351 / 504
Certainty
of Prom.
confiftent
with
the
Me
3r
end
of
Threatnings.
CXII.
Thirdly, that
eternall
death and
deftruetion
is
not the
only
fubjed
of
dod's`.hreatnings,nor all
the
evil
that
they
may
have
a
feare of,whom he
eals
withal! by
them;
Defertion,
Rejection, Rebukes, tharpe and
keene
ar-
rowes,blowes of
Gods hand,
Temporali death
it
felfe, with
the
like,
arealfa
threatned;yea and
fo
often
in an
eminent and dreadful! manner, have been
inflicted,
that though
they might be fuppofed
to
have
alwayes
Tome
comfor-
table
Aflùrance
of
Deliverance
from
the
wrath
that is
to come,
yet
the
Threat-
magi
of
God
may be fuited
to beget
in
them this
feare
of
evill
to
Inch
an
heighth,as
may make
their
bowels to
flow liketwater,rottenneffe
to
enter into
their
bones
and alltheirjoynts
to
tremble.
Fourthly, that the
end
of
the
Threatnings
of
God,
being
to
difcouer
to
men
the
connexion
that
is
by
his
Appointment, between
the
finnes exagitated
and
thepunifhment
threatned,
whence the,Feare mentioned
doth
confequently
infue,
they may
obtaine their
full &
primary effëft,though
that
Feare be
not
ingenerated,
If
they be prevailed on,by
any
other
Confìderations,
fo
that
the
finne
be
avoided.
Fiftly,
that
when
The
Saints
do
walke
orderly, regularly,and
clofely
with
God, in
the
ufe
ofineanes
by him
'appointed,and
fo
doing, from
the
Promifes
of
Perfeverance do receive
a
comfortable
Affurance
that
they than be
kept
by thepowerof
God
through
Faith
unto
salvation,
the
begetting
in
them
of
Feares
of
Death
and
Hell,
is
neither
ufefull
in
it
felfe,nor
are they intended
of
God
to
be their portion.But
ifiat any
time they
turn
a
fide
from
the
holy Com-
mandement,
and thereby
faile
ofthe
perfwafion
of
their Perfeverance (as
their
Faith
will
be
by
fuch meanes
impaired) though the certainty
of
the
thing it
felfe
be
no
leffe
infallible
than
formerly, yet
by
the Threatnings
of
God to
them it may be
needful],
to
rouze them
(by
the terrours
of
the Lord
in them)" from
the Condition whereinto they have
caft themfelves.
I
doubt not but
that
from
the light
of
there and the like Confederations
which might
farther be
infifted
on, it
will appeare
that there
may
be, and
is
an
harmonious continency between the
Promifes
and
Threatnings
of
the
Scripture, notwithftanding the mitt
that
is
raifed
in
a
long and tedious
Dif
courfe,
to interrupt the
evidence thereof:
In
the
13
SeEtion,
under pretenceofAnfwering an
Objedìon,
a
long
Dif-
4.57
eourfe
is
drawen forth farther to
varnifh
over
what
was
before fpoken,
No-
thing ofirnportance
to
my
ben
obfervation
being
added; It
may
be reduced
to
there foure heads.
Firft
an
Affertion,
-hat
the Threats againfi
Apofìary do
not
helonl.
to Hypo-
crites;
that
is,
to
t
hens
that
are not
really
Regenerate, let
their
profeffion be
what
it
will ; for
Hypocrites ought
not
to Perfevere
in
the
way
wherein
they
are
to
the
end,
and
therefore there is
no
danger
of
theirfalling
away-
from
it:
Which
is a
Ridiculous peiceofSophiflry;
For though they may not
be
exhorted
to
con-
tinue
in
their
Hypocrify
which
corrupts and
Vitiates
their
profeffìon, yet
they
may
ih
theirpro
fefon,which
in
it
felfe
is
good. And though
there
is
no dan
-
ger ofleaving
their
Hypocrifÿj
yet
there
is
of
their
waxing
worfe
andworfe
by
falling from
the
beginnings
Of
Grace
which
"they
have received,the profef-
ffon
which
they
have made, and
the
Regular Converfation
which they have
entred
"upon
; So
that
norwithftanding
any
thing
fayd
to the contrary, the
comminations
underconfideration
may principally belong
to
foure
kind
of
profeflours,
who notwithftanding
all
their
guifts and common Graces which
they have
received, yet in a large fence
may
be termed
hypocrites,
as
they
are
oppofed
to them who have received the
Spirit,
with
true
and
rating
Grace.
Secondly he
faies
it
is
evident
that
they'
belong
unto true
Believers
from
Heb.
6.4, 5,6, and
9.
and
Heb.
to.
26,27, and
29.
but if
there
were no
better
evi-
dence
295