able and unreproveable in God's fight ", but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is fincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections*. VII. Works done by unregenerate men, although, for the matter of them, they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others: yet, because they he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh. "Job ix. 20. If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me; if I say, I am perfect, it shall alfo prove me perverse. Pfal. exliii. 2. And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy fight shall no manliving bejustified. *Heb. xiii. 20. Now, the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, V. 21. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleafing in his fight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 2 Cor. viii. 12. For if there be first a will ing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. Heb. vi. 10. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have miniftered to the faints, and do minifter. Mat. xxv. 21. His lord faid unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. V. 23. His Tord faid unto him, Well done, good and faithful fervant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. VII. Ya Kings x. 30. And the Lord faid unto Jehu, Because thou haft done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and haft done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall fit on the throne of Ifrael. V. 31. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Ifrael with all his heart: for he departed not from the fins of Jeroboam, which made. Ifrael to fin. 1 Kings xxi. 27. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in fackcloth, and went softly. tly. V. V. 29. Seeft thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his fon's days will I bring the evil upon his house. Phil. i. 15. Some indeed preach Chrift even of envy and strife; and fome also of good will. V. 16. The one preach Chrift of contention, not fincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds. V. 18. What then? notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Chrift is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. E Gen. they proceed not from an heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore finful, and cannot please God, or inake a man meet to receive grace from God. And yet their neglect of them is more finful, and displeasing unto Godd. 1 Gen. iv. 5. But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not refpect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. With Heb. xi. 4. By faith Abel offered unto God amore excellent facrificethan Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh. V. 6. But without faith it is impoffible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. * 1 Cor. xiii. 3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Ifa. i. 12. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? b Matth. vi. 2. Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not found a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward. V. 5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward. V. 16. Moreover, when ye faft, be not as the hypocrites, of a fad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they CHAP. may appear unto men to faft. Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward. Hag. ii. 14. Then answered Haggai, and faid, Sois thispeople, and so is this nation before me, faith the Lord; and fo is every work of their hands, and that which they offer there is unclean. Tit. i. 15. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and confcience is defiled. Amos v. 21. I hate, I despise your feaftdays, and I will not fmell in your folemn assemblies. V. 22. Though ye offer me burnt-offerings, and your meat-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beafts. Hosea i. 4. And the Lord faid unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Ifrael. Rom. ix. 16. So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. Tit iii. 5. Not by works of righteouf ness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost d Pfal. xiv. 4. Have all the work ers of iniquity no knowledge who eat up my people as they ea bread, and call not upon the Lord Plal. xxxvi. 3. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wife, and to do good. Job xxi. 14. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us: for we defire not the know ledge of thy ways. V. 15. What is the Almighty, that we should ferve him? and what profit should we have if we pray unto him? Mat. xxv. 41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. V. 42. For Iwas an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; V. 43. I was a stranger, and ye took menot in;: naked, and ye clothed me not; fick, and in prifon, and ye visited me not. V. 45. Then shall he answer them, faying, Verily, I fay unto you, In as much as ye did it not to one of the leaft of these, ye did it not to me. Mat. xxiii. 23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharifees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. mouth CHAP. XVII. Of the Perseverance of the Saints.. T HEY whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effec tually called and sanctified by his Spirit,, can- neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly perserve therein to the end, and be eternally faved.. II. This perfeverance of the faints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and interceffion I. Fail. i. 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun. a good work in you, of will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. i. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election fure: for if ye do these things ye shall never fall. John x. 28. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. V. 29. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all: and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 1 John iii. 9. Whofoever is born of God doth not commit fin, for his feed remaineth in him and he cannot fin, because he is born of God. 1. Pet. i. 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. V. 9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the falvation of your fouls. II. 2 Tim. ii. 18. Who concerning the truth have erred, faying, That the refurrection is paft already; and overthrow the faith of fome. V. 19. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this feal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Chrift depart from iniquity. Jer. xxxi. 3. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an E3 ever of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the feed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindnefs have I drawn thee. Heb. x. 1o. By the which will we are fanctified, through the offering of the body of Jefus Chrift once for all. V. 14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them thatare fanctified. Heb. xiii. 20. Now, the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlafting covenant, V. 21. Make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleafing in his fight through Jesus Chrift; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Heb. ix. 12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. V. 13. For if the blood of bulls, and ofgoats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, fanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; V. 14. How much more shall the blood of Chrift, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your confcience from dead works to serve the living God? V. 15. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new teftament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the tranfgreffions that were under the first teftament, they which are called might receive the promife of eternal inheritance. Rom, viii. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: V. 34. Who is he that condemnth? It is Christ that died, yea her, that is rifen again, who is of even at the right hand of God, who also maketh interceffion for us. V. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Chrift? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? V. 36. (As it is written, For thy fake we are kill. ed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the flaughter.) V. 37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. V. 38. For I am perfuaded, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor thingstocome, V. 39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jesus our Lord. John xvii. And now I am no more in the world; but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou haft given me, that they may be one, as we are. V. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory which thou haft given me for thou lovedft me before the foundation of the world.. Luke xxii. 32. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren. Heb. vii. 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that comeunto Godby him, feeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. d John xiv. 16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may of grace: from all which arifeth also the certainty and infallibility thereof 1. III. Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their prefervation, fall into grievous fins &; and for a time continue therein: whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve his abide with you for ever; V. 17. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it feeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 1 John ii. 27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you; and ye need not that any man teach you: but, as the fame anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lye; and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. John iii. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit fin, for his feed remaineth in him: and he cannot fin, because he is born of God. Jer. xxxii. 40. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. f John x. 28. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. a Theff. iii. 3. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. I John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifeft that they were not allef us. : III. & Matth. xxvi. 10. But he denied before them all, faying, I know not what thou sayeft. V. 72. And again hedenied with an oath, I do not know the man. V. 74Then began he to curse and to swear, faying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. h Pfal. li. (the title.) To the chief musician, A pfalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. V. 14. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my falvation: and my tongue shall fing aloud of thy righteousness. i Ifa. Ixiv. 5. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth, for we have finned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. V. 7. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirréth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and haft consumed us, because of our iniquities. V. 9. Be not wroth very fore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, fee, we befeech thee, we are allthy people. 2 Sam. xi. 27. And when the mourning was past, David fent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a fon; but the thing that David had done difpleased the Lord. E4 Er |