul?r .word; it being ~:[;Jz;:,:;:•• one and the fame word that IS ufed by the Evangeh!ls, that rs here. And the Am,., in,.,. Subjec!h of this Promife of making perfed by God, being our Souls,i n refped: ba. ofi fins, the fenfe of it cl!lmes to this, That in fome likenefs and analogy, God's l'romife is to meud and make our broken Souls w~ole again, after tlley have been rent and tatter'd in the empairment of their Graces, bogun in them either by decay, or more grievous. finn,iogs, fo far as to be fitted again for their wont· cdufe and fer~ice, (os we f•y) ormttt for th• e:ltta{ltr's ufo. as the Apofrle {peaks, 2. Tim. 2. 21. and to that end to make them as tight and as firong as ever: That firfl of their mending Nets, being the proper lignificati· on of the word; and this, in o11r Apofile, the Metaphorical :And it is she Law of the uf~ of M,etaphors, or borr.owed Speeches, by way of likenefs thus to apply them, accorqling to theirfev~ral kinds,and therefore mufi be admitted in this. Ancj here I ne.ed not ·tell you, bow much more obnoxious our finful Souls are ro mifcarriages in,their kind, than Fifhermens Nets are to Ruptures and·Breaches in their kind; (which yet ius great,as of any other thing a man makesufe of) as !;om falling upon Anchms,or through Wrecks in the Sea ;yea, Lukes. 6 • by muhitudes and big~efs cfFifhes when drawn up.It is'ufe enough to make of thi1 Similitude,and to my prefent purp0fe,That whatfoever the Breaches be on 'our parts,God's Promife here is to them that arc Called, to make them per[df again; and not to fufftr them to rup into {uch, as fhall utterly de{lroy them. I lhall further but ea~ in this, agreeable to my general Scope I h.ave all a· long profecuted, that if ./lrt and Nature in empty Man, (as 10 .7o6 ·rr. u. man is ftylcd) have skill and ue able to repair the works oft.htir hands; fure– ly the Godof all Po.ll/tr,' and theGodof all ·Grace, knows how, and is able much more; yea, and by Grace, and the Eogageme~ts thereof, moa willing to reaore the workmanjbip of his own hands, ( whlch he cannot but love) which he hath on pur,pofe creattd ufJfo g.ood works, Ephcf. 2 . • o. A~d .th1s thm, 'IJJhtn his ind ou~ A~verfa·ry Sstan, ( whofe work and endeavour 1t 1s to fpoil
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