Recommellded from Phil. 2. 12, I 3· Angels, to be u 1 ;ul to _A,;ge/J, this is poffible :'lnd may be at~ained. When they arijC ~lark. u. jYom the dead (hey art as the Angrls that are m Heaven, which 3110ther Evangtlift J!'• ~ renders, the-/ are equal to the A ngeil. If in thi~ Lite you propofe- to your fclves a 3~<.e -O· ftate of perfection a1~d freerl~m bot~ .from Sm and S?rrow, a fb.re of confuru4 • mate Blifs and Happmcfs, th\s E.nd IS 1mpnffible..But 1f you make 1t your End ro enjoy fuch a ftatc as this is hereafter, this is attainable and Labour may at~hieve. it · yea aim at what degree of Glory you pleafe, next below God .and Chnft, be . it ~s high as Cherubims and Seraphims, I cannot fay you think of an impofiibility; your Labour may raife you to ftKh ~pitch and advance you co_fuch Glory, as ~all dazle the Svn in its bri gh tncfs. It IS true, there was once a time when SalvatiOn mioht well be reLkoned among tbofe Th ings that were impoillblc ;, and that was in ~hat fad interval between the Fa./J and the Promife of Chrift, when all Mailkind lay in the Shadow and in the Valley of Death; under the Breach anCl yet under the Bond of the Covenant of Wo1 ks when it had indeed been in va i t, fo much as once to have thouoht of Happinefs, or to have laboured for it: But !in1=e Ch1 irt'·s undertaking, We ;ho 11ltre 071Ct rrirhout Hope, h~u non: obtained good Hope through Grace· the Partition-W,rfl, that then we could neither t.hmb over nor break through, it now 'rakm tUT'<"~~; the Gate of Heaven is now fet open, and with !hiving we may enter for our Saviour Jefns Chrift harh aboi/lud Dearh, and brought L1[e ar.d Jmmortdiry 'ro Light thro11gh rhe Gojptl. And therefore though it may feem :tn impofiibility to dejeCted and defpairing Souls that ever fuch ~ile ~retches fhould receiv~ fo great a Dignity, that thofe who are f11nk fo l~w ~~~ Mtfery,. fh~uld C\'t:f be rat fed. to Happinefs; that thofc who arc fo loaden with Sto and l t1 tqutt~ lhould ever fed the weight of Mercy and beaten Glory; that thofc whofe beft \Vmks deferve th~: Ioweft Htll lhould~ though not for, yet upon the performance of thofe 'v\'orks obtain the highdt Heavens: Thoug,h this may feem to bC an imponibility, yet believe ir while you thiilk of any Giory lower than the Glory of the Godhrad, ynu think of ~othi ng above a pofflbtlity and the reach of lnduftry. There are none of you excluded from a porribility of being faved; the. Covenant of ~race runs in moft brge and co.mpreheu.five Ten~s, Whoewr bt~tCvtth jh~a. obtam eternal Life. The Death of Chnft and hts Blood ts a moft fovere1gn Medtcme, applicable no£ only to all Maladies , but to all M.en~ if they will believe: !~ough it is true none {hall be faved but the E.l etl:, yet 1s It true a\fo that a poillbill~y of Salvation, ex.. tends farther 1 han EleCtion. Eletl:ion gives the infallibility of Salvation, as Reprobation doth ~he in_fallibility of Damnati?n ;·~hut yet as there is a pollibilit~' for thofc that fhallwfa\l1bly be faver.i, to penfh If they do not believe, fo is it poffible for thof~: that !lull i nfallibly pEriJb, to be faved if they will believe. The poffibiliry of Salvation therefore ftands not upon Eletl:ion, but upon two other Grou f' ds. (r.J Fi1jl1 The meritorious and all~fufficient procurement of Chtifl, whereby he hath procured Salvation for all the \.Vorld, and for all in the World, upon condition of their· Faith, for that mutt frill be taken in ; for were it not fo, how could we preach Remiillon of Sins in his Nlme to every Creature, were not his Dea•h applicable to all? Then though fome fhould believe, yet for war.t of a Sacrifice ofH:red up, aflcl a Price paid down for them, they fuould not 0~ faved, though they Ihould believe. How then is it that we fedoufiy Call all Men to repent and believe, that "their Sins may be pardon'd and their $t')uls faved? Certainly unlef~ the Death of Chrift hath procu!·ed.Salvation for all Men upon condition of Fa1th and Repentance, fuoh Calls would be falfe in us, and vain to them ; for fo we Jhould promife Salvation upon believing, to thofe to whom though they fuou~d believe, Salvation lhould be denied, becaufe they wallt a Covenant made wtth them, and a Su r e.t y to undertake for them : Therefore l fay, Chrift's procurement is general fo far, that whoever belieVes Jhall receive the Benefit of his Death. ( 2.) Second!~, As the Death of Chri ll is applicable to all for Salvation if they believe, ~o Faith that alone applies th1s Death ts attainable by yoU all if you be not wanung to your felves; you are none of you under an impoffibility of be.. lieving, and therefore not under an impollibility of Salvation. Thou oh it be certain that fome fha\1 infallibly perfevere in Infidelity, yet there is. n;ne that . hears the f.ound of the Go!J{el, and the outward Call of God in his \Votd but may believe and obey i they be not wanting to themfelves: Neither i~ this K k k k k Dotlrine
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