teEgion ,'ainf the afuranceofoureloc ionauflrerod. 257 righteoufneffe, ifhe compared himfelfewith Gods exa& u- f}ice,but mutt needs condemne himfelfforawretchedPinner;. yet hence it followed not that therefore God thus affli &cd him,feeing thiswas the (late not ofhim otielybut ofall men ' vhatfoeuer : and therefore this could not bee the only caufe ofhis extraordinarie affii6tions. So that thisplace makesno- thingagainft the affurance ofour faluation, which is groun- ded vponGods free mercie and Chrifts merits ; but againfl that prefumption which relieth it felfe in whole or inpart, vponour owne legali righteoufneffe. The like place to this is that layingofPaulwhich theyob- §.Sea.7. .Cor.4.34.1 iuckenot mine ownefelfe,for Iknownothin .Cor.4.3.4. by myfelfe,yet am 1 not thereby iuFtifled, but bee that iudgeth me is the Lord.For anfwering \\hereof,vvee arc toknow,that there were diuers in the Church ofCorinth, who cenfitred Fault minif}erie and difgracedhis gifts ; againft which de- trae}ions hebendeth his fpeechand maketh an apologie for himfelfe,faying, that heewould not take vpon him to iudge himfelfe, concerning the excellencie and worth ofhis mini - flerie andgifts, but would lcaue the iudgement and appro- bation thereofvntoGod, wholeambaffadour heewas; and though hee knew nothingwhichmight be obieéted againft him in regard of his minif}erie, yct hereby hee would not looke to bee iuftified in Gods prefence. So that if this bee the fenfe ofthe words, as appeareth by the coherence and the drift of theplace, it maketh nothing for Popifh doub- ting. But let it be granted that Paulfpeakes not ofhis mini- f}erie,but ofhis righteoufüeffe and obedience to the law,yet this maketh nothing againft the certaintie ofour cledtion; for the Apo( }le fpeaking ofhis ovinerighteoufnes and inno- cencie,dothdifclaime it frombeing any caufeofhis iuf}ifica- tion : neither dothhe fay that in regard therofhe doubteth, as the Papists would expound him, but he aft-it-meth direly that he is not thereby iuf}ified,and rendreth this as a reafon, that it is Godwho iudgeth him : &thcrfore though he were vnblameable before men, yea thoughhee knewnothingby himfelfe, yet hee could not hereby be iuflifiedbeforc the it'll iudgement feateofGod, who requires fuchperfection awl S exac`
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=