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ObieE1

ions

ágainft

perfetserance

teen

from

examplemnf.

73

9

and

firfl

founder

of

the wicked

herefies

ofthofe

heretikes,

which

after

his

name were called

Nicolaitanes,

whofe,

do-

&rine,

approouirg

fpirituail and carnall whoredome,

God

hated,as appeareth,

Apoc.2.i

5.

I

anfwer,that ifthis

were

the

Apoc.:.s

5.

fame

Ncolas

(which

loth

not

appeare

by

any

neceífarie

proofe,

but

fandeth

one;

y

upon force

probable conieelure)

yet

the propofition

is

falfe,feeing

he neuer had

faith,nor

was

euer in

the

Rate

of

grace, and therefore

could

not

lofe

that

he

neuer

had,

nor

fall

from

that

efiate in

which

he

neuer

was.

For

had

hee

euer

beentruly

iuflified,

then

hee

fhould

haue

been

alto glorified,

as

the Apofile fpeaketh,

Rom.

8.

30.

Had

hee been

of

the

faith,

he would

furely haue

conti-

Rom

s,

30,

nued with them, and

not

departed from them by this

foul

herefie,as

John

aflïrmeth

:

i.Epif}.2.19.

!John

2,19.

But that

he

was iuflified and

regenerate,they

aífuine

and

ft

indeuour to prooue by

that

teflim

A

&.6.3.

A

onie

where the

",'

Apofiles

bid

the difciplts

chufe feuen

men

ofhonefl report,

and

full

of

the holie

Ghofi,

and

of

wifdome,to

be

their

Dea-

cons,

who

should difiribute to

the

poore. And accordingly

they

chofe

them

and

amongfl the

refi this

Nicolas.

There

reafon

fiandeth

thus

:

They who

are full

ofthe

holy

Ghofi,

are iuflified

and

fan

-

&ified

:

Nicolas

was full

of

the

holy

Ghofl

:

Ergo.

I

anfwere

that hereby the

holy

Ghofi

we

are

not to vnder-

íland the

fati

&ifying fpirit

of

God,

and

the

facing

graces

thereof; but

thole common

gifts

of

his

holy fpirit, whereby

he

was

fitted for

that

office

and

fun

&ion

ofa

Deacon, vnto

which

he was called

;

namely,

wifdome,faithfulnefle,care-

fulneffe,prouidence,loue

to

the poore,pitifulneffe, kindneffe

and

fuch

like,

all

which

are

common

to

the

vnregenerate

with

the regenerate. Secondlie,

though

wee

íhould grant

that

here

is

vnderllood Gods

fan

&ifying graces,

yet

it

fol-

loweth not that

this

Nicolaa was

indued with them. For the

fpirit

of

God

faith

not, that

thefe

feuen

Deacons

ele&ed

were indued with faith

and

the holy

Ghofi,

for he onely

gi-

ueth

this

tefitnonie

vnto

Stephen,

but

that

the

Apofiles

in-

ioyned the

difciples

to

chufe

fuch

as

in

their iudgement

were

Pbb

2

thus