161 / 808
VER.t4.
Ephe
/1áns;Chap.i.
I.s
life
,and
be
rap
up
at
the
lafi
dty.Nov
though the con
fcience Both
tell-
fie
thisour prefent being
in
favour,
and
our future falvation
;
yet
it
doth
not
this
in
every
flare
of
a
beleever.
For
firft
there
is a
flare
in
which
faith
is
a
fmoakìng weeke, dcfiring
that
it
could beleeve, rather then
getting
up
to
feele it felfe
beleeve. Againe,
though
faith be not trou-
bled, but
Both
quietly flay
on
Chrift,
and
talk
God good
in
letting
them
finde
peace with him ,
yet
fuch
is
the infancy
of
fpirituall under
ftanding
in
Chriftians
now
firft
converted,thatthey
doe
not returne into
themfelves,
and
judge
of
that they doe,
and
of
the great
confequence
which
followeth from that which they doe. Hence it
is
that they
will
tell
you they
finde
God goodto them,
and
goe on cheerefully
in duties
for the prefent,but they come not
to behold
the nobility
of
their
falvati-
on for time
to
come.
There
is a
ftate
in
which faith
is
exercifed with
temptation,from
unbeleefe
or
otherwife,by which oppofition the
foule
is
kept
from
attaining this
certainty,being encountred with doubtfull
ap-
pearances
which
it
cannot well anfwerand
cleare
for
the
prefent.
There
is a
flare
wherein faith
is
now growneup,
and
either hath
out-
wraftled,
or otherwife
is
exempted fromknowing
fuch
temptation;
and
the
faith
-
full
in
this fiate doe perfwade them felves,
that
Gods mercy
and
truth,
and
power
fhall
carry them
through unto
falvation.
Looke
in
a
Pet.5.
v.
II.
The God
ofGrace,
who
hath through Chrifi
called you unto
eternaa
glory,
when
you
have
a
little
fuffered,
he
perfetl
you,
flablifbyou,
flrengtheu
you,groundyou
fare.
Laftly, when now our confciences are come to
teftifie
through
faith
and
experience,
this happy
efface,
we
are
fubjetl
by
neglecting meanes,
by
falling
into
fome more grievous finne, by fecrct defertions
ere
-while
to
lofe
for
a
time this comfortable perfwafion, the
fpirit
not
(pea-
king
in us
by
his
light
as
heretdfore,
and
our
confciences and faith
fo
hurt
and
wounded, that the
actions
of
them
are
troubled, depraved,
as
wcfee the
like
befall the naturali reafon and fenfes.
We
fee
through
Melancholy
what
reafon
commeth to
imagine,
how the
eye thinkes
it
fees
things yellow and redde, when they
are
nothing
fo;
the tafle
thingsbitter, when
they are
fweer;
fo
the fight
of
faith
and
confcience,
when nothing
but
finne,
guilt,
wrath,
angry defertion over-lay
ir,
it
feemeth to
fee
every
thing, forthe
time,
of
like
colour to thofethings
wherewith
it is
poffeffed.
There
things
I
thought good
to
fet downe,
that we might conceive the nature
of
this
point more.fully. One thing
is
to
beanfwered which
feemeth
tome
ofgreatefl moment, namely,
that
this do
trine
Both leave no place
for feare, but breedeth
pre
-.
fumption; but
this
is
utterly
denied
:
for the grace
and
mercy
ofGod
beleeved, breedeth love
of
God,
and confequentjy true feare,
which
is
oppofed to
fenflefîeffupidity
and carnali
prefumption, though
it
cafleth
out
feare,
whichproceedeth
from
unbeleefe.
Secondly, fuch
who
may be certaine
of
falvation
by
faith,
they may
be fecure,
ifthey
did not
as
well fland
in
this
grace by faith,as
firft
enter
into
it
;
but this we teach
with
the
Scripture, and
ergo
our
dottrine
doth
Phew
that thofe who
fee this
Grace,have
Rill
need
to
looke
to Chrifi the
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