.. - Cafes ofConfcieTJce about Stn&trity iHufiration of this Point : and t~e ~rfl: I fuall pitc~ upon fs~ wh~tber men that are mt,truly-godly, m11] not attain tO..afPirit With_out gNi.le;·in manyparti~ulars; 'Whtthtr in mawr:r 6f Reli· tJDnt iwards God, and dHties toward]f!•fn tfu~y may not be un~ feigned and fincere, and thereby have much p.ea~e and tran.. quillity of confdenc~ ? Now f.or gle•ne'gativt it may bear– gued, that fuch a thsng cannot be, becaufe the hea.rt ofman (as we ha1e heard ) is deccitfull above all things, a~d it is aa univerfall propofition peremptorily a1ferted in Scripture,Evc– ry man u a /yfir• Bu.t yet we fhali refolve the affirrnati:ve, vit • .TIMtmany a'rilanunreg-emmtted, and devoidof true gr11ce, may yet in feverall things be '>vithout guile 6oth towards Godandman. Though indeed,_ this wilr not amount to make him an upright man abfolutely, .but quMd h1c only,in fuch and fuch cafes: and -– this fubjeet I fuall fallen_u~on the texr, as being very preg– nant for my pnrpofe, And' the better to k;-10w this, take no .:: tice.that my text is put of that famous Apology which Pat~l w.as·put upon to make before King eAgrippa :· In his defence we{nay briefly confider his exordi11m,and bis narration : ln..his J!rtface,he makes ufe of Rh.etorick,infinuating into his Judge, and doth captare benevg-l{ntiam, by · ac~n.owleqging it an hap– pif!e1Te to plead before him; not that Paul was guilty af any finfull flattery, ·for the matter was true ; {o/fphUJ cornmends this4gripPa for a prudenr and wife Governour, and Pau/gi– veth you the reafon why he did .fo preface, . becaufe Agrippa was expertinthe cufroms and quefiions of the Jews,and there– fore more able ro give righteous judgement. His N arratio.n confifis of two principall parts: I . Of the life he lived before ' he was aChrifiian• . z. Of che w.ondcrfull and extraordinary call he had to Chrill:ianity : by both which it might appear 1 _ that he had not vainly and rafhly changed his profdlion. The words I pitch upon arc part of che narrative relating to his life while a Jew; which he aggravaceth, 1. From the particular feet he was addicted to. z. The: adjunct of time, . from his youth. 3· His zeal in propagating ofthis : Which is further defcribed in its cxternallacl:ions, doing rnaDy things agai~fi Chri.ct and his~eligion.· . a. In the unfeigned.thoughts o(' hts confc1ence herein, , I vtnlJ thoHght 1W.u 6on»d todoe : . . - It •.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=