252 / 772
7am
ty.
Ivfatth.7
.
7.
Luk.
i
1"heíccond
tueaues,the
.
hearing
of
the
ffiord.
224
O
fthemeans
whereby
we
may be
of
ercd
of
our
eleEbion.
gri cuous
affidlion,either outwardly
in
bodie
and fiate,or
in..
wardly
in
mind;then
this
perfvvafion
vanifheth,and nothing
remaineth
but
doubting,which
commonlie endeth
in
vtter
defpaire
:
but
the teflimonie
of
the fpirit
is
conflantand per-
manent
;
and howfoeuer wee
cannot
by
reafon
ofthegrief
uoufüeffe
ofaffli&ions,and
the violent
noifeof
our own
paf
lions
heare
the
voice
thereof
at
fome
times,yet afterwards a-
gaine
it
crieth
alowd
in
our
hearts Abba father,
and witnef-
ieth vnto our
fpirits
that
wee are
the
Tonnes
of
God
:
So
that
the
chicle meanes whereby
wee are affured
ofour
cle
&ion is
the
fpirit
of
God.
But feeing
wee haue
it not
naturally
in
our
felues,how
may we 'attaine
veto
it?
Surely we are
to
haue our
recourfe
voto
the
Father
of
lights by
earnefl prayer,
from
whom defcendeth
euery
good
and
perfeitgift,
hawing
our faith
grounded
upon
Gods
gratious promife, namely,
that
if
wee
.aske
we (hall receiue,and more
efpecially,that
bee
will giue
his.holy fpirit
to them
that
aske
it,as it
is
Luk.
z
z
.
z
3.
.
The
fecond meanes whereby
wee may
attaine
to
the cer-
taintie
of
our ele&ion,is
the
hearing
of
the
word,wherin the
Lord
manifefleth
his
grace and
goodwill to
all
beleeuing
and repentant
finners,and
whereby altohe ordinarily
beget
-
teth
this
faith
and repentance
in
all
his
children.
For
howfo-
euer
Paul
may
plant,
and
!Apollo'
may
water,
but
God
alone
g
iueth
the increafe; yet
Gods
blefhng
ordinarily accompa-
nieth
his
owne ordinance,making
it
effe6Iuall
by
the inward
operation
of
his Spirit for thofe ends for which
bee
F
;ath
or-
dained it.And though theword
may
long
found
in
our
cares
before
it
pearce
the heart,or
beget
any fauing grace in
vs,vn-
leffe
the
Lord
open
our
hearts and make
the
iced
ofhis
word
fruitful:yet
thofe
who
make confcience
of
hearing the
word,
with
diligence,
reuerence
and
attention,
and
pray for
the
af-
fflance ofGods
fpirit: whereby
it
may
become
profitable to
their
faluation, may conflantly
expe6l
the blefiing
ofGod
vpon
his
owne ordinance, which they
carefully
vfe
in
obe-
dience
to
his
will; whereas
thofe who negle&
and contemne
Gods word
haue no
fuch affurance,becaufe
it
is
the
meanes
and
inf}rument
which
is
ordained
of
God
for
this
purpofe,
without
which the fpirit
of
God
doth
not
ordinarily beget
faith,