Chap. L The HISTORY of the PURITANS. " fignifies, a Pure confidence and hope to obtain whatfoever God has pro- King " coifedfor drift's fake, and is accompanied with a hearty love to God, Henry VIII. " and obedience to his commands. This is a lively and effeétual faith, Iß;¡1, " and is the perfeâ faith of a chriftian. 'Tis by this faith that we are " juftified, as it is joined with hope and charity, and includes an obe- " dience to the whole doctrine and religion of Chrift. But whether " there be any fpecial particular knowledge, whereby men may be certain " and affured that they are among the prmdefitinate, which (hall to the end " perfevere in their calling, we cannot find either in the fcriptures or doc- " tors; the promifes of God being conditional, fo that tho his promife " ftands, we may fail of the bleßìng for want of fulfilling our obliga- tion." After the chapter of faith, follows an excellent paraphrafe on the 12 ar- ticles offthe creed, the Lord's prayer, the ave maria, or the falutation of the angel to the bleffed virgin, and the ten commandments; and here the fecond commandment is fhorten d, the wordsfor I the Lord thy God, &c. being left out, and only thofe that go before, let down. Images are Paid to be profitable to ftir up the mind to emulation, though we may not give them godly honour; neverthelefs cenfingand kneeling before them is al- lowed. Invocation of faints as interceffors, is declared lawful; and the fourth commandment only ceremonial, and obliging the yews. Then follows an article offree-will, which is defcribed, " <1 certain OfFreo. " ° power of the willjoined with realm, whereby a rea%onable creature with-Will. out conflraint in things of reafon, difcerneth and willeth good and evil; " but it willeth not that that is acceptable to God, unlef it be holpen " with grace, but that which is ill, it willeth of itfelf. Our wills were " perfect in the ftate of innocence, but are much impaired by the fall " of 4dam; the high powers of reafon and freedom of will being wounded and, corrupted, and all men thereby brought into fuch blindnefs and in- " firmity, that they can't avoid fin, except they are made free by fpecial " grace, that is, by the fupernatural working of the Holy Ghoft. The " light of reafon is unable to çonceive the things that appertain to eter- nal life, though there remains a fufticient freedom of will in things " pertaining to the prefent life. Without me (fays the fcripture)you can " do nothing; therefore when men feel, that notwithftanding their dili- " ° gence they are not able to do that which they defire, they ought with a " ftedfaft faith and devotion to afk of him, who gave the beginning, that " he would vouchfafe to perform it. But preachers are to take care fo to moderate themfelves, that they neither fo preach the grace of God as to " take away free-will, and make God the author of fin ; nor fo extol free- will, as to injure the grace of Clod. In 23
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