134 / 504
C
A
P.I1 i.4
:
;9.
The
fame Matter
farther ptirfued.
78
worth
contending about.An
Expreffion
paralleli
to that
of
the
fame Apoftle
Rom.
9.1I.
That the
Purpofe
of
God
according
to Election
might
fland;
Both this
and
that hold out
fome
Eternal'
A&
of
God,
differencing
betweene
perfons,
as
to their
Everlafting condition.
As
if
the
Apoftle
had
faid,
you
fee indeed
that
Hymenreue
and
Philetus
are
fallen away, and
that
others, with
whom
you
fometimes
walked
in
the Communion and outward
fellowfhip
ofthe
Go-
fpell,
and
tooke
fweet
Counfell
together in
the
Houle
of
God
with
them,. are
gone after
them; yet be
you
(true
Believers)
of
good
Comfort: God
hath
layd a Foundation
(which tnuft
be
fotne
Eternall
A&
of
his,
concerning them
of
whom he
is
about
to;fpeake:
or the
folemne Afïertion
ofthe
Apoftle,
then
which you
(hall
not
eafily
meet with one more weighty,
is
neither to the
Cafe, nor
matter
in
hand)
which
is
firme and abiding,
(being the
good plea-
fure
of
his Will,
accompaniedwith an
A&
of
his
Wifdome
and Underftanding)
appointing
fome(as
is
the
cafe
of
all
True
Believers)to be his,who
fhall
be
ex-
empted
on
that
account
,
from
the
Apoftafie
and defertion,
that
you feare.
This
faith
the
Apoflle,
is
the fountaine and
fpring
of
the
difference,
which
is
among them
that
profeffe
the
Gofpell.
Concerning
fume
of
them,
is
the
Purpofe
of
God for
their prefervation:
7hey
are
ordained
to
Eternal/Life. And
herein (as was
faid)
lyes
the Concernement
of' all
that are
True
Believers,
who are
all
his, chofen
of
him, given
to
his
Sonne,
and Called according
to
his
Purpofe; with others tis not
fo,
they
are not built on
that bottome,
they
have no
filch
foundation
of
their Profeffion; and it
is
not
therefore
marve-
lous,
if
they fall.
4.39.
The
words
thencentaine an
Exception
of
True
Believers
from
the
danger
oftotall
Apoftafie,
upon the account
of
the fiable,
fixed,
Eternall Purpofe
of
God
concerning
their
Salvation, anfwerable
to
that
of
Rom.8.
28,29,3o.the
place laft confidered.
The
Foundation
here mentioned,
is
the
good
Pleafereof
the
Will
ofGod,which
he
hadPurpofed
in
him himfelfe,or
determined to
exert
towards
them,
for the
praife
of
the Glory
of
his
Grace.
Eph.I.g.According
to
which
Purpofe
we are
Predeflinated. v. I
i.
And he
calls
this
Purpofe
the
Foun-
dation
of
God, as
being
a groundworf¿e,
and
bottome
of
the thing, whereofthe
Apoftle
is
treating;
namely the
Prelervation and
Perfeverance
ofTrue
Belie-
vers, thofe who are indeed planted
into
Chrift, notwithstanding
the
Apofta-
fie
of
the moft Glorious
Profeffours,
who being not within
the
compaffe
of
that
Purpofe,
nor built on
that
Foundation,
never attaine
that
peculiar Grace,
which
by
Jefus
Chriftis to
them adminiftred,
who have
that
Priviledge. And
this
further
appeares by
the
Confirmation
ofthe
certainty
of
this
Foundation
of
God,
which
he hath layd,'manifefted
in
the next words:
it
hath thisfeale,
theLord
knower
who
are his.
Whether
ye
will take
this for
a
Demonftration
of
the former
Affertion,
either
a
pof eriori,
from the peculiarLove,Favour, Ten-
dernefle, and care,
which
the
Lord beares
to
them which
are
his,
who are built
on the
Foundation mentioned, whereby, in the purfuit
of
his
Eternal!
Pur-
pole,
he
will
certainely preferve them from perishing,
knowing, owning,
and
taking
care
o
fthem in
every
Condition:
or for the
Preference
of
God,
accompli
-
fhing
his
Eternal! Purpofe,
defigning
them
of
whom he
fpeakes,
as
his,(for
his
they
were,
and he gave them unto Chrift)
is
to
indifferent.
Evident it
is
that
thisConfirmation
of the
Purpofementioned,
is
added to
affure us
of
the
¡lability and
accomplishment
ofit;
in
that
none, who are built thereon;
or
concerned therein,
(hall fall
away. And herein
doth the
Apoflle
fully Anfwer
and remove
the
fore
mentioned Obje
&ion:
Let men
(faith
he)
appeare ne-
ver
fo
eminent
in profeffion,
Ifonce they
proove
Apoflates,
they
manifeft
themfelves
to
have been
but
Hypocrites;
that
is,
filch
as
never had any
of
the
Faith
of
Gods
Elect,which
is
their
peculiar,whó
are
Ordained
to
Eternall
Life.
This