Of Elcflion. ~ Lufisofthofehewrote unto: Now Peter's Exhortation is the fame in this BooR IV, Particular. ~ Add to this, that we find that Sobritty, which is in the Head of the Exhor– tation, refp~deth Alijlmmafrom Lttj/s, every where; yea, in our Apoflle Pettr alfo , I P et; I. I j. Whereforegird tip tht loins of yot1r minds; (tllat is yourloofe Affections;) Be fober, f§c. Sober, in refped unto what ? It fol: lows, Notfafbiottillg your {elvts, accorditJg [to the former Jufls J vtrfe 4· W~tchfuhufs alfo, which IS the next, is to be underfiood as chietly intended a– gamfi allfomof Lufis; fo Lukn.r, J4, j6. And ta1e heed to your fe!vn , lejl at any ttmeyour hearts be overchargedwith jurjelti11g and drttnkmntjs , andcares of thillift, Jlnd {o that day come upo11 yo,J tmawares; Watcb y·e therefore, andpray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to efcape alt thtj'ttbingsthatjhaltcomet,pa{s, a11d to jla11d bef~re tbt Son of Ulfan. I Thelf. ~, 6, 7• Thertfortlet 114 not flap tf4 do others : but let "' watch and be fober. For thry that.fleep, jleep in tht 11ight, and thry th~tt be drtmken, art drunken in the 11ight. Hence therefore this Exhortation that follows, w hom rt/ifl: reaeheth unto his fiirring up of lufis, and tempti~g us to fin there· by. 4• Here follows this Encouragement unto all thefe, Knowing, that is, con– lidcring, that the fame ajjliClionr are accomplijhed in 1011r Brethrm tbtJt are in the world; that is, to be tempted by him, as you are, is the common lot of all the Saints• Now if the Incouragement were limited only to Perfecuti– bns,(as thofe Interpreters would have us underfiand it,)and that yet the Exhor– tations foregoing, which occalioned this, fuould be meant of rrJlj/i11g Satmt in all his Temptations unto fin and lufis, (as hath been fuewn) then this En– couragement were too fuort, if not altogether clean befides, and no way af– fording any fuch matter, that fuould hearten them to refifi Satan in point of finning, and about lufis ; it had been utterly forraign ; it afforded, to be fure, not a correfpondent and adequate ground therttmto, Lafily, Here is a Promife, (as I 1hall1hew) or Prayer, (call it which you will for the prefent) fuperadded, to back the whole, and every whit of thefe things foregone; But the God of all grace, after ~·e have frljfered a w hile , fb.Jit makt ~ou per(tCl, f/ablijh, jlrcngthtn, [mle yott, And the extent of this Promife coming in to back them, fuews the extent of thefe Exhortations: And mutually the extent of thofe Exhortations, do likewife argue the extent of this Promife, fpecially of that latter Exhortation afore it , which this Pro– mife doth immediately follow and fueceed, and bath refped to it. And from this lafi, (the Promife) it being added to the former, and ma– king .the Series of the whole paragraph compleat; I fuoll argue, 1. In the Ge– neral, from the compleatnefs of that Series : 2. In Particular. I. In General: Here are three things found in the whole ; I. The Exhorta– tion, 1.. The Encouragement, 3· This Promife: And thefe evidently are all cbmmenfurable, of one length and breadth in their extent: And fo large as the matter and drift of the Exhortations do enlarge, is the fcope and mmer of the Encouragement; and fo large as both, or eaeh of thefe are, fo large is the (cope and drift of the Promife: For the fcope of the Promife is, to hearten untoJobritty, watchfuhte{s, rejijlance to Satan: And thefe are fpecially to be underfiood , as in point of Lufis and Temptations from Satan unto Sin. But this will further appear, if we confider the Particulars in the Promife J and how the words of it do fuit, and anfwer to the matter of the Exhor– tation. r. In his fiiling God, The Godof all Grace, which is the foundation of the Promife; and that, as he had faid, ver{e 5· He giveth grace to tht h11mbte: And what is the Grace there meant? but Grace contrary to the lufl of Pride , (which is there alro mentioned,) and by like reafon every Lufl elfe: And the oppofite Grace is intended therein; fo as the God of all Grace is that God, who is ready, and will give, all forts of Graee and Alliflance agatnfl all (ens of Lufis and Temptations thereunto; God having a variety of all Grac~,fu .ted as a remedy to every Lufi and A!fault; as I have at large expounded : And ~ there·
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