Of EleClion. ~ Relief,again!1: the Temptations fpoken of afore; for thereby he pofitively de– BaCKIV. dares how God would oppofitely (\rike in, and prevent Satan our Adverfary in ~ his malice, and all his attempts again!1: us; be promifing feafonabl y to fuccour and firengthen us again!1: him: And it is as if he bad fatd, But God bath took order and care about us, and faithfully promifed to help us, ~c. whereas if only it had been intended as a Prayer of his, This [But J God had not <ome in fo properly; yea, it had been fuperfluous; he might only and barely have faid, The God of all Grace f/rmgthm yor1, ~c. and left out his [But:) And 4ly, That Dcfcriptionof God that lollows that [ Btlt;] The God of alt Grace that hoth called, f!Jc. lo largely premtfed, though indeed it•be a ju!1: ground of Prayer for thefe thmgs, yet deferved, lhalll fay required, to make Promtfes of thefe that follow; and what was premtfed of God's being tht God of alt Grace, ~c. was to !tamp a Sanct10n upon them, they being !o full, fo compleat an Head of Topicks to make 1\rguments of, to confirm and affert the eertainty that God will and !hall perform thefe ; fpecially when I confider and compare this with other places, where the fame words that are here ufed, arc uttered Promifc.wifc, and that upon lefs grounds premifed, than what we find here in the very point of Perfeverance, which is the fcope of the words as in 2 The.ff. 3· 3· Bttt the L ord u faithful, whojhatt flabiljh you, a11d keep ""'11;... you from e•utt: Here is the fame word, that is here the fecond, and it is rendred in tl1e Future, and is a Promife; as alfo that there adjoyned, jha/1 knp you, with thefe here, and both Promifes concerning the fame thing, Perfeverance; and the fame in fenfe and effect that thefe here; and they are both Promifes that concern Perfeverance as thefe do; The like, Pbi!, 1, 6, Being conjidtnt of tl1is very thing, that he whiC-h hatb begun.agood work ;,you, wt!!ptrform it , , unttl tbe day Of Jejus Cbrifl. Which is uttered in the future, as a Promife, J:";)~'J:Iih: he was confident, was certain of the performance of; why therefore lhould h ;, in fub· . not thofe Copies that made it fo here, be e!1:ecmed Genuine ? Upon this fur– ~:·;~~:.r~~··· ther Argument it is, that the Defcription that precedes, fore mentioned, .The f•me. u,a on God ofall Grace, who hath called, &c. and the re!1: that follow, fpea], h1gh~ ~wt.>t. t6. er, fuller, and (\ranger engagements ofGod, that He wit! do thus , than what in thefe p:aces now mentioned, did precode unto thofe Promifes there; where but one Attribute fingly in each, is made the Gage, viz. Faithjt1t: And therefore will in the one, whobath begmz a good worlt, i•fha!lin the other: But here At! the Gtaci that i; i11 God, (that is, the Original ofthat faithf~<lnefs) who hath ctz!!ed, ( anfwerable to that, who batb6tgttn agood work, in the other,) and then fuperadding, bathCalled us ittto hu Ettrllal Glory : Andlafily, Theempbafis of whicllhath beenopened, He callinginthe En– gagement ofhis Son, as his Surety too, B T Jrjtts Cbrijl, (which bath been opened; thefe thus accumulated, and heaped up in this place, fuitably, and juf\ly required, (as I fa id at firfi, if in thofe other, or any other plac.e) no lcfs tban that he lhould make a promife ofthem, rather than meerly a prayer ~,1&-hitm•c· of his own for them: And thus underfiood, there is an even line runs through ''"'"b" ,•. the whole, and connects thofe fir(\ words, God of all Grace, unto the latter, ~~'[;;~;."'d, wilt {lre11gthm: And to that purpofe, inferrs:~"'• (which you find in lik.e manner, 'PhtJ,r. 6. ) that he the fame God, that ts, a Godofall Grace, promt– feth he will perform all rhefe, argues it not to be Precatory only,. but Afferto– ry, and a molr empha!ical Bindtng, Sealing llp ot the Promrfe oftt; and to be ajpeaki11g o[Godto them, rather than a fpeakmg to Godfor them; Gernrd farther obierves out ofrhe followwg Vtrjt, that hereupon He concltldes with a Doxology, fler{.' 11. To htm bt Glm·y, a11d 'Domi11io11, for evrr, rl:fi:;:t:o~]:: and ever Amtll: Bccaufe that. thefc t·rurfits (here menti?ned Verf. IO.) in ,,.;, ,, ,,.,,_ thefe four" ords, were fo certatn to be performed, that he gJVes thanks to God "''''· aforehand: And tbofc that would have the words apr,!Yer, (fays he) yet would have him give thisGlory thereupJn;becaufe God had heard his prayer,and had af[ured him that he would perform it : Moreover the fame Author fays, That becaufe the words might be taken, either for a prater, or for a promtfe; that therefore it is indifferent whether to put in [in] To whom Glory is, as atfu. , , rin!( us, and conf•rming the forgoing Promifes, or [i;~] To whom btG!ory : Wilhing it, as it is a prayer : And further, the fcope betng, ( fays he) to affure them
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