A godly and learned exposition or commentary upon the three first chapters of the…A godly and learned exposition or commentarie vpon the three first chapters of the…

III. Reason. This doctrine of certain perseverance maintaineth men in security? Answ. Security is twofold, carnal, and spiritual: carnal, when a man regardeth not at all the means of his salvation, but giveth himself wholly to the profits and pleasures of this world. Spiritual, when a man relieth on God for his salvation, by believing his promises▪ and this security it maintaineth, but not the carnal security: For it teacheth the use ⟨p. 86⟩of the means of perseverance, as prayer, hearing, and reading of the word, and receiving the Sacraments. And thus I conclude this question, That the true child of God, who truly believeth, when he sinneth, doth neither wholly nor finally fall away, neither can do.

III. Reason. This doctrine of certaine perseuerance maintaineth men in securitie? Answ. Securitie is twofold, carnall, and spirituall: carnall, when a man regardeth not at all the means of his saluation, but giueth himselfe wholly to the profits and pleasures of this world. Spirituall, when a man relieth on God for his saluation, by beleeuing his promises▪ and this securitie it maintaineth, but not the carnall securitie: For it teacheth the vse ⟨p. 86⟩of the meanes of perseuerance, as prayer, hearing, and reading of the word, and receiuing the Sacraments. And thus I conclude this question, That the true child of God, who truly beleeueth, when he sinneth, doth neither wholly nor finally fall away, neither can doe.

Lastly, if this were true of this famous Church of Ephesus, which was founded and preserved by the Apostles, that she suffered her first love to decay; then how can it be otherwise with us, but that we should suffer our first love as well towards God as man, to lessen and diminish? and that this is so, our consciences will tell us, if we look to that love and zeal we had at our first calling: and though we have not felt this decay, yet we must know we be in danger of it continually. And therefore we must take heed that we suffer not our good affections in religion to diminish. Water that hath been once hot, will afterward be most cold, and freeze the hardest: even so, when our hearts have been once heated with the fire of the Lords altar, as true love, and other graces of the spirit, if we suffer them to decay, we shall become more frozen in iniquity than any others. The hawk while she is quick to take her prey, is set upon the hand of kings and nobles: but if she wax weak and die, she is cast off to the dunghill. Even so while we are hot and cheerful in love towards God and his church, we are carried as it were on Gods own hand: but if we faint and decay in love, we shall be cast lower than if we had never been so exalted. This love of God in us is like a little flame of fire, for the maintaining whereof we must do three things: First, take heed of all manner of sin, which quencheth love and other graces of the spirit, as water quencheth fire. In the old Testament the priests kept fire burning upon the altar day and night, to be always ready to sacrifice unto the Lord: and so must we keep the flame of love & other graces continually burning in our hearts, that thence we may offer up acceptable sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord. Secondly, we must stir up the gifts of grace that are in us, as Paul saith to Timothy,