698 / 772
67
.
Ten tations
imps
/n;v;
the certa/'ntie
of
ettr
perjeuerance.
Chrifiian
nian
haue
attained
to
fotne affurance,
_that
he
is
elerled,
called,
it.tll,ed,
and
fan
&ifed,
yet
Satan
tnillnot
glue
him
ouer,
but
labourcth
to
perfvade
hinz,that
notwith-
fianding.
at
this
he may finally
fal
away
andbecome
a
repro-
bate.
Let it
bee
granted (will
he
fay)
that
thy
Elate
now
is
filch as
thou
fuppcfefl,
yet thou art
in
no fafetie,neither
cana
promife
vnto
thy
felfe
any
affurance
of
attaining
unto
euer-
lall'ing life
and happineffe,feciug thofe onely
which
continue
vnto
the
endßiall
be
Jaued
:
whereas
thou
haft no
affurance
of
thy
perfeuerance; nay
contrariwife,thou art
in refpeel
of
thy
frailtic and
mutabilitie,certaine
ofnothing
more then
thine
vncertaintic. Call to thy remembrance the
example
of
thy
firfi
parents,
who
were perfeellie
righteous
and holy,
more
accomplifhed
in all
graces
than
any
oftheir
pofleritie,more
firong
and
able
to
indure
and
refìfl all
temptations,
as
be-
ing indurd ith
free-will, and therefore
able
both to
chufe
the
good
and
refute
the
mill,
who notwithflanding
all
this
were ouercome,
and
of
the children
of
God
made
the
flaues
of
fume
and
Satan.
Did
they
therefore
fall
who
were per
-
fealie
righteous,
and
cana thou,who
art
moll
imperfedl,
hope to
(land
?
were
not
they who
were
full
of
all
graces
able
to
indure the
incounter
in the day
of
trial!,
and
canft
thou
hope
to
make refiftance
who art
full
of
finne
and
cot.
ruption
?
were
they vanquifhed who
were
firong champi-
ons,and
doefi
thou,who
art
weake and feeble,hope for vi-
c
lorie
?
were
they allured by
Satans
temptations, to
com-
mit
f
ìnne,and
fall
from
God,who
could
freely
vi=ill
the
good
and
nill
the
euill
;
and
cana
thou
hope
toperfeuere
and
continue conftant, whole
will
is
captiued and
ouerruledby
thy
corruption
?
Confider further thy mutabilitie and vn-
conflancie,thy
exceeding
weakneffe
and frailtie,
thy
corrup-
tions
and
itnperfe&ions
;
and
on
the
other
fide
let before
thee,
the
nightie
power, the
fubtill policie,
the vigilant
watchfulncffe,
and vnwearied
diligence,
of
thy
fpirituall
e-
netnies who
continuallie
affault thee`:
and
then thinke with
-thy felfe if
there
be
any
poffibilitie,
that
thy
weaknes
fhoul'd
withf
}and
their power, thy ignorant
frmplicitie
their
pru-
<
entwifedome,
and thy
Careleffe
negligence
:their
careful!
diligence.
NMI