Matiuettoperfi'ade vi tohatenoar repentance. .40-5 unto, notfor any loue ofGod, or hatred of finne, but for feareofGods iudgements, and eternall condemnation, and thereforeas Toone asthecaufe oftheirfeare is a little remoo- ued, their repentance alto ceafeth. Moreouer, wee know that true repentance is the gift ofGod, and that wee haue itnot at our ownebecke andcall, but when he offereth and vouchfafeth .it .vnto vs, and therefore it is no marueile if they whohaue fcorned this gratious gift all thewhole courfe oftheirliues, fhouldbedenied it at the time of death, and left fo to thehardnes oftheir hearts, that though with E/au they feeke repentancewith teares, yet they fhall neuer find it. And though with thefiuefoolifh virgins they -defire to buyoilefor their lampes,yet the time of grace being :pall they fhalibe (hut out ofdoores and excluded from the ma- riage. Neither doth the Lord ordinarily begetfaith,repen- Ep1uC4,t:.r,.; tance,and other fanlifying graces-in anyman,butby thevfe ofthemeaneswhichhe hath ordained for this purpofe : now themeanes ordainedofGod arenot fickneffe,or the infirmi- ties ofold age, but themin iflerie ofhis word, madeeffe6,lu- alby the inward - operation ofhis fpirit for ourconuerfon andfanaification; and therefore iftheLordbathoftentimes granted vs this meanes, and they haue not been effe6lu- all for our ccmuerfion ; ifhee aue often called vs in the preachingofthewordand wee aue refufed to come, what 'hope can wehaue,that wee fhould turne vnto"God,without Iohn.6.s4 this meanesin the timeof fickneffe? who by the continual! hearingoftheword, hauenot been conuerted in the timeof our health, Peeing not any come vnto Chrifl, but whom the father draweth, and themeaneswherebyhedraweth vs vnto him, is notfickeneffe or theapprochingofdeath ordinarily, 'but the miniflerie ofhis word; for when the fheepe 'heare Chrifls voice, and therebyknow him tobee the truefhep- heard; then (andnot before) they followhim, as it is,lohn 10.27. So that though we were ficke,and certainelyaffured wee fhoulddie to morrow, yet for all this,wee areneuer the neerer our conuerfion, faith and repentance then wee were )efore;asappeareth in theexample oftheEpicures,i.Cor.r5. 'Cor:I , 32.Let vseateanddrinlZe(fay they)for to morrowweJball die.A .D d .anan
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