178 The Promife of , The promife of the , perfeverance of the faints, f~ems to be grafted upon the pro,mifc of affifiance mad_e to Chrifi: in his work. Tlie Father plromifed ' : to hxm, that he would uphold him, fo that he fhould '• ~~~ fail, Ifa. xlii: I, 4· The which promife being made to him as a public perfon, 'catries along with it t?e prefervatiori and fupport of his· members, in all the1r. temptations, trials, and dangers of perifhing; enfurmg the fafe · conduCt, as of the head, fo of the myfi:ica! members, through this world, till they be out of the reach of danger. Now of the promife of perftverance tl;lere are two chief branches. 1 • : • · Fir/}, A promife of continued influences of grace, to be from time to time conferreq on them, being once brought into a._ fiate of grace, '!fa. xxvii~ 3· I will water it every momenf. Their flock of inherent / grace would foon fail, if they were left to live upon it, without fuppJy cot;ning in from another h:md : of itfelf it wauld wither away, and die out, if 'it were not fed. Luke xxii. 32. ,John ~v. 6. Innocent /idam had a larger flock of inherent grace, than any of the , faints in this life : and yet he . lofi it. But the grace ofGod in believers ·cannot be fo lofi ; for, in virtue. of the promife, there are continued inHuences fecured for tlYein ; namely, preferving influences, whereby grace given is kept from dying out, that, as they are fllrtClified by God the Father, fo they are preferved in Jefos Chrifl, Jude 1. Exciting influences, wher:by the ,grace preferved beginning to languiih, or bemg brought low by' the prevailing of corruption ~nd temptation 1 is fiirred up and put in exercife agam: and fl:rengthning influences, whereby the grace eK– cited is inc.reafed, and gathers more firength, to the overtopping of corruption, ' and repelling of tempta· tion.' Hof. xiv. 7. They foal! revive as ~he .cor~, and grow as the vine. Accordingly,, thetr fax~h IS Bever fuffered to fail totally, but is preferved, exc1ted, - · and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=