on A&s 24. 16. 107 fpoke of fuf Bring to them, it is faid, They underf1ood him riot. 5thly, Believers are sometimes unaware engaged in a conclufion, that biaffeth their light, and maketh their Conference partial, as in fearching and finding out what might clear them, fo in feeking out grounds to maintain their opinion by. Thus yob's Friends did firft apprehend and take up yob to be an hypocrite, and accordingly thought it their duty to bear in the convi&ion of it upon him; and, to maintain that conclufion, they wreft God's providence, and difpenfation, not againft their prefent i light, nor, t may be, from a former error fo much as from the prejudice they had drunk in. 6thly, Believers may think themfelves to be right, when they are wrong, becaufe of a general cußom or opinion of filch a thing among other believers : Taking fuch a thing to be the judgment of others, they engage in ir, without trial or debate ; which is given as the reafon of the Patriarchs their fo long continuing in polygamy, viz.. That it was become cuftomary and habitual. 7thly, Befide the in- fiances we gave the laft day (which might alfo be reafohs) believers, out of their refpe& and love to a good end, may think that fuch or fuch a mids is good and warant- able, without fo particular examination of the nature of , the mids, efpecially, if it be not grofly or manifeftly finful ; becaufe they think that fuch an end is warrant- able, as it may indeed be, and yet every mids is not fo tho', when the end is good, the midfes are often, with too little care, fearch and folicitude, adventured on ; as Nathan thought it a warrantable thing to build a temple to God (and fo indeed it was) and fo queftioneth not but that it was David's duty ; and here he was miffaken. For the 2d fort of reafons, They are fuch as are drawn from God's fovereignty, who hath force fovereign and holy ends and defigns in fuch a difpenfation, viz. in fuf- fering believers to be,and abide, long under their miftakes, As, z. ft may be fo Ordered, to humble all fieíh, and to make all know their nothingnefs, and to learn that lefforà which is taught, 1 a. 2. ult. Ceafe ye from man, whcf* breath is in his noßrils ; for wherein is he to be accounted cf It would feem that believers might be laid weight upon an !
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=