and care of, his People under Temptation. 265 may fail totally, and finally in time oftemptation : and fo they fay, that Peters faith failed here, when he denied his Lord and Mailer; becaufe it is laid in the next words, When thou art converted, firengthen thy brethren. As if his faith had failed fo far, as he fhoulcl need a new converfion. But that word tranflated, When thou art converted, (as divers of the learned do well obferve) may be tranflated, A- gain, thus : I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not : anddo thou flcengchen thy brethren again : do thou re- turn to that work again. And fo you have the fame word tiled hi the Septuagint, tranflated in the 58. Pfalm, at the 6. verfe. Wilt thou not revive us again ? Theword in the He- brew is thus : Wilt thou not convert, or turn unto us, and re- vive us ? which we tranflate, Wilt thou not revive us a- gain ? And fo the words heremay be tranflated, (being an Hebraifme) But do thou ftrengthen thy brethren again. But fuppofe that thewords Eland according to their prefent tranflation, it doesnot argue, that Peter did fail totally in this temptation : for, the whole life of a Chritlian here, is a continual converting, and turning to God : We repent, and repent again ' turn, and we turn again. Every day we turn untoGod yet more and more; every day brings forth another conveyfion : yet not fo, as if the former con- verfion were made void. And if the faith of a beleever would fail totally in the drre of a temptation ; what fhoulci be the meaningofthole words, in the i . of job. 5. Chapter, and the i8.verfe. We know, that whofoever is born of God fins not ; but he that is begotten ofGod, kepeth bimfelf, and that wickd one toucheth him not : The wicked one : that is Satan, he toucheth him not. But now, if Satan could tempt a godly man, and prevail fo far in his temptation, as to make his faith fail totally, then he would touch him to, the pur- pole : but (faies the text) he keeps himfelf, and thewicked one toucheth himnot : and thereforehis faith cannot fail totally, a regeneratemans faithcannot fail totally. And ye knowwhat is Paid, in that 7. ofMatthew at the 24. and 25. verfes. Whofoever heareth thefefajings of mine, and doth them, evricpical
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