The Life of Faith. 27 and as littlegrace, as Come now imagine.) But when he heard [Ter lackeft tbouone thing: fell all that thou bait, and diffribute to thepoor, and thoupale bave treafure in Heaven: Game, fol. low me] be roa r then veryforrowful, for be was very rich, Luke 18. 21, 22, 23. Thoufands cheat their fouls with a conceit that they are Believers, becaufe they believe that they thali be laved by Free Grace, without the faith and grace which Chri(1 hath madeneceffary to falvation. 4. And this will take off all thole needful thoughts and means, which thould helpyou to the faith, which yet you have not. 5. And it will engage you in perverfe difputcs againti that true faith which you undcrfland not : And you will think, that you are contending for Free Grace, and for theFaith; when you are proud, knowing nothing, but lick or doting about pillions, which engender no better birth than /trips, railings, evil furmifings, perverfe difputings, &c. x Tim. 6. 4, 5. 6. Lailly, You can fcarcemore difbonour the Chrifiian Re- ligion, nor injure God and our Mediatour, or, harden men in Iutidelity, than by fathering your ill-fhapen fictions on Chriff, and calling them the Chritiian or Jutilying Faith. Dire& 29. Take not all doubts and fears ofyour falvation, to= be the proper effeEis and ftgns of unbelief Seeing that in many they arife front the mifunderffanding of the meaning of Gods Promife, and in more, from the doubtfulnefs of their owns quali. frcatiens, rather than from any unbeliefof the Promife, or.diffruft of Chrift. It is ordinary, with ignorant Chrifìians to fay, that they cannot believe, becaule they doubt of their own tincerity and falvation : as thinking that it is the nature of true faith, to believe that they themfclvcs are juf}ifed, and (hall be Caved and that to doubt ofthis, is to doubt ofthe Promilles, becaute they doubtinglyapply it. Such dtßt ices have falle principles brought many to. But there are two other things betides the weakncfs offaith, which are ulually the caufes of all this. I. Many mitlake the meaningof Chrills Covenant, and think that it hath no univerfality.in it ; and that he died only for the Ele6i', and promifeth pardon to cone but the .11eEi (no not on the condition of believing.) And therefore thinking that
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