376 The Soules o f feEtuallcalling to Chrift. friend ffandingby, faid,Beleeve thou foole,catift thou not beleeve?Amanwouldnot imagine ital- moff, but that experience bathmade it good, and others have informed us of it, that many wife judicious men are not alhamed to fpeake ir, that if people knew thecurrentofthe Scriptures, and wereable tounderftand the texts of Scripture, it were not fo hard a matter to beleeve as men would make it; but men arenot ableto dive into the nature of Scriptures., and to conceive of the myfteries thereof, which if they did, it were an eafie matter to beleeve ; this is the conceit ofa company of poore deluded creatures, though otherwife learned and judicious ; follow thefe men home, and you fhali finde this true, that, ei- ther they are careleffe in their families, or elfe they have fome tang of forne fitong corrupti- on : now to overthrow thefe two, let mee doe it upon thefetwo grounds; Firff, fee thedifficulty oftheworkeoffaith, in regardof the feebleneffe ofall ti- at a man hach or doch to make him be- leeve : Secondly, in regard ofthe extraordinary greatneffe of the worke, that may hindera man fromdoing what hemay; for the firf},that which maydif finableall thole things that a man expelis comfort from ; there are but foue things that a man canput any confidence in ; firfl:, theexcel- lencieofhis parts ; or, fecondly, the heightofhis privileges; or, thirdly, the performance of his duties ; or, fohrthly, the powerfulneife of thole meanes that hehath : to fumure hp thefebriefly, and to overthrow them; firft, hadli thou that strength.
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