Of EleElion. have continued therein to th~ end of your days;_ fuch an hold bad it of you. "-'\../\ So then Chnrt bought out of Gods hands, wtth your firrt Converfion, your Chap. s. whole ume to come, and thereby your prefervanon, and continuation in that ~ Grace, in as fure a way ofbargain, as your firrt Calling_ ( which by experience you are lure hath been wrought 10 you) and th1s agamrt all Claims and Recoveries, your old vain converfation, or your old temptations, lh~uld ever be able to make unto you, fo as never to endanger his lofing of you again, Thus alfo, Tit. 2, '4· Whogavt htmfelffor us, thrlf hflmght Redeem us fi-om all !11iquity, a1Jdpt~rifie tmto himfe!f a peculiar people, zet<!ous ofgoodwork!, He fpeaks of Redeeming us from the power of fin (as the oppofition thews) to purchafe to himfelt~ an addicted people to him, zealous ofgood works. So then all thofe fins, which we lhould have been carried out into, in the whole of our lives alter, in the dominion of them over us, which they afore Calling had; from this, and thefe, he Redeemed us; and fo bought out our whole time atone lump, atone entire, and whole bargain. You have all this fully, in that Song, Lt<k. '· 68. B!effed be God, that bath RtdeemedhUptop!t, Verj. 6g. Alidbath raijtd ttp tm horll of Sa!vatio11, for us; namely, Chrift, Verf 70. That we lhould be laved from ourenemits, ( fpecially Spiritual) midfrom the hand ofall that halt us. To f'Crform and remember the Mercy, Oath, and Covma111, whichhefware, Verf. 72, n· He fent Chrift to Redeem, and lay a price down, that God might be able to perf.'Jrm his Oath : And what was that Oath, Vtr{. 74· That he wottldgrant us, that being, (once) dtli'lJered out ofthe hands of our tnemits, we might ferve him without/tar; (ofour coming into our Enemies power, and con– quell of us again) all tht dtrys of our lives, itJ Ho!i1Je{s, and Righteouj~ •u(!. I Obferve there, r. How he bought our Calling ;for Thm, and at Calling, it is, that we are delivered from the hand, or power ofall our enemies; from alios well as any one: We heard out of, Gal. 1. 4· That our Calling was a deliverance out ofthis prefent World, as here, from all, &c. · 2. That he withal, bought out all the reft ofour time, after our Calling, or firft deliverance, or enfranchifement, from our enemies, even all the days ofour lives to come. And 3· He purchafed not only for us, that we lhould have power in our {elves, to to be able to preferve our felves, ifwe will look to it, as we fhould do to our felves: No, he fixed it more certainly, he bought this of God, that he would grant us it ; the very effectual bellowing· .the thing upon us. In fo much, 4 · As God in the forefight, and contemplation ofthe invincible efficacy thereof, took an Oath to grant it to every·Son ofAbraham : ;\nd God never breaks an Oath, it is irrevocable. So as, 5· We may in this Point be perfectly fecure, as the words, [ with– ofll fear] a!Ture.us ; and fo turn all our care, and follicitude (which tears, and wears the hearts of many, viz, That few fhall be able to hold out,) upon this, how to{erve him the more acceptably. The Third thing propofed, was the force, and ftrength of the Obligation that lieth on Chrift, and rifeth from hence; that he, having thus bought both our Calling, and prefervation in Grace; that therefore he fhould be more care– ful, and heedful to keep us; and accordingly to ftrengthen, fettle, ftablifh us in Wifdom: It is his concernment, Chrift is a wife Purchafer, as well as a wife Bui!dtr; now for one to make fure ofone part of a Purchafe, (which is but the firft payment, as we fay) and not to make all the reft as certain; how great a folly, and overfight, would it be accounted in any Bargainer, or Con– tractor, efpecially, when the condition of the Bargain is fuch, as if the latter part faileth, and cometh not in; that then alfo, the firft is null, and void; and fo as he muft lofe all benefits, and ufe ofthe firfr part, after it is paid in, and fo lofe the whole? To be fure in this cafe, a wife man will look more narrowly (ofthe two) to the latter part ofhis Bargain, than to the firft. I exemplifie it thus :!fin the 8th Verj: of the Second Epiftle of .'1ohn, He Exhorts his Chriflian Converts, wrought upon by his Miniftry, to look to themfelves, ( thatwt) (Mtmfters
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=