478 Chap. z 3, AnExpofitionupon the Book ofJQB. Verf. i8; All do not know it,but all may. There ire but fome believers who reach this perfettion,yet all fhouldbeaiming at and reaching after it. And though they were extraordinary men in whom the Scripture gives inftance, Suchas Abraham, Habakkuk, Paul, &c. yet as the Apoftle faith of force under eminent temptations, (i C'ór, io.13.) 7 here hath no temptation takenyou, but fuch as is common to man, fo we may fay of thofe who attained thofe emir nent confolations, there is no confolation bath been given unto thofe but what is common to believers. For as fewmen fall into all thofe temptations which are common to man ; fo few belie- vers attain all thofe confolations which arecommon to believers. Some are Slothful, and will not give diligence to make theircal- ling and eletion fare, others cannot find it fare to them (though it be in it felf) notwithilandingall their diligence. If any objet further, that of the Apoftle ( Rom, 11.2o.) Be not high minded, but fear. I anfwer,That fear is a duty,which is oppofed to high- minded- nefs;but that fear is,at leaft, anaffíiaion,which is oppofed to fted- faiuefs. Again, this is not fpoken to nourifh eoubting whether we are juftified or no, but to preferve us frómprefumptionwhen we are juftified. So we may anfwer thofe places (Prov. 28.14.) Blefed is the man that fearetb alwaies; (Phil.2.12.) Workout your falvationwithfear and trembling. Thefe feem to call Chrittíans to live in a doubtful condition, or in a Bate of trepidation, alwaies fearing : but their intendment is, not to keep the foul from being felled by faithinChrist, but from being high-flown its -any opinionof our felves : or the Spirit fpeaks thus, not to put us upon doubts of our ftanding, but to preferve us from falling. For thefe cautions are fo far from oppofing affunance, that the# ftrengthen it. The way not to be afraid is thus to fear : nor are any fofare as they who thus tremble. They that are working out their falvations with fear and trembling , may know without fear anti trembling that they fhall be Paved : and they that thus fear álwaies, may be affured that they fha11 be above fear for ever. But fay force, the Preacher fpeaks out againft this knowledg, Eccl. 9. a. No man k,noweth love or ha- tred. It is true, not by all that is before him : we cannot know love ancl hatred from the works of God without us, but wemay know love and hatred by the work of God upon us, or by the workings of God within us. We cannot fetch an evidence that God
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