Recommended from Phil 2. I 2, 1 3· fied, y()U may_ be. Saved. Wherefore, w~rk or.t yo~,. own S~lvar: ~n1Pith Feu; and Trembling. And thts I JUdge to be tbe Apojl!e s fcope m drawmg this Concluhon. In the Words, you have three Parts. 1. Firft, A Duty preffcd upon us by a moll: ferious and rational Exhortation; Where 1b! Divi~ fou, Work out your own Salvation. Jion of rhll Il. Secondly, An cxprcfs way and manner how it is to be performed, and that Words. is, With Fear and 'Trembling. Ill. 'Thirdly , Here is the Rcafon of this Exhortation, For it is God that worketh in you, both ro wiU and to do of his good plu[ure. 1. Firft ~ Here is a DutYpreffe_d upon us, and that is, To Work out our own Sal'11ation. To explain the Words a httle: . 1. fi;ft, For Sal"larion , you may take t t for the whole fupernatural State of a WhatSaf~ Chrift ian, begun here i!l. Gr~ce, and. to ?e fin i ~ed hereafter in.G lory. And, vation is. i. Secondly, To Work out thu Sal'Vatton, I S not hmg but to contmue and perfevere What iris in ways of Obed ience, until through them, thatSal'Vation that is begun hereon row ~rkou' Earth, be pcrfc8:ed in Heaven. To WoTk out our Salvatiorz, therefore, implies three SJ1va 1 .hn, things. . . . . . '/;t~;t:~ (1.) Firft, Pams and Labour. s,tlvatzon ts that wh1ch muft be wrought out; 'tt is p;im .utd that which will make the Soul pant and breath, yea, rundown with Sweat to ob- L:Jbour. tain it. (1.) Secondly, It Implies Co~ftancy and Dili~ence .. A Chrifti~n that :vould work Dilig£n:e out Salvation, muft always be I m played about tt. It IS a Webb wto which we mufi: and Conweave the whole Thread of our Lives. That Man that works at Salvation only by /fJnrJ. fame paffi?nate .fits, and then w_ithin a while undoes !t all again b~ foul Apoftacy, and Notonous Sms, that Man will never work Salvation out. No, It muft be Diligence and Confl:ancy that muft effect that. (3.) Thirdly , It promifes Succefs and Accomplilhment a!fo: And this is a migh- s ty encouragement to cnforc~ the Exhortation. Tho.ugh the Work be difficult, ucafs. our Strength li ttle, the Enemies ma_ny, a_nd the Opp?fiuons powerful; yet continue working, your Labour {hall not be In Va1n; though It be bard work, it Jball not be 1ong work; tor it {hall be wrotlf;ht out, and .what befor e was ycur Work, ,fhall be your Reward; and wha.t bef?re was. you r Labour, fuall be your Wa~Ses. And this Sal'Vatit~n that was fo pa1nful m workmg tball be moft bleffc::d m the EnJoyment. H. Secondly, Here is the exprefs way and manner how this Work Jhon ld be done, and that is, With 1-"'et~r and Trembling . Work out your o1im Salwttion roithFea~ and T rembling. Now this Fear, is ~ot. to be taken for a Fear of Diffidence, Perturbat!on or Defpo~dency; fo_r th1s ts fo contrary to the puty of working out SJlvauon, as that tt only ftup1fies .and dulls us: And as m other matters, fa i11 Spiritua Is, it hinders both Counfcls and Performances. But this Fet~r arzd 'Trunbling, that muft qualify our Obedience, is nothing elfc, but an humble Self-Refignation, Self-Denial, and a Holy awe and reverence of God, with which Humility and Reverence, the high eft degree of fpiritual Joy and Alfurance is fo far from being inconfiftcnt, that it ufually fprings tfroro it, and is built 11pon it. This ' now is mea nt by Fear t!nd Tremb ling, ar.d fo the Phrafe is ofrcn ufed in ScYiprurr. So the P[Ji tn ift, Strve the Lord wi1h Fe11r, and rejoJCe with 'Trembling. It is not Pfll meant of any defpondi ng diffident Fear, but .only of an awful reverential Fear a· z.n. of God , joy ncd wtth Self-abafement. And fo St. Paul to the Corinthians, fays of 2 Cor 7 Titus, 7'hat he w;u rtcei'Ved with Fear mtd Trembling. There was no Rea[on 'why rs. · - 'TitJ-:&'s coming fhould ca:ufe Fe01r and Trembling, which was fo much defired: Onl y the meaning is, they rec~ived him ylith Fear and Reverence. And fo Ser'Vants Eph. 6. 1 • are Commanded to be Obedtcnt unto thctr M afters: So here, Work out your own Sal'VIttion wirh Fear and Trembling: That is, \Vork it out with Humility, Self-Abafement and Reverence. · . . lll. Thirdly, Here is the Reafon of this Exhortation; For it is God who worketh 1n you both to wilJ and to do of his good PJeafure. Wherein now lies the Strength of the Reafon? Poffibly it might feem rather to a .Carnal Judgment, an incourage~ ment to Sloath, than an incouragement to Workmg ·and Obedience. For if God work in us both the Will and the Deed; What need we then be fo folicitous about the accomplifurnent of our Salvation, which not fo much we our felves, as God works ou• for us? lt would rather feem to be a greater Motive for us to Eeeec2 - work~
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