is a meansof Der pair. 449 which I enjoy among manyothers , I cannot beaffuredofGods foodWill and meaning,that ifhould believe;;epent andbefaved. By this (M) we may fee, that no found comfort can be faft- ned upon a poore foul rooted in this opinion, when he lieth under this horrible temptation. The example (2) of Francis Spiera an Italian Lawyer will give fome further light and proof to this. This Spiera aboutthe yeare ,1548. againf his knowledge and confcience did openly abjure his religion and fithfcribe to Popery, that thereby he might preferve his life and goods and liberty. Not long after he fell into a deep diftreffe of confcience, out of which he could never wreftle, but ended his wofull dayes in defpair. To comfort him came many Divinesof worth and note : But againft all the comforts which they applyed tohim, he oppofed two things efpecially. i. The Greatneffe of his finne: It was a finne (faid he) of a deep die, committedwith many urging and aggravating circumftances; and therefore could not be forgiven. Thisargument they quickly took from him, and convinced him by the example of Peter, that there was nothing in his finne that could make it irremiffible:Peter, that committed the fame finne, and with fome more odious circumP ances, repented and was pardoned, and fo (no doubt) might he. z. Heoppofed his abfolute Reprobation, and with that he put-off all their comforts. Peter ( faithhe) repented indeed andwas pardoned, becaufe He was elefted : as for me, I was utterly rejefted before I was born; and therefore I can- not poffibly repent or be faved. If any man be elefted, he fhall be faved, though he have committed finnes for number many and hainous in degree : but ifhe be ex repudiatis, one of the caft-aw ayes, necefarió condemnabitisr, he !hall be ine- vitably condemned 'though his fumes be fmall and few. u A u'Nihil in= Reprobate muf}be damned, be hisfinnes many orfew, great or mruel!t{ a r little, becaufe Gods mercyandChrifts merits belongnot to him. pauca, an In this ftory ( recorded by Ceelius Secundus and Calvine, magna an with fome others who lived at that time and wrote ofit to their parva fnt, friends) as in a glaffe we may fee the difconfolate conditionof Dei n,,;ferl a poore foial that is ftrongly conceited that the greateft part of cordia nec the world are abfolute Reprobates, and that he is one of them: Chrifti fan - He fticketh fo fait in the myre and clay that he can very hard- `dleóupgna ly bedray1n out. rtnec. z. It maketh Min ifters unable to afford true comfort to the tempted: And this it doth , becaufeit 1. Taketh from them all folid grounds of comfort; a, Leaveth them onèly weak and infufficient grounds. I. It
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