An Expfljition, WithNote.s ledg; defendedon the right handby temperance,againft the a!!Hre• mentsof the world; on the left, bypatience, againft the hardjhips of the world. You fee we cannot be Chriftians without it: So alfo not men. Chrift faith, Inplltience pojfe[syrmrfoul!~ Luk..: 2 r. 19. Aman is aman, and cloth enjoy himfelf, and his life, by patience : otherwife we£ball but create needlefs troubles and difquiets to our felves, and fo be, as it were, difpo£feifed.of our own lives and fouls, th:tt is, lofe the comfort and the quiet.of them. Verfe 4· But let patience have her perfefl work., thtt~tyou may be . perjefl, and entire, wanting in nothing. Hert!hecometh to !hew, what patience is right, by way of ex..; hortation, prdfing them toperfeverance, integrity, andall pojfibl~ perfetlion. I will open whac is difficult in the Vtrfe. "Enov T~ii.Hov,her perfei1 work..,] For the opening ofthis,know, . That m the Apofiles time there were divers that with a great dtal of zeal bore out the firft brunt, but being ty~ed, either with the diverjity, or the lengthof evils, they yedded and fainted; there.. fore he wifheth them to tarry till patience were thoroughly exer– cifed, and its perfection difcJver<:d. The highefi aCl:s of graces are called the perfeflionof them; as of Abrahams faith) we fay in ordinary fpeech, there was aperfefl faith: So when patience is thoroughly tryed by fundry and long affiiCl:ions, we fay, there is a perjefl patiet:Jce: So ch:u the perfeEl wor~of patience is a refolute perfeverance, notwitbfianding the le1zgth, the /barpnefs, and the continualfuccejfio'J oF fundry atll.ictions. One tryal difcoveredpa. tience in Joh ; but when evil came upon evil, and he bore all with ameek and quiet fpirit, that difcoveredpatience perfefl, or fuffici. ently exerci(ed. It followeth, That ]OU may be perfefl, and entire, W~nting in nothmg.] The– Apofl:Jes intent is not to affert :t poffibility of perfetl:ion in Chri£H. ans; We all fail in many things, jam. 3· 2. And all. that we have here,isbutinpart, I Cor.13.9,IO. We k..nowinp.lrt,andwepr,o. ' phecy in part: But when that which is perjefl is corm, then thAt which is in part [ball be done .4way. HereGrttce mufi needs be im– perfetl, becaqfe the me.ans are imperfect. But his meaning is, ei.– the: th~.t.. w~ (hould .he Jincere, as Jinctrity is calledperfe.Clion in ~~rt~tur~, G~n_~ ·.17~ I. Wal~before me, and be thou perfefl; ~o ~tJS1g ~~ Qpgtn~land margmal reaqing,what in <;>ur TranOation ts - . -- . - -. ·--- ·-· be-
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