rme $ cocafolationsfor'itch acs doenot feeletheirfaith. 5 35 promifes,immutable goodneffe, and infallible truth : and if euer we haue taxed ofGods loue andmercie,whatfoeuer we apprehend inour prefent fcnfe and feeling, faith concludeth that we ale í1i11 in his loueand fauour, for he is without change or fhadow ofchange, as the ApofUle fpeaketh, lama .17. and lames 1.17. whomhe fouetb, to the endbee loueth than, as our Sauiour hath taught vs, Ioh.r3.r. Lhit ;, To Though then our fenfe ofGods loue faile,yet may our faith continue flrong, as appeareth plainly in the example of Iob,who thoughhe conceiuedofGod inhisfenfe and feeling that hehad hidden his facefrom him,and tookehim for his enemy,thoughhe feemed towritebitterthings againf}him, andmade him to poffeffe the fins ofhisyouth; yet bya finely faithhet ilrefled and relied vponhitn,protefling,ÿ thoughhe fhouldflayhimyet hewould true in him:as appearcth,Iob 13 .15 . Iob 13.1q. Yea our Sauiour Chrif}himfelfe whocould not fin through infidelitie,in refpe&ofhis prefent fenfeand feeling complai- rteth that Godhad forfakenhim. Iftherefore Satan goe about to perfwade vs that wee are, §. without faith,becaufe we prcfently apprehëd not Gods loue, That vve are norfeele the fweet tareofhisgoodneffe; weeare to anfwer, rather to be- that we are not to build our affurance vpon our owne fenfe leeueGods andfeeling, but vponGods vnchangeablegoodnes,andgra- óordithen e lo our rious promifesmadevnto vs in Chrifl Iefus;and ifat any time f, f í our fenfeand feeling;tel vsone thing(namely,thatGodhath rod eelj>i . withdrawne his loue from vs, and will neuer againe looke gratiouflievpon vs)and the wordofGodaffure vsofanother thing (to wit, that Godwill. neuer forfake vs, but continue his loue towards vs vnto the end) wee are not to giue credit vntoour owbe feeling, but vntoGods word; for otherwife what doe we elfe but preferrc our oftdeceiuing fenfe,before Gods infallible truth, & imagine that we canbetterdifcerne and iudge ofour eflate thenGodhimfelfe ? but thewordof God telleth vs, that ifwee turne vnto the Lord by vnfained repentance, forrowing for our finnes páf},hatingour prefent corruptions, and defiring and indeuouring to mortifie the flefh and the lulls thereof, and to ferne the Lord inholineffe andnewneffeoflife; and ifwebeleeue in Iefus Chrifl retling : :M to 4 vpon
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