Ver.36,37 tbé 8th Chapter tó she ROMANS' 36 3. Who is this true believer that will be more than a -conqueror? The vi&ory is Cometimes afcribed to faith, t John 5. 4, 5. Sometimes to love, Korn. 8.35: What /hell feparate us from the love of Chrift? Love is not only taken paffively, for the love wherewith Chrift loveth us , but a&ively for the love wherewith we love Chrift : I can exclude neither, for the fucceCs h here afcribed in the text, to Chris love to us 5 but there, our love to Chrift mutt he under(ood alto ; for what fhall feparate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or difiref, or perfcution, or fa- mine, or nakednefi, or. peril, or fword? Tribulation is not wont to draw God from loving us, but to draw us from loving of God : And in the text 'tis Caid, we are conquerors, not God is a conqueror: 'Tis we are affaulted, not Chrift 5 and 'tis our love which the temptation ftriketh at. Both mutt be included. Chrift bath hold of a believer in the arms of his love, and a believer bath hold of Chrift, t John,4, 14. Well then I 'tis faith, but faith worketh by love, Gal. 5. 6. Chrift is rather held by the heart, than the hand Only. Go to ahem that make a Religion of their opinions, and you will find no fuch effe& 5 if they have a faith, 'cis that that never went deeper than their brains and their fancies 5 but where Chrift dwelleth in the heart by faith, there he remaineth conlantly, Eph. 3. 17. and flitteth not thence 5 he refideth, as in his (bong cittadel and cattle. A Chri(ian, becaufe he loveth Chrift, he will not leave him; as a firmer will not leave his lofts and worldly profits, becaufe he loveth them. Faith reports the great love of Chrift, what he bath done to pacifie God, to bring home the fcnner; what in a way of fatisfaQìón, what in a way of converfon 5 therefore a Chriltian is loath to leave Chrift, who bath fo loved his foul, and whom his foul fo loveth. A bare belief is only in the head, which is but the entrance into the inwards of the foul; 'cis the heart is Chrilts cattle and cittadel :a fuperficial bare affent may let him go; but 'cis faith working by love, that produceth this clofe adherence. I come now in the fourth place, to the reafons, Why more than conquerors. t. On Gods part. 2. On the Believers part. I. On Gods part. The keeping of the Saints, is partly a matter of power 5 and partly, a- matter of care : now if God take the charge of us, finely we mu( be kept 5 for God is invincible in his power, and unchangeable in the purpofes of his love 5 or, which is all one, Chrift is mighty to fave, and ready to fave, Ifa. 63. s. I that Beak in righteoufnefs am mighty to fave. t. He is in Gods hand, and Chris hand, John to. 28, 29. 'give unto them eternal life, and they Atli never perifh, neither (hall any pluck themwout of my hand : my Father is greater than all,and none is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand. They may bave many fhakings, and r °flings, as to their Spiritual condition, yet their final perfeverance, till they come to eternal life, is certain. Surely, God and Chrif are invincibles 5 no other crea- ture bath any power, but what God gave them at fir(, and confequently may be taken away at -Gods pleafure, and is limited by him in the mean time : therefore though in themfelves they might fail, and be left for ever, yet his power and evetlafing arm is able to fuftain them: therefore nothing is to be feared, if God defert us not 5 they are in his band, that is, under his powerful proteRion. You will fay, while they keep clofe to God, 'nothing fhall ruin them; but God bath undertaken that, Jer. 32. 40. He mill put his fear into their hearts, that they fhall never depart from him. The whole bufinefs ofour falvation, and all the conditions of it, are in Gods hand; God feeing how man had wafted that flock of grace which he had put into his hands before the fall, refolveth to provide for him in time to come, to keep his heart and will in his own hand, and to guide it by his Spirit, that he might not hazard his elate any more, or be cheated of it by Satan. In mans re(itution after the fall, his elate is impaired with refpeft to the perfe&ion of it in this prefent life: he 'is bruifed in his heel with divers temptations, and lips into fin; but it is much better in regard of the firmnefs of it. Man having power in his own hands, loft it quickly, therefore now his whole falvatio,. is in Gods hands : both end, and way, and means, and all that conduceth thereunto, Col. Our life is hid with Chrift in God 5 not only in point of obfcurity, but fecurity5 not left any longer to our own keeping 5 'cis in fate hands. 2. As God is invincible in his power, fie he is unchangeable in the purpofes of his love ; for, according to his unchangeable nature, whom he loveth, he loveth to the end. His New - Covenant -gifts are without repentance, Rom. it. 29. The matter is made fure between
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