Ver. I 1. the 17th Chapter of Sc. J O H N. 145 Chrift by God's Command, as Médiator, God by Chris Merit; and therefore he that feparateth us from God, mull tug with Jefus Chri( himfelf, and be too hard for him al- fo, or else he can never pluck them out of his Hands. If they thould quetlion Chri [l'a Power, becaufe of the ignominy of the Crof, the Father's Hands are allo engaged for our greater Affurance, none is able to pluck them out of my Father's Hands; God never made a Creature that (hould be too hard for himfelf. 6. We do not plead for any wild Affurance, and certainty of Perfvetance. We do not fay, that he that negle &s Means, and grieves the Spirit, dó what he will, yet he is fure he (hall not miscarry'; that is again( the Nature of God's Qifpenfation, and the Nature of this Affurance, and therefore but a vain Cavil. (t.) it is againft the Nature of God's Difpenfation; for whom he maketh to perte. Vere, he maketh them perfevere in the ufe of Means. Hezeziah had affurance of Life for fifteen Years, yet he tab¿es a lump of Figs, and applies it as a Plaer to the Boil, Ira. 3& 5. compared with Verf 2 I. Or more clearly, All: 27.22. There,fball be no loft of any Man's Life among you, but only of the Ship. But yet, Verf. 3 t. Except the Ship-men abide in the Ship, ye cannot be flood. We are bound to get Food and Raiment, if we would live. It is the Devil's Divinity, Thou art Pure not to fall, therefore negle& Means ; it was Satan's Cavil againft God's Protestion over Chrift. . Mat. 4.6. If thou be the Son of God, cast thy felf down : for it is written, He fhall give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in thdr Hands they Pall bear thee up, left at any time thou dash thy Foot againfl a Stone. Thou learneft this Doârine from the Devil, thou may( do what thou wilt, thou art Cure to be Caved. (a.) it is againft the Nature of Affurance ; he that bath tafted God's Love, in God's way, cannot reafon fo. He that bath a good Father, that will not fee him perifh, (tall he wale and embezel his Elate he cares nót how ? A wicked Child may prefume thus of his Father, tho it be very ditïngenuous, becaufe of his natural Interef and Rela- tion to his Father; the Kit,dnefs which he expesteth, is not built on moral Choice, but Nature. But a Child of God cannot, becaufe he cannot grow up to this Certainty, but in the Exercife of Grace; this Certainty is begotten and nourilhed by Godly Exer- cifes. And the thing it felf implieth a contradi&ion, this were to fall away, becaufe we cannot fall away ; you may as foon fay, that the Fire (could make a Man frieze with Cold, as that certainty of Perfeverance in Grace, ( hould make a Man do Actions con- trary to Grace. 7. Again, We do not fay a Believer is fo Cure of his Confervation, in a {late of Grace, as that he needeth not be wary and jealous of himfelf. r Cor. 10. J a. Let hint that thinketh he fiandeth,take heed left he fall. There is a fear of Caution that is warrant- able. There is a difference between the weakning of the Security of the Fleth,and of our Confidence in Chrift. None more apt to fufpeçt themfelves, than they that are molt Cure in God, left by improvidence and unwatchfulnefs, they fhould yield to Corruption. Chrift had prayed, that Peter's Faith might not fail; yet together with the other Apo - files, he biddeth him watch, Luke 22. 40, and 46. The Fear of God is a preferving Grace, and taken into the Covenant. Jer. 32.40. I will never depart from them to do them good, and I will put my Fear into their Hearts, and they fbsall not á&part from me: God's Love will not let him depart from us, and Fear will not let us depart from God. This is a Fear that will ftand with Faith and Certainty ; it is a Fruit of the fame Spirit, and doth not hinder Affurance, but guard it : This is a Fear that maketh us watchful againft all Occafions to Sin, and Spiritual Di[lempers, that we may not give offence to God ; as an ingenious Man, that bath an Inheritance paffed over to him by,his Friend in Court, is careful not to offend him ; There is a cautelous and di[lrufful Fear. 8. ,Again ; This certainty of our [landing in Grace, doth not exclude Prayer : Luke 22. 46. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. PerCeverance, is God's Gift and it mutt be fought out in God's way, by Chri('s Interceffion, to preferve the Majer fly of God, and by our Prayer, that we conflantly profefs our dependance upon God, and renew our acquaintancewith him. Betides, by asking Ble(f ngs in Prayer, we are the more warned of our Duty ; it is a means to keep is Gracious and Holy. As thofe that (peak often to Kings, had need be decently clad, and go neat in their Apparel :tjp he that fpeaketh often to God, is bound to be more FÍoly, that he may be acceptable to bin. 9. Once mote, and .I have done with the fite of the Q.qe[lion. Ít is not a difcotï tinued, but a confiant PerCeverance that we plead for ; not as if a Child of God could be quite driven out of the flare of Grace; tho he be Caved at length; he catsnò T t t fall
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