Perkins - BX9315 P465 1597

aipi leofTonfesence . IC or no : and they arenot deceiued when they fayand thinke that they tritelybe- leeue. For they are like vnto them, which handling a precious flone,by rea- fon that they are induedwith fenfe, know and fay, that theyhandle it. And ifno manmight certainelyknow, whetherhebeleeued trulyor not : whydoth theApotlle fay,Trieyourfelues Whetherrube in the Faith? And ifit beefo, z.Cor, r ;. no man can euer certainlyknowe, whether beebee iudified: confidering that ó they onely whichtruely beleeue,can bee iudif:ed. And ifa man giuing cre- ditto another mans words, dothcertainly know that hebeleeuethhim : how much more dooth heeknowe it, which being indued with trueFaith by the holy Ghoff, beleeueth the GofpelI ? In aworde, godlic vsritershaue proucd againftSchool-men, that they which are indued with true faith inChriif, can- notbe ignorant ofit. But (fay they) no man is certaine ofhis perfeuerance in faith: and thereforeout ofthis vniuerfailpropofition, He *hick beleeteeih, namely, Witha true and conflantfaith,is eleiedtolife, no man can conclude that hec iseledled, by reafon that albeithee mayeknow, that he is indued with true faith,yet heecannot tell whether it (hall be perpetuall. This collection is abfurde, and the learned hauefullyproued, that true faith isperpetuall. And therefore they which certainlyknow, that they beleeuein a true faith, are allo certaine, thatthe fame their true faithfhall neuer perifh in this world: partly for thepromifeofGod, i willput myfeare into their hearts, that they may tie- pre. 32.40 uer departfromnsee: andpartly forthepraierofChriif, d haste praiedfor thee Luk.zz.3a Teter, that thy faith dee not fails. Seeing it is fo, it is verie certaine, that Godby hisworde, in avhich generally hee faith, that all the far thfull are elecî, doothreùealetoeuery manhis eledfion: confidering that the propofition ta- ken out ofthe Gofpell, is mod certaine, and euery faithfull manne maye certainelyeaffume tohimfelfe, that he is indued with true faith inChriif. The thirdwaye by whichGod reuealeth to euerie one ofvs his predefina- verre.a. tion;isby the efpeclsofprcdetlinatione as well inward invs,as outward : by By theef- which, as bycertaine markes imprinted invs, beedooth leale vs to him fclfc in Ica' °' Pre" Chrid : and doth foPeale vs, that ifwee fhali gins diligent heed, we may there- a in}ánamaa ' byeuidently perceiue, that weeare let apart from the common fort ofinen, pat her his which is often calledby the name ofthe worlde : that weeare foreknowne for pr dcili his Tonnes, andloued in Chriif, and predeflinaced to eternal! life; yea, and that Lion we appertains no longer to the world, but to that citie which is aboue, that bathhis foundation as theApoffle faith. And wehaue a two folde rcolonofthis Heb, t Li o. argument : one, becaufe thefe effe ìs (of which wee fpeake, and which wee will afterward handle) GODworlteth not in anye, but in his eledf; as an afterwardwee will Phew. Therefore by right a man may, bya true feeling and experience ofthere effeCIS in himelfe, bee affured ofhis particular eleulion and predeffination, tohaue fellowship with Chriif in ail his graces. For ifpre Ti,e egects detfination(as Anglin-41e witnefieth) bee a preparation to the bleflings ofofpr edefti_ GOD, by which mod certainely they are made tree, whofoeuer are made nzr6which free; therefore whofoeuer feeleth himfelfe freede through thefe graces of t' evare L 1 3 GOD `

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