Emphaticum quoque illud quod in Greco textu hæc verbaò di tris mons xeos, conjunguntur cum fequentibus autos na Tanoo oftendit e αυτός καταρησαι : nim Apoftolus ex eodem gratiz fonte et primam ad gloriam Coeleftem vocationem et ultimain hujus beneficii confum

you, you may be affured that he wil confirm, ftrengthen, and fettle you: Gods Calling-Grace, doth allure us of his Confirming-Grace; he that hath called you unto eternal Glory. Even He, (als, is Emphatical, and omitted in the English to be read thus; The God of all Grace, who bath called you, &c.) he himself establish you, &c. But our fufferings do ftil abound; for we are a difperfed People. Be it fa; yet your Sufferings are but a Modicum, a little, air, both in regard of meafure and time; and after you have thus fuffered, a little, and a little while, the God of al Grace wil restore, stablish, ftrengthen, and fettle you. This have I prayed for you. So that the Doctrine from the Verfe, is this:

mationem provenire. Gerard.

DOCT.

It is a great Bleẞing of God, and worthy of all our Prayer, to be Eftablished, and Setled in the Truth, and Good Waies of God. Setling Grace and Mercy, in oppofition both to outward and inward trouble, is a great Mercy, and well worth praying for.

It is a great Mercy, and Bleffing, to be outwardly ferled. The Apostle fpeaks here, in reference to that oppofition and hatred which they met with from the world in fcattering them, as a People, and as a Church; for faith he, verfe 9. Be ftedfaft in the Faith, knowing that the fame Afflictions are accomplished in your Brethren that are in the world: As alfo in reference to thofe Temptations of Satan which they labored under; for faith he, verfes. Your Adverfary the Devil, as a roaring Lyon, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. So that I fay,

I It is a great Mercy, for a Nation, and State to be fetled.

2 A Mercy, and great Blessing, for a Church to be fetled.

3 A

great Bleßing, and Mercy, for a Particular. Soul to be fetled in the good VVaies of God.

Firft: It is a great Mercy, and Bleffing, for a Nation, or Kingdom to be in a fetled Eftate and Condition, outwardly for it is the Mercy promited; and promifed Mercies, are no imal Mercies. Now the Lord promifeth to his People, when he deals with them in a way of Mercy, to fettle and establish them, Jer. 24. 6. For I will fet mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land, and I will build them, and not pull them down, and I wil plant them, and not pluck them up. So chap. 32. verfe 37. And I will caufe them to dwel fafely; yea, verfe 41. I will rejoyce over them, to do them good, and I will plant them in this Land affuredly, with my whol heart, and with my whol foul. This alio was that Mercy which the Lord Promifed to David, 2 Sam. 7. 16. But thine House, and thy Kingdom fhall be eftablifhed for ever before thee, and thy Throne fhal be established for ever. And if ye look into 2 Chron. 9. 8. ye fhal find, that this eftablishing of a Nation or Kingdom, is both a fign, and a fruit of Gods Love; Bleffed be the Lord thy God (faid the Queen of Sheba to Solomon) which delighteth in thee, to fer thee on his Throne, to be King for the Lord thy God; because thy God loved Ifrael, to eftablish them for ever, therefore made be thee King over them, &c. On the other fide; when God is angry with a People, then he pours à Spirit of Giddinets, and Perversness on them, that they run to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are as the Leaf fhaken with every wind, 1 Kings,14 15. The Lord threatens Ifraet to fmite them,as a reed is fhaken in the water, because they had made them Groves, provoking the Lord to anger. A great Judgment then it is, to be fhaken like a reed in the Water. This allois a Fruit of Gods Anger; and when a People are in this posture, it argues that God hath imitten them in his Anger. But when may a People be faid to be thus fmitten, as a Reed fhaken in the Water? Even then, when they are driven to and fro with every wind, when they are easily moved, and put by their Station, fo that any one that rifes up against them, may afflict them, and lay them low. And if this unfetled, fhaking Condition, be a great Judgment upon a Nation, or People; then furely the contrary is a great Mercy, it is a great Bleffing indeed for any Kingdom or Nation to be in a ferled Eftate and Condition.

Secondly As it is a Mercy, and Bleffing for a Nation to be fettled and eftablithed; fo for the Church of God: For when the Church hath this reft,then it is edified, walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost. Ats, 9.31 Eftablish

I.

Sicut folet moveri arundo in ciliter moventur in aqua quoaqua Scilicet quia arundines facunque vento impellente, aut levi aquarum decurfu, ita Ifraell incideret in magnas calamitates et Deus faceret eum tam paffibilem ut à quocunque infurgente contra eum poffet per cuti. Abulenf. in Loc.

2.

ἱκανὸς ἐπιστη

Establishment, is the Mercy promifed to the Church allo, Efai. 2.2. It shall come to paß in the laft daies, that the Mountain of the Lords Houfe fhall be established in the top of the Mountains: What is more fet led on Earth than a Mountain? The House of the Lord, fhal be as a Mountain upon the Mountains in the last daies great fhal be the glory of the latter Daies. As the Sins and Apotacies of the latter Daies, fhal be the greatest Sine and Apoftacies; fo the Glory of the Churches, înai be the greateft in the laft daies: And the Effebiinment of the Churches, is not only promiled, but promifed as part of the Glory of the latter Times.

3. It is that Mercy and Bleffing, which the Apofties labored for ευαγγελιτεί continually. Firft they took a great deal of pains to convert, and voi my bring men home to God; being converted, the Apostles then forixeirayumed them into feveral Churches; and Churches being planted, ζητούσανίες then their great work and business was, to Eftablish them, Alts, CITORTES TO'S 14.21. And when they had preached the Gospel to that City, or had Golpellized that City, and had taught many, or had Dilcipled many, or thole that were fit and worthy; they returned again to Lyftra, to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the fouls of the Disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the Faith,

ψύχας των uanTv,

πρακαλούντες

εμμένειν πίςτει.

ve T

4.

5.

~

This they also prayed for; and therefore as the Apofstle Peter Thuts up his Epiftle with this Prayer for the difperfed ChriftianJews; fo the Apostle Paul doth close up his Epiftle to the Corinths, with the fame defire and Prayer for them; 2 Cor. 13. And this also we wish, even your perfection, verfe 9. my May 19. And Rom. 16. 25. he concludes thus; Now to him that is of power to establish you, &c. us spid, where the Apostle Paul ufeth two of thefe four words that are ufed by Peter. The clofing with doth alwaies fal upon fome precious mercy.

And as it is the Mercy prayed for, fo fomtimes it is made the Signal Mercy, whereby the Church is declar to be the Church of Chrift; Whofe Houfe ye are (faith the Apoftle to the Hebrews) if you hold faft the Confidence of your rejoycing, ftedfaft to the end. An Houfe is fet led, fixed, and eftablished; a Teut is removable, but an Houfe is not fo unworthy are thofe of the Name of the Houle of God, that are unfecled in the Truth: Thefe things write I unto thee (faith Paul to Timothy) that thou mayeft know how to behave thy felf in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the Pillar and Ground of Truth. Yea, every Member of a Church, fhould be a Pillar in the Houfe of God. So the Lord promifeth to the Church of Philadelphia. Surely therefore, it is matter of great Importance for a Church and People of God, to be fet led, and established.

Euc

III.

άλλος καρδίαν ανθρώπωσηeilei. Septuag.

Judzi ad Chriftum conversi fuperftitiofius inhærebant obfervationi legalium ceremoniatum cumprimis difcrimini cihæc fententia eft oppolita. borum a Moyle prefcripto illis

But Thirdly, and especially: It is a great Mercy, and Bleffing| for a particular foul to be tecled in the Truth, and eftablished in the good Waies of God. It's a good thing (faith the Apoftle) 426-13.9 that the heart be established with Grace, not with Meats, which have not profited them that have been exercised therein. Pollibly a mans heart may be comforted, and ftrengthened with Meats, Pfal. 104. 15. it's faid, And Wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and Bread which ftrengtheneth mans heart. Where the fame word is uted by the Septuagint,that is here uled in the Text. But the Apostle Paul doth relate to the Ceremonial Law: for the Jews converted to Chrift, were too fuperftitioufly addicted to the obiervation of Legal Ceremonies, efpecially those which concerned Meats, and difference of Meats, Rom. 14 2. Col. 2. 16. and to thole is this Speech oppofed; It is good that the heart be eftablished with Grace as if he should fay, fome think to find Eftablishment in the obfervation of Meats, and Doctrines for the Jewish Ceremonies, but the best Establishment, is in the Doctrine of the Gospel, and the Grace of God revealed in the Golpel. Some think that by Grace here, we are to undertand Holineß, and thofe Spiritual Gifts whereby men are Sanctified. But having laid in the former words, Be not carried about with divers and ftrange Doctrines: these words feem to com-limentum cordis querendum ply, and correfpond better with them, if by Grace effe in gratia Dei quam N. T. we understand the Doctrine of the New Teftament; mediator Chriftus attulit, from which the Galatians are faid to fall (Ye are non in obfervatione ciborum fallen from Grace) when they returned to the quam Mofes tradidit. Ibid. Law: But in both refpects, it is a good or beautiful 4: thing, that the heart be eftablished with Grace. For:

Gerrard in loc.

Quidam in genere intelligunt dona quibus homines fan&tifiinterna et Spiritualia Dei cantur; quidam doctrinam Chriftianam fide fufceptam. Gratiam Chriftianifmi, Git fenfus firmitatem et ftabi

It is the ground of all our Fruitfulness: Ye know how it is with a Tree or Plant, though in it felf it be never fo good, yet if it be not fetled in the Earth, it bringeth forth no Fruit: If the Plant be good, and the Soyl good, it may bring forth good Fruit; but if you be alwaies removing it from one place to another, it cannot bring forth Fruit. And what is the reason that many are fo unfruitful in their lives, but because they are fo unfetled in their hearts and Judgments? The Tree that is planted by the Waters fide, brings forth Fruit in its feafon, Pfal.1. But as for the Ungodly, it is not fo with them, They are as the Chaff, that brings forth no Fruit, whom the wind drives to and fro. And the Truth is, an unfecled man, is neither fit to receive good, nor to

1.

ur

4.

do good. So long as the Veffel is moved up and down, ye cannot pour the Liquor into it; and who can write exactly when his arm is jogged? Can any man walk exactly in a crowd, which one while carrieth him this way, and another while that way? No furely: Neither can an unfetled, uneftablished heart walk exactly with the Lord his God.

It is the bottom of al our Praifes: The Birds do not ordinarily fing til they be fet; they do not ufually fing flying; but when they are fixed, then they begin to fing: So faith David, My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; and what then? then faith he, I will fing, and give praife; but not til then and what is the reafon that many pals fo many yeers of their lives in doubtings and fears, never praifing God for any love, or Mercy to them? buc because they are unfetled in their Spiritual Eftate and Condition.

It is the beginning of our Perfeverance: Then I begin to perfevere, when I begin to fettle, and to be established; as Inftability, isthe beginning of Apoftacy; fo Settlednefs, is the beginning of Perfeverance.

ว

It is that good thing which pleafeth God exceedingly: God was fo pleafed with Jehofaphat upon that account, that he paffed by, and winked at al his Infirmities, even because his heart was fixed and established, 2 Chron. 19. 2. the Prophet reprover him for joyning with the Ungodly; Nevertheleß (faith he) there are good things found in thee, in that thou haft taken away the Groves out of the Land, and haft prepared thine heart: So ye read it but I think rather, And haft fixed, established, or fet thine heart to feek God. On the contrary, it's faid of Reboboam, though he did many good things, That be did evil in the fight of the Lord, because be prepared not; or, becaule he fixed not, 71 in Ni- eftablifhed not, fet not his heart to feek God, 2 Chron. 12. 14. it phal 15 is the fame word which we tranflate, Establish,in other Scriptures, Paratus, firmus as Pfal. 40. 2. He hath fet my feet upon a Rock, and established everti nec impe- my goings; and it notes, fuch a fixation and fettlement, whereby diri queat in a man doth fo continue in his way and courfe that he wil not be put out of it. This Rehoboam wanted; for he was a loft ravit firmavit hearted man naturally: and though he did many things that were bilivit, includit right and good, yet he was led by the Countel of his yong men, and firmitatem et his heart was not fet and fixed to feek the Lord: but Febofaphat

ftabilis qui nec

Pirl. et Hiphil. paravit prepa

confirmavit,fta

certitudinem.

Shindlerg.

was of a ftedfaft Spirit, and would not be put out of his way, and therefore though he did fome things amits, yet the Lord commends him, and accepts of him: So that, although a man do many good things; yet if his heart be not fixed, and established, the Lord will país by, and not regard the fame: But though a man do commic great evils, yet if his heart be fet to feek the Lord, God wil pardon

and