48 A Commentary r'on tbeGo¡Jel Chap.3. power ofrecovering themfelves ant of the devils (Hare; which is 1, Tim. 2.z3, aconformity to the devils condition. This their covering there- fore is too (fort. Chris Fan is in his hand to Juke out the precious Jer.rf. from the vile ; and the Minifters of Chrifl muff feparate ( 2 s the Prietls of old did ) the clean from the unclean,drive the chaffone ter,a;.zs, way, and the wheat another: For What is the chair to the *beat, filth the .Lcrd ? See this enjoyned them, Ifa. 3. t o, I I . Zaing. lies, as in his publike lectures, he would very (hot ply rebof e SculCCC.arnat. finue ; fo ever and anon he would come in with this pro- vifo, Probe vir, hac nihil ad re, This is nothing to thee, thou godly man. He knew that he could not beat the dogs,but the chil- dren would be ready to cry, whom therefore he comforted. i eArndhe Will thorowly purge hisfloor ] That is, his Church, cal- led Godsthrefhing floor in Ifaias, becaufa ufually threfht by God with the flail ofaffltcion. That isone way, whereby the Lord Chrift Both purge his people, and f.parate between the Sonne that he loves, and the fin that he hates.. Thishe doth alfo by his Cor.6,r r. Word and Spirit:Sanliifying themby his truth,hiuWord is truth,Jph. 17. And f ch Were f n:eofyou,but ye areWafhed,but ye are juiifi:d,trat ye arefanitifiedin the Name ofour Lord Iefras Chrifl,andby the Sprit ofoar god. Thus Chrifi pargeth his floor here inceatively and in part, hereafter thorowly and in all perfè&ion. In all which we may obferve ( faith a Divine) this difference betweenChrift and the tempter. Chrifi bathhis fan in his hand, and he fanneth us the devilbath a five in his hand, and he (ifteth us. Now a fan ca- fiat: out the wortl, andkeepeth in the bell : a five keepeth i the wort}, and caflethout the bell. Right fo Chriff ( and his trials) purgeth chaff and corruption out of us, and rouriiheth and incrcafeth his graces in us. Contrariwife, the devil, what evil foever is in us, he confirmeth it ; what faith or other good t"k.zI.; t. thing foever, he weakneth it. But Chft hath praid for his °"'`',?x` ' ( though never fohard laidat) that their faith fail not, and gi aufonent notat verb them in timeof fanning, b£rrcnti- to fall low at his feet, as wheat, ,,,an,, quæ ina- when the wicked, as light chaff, are ready to flee in his face, as nibx &genibua murmuring at their hard meafure, with thofe mifcreants in the fat,nanc.io aura wilderneffe. ifesendo, nun' nd gather his Wheat into the garner_ ] Mali in etrea nod;fcam ab :;ro larete etc pojfrnt,}nhorreo non?Twit. an The wickedmay be with us is adaitera a agí- Aq a. cuter tottl:e Citynofthetlamb, any that deafleth,or4that' v, orketh ii
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