Perkins - BX9318 P47 1626 v1

amoogll: all, this ooe ~s moQ,~hil§iilh, th:itJ?. A .Andmuwillmake thiS h1s P"lnClpal argumet, namely, that inyaine did men, thy..cempred, !lieat all vnropaptiline, vnletfc w~~conclu~e. wit!ihim, that all fuch as are b.apnzed, arotn Baptifmeadopt~dthe fons ofGod. For~tfl:,: ifthis werea goodconfequcotftoin bapnfme, it werein vainc, for ftJch an afflicted con.lci– ence, to gather vnt.o himfelf.a tell:imony.from ;he word ofQod,and the other:Sacramentof •he Lords Supper, vnletfe w.c·m'!keallthofe tobe inlike fort regenerate and adopted,vtlto whom the wordofGod is preacbed, and the Lords Supper adminill:rea,:eidierof whieh for D. eAndmu toaffime, is a boldvntruth. But.to omitthis,what ifwe grantthis which B D . .Andre""' requireth concerning Baptifme? may notfor all that,any that is'fo.tempted, by Satans policie,refell this greatcomforter, by. hisowneargument?after this fort:I wilgrant D•.Andre.uyourqnefiion : fuppofe. I.haue bin l)ap•ized and adopted the fonnc of God, y<:t feeing you reach, that thegrace ofGodis.no~ !ofure, but that I may fall from the fame;-as ind~ede I feele that I haue.grieuoufit fallen; what doyou oow elfebut lift me vp witltone hand to heauen, and with;th<:tother caft.inee. qo_wne into hellJ What meallc you therefore toteachme thofethings which ate f<>far fudm .ealing me,as that contrarily,they domore and more layoilt'l'ntP mee mine .ablirilinable:ma vqgratcfulhe;ut? See now wha~furecOfol:iti'• c on,confcienccsgticuou!ly afflictedmay reape by this dolhineoftheir c6fortcr D.Af/dre,.,. Nowifany bedefirous to-know,what fpiri– tuall comfort is moll: meete.to b.ec minifrred vnto confciences fu troubled,! willhew them that which is grounded vpon a.fure foundati• on, and which I my felfehaueofteofound to be t)'ue in mine own experience;the which al• fo I purpofe to handle more largely, for the be1u:fit ofthe C]Jri.ll:ianreadcr. Firfitherforc we te<ch,conttarily to that wl1ichD.AfldreA4 doth.moft falqy obiect ag•inft vs·, that the e• ternal decree,or,asP•ul fpeaketh,thepurpofo: ofGod, mull: not be foughtin"the bottomlejfe counfellofGod,but rather in the manifeftati– on ofit,namely,in his vocation, by theWord 0 and Socramenrs. This I fpeakeoffuch as are ofyeeresofdifcretion, as they mullneeds be, whom we feekc ro comfort in this place. Now becaufe that externall vocation,isnot proper ouly tothe ckct.Mat. >2-I 4 (f..- many 1 1 •r<c.Jled,but[till 4Yt chofon) bu.t fuch avocati: on as is cffectuall,that is, whereby the vn.der. frauding..is not onely i•lightened with the fa• 1 uingknowledgeof God, but in the willalfo there is created a: true , though not a perfect hatred offin, from whence arifethanabhor– ring offinnc, and loue of that whichisgood,, or rather adeliretowill,anddo that which is right.Therefore when we fee one thus dange– rouOy tempted i wee apply vnto.his afflicted confcience,that true Nepenthes, andcomfor- ~ ].table and rc:ftoratiue medicine,wHich istaken n; from Gods effectual!vocation, asjtwere out ofan Apothecaries boxe. I If therefore Ihaueto do with fuch an one, who either was neuer calledhy the preaching ofthe Gofpcl,or ifhewerecalled,yet feemcth both to himfdfc and others,neuer to hau• re– garded him that called:-and hence concludeth that hce is 110t in the number of them, whom Godhath purpofed to take pittyvpo: I forth– with tell him, that Satan plaieth the Sophill:cr in teaching him thus toconclude: for this his reafoilisas vntrue,as ifa man looking at.mid– night, and fceing that the Sun is Rot then ri– feu,lhould therefore affirme,rhat it woold ne– ucrrifc. And this is that which when I obic– cted toD•.Andre""' p-482. he very boldly cor– rupting my meaning , printed_this as mine afiertion,S.cyvnroa manthllt ~ lljfli11tdltht SHII urifin,.lt~Ngh.u yet lt be not rifin. EutI teach notlies, howfocucrthis depraYation of my words camefromD•.Andmuprinters,or him– felfe. And whereas D•.AndreMexceptcd,rhat thisconfolation were to no purpofe, becaufe he that wasafflictedmightdoubtwhetherthis Sunne wouldeu~ rifc:"ur not·: I anfwcred to hint , that which the printers haue 'luite li:ft out,and whichI willtherefore nowmoreful– ly repcatc.I was wonttherfore to tell thepar– tic thus troubled , after hec had for&ken his falfe and>liuellilh pofirion : t!iat although an cxtcmall vc<:ation were not offorce enough to appeafe an afflicted c:Ofcience,yet it wasof f•fficient force and efficacyagainft thediuell. Foi'Itell him thatthcywhidtneuerhadex– ternall110tintcrnallcalliog,rhcy(ifwe r~ard an ordinary calling) muft needs perilh : but whofocyeri• oncecalled,hebath fct as it were his foot intothe firfi entry into the kingdome ofheauc:n: & vnletfeit be byhis own default, ace fhall come afterwards into the Cp!utS of God,and fobydegrees into his maicfries pal– lace.Andfor theconfirmation ofthis,! vfedi– ucrfe waies. For why,fay I,doubtcft thou of hisgood.wil towards·thee,whoin mercy hath fem me.a miniflerto call thee vnto him I thou haft nocaufc, vnleJfe thou allead~:ethe num– l:ier ofthy.finncs.Ifthis be all,why oppofe the infinite grcatnetfe ofliods nt<rcy agaii11t thy lilUlcs, who bath fent me to bring thee vnro him. T~tU.ordvouch&fethtobringthee into the way ofthe elcct,why art thou allumbling blockvntoJhy felf? &.refufeftto follow him! ifthoufeeleft not as yet inwardly thy felfeto be !lirred forward,pray thatthou maifr know this for a moft furc truth , that this delire in thee isa pledge ofGodsfatherly good wilto– wards thee.He neither can,nor wil be wating to this which he bath ftirred vpin thee. After thefe exhortations, I lhew him how fome arc qlled at tbc eleuenthhoure,~ow the Gentiles aftermany>Iooo.yeres were called to be Gods people, 'how the thiefe was &ued vpon tht crotfe: thef• &.other remedies I vfed,where– of, I neucr rcmember,thatit repentedme. But ifi deale.withfucha.hauebeforeobded J. the

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=