Book IV. jtrolitng tuito ')Jzfn~. Chap. 2.SeCl:. 5~ 515 ----~~--~~-r~-~~~~~~ union, or dijfrefs, or perfecution, or J.tmine, or nak;dn:fs, or peril,_ IY fword, (M it is written, for thy fak; are we kJ.!led all the day long) nay m all_ thefe thmg~ we are more than conquerurl through pim that bath loved!" . . An~odern Wrtter bnngs m a fincere hear\, Mr. Raxttr paraphrazing (as it were 1 on rbts Text tn rbtsmanner; Who jhall feparate me from the zbid. love of Chrijl? 0 thou maliciou; dev}l, that doll hunt me wi~h thy nery d~rrs! 0.you dull berericks, infidels, blafpbemers, that fill up my ears With your foohfh fophtfms, and trouble me with your difputes againfl my Lord and Redeemer 1go to him that knows him o~ly by the hearing of t!le ear, if you mean to prevail; _b~t I have kno~n him by · the fweet experiences of my loul; go to ~urn that makes aReh~10n of Ius Opm10ns: and whofe belief wa; never any deeper than hts fancy, and whofe ptety never reached htgher than to abfl:(nency, and tasks of formal duty; thefeyou may pofsibly draw away from Chrifl. Bur do you think to do fo by me? why, tell me how? with what weapons or arguments can you think tO prevail ? what? 0Iall tribulation be the means ? no, no; I have rhat promife in the hand of my fatth, and that glory in the eye of ml hope, that will bring me through all tribu!AtionS und:r heaven: 0~ JhalJ diftrefs d? it . Why, .I Will rather flick fo much clofer to htm that wtll relieve me mdiftrefs and bnng me to hts reft. Or w~ll you affright me by pe~fccuti.n? I am aliured that rhis is the neareil: way .tQ Heaven, and I am bleffed of C hnfl, when I am pe&cuted for righteoufnefs fake. Or Jhall nak;dnefs be rhe weapon? I had rather pafs naked out of this world to Heaven, than to · be cloathed inpurple, and tO be ilript of it at death, and to be cafl into hell; Adam's innocent nakedncfs, and Laz,aruis rags were better than thar Epicure's gay appareL-- Or /hall famine be the means? why, man liveth not by bread alone 1 I had rather my body were fami01ed than my foul; ~have !Ileat to eat t~at ye kno~ not of. even the bread of life, which who fo cats Jhallltve for ever. Or will you affnght me from Chrifl: by the [wordof violence? I know tha_r the L~rd whoni ~believe in, and ferye, is able to deliver me out of your hands; buttf he ,w•ll not, be 1t known to you I wtll not forfake him; your fword will be onl~ the key to o_pen the prifon doors, and let out my foul that bath long ddired to be ~1th J,efus C~nfl. If you.tel~ r:ne .of peril, I know no danger fo great as of lofingChnft, and falvauon; and of bearmg bts wr~th that can kill both body and foul: do I not read in certain Hi!l:oriesOf rhat -noble Army of Martyrs, who loved the Lord)efus to ~he death,_and gl?ried in tribul:ition? and _would no,t by the flames 6f fire, or Jaws of Ltons, be feparated from Jefus Chnfl ? dtd not they pafs throqgh rhe Red fe~, as on dry ground, to the promifed Land? yea, though they were kjlled all the day long, and accounted M Jheep to the. Jlaughter ? did they not fl:ick and cleavefafl: to the Lord, and to the Captain of their falvation ? nay, were they qpt in all thisconquerours, and more than conquerours, triumphing in flames, to the confufion of Satan, and all their enemtes; as Chrill: triumphed on the Crofs, deftroying by death the Prince •f death ? Oh what a bleffe~ advantage is it againft all temptati- Heb. 2. ' 4· ons, to have the tmprefs of the Gofpel of Chrtl1: on our heart, and the witnefs in our [elves? . But I pear fome object; lf the wimefs in our fdves be fo full and convincing, then what neeq ha~e we any more to make ufe of Scriptures, or Miniflers? why Jhould we leave an higher Teacher to go to a lower? Bin I.anfwer, 1. Thereis more than ope thingwaritihg to enwife us to falvation; as firfl:, an 9mward Word; and fecondly, ari outward teacher; and thirdly, an inward Light: And accordingly God fupplies this threefold want; the firfi, by giving us the Scripture; the fecond, by giving us a Minifl:ry, and other occalional Teachers . the third, by giving r:s the illumination of the Spirit, to help us to fee by rhe form•r O:eans, and to make the Word and Minifl:ry to tis effea uat. Now it were a mad thing for a man to fay, I have eye; 10 read in a book, and therefore I have i10 need of the light of Candle, or of Sun; or I have eyes, and Sun, and therefore J have no need of the light in the Air, _which co·m·eth from the Stin; or I have the light both of the Eye, and Sun, and Air, and therefore I can read hy it without a Book; or I have a Book, and therefore I can read it without a feacher: cerr•inly if a man would read, he mull: have all thefe! or ~ore than.one ?f thcfe_; fo God hath,appoimed us three necelfary· means for our tllummarton and dtrecbon ; the Word, the Mmtflry, and rhe Spirit. What (iodbazh joyned, let no man(eparate; if any will fooli01ly go, aud fer one of thefe'againll:' another, when Goclhathfer them all together~ an~ made the~:~~ all necelfl ry, alligning' to each a fev,ral ~m tn the ~OJkof opr tllumma<1~n, they m.ay abpfe God and them– felves, and go without the hght, while they defpt~e Ehe necffary caufes of it. God's I 1 ' · evidences
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