Chap. 3t. 11. Pxpeßtion opon the Book! of Jo s. %'erf. 23. 5o1 Obferve. They wbodef roy men tenjuily, may juf ly expeE1 deftru (loon from god. God is a God ofdeftru&ion, but be is deftru&ion to the wick; edonly, or to unjuft deftroyers. God is a God of falvation to his owne people ; abeliever needs not feare deftru&ion; I ( faith Chriit roh.iei.31.) havegiven them eternal life, and they 'hail ne- ver perif.Indeedwhile a believera&s,unlike a'believer,God may Beale with him, as he doch with unbelievers, he may deale with him in outward difpenfations, as he doch with the world while he conformes to the world ; but take him under the notionofa believer, he is not within the compaffe ofdeftru&ion ; God is to him, only aGod offalvation.Thedeftru&ion ofGod is the p:o- per portionof men-deftroyers. The wicked are font of perdition (fo 7udas was called (7oh. 17. tr.) And fo Antichritt is called ( zThef. z. 3. ) thewicked,I fay,are tons ofperdition) in a dou- ble notion; Fir(}, they are Ions ofperdition a&ively, they make it their worke fometinres to deftroy others , and the deftru&ion ofothers is often theconfequent, yea the proper effe& of their worke ; Secondly, theyare the foes of perdition paflìvely, that is, they lhall certainly be deftroyed ; and fo 'cis exprefT ly prophe- eyed concerning the latter of thofe Eons ofperdition, (z Tbef.z. 8.) whom the Lordfiallconfttme with thefpirit ofhis mouth, and de/roy with thebrigbtnes ofhù coming. Thirdly, Note. .1 believer bath, and may have dreadful! apprehenfions of the deftroying power ofGod. . As be makes god hisfeare ( Ira. 8. 13. ) in oppofition to the feare of mans deftroying power,fo it is good for him to feare the deftroying powerofGod, and often to confider the wrath of God again& finners, to keephimfelfe from finning againft God. For though a believer obey:eth and keepes off from fin upon higher, andnobler termes then wrath, yet he makes agood im- provement ofchofe termes; wrath and delru&ion from the A' mighty are fuch a terror to him, that as hewill not, fo he dares not fin. As we are delivered by Jefus Chrift out of the hands of allowenemies, that we may ferve him in holineffe and righte- oufneffe
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