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C. XVl.Counfell

of

the

H.G, to

Believers

confluent

with

the D.

of

S.P.

384 ready often

to thinke

that

your

way

is

paffed

over

form me, and your

Judg-

ment

hidden from your God

:

And in this Condition, I know

the

Aflàults,

Temptations,

and Oppofitions

of

Sathan

that

you

are expofed

to,

how he

goes up

and downe like a roaring

Lion feeking

to

deftroy you,

his

wayes,Me-

thods

,

wiles

and

baits

(that

he

layes for

you,

and

whereby he

feekes

to

de-

{troy

you) are

many, he

a&s

againít you

as

a

Serpent fubtilly and

wifely;

as

a

Lyon dreadfully

and

fearefully,

and

with fnares

not ofyou,

by

your

felves

to

be

refilled: you have Principallityes,

and

Powers

to

wreftle withal!, and

the

darts

of

the

wicked one

to

defend your

felves

againft, Wherefore beware

of

him,

be not ignorant

of

his

devices, Rand fait

in

the

Faith,

take

to

you

the

whole armour

of

God,

refift

him, overcome

him, call

him

out

by prayer, and

the

blood

of

the

Lambe,

watch night and

day

that

you be

not

furprifed

nor

feduced

(as

Eve

was)by

him,that

he

turne

you not out

of

the

way

into pathes

leading

to

deftru

&ion,

and

thruft

you headlong into

fuch

Gnnes as

will

be

difbonour to me,

a

griefe

to

my Spirit

a

fcaudall

to

the Church, and bitter-

neffe

to

your

owne

foules5

And

as

for

me, who know your

difabiliry

of

your

felves

to

do

any

ofthefe

things, and

fo

to

hold

to

the

end, becaufe

it

pleated

me

to

love you, & fet

my

heart

upon you,having

chofen

you

before the

Foun-

dation

of

the world, that

you fbouldbe holy and unblameable before

me in

Love,&

having given

my only Sonne

unto you,who

is

your

peace

& through

whom you have received the

Attanement,

with whom

I will not deny

you

or

withhold from you

any

thing that

may fafeguard

your

abiding

with

me

unto

Salvation,

I

will

through the

riches

of

my

Grace, worke

all

your

workes

for

you, fulfillingin you all the good pleafure ofmyGoodneffe &

the

worke

of

Faith with power,

.I

will

tread

down Sathan,

this cruel!,

proud,

Malicious,

bloudy enemy

of

your Souks,

under your

feet, and though

at

any

time

he foile you

yet

ye

fhall

not

be call down, for I

will

take

you

up,

and

will certainly preferve you

by

my

power,

to

the

end

ofyoür

hope, the Salva-

tion

of

your

foules

; whatever betide you, or befall you,

I will

never leave

you, nor

forfake you, the mountaines may depart and

the

hills

beremoved,

but

my kindneffe (hall never

be removed

from you,

comfort

ye,

be

of

good

courage,

and runne withjoy the race

that

is

let

before you.

This

(I

fay)

is

the language

which

according

to

the tenour

of

the

Do-

¿trine whole maintenance

we

are ingaged in, God

fpeakes

to

his

Saints

and

Believers,

and

iftherebe

folly and inconfiftency found

therein,

let

the

Scrip-

tures vindicateand

plead for themfelves.

Secondly, For

the

clofe

of

this Difcourfe

of

our Author,

charging this

courfe

of

proceedure with

folly;

viz.

To

give admonition

to the

ufe

of

meanes,when

the

end

is

certainely

determined to

iffue

upon the

ufe

of

thofe

meanes,he muff

firft

evince

it

as

to

the

application

of

it

to

the

bufineffe

in

hand,before I

can clofe with him in

the

managing thereof.

for

the prefent

I

ra-

ther

thinkthe

folly

of

this

charge,

as

far

as

it

lookes

towards the

Doarine un-

der

confederation

to

arife

from

other

things.

As

Firft,

An Impertinent

comparifon

inflituted between God and

man

in

their

Admonitions and dealings with men;

as.

though

nothing

might

befeeme him

in

Spirituali

things

of

eternali

concernement

,

but

what

is

fquared to

the

rules

ofour

proceedings one

towards

another,

in things

Natural!

or

Ci-

vil!. And

Secondly,

A

falle

fuppoftall

that

the

end

is

promifed and

affured

to

any,

without

or

betides

the

ufe

of

:wanes,

or

walking according

to

the rules, pre-

cepts,and inflru

&ions

given for

that

purpofe,or

for

Attainement

of

the

end

fo

promifed. Now what folly there

is

to

charge men

to

ufe

means for the attai-

ning

of

an end,whenthey

are,although Exhorted,alfo

Mitred,

that

in

their

fo

doing