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The Whole Works of the Most Reverend Father in God, Robert Leighton (v. 1)
The Whole Works of the Most Reverend Father in God Robert Leighton - v. 1 Author:Robert Leighton Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PEACTICAL COMMENTARY UPO.V THR FRIST EPISTLE GENERAL ST. PETER. Chapter I. V.eiise 1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattere... more »d throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 1 HE grace of God in the heart of man, is a tender plant in a strange unkindly soil; and therefore cannot well prosper and grow, without much care and pains, and that of a skilful hand, and which hath the art of cherishing it: for this end hath God given the constant ministry of the word to his Church, not only for the first work of conversion, but also for confirming and increasing of his grace in the hearts of his children. And though the extraordinary ministers of the Gospel, the Apostles, had principally the former for their charge—the converting of unbelievers, Jews and Gentiles, and so the planting of churches, to be after kept, and watered by others, (as the apostle intimates, 1 Cor. iii. 6.;) yet did they not neglect the other work of strengthening the grace of God begun in the new converts of those times, both by revisiting them, and exhorting them in person, as they could, and by the supply of their writing to them when absent. Vol. I. B And the benefit of this extends (not by accident, but by the purpose and good providence of God) to the Church of God in all succeeding ages. This excellent Epistle (full of evangelical doctrine and apostolical authority), is a brief, and yet very clear summary both of the consolations and instructions needful for the encouragement and direction of a Christian in his journey to heaven, elevating his thoughts and desires to that happiness, and strengthening him against all opposition in the way, both that of corruption within, and temptations and afflictions from without. The heads of doctrine contained i...« less