734 / 772
o80bietliont then
from teftitnoniesofScripture
,arrfwered.
Cher.
For
he
is
reprooued
that
is
reieaed
and difapprooued
vfGod
and the
Church,as
an euill
and vnworthie
Minif}er;
whole
life
and
conuèrfation
is
not
agreeable
to
his
word
and
do
&rine. And therefore
Paul
being
appointed
an
Apofile
and
Minifier
to
teach
others
the waies
of
righteoufneffe
and
holineffe,
doth
"carefully
beate
downe
his
flefh,and indeuou-
reth to
mortifie
the corruptions thereof,lefixemaitioothers,
jand
neglecting
the
pra6fife
ofhis
owne do
rive,
he
fhould
be
reieaed
and
reprooued
as
an euill
teacher. Secondlie,
though
this
place
fhould be vnderfiood
of
eternall
reproba
tion,
yet
it
maketh
nothing
again(}
the
certaintie
of
Paul:
perfeuerance
;
for he
doth not
fay
that
he
could become
a
re-
probate,but that
he would
vfe
this meanes
that
he
might
not
become
a
reprobate.
Now to
vfe
the
meanes
to
preferue
himièlfe from
becomming
a
reprobate, doth not prooue
the
poílìbilitie
ofhis
reprobation
but
the certaintie
ofhis
perfe-
uerance,feeing the
mean
es
of
perfeuerance are
no
lelfe
con
rained in
Cods
counfell
and
decree
then
perfeuerance
it
felfe.
So
that
as
the
Lord bath
decreed
that
we
fhould
not
be
reprobates,
and
that
we
fhould
perfeuere in
grace,fo alto
he hath
decreed
that
wee
fhould beate downe
our
flefh,and
mortifie
the
corruptions
therof,that
fo
our perfeuerancemay
be
confirmed,and
we preferued from
defection and
reproba.
tion;as
he
hath
ele6ted
vs
to
eternall life,fo hee
hath
alto
de-
creed
that
we
fhould
vfe
the
means
wherbywe
might
make
i.Pet.t io:
our
election
fure,as he
exhorteth,a.Pet.i.io.and
therfore
the
careful!
vfe
ofthefe
meanes
doth not
!hew the doubtfulneífe,
but
rather the
infallible certaintie
of
our
ele
Sion
and
perfe-
Rom.8.384
s
uerance.And this
appeareth in
the
Apofile
Paul,
who
as
hee
2.Cor.13.6,
doth
in this place
with
al
diligence
vfe
this meanes
ofmorti-
fication,ÿ
he
might not
become
a
reprobate,fo in other pla-
ces he profeffeth his
certaine
a1furäce
of
perfeuering in
Gods
§.Seí
.
s.
loue,and
that
he
neither
was
nor
couldbecome
a
reprobate.
Ga1.3.
3.
The thirteene
place
obìe6 ed
is
Ga1.3.3.
are
yee
fo
foo-
What
is
meant
liJh,that
after
yee
haue
begun in
the
/,iirit,yee would
no*
be
made
by beginning
in
perfeft
by
the
fefh.
From which
lace
they
thus
reafon
:
The
the inirit,and
that
be
in
in
the
f
lrtt may
fall
away and end in the flea::
ending in
the
g
P
but
they
that begin
italic
fpirit,
are
truely regenerate
:
ther
-.
fore