Shepard - BT378 T4 S44 1660

~ ----------- 2.,10 _, T'he'Parableofthe ·1 Copc/u.z. I z. That the Lord ]efus rhe fecond A dam !hnding and riring in rhe room o1 .all his people, hence he doth c0nvey ~nd.propag~te ro all his polteriry rbe immu- ' table and conlhnt affi[hnce ~nd prefence of his Spirir, whereby being once bel l gone. ~ of htm, & called eo btm,rhey 11~ver aFt_erward eepart from bim.And thorgh we~k m rhemfelve>, yet affi~led b~ thts Spmt, do. nor, cannot depart wickedly •gam. Th~ Lord Jefus havmg flood, rhey cannot fall, becaofe by verrue of his ' !hnding r~ey have this prefence ef the_ ~oly Ghott, John 14.I 9· Becaufel live, lrn rhal!lwealfo. ]ohn6.57. AsthelwmgFather fent me, andilivebyhim &c. Cone!. 3• .. , Ch~ifl llanding next to the Father, lives by him ; we Handing nexc ro Chrifl 'live as inf~Ilibly by him. And I fay the ground is Chritls itandin~. For rhouoh there be many reafons why rl1e Saints can never f~ll from Chritt, ~s the Spi~ir of Grace, Covenam of Grace, Interceffion of Chnt! , yet . the m.un around is Ch_rifls fiandi~lg wichout the leafr fall f:om the ful_filling ?f the firH Covenant, whtch we havmg thefirtl moment ofbehevmg kept m Chntt, hence the Spirit is given, and the Coven~n_t o!Gr~e, of flreng~h. And hence Rqm. 5 ;-n. & v. I 7 , I8. And hence rhe Spmt ts fatd to dwell m Behevers, Rm1.8.I I, And we are rhe Temples of the Spirit, whether he dwell in them in hisperfon perfonally, . the well is here deer, but he dwells in rhem fo as he never ce.tferh affifiino of , them, fo that rhey cannot depart from the Lord again; hence 1[11·59·21· My \ Spirit Jh11ll not ~ep~rt from thy Seed. Jshn I4• 'Ti~ called the Spirit th~~t abides · for ever. le knm the foul to the Lord, and keeps tt fo for ever : Never fuffers 1 than love-knot to be untied again. When the foul i~ weak, the Spirit helps him when carelef~ of it felf, the Spirit keeps him, though the foul offers ro run fro;. the Lord, yet this Spirit follows him; though he grieves the Spirit, yer this Spirit !till keeps his own houfe, will ftot depart from him; and fo not fuffer the foul to depart from th~:.:Lord. And this is the reafon why the Saints never fall · from the Lord, though they have ;veak G'race, poor beginnings, many !ins, and A dam !tood not, though with the perfeCt. Image of God upon him, bccaufe he had nor this Spirit yet gi.ven; though he had the Spirit of God, yet not this Spirit, which Come c~ll the Spirit of Adoption giwen to him, becaufe he had not fulfilled the firfl Covenant; which we in Cllr.ifl have, which is not only the around o£. our never falling, but of .alfl\rancewe !hall never fall. For what breaks ~mans pcace~frer Faith? Apparitionof !in in the Confcie!'lce: What makes thanerrible? TheLaw. Now ;Vben I fee ~n Chri!l, I have kept all rhingsin the L1w, not only the cry and accufations of the.ta\'v .and fin are tlilled, but alfo there arifeth a holy bo\dnefs and confidence and:Joy, even before the face of an ~,~ngry ·God, E. ph. 3. I z. And as foul and. body are ever knit, fo .here , c!;·c. .' . 3· This Spirit rhus a!ft!ting, no unregenerate man-ever harh.I fpeak not now of l<eeping the foul from falling from Grace, bUt from Chritt. 1. 13ecauferheSpirirofSmn fills them, !:re 1sthefrrong man thatkeepsrhe Palace, 11nder whole Kingdom >~nd powerrhey 11re; and tberef0re this Spiric which dettroyes the Kingdom of Satan is not iR them. 2. Becaufechis was a Prerogative that Atlmn had nor; though he had great Gifts and Glory orherwife:. So dns is' noc t·he Gift which is given unto · rhem. · , · 3• !Bedufe 1his arifeth • and {nerefore is given becaufe Chrifl: .. ttood, and therefore'lhere<he nev~r {tOQd for, r(ifefor, fuffercd for, never have tt. '4·· 'lf.herefore wr: !hall fee in ·· exEeritace, take the bell Profelfors living, though they ma)' come, .as they and·others ;uillged; to rhe Lord, and follow rlie Lord, ):et they will1n time depanc, {omtitne outwardly, John 6;64. Thmbe fame 6f )0_U ~h;tt believe not. see them, v.66. And why did they depart? It WM notgivmt'bem,/ftlte Fathtr. 'f.heSpillitnevcr was g!veneffe6tually eo draw them, ·nor )'et oo keep them. · · ·1 I

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