523 of the abufe andufe of thedoc nine is wholly grounded upon the fecret plea; Pure of-God, not upon our own free-will. Here we maywell cry out with the Pfal- pfalm,6i mitt, t Surely men of Ion, degree are vanity, 9. andmen ofhigh degree are a lie ; to 6e laid in thebalance they arealtogether lighter then va- nity. If thy falvation dependedupon thine own will, thenthou füppofeff thou Mould- eíf rightly ufe the grace offered unto thee, and at length attein unto the kingdome of heaven. What Adam in his integrity did nor, what the Angels placed in heaven and endued with heavenly perfections did not, when theywere left unto their own liberty, that thou frail man, though overwhelmed with finne and battered continually with temptations, prefumeft thou fhouldeff be a- . ble to do ifthe Divine Predeflinationwere quite removed , and the buíineffe wholly left in thy power. On the other fide thou complaineft that by this doctrine thou art driven to defpair, becaufe it placeth the wholeoeconomieofmans falvation in Gods free pleafure : As though then there were no remedy but men mutt defpair when they are commanded to put all their confidence in God alone. But whatfoever hope the proudPelagian can build upon the power of his own free-will,which is none at all, that and more can the righteous build upon the alone mercyof God,which is infinite. I de- mand
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