Iohn 5.24. and to,s3. 4. SeU. 5. .A odieëtion te;tding t® fro- prate the for- merpromifes, anfvvered. Iohn R.3 . and 15.7. 684Arguments toprole thecertaintieofourperfeuerance. fballliue foreuer. And verf.54. Whofoeuer eatethmyflefh and drinkethmyblood, bath eternal! life, anti I willraitehim vp at the !aft' day, &c.'.' Now whofoeuer beleeue in Christ, they eate his flefh, and drinkehis blood ; for faith is is themouth of the foule whereby wee feede on this heauenlie .foode; and therefore all the faithfull fhall haue euerlafting life; nay, as he faith, they haue it alreadie, andfhall not comein.: to condemnation, but haue pafféd from death to life, as it is Ioh.5.24. and Ioh.io.28. I willgiue veto them eternal! life, and they/hallnewer perifh, neither (hall anyplucke them outofmy hand. 29. My father tvhichg.aue themme isgreater thenall,and none is able to take them out of my fathers hand. In which words heboth fheweth his will inhis promife, andhis pow- er toperforme it,and therefore whofoeuer are the fheepe of Chrift, they cannot be taken from him,neither for a timenor eternally:forfo it fhould follow ifChrifts reafon be ofany force,that theywho took them from him should be ftronger than Chrift and his father,which werea horrible blafphemie for any to imagine. But here it is obieaed,that thefe promifes aremade to all the faithfull fo long as they continue faithfull, and to the fheepeofChrift fo long as they are his fheepe, who abide in his word and follow him. But when they ceafe tobeleeue and tobee his fheepe, they doe not appertaine vnto him, for-they onely remaine the Difciples ofChrift whoabide in his word, and haue hisword abidingin them, Iohn 8.31. and 15.7. To which I anfwere,that this is an idle trifling in a circular difputation, and a vaine begging of the que- ftion in controuerfie. For the queflion is, whether the faith- full maybe affured of their perfeuerance in faith, whether amember ofChrift may be allured to continue a member ofChrift, whether a fhcepe of Chrifl may affure himfelfe that hee is to remaine for euer a fheepe ofChrift. Wee hold theaH'irmatiue part,and proue it by diuers teftimonies; they denie that th promifes are abfolute, but on this condi- tion,that weare affured none can plucke vs from Chrift, fo longas wee continue and retainethe nature of the members and fheepe ofChrifl. But I would faineknow what it is to be
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