foranaffltdedminde, 239 our feluestoprofe lle the onely naine ofChrift Iefus, who dyed for our finnes,and rotea- Rora -has. oaine for our iuftification. For ifthe enemiefhall fay, wee haue finned : our anfwere is, thrift bath dyedfor vs,yea is rifenagaine,yea is afcended intoheauen, &c.If heefay,wee Rom:8.34. want therighteoufnes ofthe law,wee mutt anfivere,Chriftbath fulfilled thelaw,that wee Rom4s9. by himmight bemade the righteoufnesofChat. Wise (ay,wee are innature corrupt,and s.Cor.s.zr1 thereforeboth vnworthie and vnfit for the kingdome ofheaven ; wee niuft anfwere him , with thewords ofChrilthimfelfe:For theirfakeshaue Ifanbtifiedmyfelfe. Finally, what- foeuer fhall be obieetedagainft vsby theenemie,our anfweremutt bee,that in Chula all z.Cor.tzo. thepromsfesof God areYea,and in hun they areAmen. Thatall fames dwelled)in him, Color.s.s9. and that in him wee are perfeaed : fo that weemay boldly fay with Saint Paul, There is no Rom.8.r, damnation to thofe thatare in Chriff lefas. If Satans-nnportunitte and itnpndencie willnot thus beanlwered,wee mutt end alldifputation with him by ourfelues, and fendhim vnto Chrift,who amongft other partsof hisofficetowards vs, performeth alfo this for vs, both beforehis heavenlyfather,and againft allour aduerfaries,that he is our aduocatetoplead r Ioh.a.r. anddefendour caufe,which yetis nor fomuch ours ashis owne ; becaute the queftion is not of ourmerits or fatisfaâ ions, whichwefreely renounce : but of themerit of hisobe- diencc.andof the valueofhisdeaths vnto the faluationof thofe thatbeleeue in him. So Mall weat once flopvp themouths of theenemie,when refuting toplead our owne caufe, we referre onr feluesvisto Chrift,whomwe knowto be thewifedomeofGod,and able to anfwere allthat can poffibly be obieéted againft vs. For féeingSatan is a wrangling and fubtill Sophifter,itisourforeft and fafeft difpatch,to breakeoff alldifpute with him, and 7 :,ahan in to fend him thitherwherehemay receiue hisbelt anfwere; and weneede not to doubt,but temptation. he thatbath anfiveredthe iuttice ofGod,and cancelledthe obligation that was againtt vs -before Isis heauenlyfather, will eafily defeate wbat(oeuer the old Serpent our accufer the diucll is ableto alleageagainftvs. But ifwe cannotfo auoidehis afàult,butneedswe muff enter the combatwith hun, let vs take vnto our felues that courage that becommeth the fouldiers of Chrift,and in the name of the Lord Iefus manfully oppofeour felues, know- ingthat he which 'lath broughtvs into the battell, will both fanevs anddefiner vsout of alldangers. Then Weise eneinie fhall fay that we haue no faith, and thereforehaleno in- weft in Chrift,we may anfivere,that our beleeuing dependeth not vpon his teftimonie,it Whether roe ane with or is enough that ourfeh b æs doe know,and feelebythegrace of we doe beleeue.As not. f for him,wee doe therather pertwadeour feluesoffaith, becaufehe faiths thatweebeleeue not: knowingrhat he is not onely a murderer,butalfo a lyarfront the beginning and the 1011.2.4.2%. fatherof lying.Now,he that wasneither afhamednorafraid to charge Godhimlelfewith vntruth,willmake ¡elkfcruple todeale faifelywith vs,and thattherefore we vtterly reief his witnes,as the witnesofanotorious& treacherous deceiuer,vnivorthie all crcdit,and whomwecannot beleeue,eueninthetruth it felfewithout danger. Forwhichrankhewas Mark.a.o4. fooftentimes filenced byour SaaiourChrilt andhis Apoftles,euen then whenafterhis de- Ml.r6.18. ceiveable manner hebarewitnes vntothe truth. Aggaine,when thequeftionis ofourfaith in Chrift,whetherwebeleeuein himor not,we mutt beware that wetland nothere vpon perfeaion ofknowledge,which in thebeftDiuines is vnperfer : nor vpontheperfection ofour perlwafion,which in all fiefs is mingled with imperfefrion : It is enough for our prefent comfort,andto thefilencingofouraduerfarie,that wee !mane a competent know- ledge of themyfterie ofour faluation by Chrift ;farre remoued from that ignorance and implicit vnderiianding,which Satan bath planted inthe kmgdorneofAntichrift.For per- fwafion allo,weeacknowledge,that partly bythe corruption ofnature,& partlybyhis af- faults,by the grace ofGodiris fuch;as thefame is oftentimes affailedand Ihaken ; yetfai- lethnot,nor fallechunto tine ground,but ftandeth inuincibleagainftall hisattempts and inuafionswhatfoeuer. Andfinally, for that faiths wherebywee reftfor our faluationvpon Chrift Iefus, weeglorie not in our owne ftrength : but wefayeveryone felthimfelfewith Trim in theGofpefl,webeleeue,Lordhelpe thou ourvnbeleefe. For iffaith be, as it is indeede,a repofe,fedmgp placino,undputtingofoar traftandconfidencefor ourfaluation in Chriffwhom the,R defaription Fatherhashfealed; siren we doubt not to proueagainft Satan and all hisinstruments ofin- offaith. fidelitie,that we doebeleeue : and that the weaknes ofour faith, which wee willingly ac- knowledge,
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