169 / 772
?hat
true
ChriflianJ ought
to
be
affured
ofGods
loue.
741
thefe in the Church
of
God
and
outwardly enioyed
the
word
and
Sacraments
as,
well
as
any
other;
and
yet
God
himfelfe
faith
that
he
hated
Eau,and
had
reieáed
Saul.
And
therefore
let
vs
neuer bragge
of
our
affurance
of
Gods
loue,
becaufe
of
thefe
outward
and common benefits
which
hee
indi$ërenly bcfloweth
both
vpon the
ele6t
and
reprobate;
but
if
we
would be
allured indeed
ofGods
loue,
let
vs
looke
into
our felues,and confider
if
he haue
bellowed
vpon
vs
his
fpirituall graces,
faith,hope,
patience, loue
of
him and our
brethren,true
repentance
for our
Pinnes,
and
holineffe
of
life:
and
the
refi
;
and then by the
fruits
of
fan
&ification we
may
be allured
that
we
are
fan6tified,
and confequently iuflified,
called,eleeted,and eternally loued
ofGod.
And
thus
doth
Satan
falfely
perfwade
the
carnali man
that
4.sea.
3.
hee
is
highly
in the loue and fauour
ofGod
:
but
contrari-
uovv satax
wife
when
hee affaulteth
the
weake
Chriflian,
hee
changeth
Perftwadetb
his copie, and
goeth
about to
perfwade him
that
hee
is
not
v2'eakeCbra"
(üans
that
they
beloued
of
God,bur fubieó
to
his wrath>and
heauie difplea-
are
not
beloued
lure. And this hee inforceth by two forts
of
arguments
:
the
ofGod.
one drawne from
his
manifold corrupt'.ons, whereby hee
is
vnworthie
of
Gods
loue
;
the other
from thofe grieuous
of
flic`
}ions
and
erodes
which
the Lord
in
this
life
inflic`leth
on
him; both
which
he
thus
vrgeth againflhim:Cani`lthou
vile
wretch cóceiuethe
leaf+
hope
that thou
art beloued
ofGod
?
Why,doe
but
take
a
view
of
thy felfe,and
thou íhalt
fee
that
originali corruption hath
ouerfpread
both
thy bodie
and
foule
like a
fiithie leprofie;
vnto which thou hail added
ae
'cu-
al tranfgreflions nrore in
number then the
haires
ofthy
lead,
or the
flarres
of
heauen;
for
daily,nay hourely
thou
omitted
fome
dutie
which thy
God
hath commanded
thee,andcom-
mittefl
fome
Pinne
which
hee
hath forbidden. Can therefore
the Lord,who abhorreth ,\'ickedneffe,louc.thcwicked
?cant$
thou
obtaine
his
fauour,
and.
yet dce l nothing
but
difplcafe
him
?He
that loueth
God
keepeth
his
commandements;
but.
thou
by
tranfgreffing
them
all,
docfl
Phew
that
thou
louet}
a`
him
not:and
will
the
Lord
loue them
who
hate
and
rebel' a-
gainfl him?
Can iuilice
it
felfe
loue wickednes, and
perfe&
holineffe impure.corruptiori
?No vcrély;'for in
his
word
hee
.
bath.: