Of EM/ion. l)J cesof Spirimal deaths; 0 /1 Lord, perfect therefore ll10fe whom thou hail ~' c<llcd, in every good work; the work that thou hail bogun, perfect to the Chap. ! l· end all along;. If thou feeH them depart, and go anray, rdlore them, (as~ the word figntfies;) bnng them bad< agatn tnto the nght way; by virtue of that bringing batk thy Son Jefus from the dead;the famo vmue co.ntinuing in it; for all events after Calhng,as·well as for afore:Yea,and the atm ol his Prayer being directed for them that were called already; (os bath been /hewn and the word Pajdfi11g argues, which is an adding to what is begun;) h; muil be fuppo(ed to have an eye in his urging Chrills being brought back; that in rofomblance thereof there will be need of bringing back ~gain fame of thofe,yea, many of thofe tlut after Callmg will have need thereof, and therefore in • JP.:cial manner to have atmcd at the cafe of fuch os are backfliding, or turn'd out of the vJay, to reduce them agam: And thus the Apo(\Jes Argument unto God in his Prayer, looks both forward and backward: Forward, unto their lid! Calling , making an Argument of it, that God, who had already called thofe wfiom he prays for, that he, as he luddone, lo would !'Ontinue much more to work the like after, even becaufe h~ at firft began it, through the virtue, and accordtng to tbe Example of Chnil, l11s bemg brought back from the dead; which yet continues for them, in as much force as ever: 1\nd therefore if any fuch occalion , or need, falls out among!\ them that are called;(as there doth too often;) yet the fame Vtrtue, and the fame Pattern, Similitude, Example of Chrifls being perpetually in Gods eye , wquld move him muc:1 more to fetch fuch languiihing , and almofl dying Souls, back again to Lil'e: So as this his Argument is moll pertinent, and proper unto this cJie of all other; although tt reachetl1 unto all other alfo., whofe lot it may fall out never to be , but to be kept, and preferved by the fame vertue, in every goool work unto the end. , This Conlideration of fuch a decayed, funk Soul, that hath been called, bath the mail 11udof any other after Calling, to have this Reflauration made good to it, and wrought by God, (who works all our w.orks in us and for us) in him and fqr him: Now we hav~ m the Text C!od that IS to work 11, tht God of a/J Gr.ae< to his Coiled. And m the fame Ep1flle to the Hd;rtwt, Chapt. 4• vtr{. u!t. 'tis fa id, his grace, and mercy, is to help in time of 11nd, and that a– gain!\ finful Infirmities as well as other; and to be fure, that Cafe of Profelfors we have recited, had man need to be prayed for. This to Cl1ew tile warran.table a·pplying thefe Texts to the forementioned Ca– fes of 13pfes into fi~, and remifs neglects in good works. But it may perhaps be !\ill queried, That this in the Ht6rtwt is but mefrly a Pra)'{r, that God would be pleafed to perfet!t them; not a Promife that he will. To anfwer this, and confirm what I alfert. Alfwtr 1. If both, or either, ihould only be a Prayer, yet that mu!! be founded on a Promife, as was afore obfcrved: And there are to be found Pro– mifes of the Covenant of Grace that do exprelly utter what here the Apoftle to the Hebrtwt prays for, 1.. That this of Ptltr ihould be intended as a direct Promife, that God will rz.• /: ,.;.' / ·~L perform it, rather than limply a Prayer that he would, I have at large before given an accouAt of. The matter of the Prayer in the one, is the fam<: with the matter of the Promife in the other; only put into a feveral mode. The one prays God would perfect, by working what was pleafing to him; the O· ther promifcth from God that he will work it, Pntr in his Promife fays, but in one general word, God wi/J ptrfeiJ, but names not wherein: But Paul to the He6rews tells us wherein it is God will perfe~ us, whilil he prays for hi• Btbrews that God would perfect them. And fa it is but fupplying thofe words of Paul's Prayer, bt wtrygood work, ~c. unto this Promife of Pettr's,That God will m.1ke ptrftiJ, and we have what I afferc, namely, that he w'UJ bring back again, and re!lore, and perfecteve~y decayed, lapfed, truly called Chr~- ilian, after they have fuffered a wh1le, m every good work, and to do Ius wdl, ~c. z z l· But
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