é rhe quiet Endof the7icrhteou.r. 395. Firft, the affurattce which theyhaveof thefavour ofGod inChrift. This muff needs breed quietmefs, when I am perfwaded in my foul and confcience, that all caufe ofdanger after death is removed, and thatGod is, and will be, gracious unto mein hisSon. What caufe offear is here left, what occafion of perplexity ? If any man (hall doubt whether the fervantsof God have this aflìtrance ; I prove ,eaf. r, it thus, that all ofth em firft orlaff, have it inTome good mealitre. Ifanyman (faith the Apoltle) have not the Spirit of Cbrifó, ,he is none ofhis. Hence it neceffarily Rom, s'. follows, that all that are Chriffs, have theSpirit of Chriff, but now the office of the Spirit is to bear witnef withour tßürit ; So that all that are the Lords, as they are Chap, endued with GodsSpirit,fo they feel this Spirit bearing witnefs to their fouls of this Adoption. Secondly, the comfortable Teffimony oftheir own confcience touching their 7teaf: z. former care to glorifie God bya Religious and,godlyconverfation ; Hence came St. Paulspeace,/ have,faithhe,foughttbegoodfight , /havekeptthefaitb,;,Therefore laTìm.4 7, V. I am fure there ù laid t12 for me a Crownoflife. Hence Hezekiahs, I havewalked lea. ga. ;, before thee, oh Lord, in truth, andwith aperfeE heart. Not that they doground their hopeupon the defect of their fore-ran courfcs, but becaufe they know good works to be the'way,and do underhand by the Scripture, that a holy life here,is the Eph.s. to. firft fruits ofa glorified life hereafter. Thus we fee the truth of thispoint,and the reafons upon which it is grounded. Now here fome may obje&; firft, We fee many Worthy men, that have made Object, r. a great, and an extraordinary profeffionofReligion intheir lives, and which have alto carried themfelves unblamable, yet to give appearance ofmuch anguifh and' perplexity, and even ofakind ofdefpair in their death. How canwe fay then,that all good and holy perlons have apeaceable departure I anfwer firft, We ought to remember the Rule our Saviour gives, not to judge Refonf, s. according to the outwardappearance. It is a veryweak argument tofay, that this, or fob. that man dieth without peace , becaufe to the Randers by he makes not Phew deçanuéuof of peace. Certain it is, that as a man may have peace with God, and yet him- many. of the feltfor a time, by reafon of fome tentation not feel it ; fo a man being fick, qr Sainte eicarcd, going out of the.world may feel it, and yet others that behold him cannotperceive with tke grounds it. thereof. Secondly, wemuff know thatthefe outwardunquietneffes, which domany times accompanyfrcknefs, do happen as well, and as ordinarily to goodmen, as to the mole wicked,frrchas are ravings,and idle-talkings,and ffrange accidentsin the body ; in this fenfe all things come alike to all. God bath made no promife iii Scrip Ecclef.p. . cure, that thofe that ferve him (hall be freed in their deaths from violent fick. flares. Therefore thefe things Mutt not be thought to be anyabridgment of their peace Thirdly,we muttconfider,that with thebelt fervants ofGod,Satan is moftbufie, when hisend isneareft,andwhen he is (asitwere) outof all hopeofprevailing. The red Dragon in the Revelation, hadgreateJJ wrath when be knew bis time to be lbort. Rev. r When the evilSpirit was commanded once tocome out ofthechild,theriit rent bins mark. g.:6: fore. Now there temptations, though for the timetheybe veryviolent and extream ; fo that the party may (happily) utter out fome words, and 1peeches ofdifpair, yet be they no final prejudice to the inward peace. Interrupt they may, but utterly quench it they cannot, becaufe the power, ofGod is made perfeil through weaknefo. And fo even iá death, Satan receives the greateff foil; when he thinks toget the greafeff vi&ory. Thus then 1 anfwer in one word ; The peace ofGods fervants at death'is not ever in the like meafure felt by them, but yet it never dieth in them : they which behold their deathdo not always feeir, yet theythemfelves;fowler or later are lure fwe.etly and fecretly tofeel the fame. My reafon for my affertion is grounded , firft upon that ofthe Apohle ; bad commands light to fhrne out ofdarknefi : He brings his fervants to Heaven by the rates of hell, out of forrowandanguifh, and tentation, he raifetli óuttheir greateft quiet. 2 Cat; 4.aè 3econdly,
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