146 An Expofition upon fe&s doe, lave true Chrillians. T I w. What things were con fideredin the tenth verfe? S I L. A threefold elate of Gods Children:the fir II is cfcorruption(they were enemies.) The fecond is of grace : they are juftified and reconciled. The third is of glory : they (hall bee Paved. There is a fourth not named here; to wit,theelate of innocency by creation. Every true Child of God muff paffe through all thefe. T I M. What elfo is to bee con fdered here? SIL. A twofold eflate of Chrifl;one of humiliation,(he was dead:) The fècond of exaltation,(he now liveth.) In the former et/ate, Chrift merited for us, as our High-Priefl; in the latter, he effe&t- eth and applyeth unto us al his merits as a King, dayly working and bringing us towards the falvation once merited. T ea. What doe yee gatherfrom thit? S I L. This comfort:that true belees vers which have their fins forgiven them by Chrift, they have good hope that they (hall certainly be Caved : the reafon is plain;for it Chrift by the merit of his death being beleevcd in;could Pet the e- le&(being enemies)in the Elate of Salva- tion:now that he liveth,fitrely he is able by his power to fet them (being friends and reconciled) in the pofíeflìon of fal- vation. Secondly, from hence are reproved fuch as fay, that true beleevers may fall from grace and perifh : A lfo, filch as teach,that they ought continual- ly to doubt of their falvation, as the Pa- pifls doe teach.Laflly,it reproveth Gods Children whichdce yeeldto doubtings of their own falvation.For this is an in- juryunto Chrifl,as if he were not firong enough to fave'them, whom he was fttf- ffcient to reconcile. This is a moll excel- lent, place for the infallible (not proba- ble and conje&ural,as Romanifis (peak) certainty of glory, and perfeverance in grace. Laftly,we are taught by example of our heavenly Father, to make atone- ment with our enemies, Die ocuE IX. Verfe I I. And notfo one y : but wee rejoice concer- ning God, by le* Chriff our Lord, by whom wee have received the atone- ment. VV TIMOTHEus. Hat doth this Text offer unto ut? St L. An amplification of that which was faid before in the third verfe of this Chapter,to which it mull be joyned af- ter this fort. He had faid verfe 2. Wre re- joyce under the hope of glory. Then verfe third,he added a corre&ion ; Not fo, but wee rejiyee elfo in tribulations. Now in the eleventh verfe,he joyneth a third mem- ber of glorying or rejoycing, And not onelyJo, but tree rejoice concerning God through Je f us Cbri fl our Lord. The fum whereof is thus much; feting wee have God reconciled unto us by Chrift;even unto our certain and affured falvation in heaven ; we rejoyce not in our hope ofglory to come,nor in affiftions pre - Cent, but efpecially in the know ledge and faith of this great grace and favour of God the Father unto us through his Son. T t Et. What be the parer of this Text? Si L. Firft,a duty,to rejoyce. Second - ly,the caufe hereof, becaufe God is re- conciled and become our Father in Chriff. Thirdly, the means how wee attain this reconcilement, in that we re- ceive it; to wit, by our faith in Chriff. This rejoycing is a fpeciall good thing, and it is as itwere,the very life ofa mans life. T I M. How many kinds of rejoycings be there? S I L. There is a naturall rejoycing common unto all men when the heart is cheared, either by an inbred livelines, or by outward occafions, as in the pre- fence of things pleafant or agreeable to I our nature. This rejoycing is not meant here. Alto there is a fpirittiall and Che i- ftian kind of rejoycing, which arileth from the (pint of God, furring up the heart to rejoyce in fpiaîtuall $c heavenly thin s,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=