314 / 504
C.k1.
g.3t.
Do&
-ot
Sts
ApotÍafy
leaves
no ground
_of
Afurance
or
peace
25
8
then the blood
of
the
Lord
Jefus
?
He
telleth
you
then three
things;
r.
That the weakenefe,ofthe flefli,
or
aptneffe
ofmifcarrying
through this
4'
3"
is no reafonable
round
of
feare,
to any
true
Believer
of
hisperifhing: cotfidering
that
no
manloofeth
,
or
forfeit
eth the
Grace
and
Favour
of
God, through
finnes
of
weakenefffe
or
infirmity:
It
it
only
the,
ftrength
of
inne, and
corruption
in
men,
that
expofeth to the
danger
of
loofîng
the
Love
of
God.
Anf.
The latterpart
of
thefe
words plainely
difcovers
the vanity
of
the
former
as
produced forany
fuch
end and Purpofe
as
thatin
hand: For though
I willingly
grant, that
that
which
is
termed
the
weakeneffe
of
the fief),
is
enough
to
make any man
what
ever feare,
that
he fhall
not hold
outin the
courfe
of
his
Obedience
to
the
end,
if
he have no Promife
of
fupportment
and
prefervation
by an Almighty power,
(notwithftanding it
is
affirmed
that
it
draweth
men only
to
finnes
of
weaknefie
or
infirmity, which
I
thought
had
not
been called
fo
from the
weakeneffe
of
the
flefh,
but
of
Grace
inBelievers)
yet
itis
the
ftrength
,
the pówer
the
Law,
the
fubtillty
of
the
flefh,
or
in-
dwelling
ftnne,
that
is
the
matter
of
our
plea
in
this
cafe.
Not that
which
Paul
gloried
in even
his
infarmity,but
that
which
made
him cry
out,
oh
!
wretched
8.
r,
man
that
I
am
who
jhall
deliver
me
from
the
body
of
this death, & from the
di-
ftreffe
by
reafon
'whereof
he found
no
deliverance,
but
only in
the
Affured
Love
of
God
in JefusChrift.So
that
notwithfcanding thisReply,fhaped
to
for
tille
the
minds
of
men againft
their
failings,
upon
the
account
of
the
weakenes
of
Grace, rather
then
of
the
flefh,
(which yet
it
is
not able
to
do,
for
if
there
be
no Promife
to the contrary,
why may
not
the
principle which
carrieth
men forth
to
lefTer,carry
them
alfo
forth
to
greater,&more provoking
finnes,
what
boundaries
will
you prefcribe
unto
thefe
finnes
of
infirmitie
í)
The
pretenfion from
the
ftrength
ofthe
flefh,(yea from
the
weakeneffe
ofit)
hol-
deth
good
againft
the
Saints
effablifhment in Peace
and
Affurance ,
upon the account
of
their
being
deftitute
of
any
Promife
of
prefervation
by
God.
Q.
22.
2.
I
f
the Saints
be
willing
(faith he)
to
flrengthen
the Spirit
in
them, and
make
hire willing
proportionably to the
meaner
prefcribed,
and
vouchfafed:into
them
by
God,
for
fuch
a purpofe,
this
will
fully
ballane
the
weakeneffe
of
theM
prevent themifcarriages.& breaking
out hereof;This
Ifay
then
(faith
the
Apa-
file)
walke
in
the
Spirit, andyè
(ball
not
fulfill
the Infie
of
the fief);
and
again,
I
fyou
be
lead
by
the Spirit
you
are
not
ender the Law,
and
confequently, are
iii no
anger
of
loofing
the Favour
of
God,
or
of
perifhing
for
fuch
fnnes,
which
under
the
condull
of
the
Spirityou
are
fubjell
unto.
Anf. But
that
all
now mutt be taken in good
part
, a
no
.sg>$ed
ítrangeor
uncouth,fince
we
have paffed
thepikes
in
the
laittSSOion, I
fhould
fomewat
Admire
at the
Do&rine
of
this
Paragraph;
For
a.
Here
is
a willing
in reference
to
a
great
Spiritual!
duty
fuppofed
in
men,
antecedent
to
any Affiftance
of
him who
worketh to
will and
to do
of
his
owne
goodpleafure.
What
he
worketh,
he
worketh
by
the
Spirit. But this
is
a
willing in
us,
diftin&
from,
and antecedent
to,
the appearing
of
the
Spirit
for
the
ftrengthning
thereof.
2.
That
whereaswe have
hitherto
imagined
that
the
Spirit ftrengthneth
the
Saints and
that
their fupportment had
been from him,
as
we
partly
alto
before
declared fat
leaft we
did our minde
to
be
fo
perfwaded) it
feemeth
they
firengthen the Spirit in them,
and not
he
them;
How
or
by
what
meanes,
or
by what principles
in
them
it
is,
that
fo
they
do,
is
not
declared.
Betides
what
is
hereintended
by
the spirit,
is
not
manlfefted;
If
it
be the
Holy
and
Bided
Spirit
of
God,
be hath
no need
of
our
ftrengthning; he
is
able
of
him
-
felfe,
to
make
us meet
for
the Inheritance
of
the Saints
in Light;
If
it
be
the
gracious