213 / 504
Cloafe
of
the
Argument
from
the
Promifesof
God.
CAP. VI.
4:37.
Believers,
and
thatxheü
may be
fure,that
they
fhail
be preferved
to
the
enjoy-
ment
of
?
When
he
telleth
then) they !ball
not
peril"), Is
that
not.pe
tithing,
not to
be
call
out
of
Heaven,w hen they
come'thither?Not
to
be deprived
of
e-,
ternall
Life,
after they have
entered into
the
fulneffe
of
it
?
Or
rather
that
they
(hall
not
file,
or
come
thort
of
it,
and
fo porifh?
And this
is
that
which
the
power
ofFather,
and
Sonne
,
is
engaged
to
accomplifh
5
namely,that
Be-
lievers perifh
not
by coming
thort
of
that
Eternall
Life,
Which
is
the
bufineffe
ofChrifl
to
give
unto them.
Ifany
one Keafon
ofwaight
or importance,
that
bath the
leáft pregnancy
with
Truth,
beoffered
to
the contrary;
we (hall
re-
nounce and (hake
offthe
power
of
the former Reafons
,
which we have infi-
fled on, though without offering
the greateft
violence imaginable
to Truth it
felfe, it
cannot be done.
It
is
Paid,
that
by thefe words ,
They
heare
my
voce;
and
follow mee,
Chrifi
cloth
intimate,'
or include
their
l'erfeverance:
to
fay
a
thing
is
intimated
or
included,
is
offmall
power againft
fo
many expreffe Reafons,
as
we
have induced to the contrary
5
but
will this be
granted, that
where e-
ver
the
Saints
are laid
to heare the
vóyce
of
Chrift, Perfeverance
is
included?
We
(hall
quickly have
a
frefh fupply
of
Scripture proofes, for the
demonftra-
tion
of
the
Truth
in
hand:
but
what
attempt
is
made;
for
the
proofe
hereof?
Ït
is
fo, becaufe
the
words
immediatly following
are,
Z
give
to
them eternali
Life, which prefuppofe
their
finali Perfeveranee5
and this
muff
be
fo,
becaufe
it
is
/o
raid;
i
ivillgive
to
them
Eternall Life,
is
either an
intimation
of
what be
cloth for
the prefent, by giving them
a
fpirituall
Life in himfelfe,or
a
Promife
he
will
doe
fo,
with refpelt
to
eternall
Life
confummated in heaven
5
which
Promife
is
every where made
Upon'
Believing
:
and
it
is
a
Promifè
of
Perfeve-
rance,
not given
upon
Perfeverance.
Neither
is
there
any
thing
added
in
the
words following,
to
confirme this
uncouth 'wrefting
of
the
mind
of
oúr
Sa-
viour,
but
only
the
Affertion
is
repeated,
that
God
will defend
them
in
Heaven
again
/l
all
oppofition.
Here,
where
their
oppofitions
are
innumerable, they
may
thtft for themfelves
,
but
when they come
to
Heaven,
where,
they thall
be
lure
to
meet with no oppofrtion
at
all
;
there the Lord hath engaged
his
Almighty power for
their
fafety, againft all
that
!hall
arife up againft
them;
and this
is
(as
is
Paid)
the natural)
,
and cleare
difpòfition
of
the
Context in
this place,
but,
Nobis
non licet
mac.
There
are fundry
other
texts
of
Scripture,
which
molt
clearely
and evil
dently
confirme
the truth
we have in
hand,which are all well worth our con-
fideration, for our confolation and eftablithment :
as
alto fomething
of
bur
labour
and diligence
to quit
them from thofe
glolfes
and
interpretations,
(which
mine
them
afide
from
their proper intendment) that
are by fume
put
upon
them
.
Amongff-
which
1
Cor.
r.
8,9.
T.
Philip.
6.
r
Thef
5,24.
74.
5,
24.
ought
to
have
place. But becaufe Twill
not
infili
long on any particulars,
of
our Argument
from
the
Promifes
of
God, here
fhallbe an end,
CAP.
vv.
157