§. . What manner af affuraaoe s obtai ned. What manner of affurance is obtained, fon hathof his particular juflification, depends upon the right application of two propofitions; one immediately and cerrainely beleeved, whofoever beleeveth in jefira Chrif fhall befaved ; theother inferred andconclu- ded from that whichis divine,certainelyknowne according to the directionof the word,But I6eleeve. §. z. This affurance is not fnch, as whereby a man is made abfolutely out of all doubt : but Inchas many times is affaulted, and { hakenwith many difficulties, feares, and doubts : which notwithflanding arife not from thenature of faith, as ifit ought tobe ; butfrom the frailtie and cor-'. ruption of our evill nature, by reafon whereof faith is not Inch as it ought to be. It is not the office of faithto cherub andmaintaine Inch feares and doubts, but to refit+ them,to fight againfl them, andfo much as ispoffible to expell them, and drive them out. But yet by reafonof the flrength of our naturali corruprion,and the weakneffeof ourfaith, we attaine not to this ; and how much the weaker our faith is, fo much are wee the further from it. Againe, the dayes of faithare as the fealonsof the yeare, force faire, Come foule ; one while a Sun-thine Commet , another while a long and tedious winter, fometimesno more but a fforme and away. Our eyes are not alwayes alike intent to the WordofGod; wee doenor alwayes alike conceive the promifes of God : nay, temptations fometimes hide them out ofour fight. The effe6ls of grace doe not alwayes appeare the fame, yea , fometimes they feeme to bee quite overwhelmed with contrarieeffeels. Andin nature itfeifethere isavo lontarie flirinking and relinquithing ofthe comfort offaith, through the feeds of unbeleefe that originally are fowen in us. §. 3. The particular certainrie of remiffion of Canes and eternall falvation, which jufl perlons attaine unto up- on their Repentance, Faith, andObedience, is not equall in certaintie and firmneffe of affenr, to that affurance which they have about the common objeöl of faith; to wit, concerning thearticles of Creation, Incarnation, Re- furredtion,
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