130 Falte Signs ofGrace. S E C: r. In theThird place you have the reafon of this Examination, Becaufe many falfe.Prophets aregone out into the world ; Many who fhallboaft of the Spirit, and fay, Ttlodgeth with them: And thatwe may be the betterguided in this Examina- tion, he layethdown one rule as it concernethDoti tine , verfe 2. Hereby we knout thesf irit of god , if it confeffeth that 7eftu Chrifl ís come into the fd fh : which may be underftood either largely, as acknowledgeing all matters that pertain ei- ther to thepe ton and office of Chrift ; fo that although we may acknowledge Otitis incarnation; yet if we deny his offices, we offend againit this rule, and fo have the Spirit ofAntichriftianifm, as in Popery; or elfe more aridly, for that de- terminateparticular point of Chrifts incarnation ; for though a man be heretical in other points, and fo have the fpiric of Antichrilt,yet fofar as it acknowledged* this truth, it is of God. And thus Anilin faid,Hereticks andSchifmaticks are oftbe Church, fo far as they hold any thing that W true andgood : but wherein they aredivi- dedfrom truth,thcy aredivided from the Church, andwherein they areunited in truth, they are united to the Church. obf. Obf. That a man may much delude, anddeceive his ownfool , about his .ffiritual There is much Maio ,,byjudgeing thofe things to come from the .{firis of God , which indeed of felf-deceit in donot,' t judgeieeg cleric We:may think indeed wehave revelations, raptures, fpititual confolationsfrom things to conic the Holy Ghoft, when we areall the while in great delufions : this point deferveth from the fpiric which donot. many things introduaory for Explication. Tntrodu &ory Ertl, Thefpirit ofGoddoth in and by theword, comfort, allure, or inflral the Explications. ful focertainly, that the truebeliever ienot, or cannot be deceived Therefore the r Scripture calls it,The teflimony of thefpirit, and thefealiag of the .fpiric : and it There are fuch would behorrid blafphemy to make thefpirit of Truth, the pirit of Falfhood r cornforts,&c. Hence Faith, which is the work of Gods fpirir, is called ,aaosvms, and vatzcíSnow which Bel:e- aan stoeú words that fi nifie a fore and certain eflablifbment : wemuff not there- ocpe- P > g per cannot be fore withthe Papift, whocammendeth doubting for humility , prophanely make deceived. Each fcoffing interrogations as their: one man thinketh hebath thefpirit, another thinkethhehadíthefptri t, and. ydt.anaehematize one anothers fpirit : therefore there is no certainty about our IMówledge of having the fpirit in us : For howfo- ever hypocrites maybe deluded , `and heretical deceived about thefpirit,yet thofe that indeedpatakeof the Holy Ghoft, they are not deceived. It is true, this evi- dence and perfvvà'fioncannot be made clear to another : and no wonder, for God giveth not this perfwafion to affure others, but that heart in whom it is. Take we heed therefore, Mat becaufe there have beenmiferable and fad ínftances of hor- rible delufions by men boalliagofRevelations ,and [piritual raptures, that we fall notinto Atheiftical, or Sceptical thoughts about the trueworksof Gods [pixie. 2. Secondly, Therefore tomake youafraidherein, it is an,kigkfin to attribute chofe To call works works which are done by the spire ofGod, to impofiures and diabolical delufions. Al- ofSpirit Dia- thou hwe are to Examine thefpirit{, whether theybe ofCod, whether in our felves, onsisagreat g ons is a great or others : yet tomake that coming from the Dive I, which is indeed of God, is a fin. fin ofthegteateft magnitude. Therefore cake heed leaf{ that which thou fayeft is hypocrifie, and diffimulation in the Godly,be not indeed true Godiinefs in them, andfo thou do defj fight to the fpirit of grace. leis a great difpute , What is the fin againff the holy gholî ? Auflin laid , Forte inomnibus San/tuSeripturii null.; ma+ jorSURftio,nulladifflriliorinvenirur, it may be there is no more :difficult quethon in all the Scripture : Yet Math. r2. 32. It feemeth to lie much in this, when a man dothwilfully, and malicioufly attribute thole works that are done by Gods Ipirir,to the Divel1 asthey [aid, Chrif]fcoltout Divels, by tie. Prince of Dive's. Hence Mark, 3. 30. giveth the reafon why Chrifi fpakeof this fin to the Pharifeea, becaufethey faid, he bathan uncleanjpirit. It would be like boldnefs, faid Atha- nafàu, if See fbouldattribute the Creation oftbe world toBeelzebub. Andho fo- ever
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