The Sublapfarians doólrine I. It bereaseth them of all foIid arguments of comfort: which are thefe; the univerfality (0) ofGods Love, of Chrifts Death, and of the new Covenant of grace. That Minifter which doth explain and apply thefe three things foundly and wifely to him which is tempted in this kind, loth that which is abundantly enough for the relieving and reliafing of him from this temptation.And he that doth not apply thefe,leaveth him ashe found him,in the mid(' of the temptation í1i11; what- foever may be faid to the contrary in the heat of difputation. x Though (faith (T) Melan- chthon(therebe many thingsdin puted in this point more harfhly, yet whenall it done , the univer- fallpromife ofgraceand falvati- on is a Chriftians onely bulwark in this temptation and combat. Y Let us not therefore (faith he ) leave Chrilt, and (èekforan Ele cionout of theword; but let us judge of Gods will of Paving men by the promife and coin*' mandment,whichare bothuni. verfall. And in another place of the fame book he hath ahefe words,ZAs it is neeedfull toknow that the promife offalvation is free;fo it is needful! to !know that it is univerfall,again(t force dan- gerous conceitsofTrede(iination. By thefe fpeeches we fee clearly what this learned man thought to be the truebalmofGilead, whereby a wounded foul Mould be cured; vit. Theuniverfalityof the Prom ife, and of Gods Love, and of Chrifts Death; for they all hang together, and cannot be disjoyncd. The reafon why tholegrounds are able to help a man in fiuh a cafe, is twofold. t. Becaufe they are direEtly contradi&ory to the temptation. Awill to fave all, a giving of Chrift to death for all, a ferious offer of grace to all, cannot poffiibly Rand with an abfolute antecedent will and intent of carting-away thegreateft part of 1 mankind, or,-to fay thetruth, of any one man in theworld. Upon this followeth the fecond reafon. z.-Becaufe they lerve to convince the tempted, that he can- not be in that condition in which he fuppofeth himfelf tobe. For x Melanchth.Loc.com.p.526.c.de Præd.Etfi mul- tadifpatantur duriùs, tarnen neceffeeft in vero agone ad hanc arcem confiigere, videlicet,quòd de voluntate Dei judicandum fit ex expreffo verbo, & quòdpromiflio fit ttniverfalis, & quòd fit mandatumDéi xternum'.& immutabile, Au- direFilium, & affentiri promiffioni. y Obtemperemus igitur, nè vagentur animi qum- rentes eletioné extra verbum, & relifto Chri- flo & min mandato de ampieftenda promiflï.- one; fedteneamus certi & indubitacâfide pro - miflìonem` gratia non innern eflè fabulam, fed Deum vere patefeciule volnntatem fuam inpró- anifïione, & verè praflare quod promifit. z P. 23o. de prom. Evan. Sicut eft necei(e fci- re Evangelium effe promiflionem gratuitam, itá neceffe eft (cire Evangelium promiffionem uni- verfalem effe. Hanc umverfalem tenere neceffe eft adverfùs periculofas imaginationes de prx- deftinatione, nè difputemus franc promiflìonem adpaucos quo(dam alios pertinere, non perti- nere ad nos. Non enim dubium eft, quin omni- tun animoshzc cogitatio exerceat.
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