2 The DoEJrine, Duty and tl f e f ud ne f o fAff urance. S n- c otherwife this commandwould be in vain. To the fame purpose is the word al- fo aD,,,g4eer, AntImzda implíeth a fevere andslaiigeet inquifition intoour felves,fo as to havea full experienceof what is in us ; hence Rem.5.5 Am6. l is ufed for experience. In thenext place you have the object matter, Whetheryebe in the faith. He 0 doth not here fpeakof Fides qua creditor, theDoctrine offaith ; but the saving grace o faith, as appeareth by the other particular, ICnowye not that Chriflis in yea ? The Apoftle faith, Ye in thefaith,rather then faith in you, to thew the largeextent of faith, thatwe are Subjeds whodo not contain it wholly ; ;she ufeth contraryphrafes to be infinne, and in the flesh rather then finne, and flefhh tobe in us ; fo fome obferve that, Enter rhea into thy Maflersjoy, not thy Ma- ilers joy into thee ; though that feem to be a fancy, and the true meaning is, Enter into the place ofthyMailers joy, for fo zees is ufed in Eflher, The Popi& Commentators to elude this plate when brought by the Orthodox, to prove, That a man may be certainof true grace inhim, do anfwer, That the Apoftle fpeaks not here of the faxing Works of the Spirit, but the miraculeue Work!; This is made an Argument that they were the Apoftlesofthe trueMesas, be- rateoft`,e miracleswrought among them. And G41.3.5. the Apoftleproveth the true Doctrine of Chrili to be among them, becaufe of miracles done to them ; we may adde alto Math, i 1.5. when Johns Difciples come toknow,Whe- eherhe Werethe trueChrifl, Jefas returneth this anfwer, Theblinde receive their fight, the lame Walk, &c. As if he thonld have raid, These wonderfull works demonftrateme tobe theMeffrac. Now though it should begranted,that this . werepart ofthe meaning, when the Apoftlecals them to anexperimental proof of his Apoftle&ip among them, yet this cannot be all, becaufe Cltriff'is not said todwell inus, according tothe Scripturephrae,or to be in us by ameet-mi- raculous faith only. The confequent abfurdity is inchofe words, VnlefJe yebe reprobates. Pifca- ter takes reprobateshereas oppofed to thofe that are predeftinated; but I pre- I ferre Beta's judgement, who underftands it of a corrupt andunfoundminde,ll thus, Theymight eafily difcoverthe work of Chrilt to be in them, or among them, unleffe their underftandings were in part depraved; for that he doth not fnppofeatotal iunfoundneffeinthem,appeareth by theGreek,esv,'aìi 'o otEis, whereai doth mitigate the speech ; therefore it rendred by force, Vnleffe in fomethinyyou be unfound. That a reprobate minde is a corrupted minde,appear- g eth 2 Tim.3.8:Men ofcorrupt minde, reprobate concerning thefaitkand Tit. r. s6. Although we donot take reprobates here asopplbfed ro predeftinated, yet I fee not why we may not well translate it Reprobates, not as taking it forfuch who are out of hopeof falvation; but as the Scripture cals Reprobate frlver, Jer.6.3o. Ì which bath no worth or fitneffe in it for trade. Though the Aponte writeth here to the wholeChurch, yet the duty is to be obferved refpedively by every believer; Neither is thattrueofEffius, who toavoid the orthodox Arguments forAffurance of grace, faith,lt maybe eaRlier known, Ctn.& is in fuch a Church or Congregation, then in the heart ofapartièularbeliever: forthe Textfpealts not of Chrifis being in his Doctrine and Ordinances among them, which in- deed is eafily difcerned ; but of his fpiritual inhabitation by fandifying gra ce in them, Obferv, t. h is a dotty of ffecial concernmentfor the people ofGod:* be affured offetch a true ' 1 and favingWork,of grace inthem, as.thereby they/hall bedifferenced fromunfoatnd 1111 hypocrites. Obferv, a, There arecertain Notes andSigns ofgrace,whereby amanmay discern What he is. -- A Practical and Experimental knowledge of Grace doth farre tranfc end i a meer Notional and Theoretical : There is a great difference bettateen, him that bath heard Honey is fweet, and him that bath tatted it. It is a rule among the Hebrews, That Yerba notitia, quandoque figni ficant a ffeflum
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