A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

In which words we considered two parts; the Qualification, and the Ratification. If ye do these things, there is the Qualification. Ye shall never fall, there is the Ratification. There is a Condition premised, and a Reward promised. If you for your part, be doing; GOD for his part will keep you from falling. That is your obedience, and this is GODS recompense. Your devotion goes before, and his retribution follows after. First, to take the Qualification asunder, here be three circumstances; from the Order, If First ye shall perform; there is the Condition: Ye do, not say or purpose, but Do; there is the Practise: These things, not what you lust, but what the Lord commands, there is the Sincerity. Thus it lies taken in sunder, then being put together again, we shall find this the sum; the necessity of our active obedience.

In which words we considered two parts; the Qualification, and the Ratification. If yee doe these things, there is the Qualification. Yee shall never fall, there is the Ratification. There is a Condition premised, and a Reward promised. If you for your part, bee doing; GOD for his part will keepe you from falling. That is your obedience, and this is GODS recompence. Your devotion goes before, and his retribution followes after. First, to take the Qualification asunder, here bee three circumstances; from the Order, If First yee shall performe; there is the Condition: Yee doe, not say or purpose, but Doe; there is the Practise: These things, not what you lust, but what the Lord commands, there is the Sincerity. Thus it lies taken in sunder, then being put together againe, we shall find this the summe; the necessity of our active obedience.

For the Condition, we must first do and then have, not first have the reward and then do. Indeed we must first have Unde, grace whereby to do before we do: but not the reward till we have done. Among men he first serves, that deserves: for God, we can merit nothing by doing, yet we shall have nothing without doing. The good man sayes, Non mereor gloriam, sed vereor vindictam: I deserve not reward for my goodness, but I fear punishment for my sinfulness. Let me look to my obedience, let GOD alone with my recompense. The tenor of the Scripture doth always set the work before the wages,