Would you have good security §3against this? Well then in the Third place, the laborious Christian as he useth right means, so he shall continue and persevere in the use of them till he hath wrought out his own Salvation by them; and therefore he shall certainly accomplish his End, and his Labour shall not be in vain. It is true if you desist from working, all that you have hitherto done will be in vain, your Faith in vain, your Tears in vain, your Prayers in vain, all in vain: And therefore this should cause you to work with ⟨p. 176⟩Fear and Trembling, lest the Wiles of Satan and the deceitfulness of your own Hearts, should entice you from your Work, and cheat you of your Reward. Let us therefore fear (says the Apostle) lest a Promise being made us of entering into his Rest, any of us should fall short. Yet as this may cause holy Fear, so it may be matter of spiritual Joy and Rejoicing, that notwithstanding the deadness of our Hearts, the slackness of our Hands, the many Avocations from without, the many Interruptions from within, yet none of us shall forsake our Work till we have brought it to Perfection; our Obedience shall be crowned with Perseverance, and our Perseverance with Glory and Immortality. See for this that of the Apostle, We are confident of this thing, 1that he that hath begun a good Work in you, will perform it till the day of Jesus Christ. Let therefore the Mouth of Calumny be for ever stopped, that accuseth this comfortable Doctrine of the Saints Perseverance through Grace unto Glory, that accuseth of patronizing Sloth and Idleness. Some do fasten this Viper upon it; let Christians live as they list, though careless of good Works, yea, though continually employed ⟨p. 177⟩in evil Works, yet being Christians they need not fear that they shall fall short of Glory. But though we do affirm that every true Christian shall certainly inherit Heaven and Glory, yet we shake off this pernicious confidence, for he is no true Christian who is not zealous and careful of good Works, whose knowledge of his own Estate doth not provoke him to walk worthy of that Vocation wherewith he is called, whose hope of Heaven doth not enable him to purify himself, and to perfect Holiness in the fear of God. What a contradiction is it to say, we patronize sinful Sloth in Men, when we tell them if they are true Christians that they shall continue working? Is it Sloth to continue working?
Would you have good security §3against this? Well then in the Third place, the laborious Christian as he useth right means, so he shall continue and persevere in the use of them till he hath wrought out his own Salvation by them; and therefore he shall certainly accomplish his End, and his Labour shall not be in vain. It is true if you desist from working, all that you have hitherto done will be in vain, your Faith in vain, your Tears in vain, your Prayers in vain, all in vain: And therefore this should cause you to work with ⟨p. 176⟩Fear and Trembling, lest the Wiles of Satan and the deceitfulness of your own Hearts, should intice you from your Work, and cheat you of your Reward. Let us therefore fear (says the Apostle) lest a Promise being made us of entring into his Rest, any of us should fall short. Yet as this may cause holy Fear, so it may be matter of spiritual Joy and Rejoycing, that notwithstanding the deadness of our Hearts, the slackness of our Hands, the many Avocations from without, the many Interruptions from within, yet none of us shall forsake our Work till we have brought it to Perfection; our Obedience shall be crowned with Perseverance, and our Perseverance with Glory and Immortality. See for this that of the Apostle, We are confident of this thing, 1that he that hath begun a good Work in you, will perform it till the day of Jesus Christ. Let therefore the Mouth of Calumny be for ever stopt, that accuseth this comfortable Doctrin of the Saints Perseverance through Grace unto Glory, that accuseth of patronizing Sloth and Idleness. Some do fasten this Viper upon it; let Christians live as they list, though careless of good Works, yea, though continually imployed ⟨p. 177⟩in evil Works, yet being Christians they need not fear that they shall fall short of Glory. But though we do affirm that every true Christian shall certainly inherit Heaven and Glory, yet we shake off this pernicious confidence, for he is no true Christian who is not zealous and careful of good Works, whose knowledge of his own Estate doth not provoke him to walk worthy of that Vocation wherewith he is called, whose hope of Heaven doth not inable him to purify himself, and to perfect Holiness in the fear of God. What a contradiction is it to say, we patronize sinful Sloth in Men, when we tell them if they are true Christians that they shall continue working? Is it Sloth to continue working?
- 1Phil. 1.6.
