ihe ENlle to tbeÿabviitns. Chap.i. cernes the increafe;orGods kingdot}ie,and the çoiaucrfion of wicked men. In the report,two things ,arc let dowse,, what Paul did?He onceperfectatedvi,and deflroyed theefaith:what,he now doth?He i preacheth the Gofpel.,By this we fecthat verified,which Ifai fore- told, that the leon,the wolle, the Iambe , &c.'fhouldpeaceably liue tagither.Ágaine,hcre we fee , that all things upon carth,arc fubieet to change andaltcration:fo as it maybe faid,hcretefore it was thus,and thus,but nowe it is otherwife.Thereforc in, mi- to, feries,we maynot be otter-much gricued,for theyarc changea- ble : and in earthly things, we may not reioyce ouer rnuch,be- caufe they are mutable,and fubie& to dailyaltcratians.Our fpe-- ciall caremull be,to auoide eternall and unchangeable euils;as death,and the caufe of death,namcly,finne ; and topurchafc to I5 our felues,the good thingswhich arecuerlafling ; namely, the fauour ofGoc ,and euerlalhng life. Furthermore , the thing which Paul aimed at,in perfcquu- tingthe Church,is tobeconfadered,and that was , that bemight fdeilroy thefaith.By faith, we are to vnderfland the dot`frine of zo the Gofpel,and withall,the vertuc,or gift of faith,wherebyit is beleeued:for the deuill & his inflruments, fecke the ouerthrow of both. Chrill faith , Satan defred tolift hù 1)jrciplet,that is, to Gft all their faithout of their hearts,and.to leauenothing in the, but chaffe,Luk. 2 2.3 a. Isere then, it may be dcmandcd,whe- $g they faith may belofl , fpecially in th-e children ofGod,in the timeoftemptation,and perfecution? I anfwer thus. There be three degrees oftaith.The fit.(Y confias in two things,inamled(e of the Gofpel,and "(rent to the trueth ofit.This faith the deuils haue,ancfit may be loft;and heleeuers by this faith ,_may quite 30 fall away. The fecond kindoffaith,containes knowledge,Of fent,a tafIe,or ioy in. the goodneífeof God,a wale. to the ord ofGod,and apparent fruitsofholinefíe. This faith ai%(beeing better then the former)niay be loft in the daies of perfecution: land belecuersby this fa th,rnay fall quite.away. Luk 8.13.The 3 5 ; third faith , (called the faith ofthe Elca)containcs three parts, knowledgeof theGolpel , afTent to the truethofit,andappre- henfioTr, whereby. we doe receiue , and apply Chill with bis. benefits to our fclues,or the promife ofrerniIlion offnnes,anc1 iìfe cuerlafling.This faith may be greatly waflcd,for thingsap= pertaining to it,,maybe lofl.as.boldneffe to come vntoGods. I the
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