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An

Enquiry after

a

mans

eflate.

7

fore,

z

Pet.

r.

to

He

that atteineth

to

th at faith

which

the

A-

poftle

calk

th

the

faith

of

Gods

eles, Titus

r.r.

and

receiveth

the

word

of

God, as'Paul

faith

theTheflalonians

did,

and thence

concludeth

they

were

chofen

of

God,

i

Thef.

I.

_I,

5.

he

may

attain

to

much

Aflùrance

of

his

elehion.But

though

a

godly

man

may

know

he

is

eluted

of

God,

yet

for

reprobrion

the

cafe

is

not

alike

:

r. Becaufe

ungodlinefle

is

not

alwayes

joyned with

perfeverance.

2.

Derides,

God

hath

many

realons

why

he

doth

not

reveal

mess reprobation unto

them

:

They would

then

be

outragious

in

evil,

defperate

in

wickedneffe;

there

could

be

no

order

or government

in

humane

life

:

Berides

that,

the form

of

Chrifìs

adminiftration

of

his

kingdome

could

not

be

fo

as

it

now is:

for Chrift

hath

bid

his

Minifters

preach the Gofpel

to

every

creature,

to

whole parifhes and

towns,

and except

none

:

Chrift will

not

tell

his

Minifters which

be

reprobates

and

which

not, that

they

may

preach

unto

all, and labour

to

work

upon

every

foul

;

and

there

is

none

in a

parifh but the

Minifter

muff

look

upon

him as

one who

may

be faved

:

Chrift

will

not

tell

his

people

which

be

reprobates,

that

they

may

look upon

every

one

as

one

that

may

be

wonne

to the

faith

for

any

thing

they

know

:

Chrift

will

not

tell

the

reprobates them.

(elves

that

they

are reprobates

,

that

every

one

of

them

may

come

to

the

afe

of

the

means;How

do they

know but

that

they

may

Ende

grace

?

yea

and

the

Lord doth

ferioufly call

them;

and

it

is

their fault

if

they

obey

not. It

is

Gods

infinite

mercy,

that

elation,

which

isfuch

a

comfortable point,

may be

reveal-

ed

to Gods

children; and

that

reprobation,

which

is fo

intole-

rable and

bitter,

is

not

revealed

to

the reprob.ate.Neverthelefle

let

me

adde,

That

foire

particular

men

have

known

their own

reprobation,

as

Cain

and

yudau,

&c.

And

there

be

fhrewd

Ganes

of

it:

(I

do

not

(peak

it

as

though

I

meant to

perfwade

any man

that

he

is

one, but onely

that

he may

take

heed

of them.)

i.

Malicing the

known

truth

is

a

very

fhrewd

ligne:

As,when

men know

that

godlineffe

is

pleating

to God,and

yet

they

hate

a

man

for

it;

when

men

know the Minifter

is

commanded

to

rebuke

tin,

and yet

they

will

fpite him

for

fo

doing

:

this

is a ve-

ry

shrewd

f

gns

of

it.