Temptatiom 1v!Jic/, hinder [onw9flon, 1vitl, t!Jeir'RJmedies. '1cmpt. 5· 9 10. Temp. 5· Whttt this failcth, ihl '1empter ,;,ouldopt>fwade the~, that Godlinefs is nothing but a matter ofmcer Opittiotz or belief: to.be/ieve aUthe Artlclu of the faith, a{idtobe no Pap,i{l nor Herttick._, but ofthe true Religion) and to be coJ1fldrnt o[God1 mercy through Chrijl; For he th~t 1 believtthjhaU be favcd. Mar. 16. 16. Dirdi. 5 . ~. 1 r. DitcU. 5· fQ this you muft anfwer, that it will not fave a .man that his Religion if true, un!efs he be ~rue to it! Read Ja~zu:2· againfi fuch ~ de~d faith, .~ing fai.th is the hearty ~ntertain~ mcnr of Chnil as our Lord and Saviour, and the de!Ivepng up the fQu) tu h1m to be fancbfied and rukd, as wtll as !mdl)rr~.IH. Knowledg! puffeth up, bm ch.,ity edijii(b1 • He that k,nqweth hi! Maj/m rviU and dotb it not, fl;aUv: beaten with ,many ftriper, Luke 12· 47· l~'s fad that men fho~l<l chink to be f.n:cd by tiJJ.t which w1ll condumt thHti I by.being of a right opinimi,, a1\d awrong c~nverfation ; by be/if1)htg their dury, in!lead of dui11g it;· and then ptt[uming thatCh.riil forgiveth them, and that their thte is good : Opinion and prrfumpribn <~.re not faith. 'fempt. 6. 9· 12. Tempt. 6. But,faith the'femplcr,Holin<fs is tbe excellency ofholy_perfons: but vulgar unlearned people may be {tlVtd, wfrbom {tuh high matters which are above !hem. . Dirc[l.6. 9· 13. Pirr!;i. 6. Bur God tcllerh you, that without HolintJinone fhall fie him, Hcb. I2. I4· The un– lwncd m'y be favel), h1\t the ungodly cannot, Pfal. I· 6. Holinefi is to the foul, as life to the body: He rhat hath it not, is dead; though all have nOt the fame degrte of healtb: Sin is fin, and hated of God in learned and Unlearned: All men have fouls that need regenerating at firfi : And as all bodies that live, mufi live on the earth, by the Air, and Food, &c. fo allfouJs that Jive, do live upon the fame God, and Chri/1, and Heaven, by the fame Word and Spirit; and all this may be had by the un– learned. Tempt. j. . ~· . 14. Tempt. 7· But,/ditb tbe Tempter, God ir not fo Hnmercifltl as to damn aU that are not holy: 'Jhi1 i1 bttt talk.. to ~eep men in aw ; and not to be believed. Dire{!. 7· §. 1 5· D:rc{f. 7· But if Gods threatnings be necdfary to keep men in awe, then arc they necelfary to be executed. for God needs not awe men by a lye. He bell knows to whom he will be mer~ ciful, and how fH! Did you never read, Ifa. 27. JI, It ir apeople ofno under/landing: therefore he thttt made tbem n'iU not have mercy on tbem, and be tbat formed tbem, wiU ]hew them no favour. And P{al. 59· 5· Be nOt merciful toany wicl(,ed tr;•fgreffor. I>h~ not juft, as well as merciful? Exod. 34· 6,7. Do you not fee that men are fie~. , avdpained, and dye for all that God i1 merciful? And do not Mer– ciful }udgu con~l'mn Malc:factors? Arc not Angel! made Devils by fin, for all that God is merciful? The Devil knoweth this to his foriD\V· And ifGod JParrdnot tbe Ange/J that finned, bttt cajl tbQn down to HeU---2 Per. "4· will he be unjufi for you? 'fcmpt. S. 1· 16. Tempt. 8. But Chrij! dytd for all: •nd God will not punijh him and you both,[" the farf1$. fault. 9. '7· DirtCi. 8. Chrifi dyed fo far for all that have the Gofpel, as to procure and feal them a free and general pardon of all their tins, ifrhey will repent and take him for rhtir Saviour, and fo to bring falvation to their choice. But will this favc the ungodly obfiinate refufers ? Chritl dyed w fanClitie,as well as to forgive, Epb. 5· 27· and topu,·ific to hjmfilf a peculiar ptop!t zealoU< of gaod works. Tit.2.I4. and to deftroy tbe work.! of the Devi{, I John 3· 8. and to bring all men under his Dominion and Government, Rom. 14· 9· Luke 19· 27. If any man have not the Spirit nfChrift., the fome iJ. none of hi! Rom. 8 9· 1empt. 9· '§. 1 8. Tempt. 9· No man .can be certai11 of his falv.Jtion: but aD m11jl hope well: and to rai/e doHbts in mew hrartJ) whether thty jhaU b~ [aved or no, will not help them, but puzzle them oznJ caft them into de[pair. DireCi. 9· §. I9· Dire{!. 9· ·But is there fa little difference between a child •f God and of the Devil, and between the way to Heaven and the way to Hell, that they cannot be known afunder? Hath not Chrift taught us plainly how to know them? Pfa/. I· & I 5· I Johlt 3. and bid u• give diligence to make our piling and election liuc? 2 P1t. I. ID· If all men mufi hope that they !hall be faved, then moll mull hope for that, which they !hall never have: But it is no hope of Gods making, which deceiveth men. Should fo great a marcer as our everlafiing joy or mi.flry, be calt out of our Care, and ventured fo regardltfly in the dark? When it is it that we have life, and time, and all for, to make ir fure? And what hurt can it do you, to find out the truth of your own condition l If you are indeed unregenerate and unholy, difcover it now in time, and you have time to be recovered: You muft defpair of being Javed without converjio11 : But that preventeth •bfolute final defpair. Whereas if you find not out your cafe till time is pall, then bopt is pall, and the Devil hath you in cndlefs defperation, where he would. '1empt. 1o. 9· 20. Tempt. ID· If thit prevail not, the DC1Jil will fiek.. to carry it by noife injlead of reafon, a1td will Jfek.. to kftp you i;t jovial, merry, voluptuoiiS company, tbat ]hall plead. by Pots, and Player, a;tdplea[Hres, andjhaU·daily mak$ a jej! oj Godlinefl, and JPeak, ofthe godly with[corn, /lJ a company of FanaticJtHypocrites. . D' Ci 9· 2I. Dire{!. Io. But confider, th•t this i< but the rage of fools; that fpeak of what they never un– Se~r~,~v:~;. derllood? Did they ever try the way they fpcak againfi, Are they tobe believed before God himft!f? 2o. Will they not eat theu words at lafi themfelves ? W11l thm merry lives lafi alwaycs ? Do P•ov. >8. 7· they dye as merrily as they live ? and bring off themfelves as well as they promifed to bring off Ephe(. s.pr. you> He that will be cheated of his falvation, and forfake his God, for the ranting fcorns of a dittracted finner, is worthy to be damned. 'fempt. I I• 9· 22· Tempt. I I• Next he ttlleth them, that agodly life i1 fo hard and tedious, that iftheyjhould begir., tbr;.foould ntver endure to hold 011; t~nd therefore it i1 in vain to try it.
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