f24 Falfe Signs of Grace. SECT . IIL teoufneffe, anuniverfal conformity to Gods will, inpeace, viz. with others, and in joy in the holy Ghofl, viz. a godly joy in the, exercife of all grace, accom- panied with the fettle of Gods favour and love in the Gofpel, which is wroughtin us by the holy Ghoft , for jtoy is reckoned among others the fruit of the Spirit. Wiry. dotirinaldifßutation s anddifference ofjudgementsinMat tersof Rgligioncan- not be reliedupon asfymptoms andevidences of Grace. Even the thong Chriflianwho hadthe truthof his fide, could net prove his godüneffe from his opinion or prat ice in thiscontroverte, becaufetheKingddm of Godconfifted not in thefe things. The Apoftle fpeaketh the like in another difputation, that did much exercife the godly, a Cor. 8.8. about eating things ofered to Idols. But meat commendeth eo not to God, for neither if the eat are ice bet- ter, neither if We eat not, are We the Worfe. The Greek words are emphatical, 0F0,,io040, we donotabound, we have doneno fuch great matter, neithervsmttto n do wefall fbort ofothers, as ifwe were not fo excellent. Thus alto the Apostle, bleb.' 4.9. It isgood ( that is better) to have the heart etablifbed withgrace,rather thenmeats, rather thenDodrines andDifputations about them ; where you fee Difputations andOpinions do not eftablifh, are not the %toff of a mans heart ; Grace only is fo. Yea the Apoftle in that grandcontroverte which did fo much exercife the Churchatfiat, viz. the DifputationaboutCircumcifion, and the obfervation of it, fpeaketh manifeftly,Gal.6.i 5. In 7efuoChrsft neither Csrcnm- cifsónortsncircumcifónavaileth any thing, but anew creature. Let not therefore men for a particular opinion which they conceivetruer then others, boaft them- felvess appropriate godlineffe only unto that way. Althoughwe arevery prone $splicatory to dofo, yet theScripture difcovers fuch arguments tobe only broken reeds. For the Explicationof this, confider thefe things ; Souratìons. p t. Sound Do- Firlt, That trite andfoundDoCiràne is thefoundation ofgedJineffe. There cannot arise is the be a godly lifewhere there is not a true faith ; hence the Scripture makes Rege- foundation of ,oerationto con&R in Illumination in the firft place, Ephef 4. 23, 24. There [run godiintffe. be knowing before there can be doing ; you muff not therefore extend this to all Dodrineseven fundamental inReligion, as if the believing of Jefus Chrift tobe God, believingthe Scriptures tobe theword of God,were nothing, no withoutfaith it is impofble to pleafe God. Therefore to fuppofe a man godly, and tobe faved in any Religionor Opinion, isto deny that there are damnable heretics, whichyet the Apoftleafferterh. Some have coyned a three-fold piety, ?oldest, Jewifh, Pagana, Heathenilh, Chrifiiana, Chriftian; but as the gold within theTemplewas only holy, fo is godlineffe only within thetrue Church. Thistherefore is to be obferved efpecially in thefè times, where menare thought to have godly regenerated hearts, although they pertinacioufly hold fundamen- tal errours; whereas the Apoftle Gal.g. reckoning up herefes, as the manifefl worksoftheffefb, with other grolle fins, concludeth, He that doth their Jhall never inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Although therefore orthodoxy be not prefently a fignof the Rate of grace, yet wilful! perfeverance in heretic even as in adultery and drunkenneffe, may makeus conclude thefe are the fruits of the flefh. Be therefore informed, that although foundDoftrine be notneceffarily godlineffe, yetit is a neceffary foundation to it. Vbi male creditor, net benè vivitur , A goodFaith, anda good Confcience, the Apoftle couples together. And as the Spirit of God is called an holy Spirit, becaufe it workerhholinefs inhis children, fo it's allo theSpirit of truth, becaufe it guideth them into truth ; and & it the Spirit of truth to them,beforetheSpirit ofholinefs to them ; hence the Scripture doth fo oftencommenda foundwindeunto thegodly. ì.Dirputations Secondly, There is a lawfulldi/potation in matters of Religion, yea it is a duty in matters of fometimes, when the Church is unfatiofiedtohavepointsofReligion throslghly difeuf- Religion low- fed. Thusour Saviour did ufe many arguments to provehe was the Metas, yea timcsnd fame- tentatìvèdid once argue a ainti the truth, that theAddicts was not the Sonne of ümea needful g ' David,
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