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¿74

ObieEí

out

againf

the certainty

of

ortr

eleal

-

were

maketh

it

more changeable than the

Moone, which

one

while fhineth with

full

brightneffe, and

in

(mall

diftance

of

time cannot

be difcerned

;

and

to

this end let

vs

know,

firf},

that

though

in our

felues

wee bee

not worthy

of

the

leafl

of

Gods

mercies,yct

Our

vnworthines maketh

vs

not

vncapable

of

the

greatefl,for

all

Gods

benefits

are

his

free

gifts, which

he promifeth and

befloweth without

any refpc&

of

our

wor-

thines

or

deferts,

ofhis

meere grace and vndcferued

loue:and

therefore

as

when

we

are

moff

worthie

in our owne conceit,

there

is

no

reafonwhy we

fhould

prefume

the more;

fo

when

we

find

our

felues

vnworthy,there

is

no

caufe

why

we

fhould

hope the

leffe,

or be more weakly

affured

ofGods

promifes;

for

as

they

are

not

made

vpon

the condition

of

our worthi-

neflè,

fo

they

are

not

difanulled

and

made

v

bide

by

our vn-

worthineffe, otherwife

no

man liuing could

haue

affurance

ofthem,

feeing

all

men

liuing

are

vnworthie

ofthem.

But

the Lord

hath

made

alibis, protnifes

vnto

vs

in

Chrifl, who

was

fent

to

bee

our

Mediatour, to

the end

that

we

who were

altogether vnworthie

in

our

felues,

might be

made

worthie

in

him

ófall Gods

mercies

and

benefits.

And therefore

who

-

foeuer

`lay

Hold

vpon

Chrifl, with

a

true

though

a

weake

faith,

and

bringfoorth

the

fruites

thereofin

repentance,they

may certainlie bee

affured

of

their

ele

&lion

and faluation,

notwithilanding their

vnworthineffe.

Secondly, we are

to

know that

our faith

doth

not

refpe&

our

felues

in our

(clues,

neither

are

wee the obied}thereof,

but

Chrifl

and his

merits

and

obedience; whom

our faith

doth not

behold

{landing

aloofe of(as the Papìfls dreatne)

but

as

hee

is

vnited

vnto

vs,

and become our

headand

we his

tnembers;fo

as

nowwe can-

not

looke

vpon our

felues

but

we muff

looke

vpon

Chrifl,be-

caufe

hee

is in vs

and

wee

in

him. And therefore when

wee

confider

the

greatneffe

of

our

finnes we

defpaire

not,becaufe

now

we

looke

vpon

them

as

they

are

tranflated from

vs

and

laid

vpon

Chrif

},

who bath

fully fatisfied his

fathers

iuflice

by.

his

alone and

al-

fuffiicient

facrifice

vpon the croffe;

when

we

confider our

'imperfe

&ions we

doubt not

ofGods

pro-

htifes,becaufe

they

are

couered

with

his

perfearighteouf-

,neffe

when-

wee confider

our vnworthineffe

wee

are

not

difcourageds