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Continency
of
Prom:
of Peri
Exhortations to
the
ufe
of
meanes.
C.XII.
danger
or
potf
blity
offalling
;away,
and tend
diret7ly to
prevent or extin¢uifb
all
271
feare in
men
of
any
loch
danger;
therefore
fuck
Exhortations
are
in their
Nature
andgenuine import, contrary
to
flick
Frómifes
in
theirs,
and
confequently
can
be
no meanes
of
bringing them
to paffe.
4nf.
i.
Exhortations are not
fo
properly the
measles
whereby
the
Promifes
are
accomplifhed,
as
the
meanes
whereby the things mentioned
in
the
Promifes
are wrought; God by, and
through
them, ftirring
up,
thole
Graces,
which
he promifes
to
work;
continue, and
to
increafe
in his
Saints.
2.
Exhortations divine,
mutt be
fo
apprehended
as
to
be fubfervient
to
an End
, in
refpe&
ofGod,
fore
knowne and determined; 'Tis
true,
we
Exhort
men
(or may)
to
thofe things
of
whole Event
we
are wholly tin-
certaines
but to God
this
cannot be
afcribed: He
doth
fore -know,
and
bath fore
-
determined
the
End
and
Iffue
that
every
one
of
his
Exhorta-
tions
fhall
have; and therefore
fuch a
nature
and no
other
is
to
be
afcribed
to them,
as is
confiftent
with,
and fubfervient
to,
a
determined
end.
3.
To
the
confirmation
of
his
Minor Propofition,
the
Anfwer
is
eafie,
from the confideration;
firft
of
the
end
of
the Exhortations
infifted
on
unto
Perfeverance; And
then
of
the
Promifes
of
Perfeverance, themfelves; which
are no
way
incontinent therewith: For
the
firft,
(I
fay)
thofe Exhortations
take
heed
leafs
there
be
in
you
an
evill heart
of
unbeliefe,
and the like, are
not
given
to
ingenerate
a
feare
of
falling away, (which
is a
thing
in
it
felfe
evill
and
oppofite
unto that
fledfatneffe
of
Faith, and
full Affürance, which
we
fhould
preffe
unto,
fo
farreis it
from
any
At
of
Faithful!
Obedience,
that
God
fhould aime
to
worke
in
the hearts
of
his,
and
apply meanes
thereunto)
but
only to beget an
holy Care
and
Diligence in
them to
whom they are made
or
given for
the
tiling
.ofthe
meanes
appointed
ofGod,for
the avoiding
of
the
evill`threatned to
follow upon a negleft
of
them;
which
direly
falls in
and
fweetly confpires
withthe
End,
and
Vfe
of
the
Promifes
of
Perfeverance
by
us
urged and
infifted
upon. Nothing
is
imported
by them,
but
only
the con-
nexion
that
is
between the things mentioned
in
them:
as
unbeliefe,
and
re=
jec`tion
from God.
This God
aimes
at
in thofe
Exhortations,
in
their parti.,
cular
refped
unto
Believers,
that
by
them,
they may be furred up
to
the ufe
of
thofe
meanes, which he
hath appointed
for
them, to be
by
them preferved
in
the
Grace, and
Mercy which
he
bath
infallibly promifed
to
continue
to
them.
And
.q..
The
end
of
the Promifes
of
Perfeverance
on which we have
in-
fitted, being
their
mixing with
Faith
to
eftablifh
the
foules
of
the
Saints,
in
believing the
kindneffe and Faithfulneffe
ofGod
in his
Covenant
in
Jefus
Chrift, they
do
not takeaway, nor
prevent
all
danger ofperilhing, and
fo
confequently
not
that
feare
in any
meafure which
nines
them up
fo
to
the
ufe
of
meanes
that
they
may
not
perifh,
but
only
are effeftuall for their deli-
verance
out
of
thofe dangers
which
are
a
pt and able
of
themfelves
to
de,
ftroy
them:
As
our
Saviour himfelfe praies
for them john
17,
15.
I
pray not
that
thoufhoulde
.11
take them
out
of
the
world(wherewhilft they are they
will
be
fure
to
meet with dangers and perplexityes enough)
but
that
thostAmide
.fl
keepe
them
from
the
evil,
wherewith
they
mutt
reckon-
to
be exercifed..There
is
not then
the
leaft
contrariety,
or
diverteAfpett, between
the
Atffùrance
of
Faith about the
end,
which
the
Promifes
tend unto,
and the
care
and
Godly
feare about
the
meones
inftituted and appointed with
refpe&
to the end,
which
Exhortations do
beget
,
and
will
notwithftanding
thofe
Promi-
fes.
5.
The