SEict.I. The De trine, Duty andZlfefulnefl of "'Otarance. aT fickneffe., Remember , O Lord , how I have Walked before thee With a true heart. And thus Paul is animated to look Death in the face, becaufe he knew Hehad fought agood fight : and is not this the complaint of many languifhing on their death-beds ? Oh ifthey hadAffurance, how willingly could they de- part out ofthis world! 4. In the Vfefulneffeof it, hereby We Jball be enlarged and guirknedup to all 4 holy Duties. He that leaththis Hope purifteth himfelf, even uGod is pure, t John 34. And Having thefePromifes, faith the Apoftle, viz. of God being our God, and wehis people, Let us cleanfe our felves from all filthinefjè of fiefh and fffrit, %Cor.y.t. Webelieve,therefore we fpeak and therefore it is an opinion againft manifeftExperience, thatAffurance of Gods Love will beget Prefum- paon and carnal Security, whereas indeed this will be like fire in our bowels, wings to our Souls : Dock] not the Childes Knowledge and Affurance that his Father loveshim, beget all willingneffe, and readineffe of Obedience ? And is not the Rule, Si vis amari, ama, Love if thou Would!?be loved? When there-. fore the Soul (hall be perfwaded that God in great Love hath wrought fuch mercies for him, Will not this make him (even times more enflamed to God? In thethird place, We have the Difficulty, fewdo attain unto it, and that from III. thefegrounds, The d; 8euley FA, Where the fenfe and feeling of the guilt of finne is, there We prefent- fur;eteng Al- ly look upon God ae, an Enemy, thinkof him as of a Man that cannot for- give , but Will certainly avenge. Thus Cain and ?fags', howprone were they to defpair I And therefore the word to Afore, t John 3. 19. fignifieth Ter- fwade , implying that our Hearts have many froward and peevifh Ob- jeetions ; and we are many times as Rachel mourning, and Would not be com- forted. - Secondly, ItarifeebPam the defperate Hypocrifie and falfeneffe of our Hearts. í: This is urged by thePapifts too farce, as if it were fuck a Deep , that the Spi- rit of Godalto could not affure us what we are ; but thus farce it manifefeth, ThatComfort or Affurance is not a Flower that gróweth in our Garden, but if the Spirit ofGod fhould not both work Grace in us, and giveus eyesto difcern it, we Thould remain ina dark Chaos. Thirdly, to arifethfrom our proneneffe to Walk negligently and carelefly We 3. arebeaten down with many Temptations, and therefore do quickly foie our hopes; for this Affuranee is preferved in the continual exercife of Grace. Hence the Apoftle ufeth two words ,oì» or a.vd4s-s, The rather give all Diligence to makeyour Calling and Fletlionfure, 2 Pet. t.to. Implying that if we walk not carefully in theufe ofall themeans ofGrace, which God hash appointed, we cannot obtain it ; butnow, bow are we incoldnefs, lukewarmnefs, earthlinefs, &c. often, and fo grieve that Spirit of Godwhich would teal us? Fourthly,It ie Difficultfrom outward Caufes, as firfifrom Sat,,n, who bath fiery 4 Darts,ú a Manflayerfrom the beginning, andendeavours to keep in doubts and fears, that loat la{ we may be evenwearied out, and rage againft God. When theDevil cannothinder us in our Duties, he doth it in ourComforto andConio- lattons; as the Spirit ofGod'is theComforter, becaufe of that fpecial benefit it brings to the people of God ; So the Devil is the Tempter, and watcheth the opportunity to throw bitter wormwood into every conditionwe are in : As the Pirates do befetandwait for thofe Ihips thSt re fullehofgold, and other treá- lures ; yeatherefore never are wickedmen calf downwith thofe fears and trou- bles as the godly are; Theyknow not themeaning of fpiritual Temptations,nor what it is tohave the light of Godscountenance denied them. 2. On Gods part, he makes it difficult, That hereby hisfavourmay be the more prized. The Church that had carelefly putoff her Beloved, afterwards makes E great
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=