Ch. 3. Fear falling array, H Negle& not his prefent Call, and your preien Day, to the hardeningof your Hearts, as your Fathers did in the Wildernefs ; by whichGod' Jufice was engaged againd them, as a People whofe Hearts were habituated to Evil, and have not the obedient knowledge of his Ways, and Works, and Will : So that he fware in his juft difpieafure, that that Generation fhouldnot en. ter into the promifed Land 12. Take heed, brethren, left there be in any of you an evil heart of un- belief, in departing from the living God. 12. Take warning by thefe Iraelites, andfee that there be not in any of you an evil, un- found Heart, that is prepared by fecret Unbe- lief, ro depart inTrial firm the Living God. s 3. Eut exhort one another daily, while it is called, today, left any of you be hardned through the deceitful- nefsof fin. 13. To this end, one means appointed by God for your perfeverance is, fpeedilyand dai- ly to exhort and fir up one another ; the Pa- !tors in the Church and Affemblies, and all in their Places and Converfe: And therather, be- eante Sin, ofwhich you are la danger, is a de- ceitful thing ; and they that revolt are made believe, that it is but a receiving of the Truth, or a neceflàry Self-fving, and no forfaking of Chi-lit, or Truth, or Godlinefs. N. Qp. But what ifRulers forbid us to meet daily far fachExhortation ? .Aefw. Godcom- mandeth you to do it in the manner and time that the end requireth, and no man can di- fpenfè with hisLaw. The Chriftians, for three hundred years, affembled, when forbidden. Qt. But what if Chri/Ilan Rulers forbid it ? '.Aníw, Chrifians have more Obligation than Heathens to do good, but no more Authority to do evil, or null Gods Laws. Q.t. But tabor if Violence or Prifons reffrain us ? ,Anfw. God requireth not Impófbilities. 14. l'or we are made partakers of Chrift, if we hold thebeginning ofour confidence ftedfaft unto the end. 14. We are initially made partakers ofChrif as our Saviour : but if we will attain Salvation by him, we mutt hold the fitbfilhng Faith (or the Confidence) in which we have begun (or which is our Principle) firm to the end : (For Perfeverance is made a Conditionof the Pre- lude of Salvation.) 15. While it is faid, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16. For Tome, when they had heard, did pro yoke : howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Mofes. ebrews, ließ is promifed. Ch. 4 t t S, t 6, The Words tell us, that Conte that heard, afterDeliverance from Egypt, provoked s God ; but it was not all, 17. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had finned, whole carcafes fell in the wildernefs ? 17. With whomwas God fo difpleafed, as Grief here fignifieth t Nothing difpleafeth him but fin. Itwas with backfliding, difobedient, unthankful murmurers, that would not ref in the Will, andWord, and Providence of God, but mutt have their own carnal Will fulfilled, and fo God inJuftice killed them in the Wil- dernefs, after II many Miracles had led them many years towards the promifed Laud. Take heed left you follow theta in the like fin, to greater panifhment, for abutting greater Mer- cies. 18, r 9. And towhom fware he that they Mouldnot enter into his reft, but to them that believednot ? So we fee that they could not enter in, becaufe of unbelief. 18, i 9. It was the finning Unbelievers that he (ware fhould not enter : and it wasbecaufe of their Unbelief, that they could not enter. Take heed therefore, left ye fall by Unbelief in Trial : for there is more required to our compleat Salvation, than to our firft part in Chrift. C H A P. IV. 1. y Et us therefore fear left a pro.. mire being left us ofentring in- to his reit, any ofyou Mould teem to come [hart of it. s. Seeing then that this Promife of Ref is conditional, if we perfevere, and among fo many 'Trials we arc in to much danger of our own Heart, let careful fear prevent your fal- ling, andmiffing the benefit of thatPromife. Note; re. Why fhóuld we fears that which God's Decree and Grace have madeimppóflible? .Anf. r. God bathnot made it impofírble in it Pelf, but only hypothetically, or by cone querce, from his Decree and Foreknowledge, to any man. 2. His Decree and Foreknow- ledge conjoin the End and Means ; as ifhe raid [ This man !hall be laved by perfe'veringFaith, and fhall perfevereby fearing to fall away, and avoiding the occafions.7 3. Weak Chriftians have not the all'arance of God's Election, and therefore can gather no inch confcquence. 4. So few (ifany known) did (ór many hun- dred years hold, that no initial right to Salva- tion is loft , or that all true Chriftians, betides ftrong confirmed ones, did perfevere; that it 36
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