-_------ 'Jambe ofGod, {hewes that the libertie it felfe is a thingmoll pretious and excellent, and fo tobecftcemed. Thirdly, for this libertie weareto glue all,praife and thanks to Goda This did Paul at the remembrance of it. Rom. 7.25. 5 I.Cor. 15.57. Andnot to be thankfuil is anhcightof wicked nef%. Thethird point is; concerningthe perlons to whome this libertiebelongs; and theyarenoted in thefe wordes, Stand ye fats; hehash made vsfree. Whereby Paul fignifies himfelfe and eo the Galatians that beleeued inChrift. Beleeners thenare the perlons to whornethis libertie belongs. Ioh. I. 12. t .Tim.4. 3. And true belecuersare thus tobe ddcerncd. Theyvfe the or- dinarie meanes ofgrace and faluation, the word,& façraments: in the vfe ofthemeanes, theycxercife themfeluesin the fpiritu- r 5 all exercifesofinuocatiin and repentance=: and in thereexerci- les they bewails their vnbeleefe,and firiueby all meanes to be- leeue in Chrift. As for them that conceiue a perfwafion of Gods meulewithout the meanesoffaluation,and without the ekercifesofinuocation and repentance,thcy arenot truc helee- ao tiers but hypocrites. When Paul faith,Ghrifl hash made vsfree , that is , me Paul, and you the Galatians , he teacheth that euery beleeuermuff byhis faith applievnto Intactfe thebenefit ofChriflian liber- tie. But to doe thiswell,isa matter ofgreat difiîcultie. ThePa. 25 pifts in their writings report our doarine to this:that a man muff concciue a perfwafaon that he is in the faueur of God the adopted childof God: and that vpon this perfwafion he hath the pardonaf' his 'fumes, and the benefit ofChriftian l"- bertie. But they abufe vs in this as in many other things. For o we teach,thartheApplication of Chrifl andhis benefits , is to bemadeby certaine degrees. The fitti is, to vfe the meanes of 'faluation, the word,praier,facrarnents : the fecond is, to confi- der and to grow to fosse feelingof ourfpirituall bandage : the third°is, to will and delire to beleeue in Chrifi , and to teflifie 35 this defireby asking, feeking, knocking : the fourth is, a certen perfdvafon, or a certentieconceived in mindsofthe mercie of God by meanes of the former clefire according to thepromife ofGod, Ak e, andit f1sall he siuen vnto yon. The fifth is,an cx-:; perienceofthegoodnes ofGod after longRife of themeanes of faltiation, and then vpon thisexperienct followes the full A"aa 2 pCr- the Epiile to the Galatians. Chap. 5. 371
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=