502, Of73Vednes. R...8. Abbafather, that weeflare boldly fay, ifGod be on oarfine, who canfiand againgl vs?Such bl ndnes,fotlic,and incredulitiepcffeffeth vs bynature, that ofourfelueswee canneither fecinto theemyfteries ofour laluation,norbeleeuethe thingwe feeconcerningourcorn_ fort,vntill we hauereceiuedofth,s fpiric,whichcornmeal from abone. For none cornmeal Ioh.6. to Chrift,indeffé thefather drawhim;and how draweth hebut by inlightening thehearts of his cleft by the holyGhoft,Ioh.6.44. Wherefore feeing thefe things are not reuealed unto vs,but by the fpirit,r.Corinth.z.14. weend with that bleflingof the Lord letusto Peter, Matti,.16.i7.Blefféd art thouSimon,tlmufonneofJonah : forfleJh andblood hash notopened this veto thee,but myfather which is in heauen. The án 4 The inftrumciïtall caufe is partly withinvs,asfaith,and partly without,asthe word,and mnaall taafes. the appurtenances accbpanymg thefame, as Prayer, theSacraments,the difcipline of the Faith. Church. Faithbeingthe groundofthings,whichare hoped for,and thecuidence ofthings which arenot feene,Heb. s i . i . doth fo appliethe promifes ofGod to ourproperand pe- culiarcomforts, that it fealeth vsvp to the Lord, affoording a certaine teltunonie toour hearts, thatwebane notinvainerecemedofthegood fpirit ofGod. Now, becaufe there is a certainekinde offaith,which Sabanhimfelfe Both broachin hisfchoole,and propounds Aprefaith. as a principle to all his fchollers ; feeing the Papifts urge faith in theirvnwritten verities, the Fami!il}s will haue it in thefoolifh reuelations, theTurke requirethkin his drie fpecu- lations ofMahomet, and theWizzard will feeme to demaund it in his diuellifh incanta- tions : wee mutt not beleeue curry fpirit, but truth to the word onely, which is our fore . loadftarreand touch-ftone,and being it felfe firme,dothmake our faith in it moft firme, fureand vnchangeable. This bleltednestohauethe Lord communicate himfelfe to vs by his word, is priuiledged abone that praife, which the woman gane our Sauiour Chrift, Lok.1 i.ay.asmay appeare by his fharpeaniwere,Teableffed are they that heeretheword of God andkeepe it. We concludethen withthe Pfalmift, Bleffedare they that dwell inthe hopfeoftheLord,they will esterpraifehim:Blefed is themanwhofeflrenothis in the Lord,andin whofe heart arehismaies,Pfal.14.4.p.if the ueeneofSaba countedihofe menhappie,that might ftand beforeSalomon, and hearehis wifedome,2.Chron.9.7. if Dauid thought it a nlGng.a.v. high recompence andprincelikebenefit topreferre the bonne ofBserzilleitoficat thetable ofSolomon: how great is our happines to heare thewifedomeof Chrift? how high is our bletfednes to fitat thetableofthe Lord, wherenot Salomon, but a greater than Solomon is préfent;wliere notSalomon, buta wifer thanSalomonfpeaketh vnto vs? Behold then the caufesoftruebleffednes,which are oureleétion, redempption,ihlumination, andfanetifica- tion : all whichare fealed onto vsby the holyGholf,t!e fpirit workingfaith through the wordpreached, Chrift lelos fo fending his fpiritto rennevs, God theFather fending his bonneto redeemevs, redeeming vs tocall vs,calling vs to iuttifie vs,iuflifyingvs to fan- aifievs,fanótifying vs hee fealethvs by hisfpirit : and foby allthefe doth her lay thefore ground-workeofour faluation andeternal) bleffednes. Concerning the effeóts of blef!ednes, Tome are inward and fomeare outward : theef- fefibs inward arepartlyin refpea ofour felues only,and partly in regard bothofourfelues and ofothers : chafein our felues are either concerningmortification, or about our fanBi- ficacion. The &It ofthefe is both trulyand orderlycouched inthat fermon oftheLord le- Matth.5. fus,Matth.5.where thofe men arebet in the fink ranke, who are emptied both of the opi- Thefir/tde- nionoftheir ownewifedome, and of all perfwafionof their ownerighteoufnelfe: andof greeofbiejfed- chafe it is Paid, Blefed are the poore infpirit,for theirs isithe (kingdome) of heenen. Now be- tank haue loft their hold in judgement,who hauenot 1hthroughlygiuenoiler in Thefetondde- affe6lion ; in the next degree happines is promifed to fuch,whoarefo forre defcended into gree. the fightoftheir owne(vilenes)andfenféof -their naturall corruptions, that they are not onely conuincedof an vnrighteoufneffeinherent intheir judgements,but alto are much humbled for it in their affe&ions,of whom theLord of comfort bath thusdetermined: Blefedare theythat mourne,for the .)hall becomforted. Further,forthat Saban laboured, and preuadeth muchin ouercomming exercifed mindes with pectic Thames (a thingoft inci- Thetbirdde. denttoaffli6tedconfciences) thenext beatitudeisalottedto them, that aremeekernfpirit, gree. whomourne rather in themfelues,poffef ng theirfoules inpatience,than others, wormer agamtt
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