The Life of Faith. 425 lawful to overlook it or forget it. The time cometh, that they that killyou, fhall think that they do God fervice, Joh. r& 2. And then who can exped that their confciences thould avoid it ? Whydid Paul perfecute the Chri{tians, and compel them to blafpheme? Becaufe he verily thought that he ought to do many things againft the Name of jails, Alls 26. g. O it is religious fins which weare in danger of ! fuch as come to us as in the Nameof God, and Chrilt, and the Spirit : filch as pretend that we cannot be faved without them : and fuch as plead the holy Scriptures : filches amen 3. is written againd, when awifdom from beneath, which is earthly, fenfual and de- vilifh, working by envy and ftrife, unto eonfufon and every evil work, pretendeth to be the wifdom from above : when Zeal confumeth Love and Vnity, under pretenceof con/uming fin : which made Paul and John requireus not to believe every j irit,but to try the jpirits whether they be of God, a Thf. 2.2; act Thef 5.20, 21. 1 Joh. q.. 1, 2, 3. And made Paul fay, If anAngel from Heaven bringyou another Gofpel, let hint be aecur- fed, Gal. 1. y, 8. And more plainly, 2 Cor. 11.13, 1 ¢. Si b arefalfe Apoiiles; deceitfulworkers ; transforming themfelves in- to the Apoffles of Chriff: and no marvel, for Satan himfelf is transformed into an Angel oflight : therefore it is no great thing ifhie Moniffers alp be transformed as theMisers ofrigbteoujnefl, whofe end'hap be according to their works. And Ae7s 20.30. Alf; ofyour ownfelves ¡ball men arife, fpeaking perverfe things, to draw away Difciples after them. And what need any Difcipie ofChritt greater warning, than to remember that their Sa- viour himfelf was thus affaultcd by the Devil inhis temptation, with [It is written.] Yet let no Papiff hence take pccafon to vilifie the Scripture, becaufe it is made a plea for fin : For fo he might as well vilifie humaneKeafon, which is pleaded for all the errours in the world ; and vilifie the Law, becaufe Lawyers plead it for ill Caufes; yea and vilifie God himfelf, becaufe the fame and -other linnets plead his will and authority for their fins : when contrarily,it is a greatproofof the ScriptureAuthority and Ho- nour, that Satan himfelf, and his fubtileft intiruments,doplace their greatefi hope ofprevailing, by pervertingand mifapply- lng it ; which could be duoufc to them, ifits authority wars not acknowledged, Hhit 11a We
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