ofCanfrence. 123 hhimandbee invs, becaufehehath$ittenvsof h Spirit. cap. í. 2. By this we know that we lone the f nnes ofgod,whenwe lose Golandkeepe his cemmand - ments. v. I 3. Ihaue written theft things vntoyote which btleetio istthenameof theSonne ofQod,thatyemay know thatyou haue It feeternall. To there tefli rnonies,firfl ofall a:rfwer is made,that naneofthem doe neceffarily implie a.certcntie ofdiuine faith; becaufe we are laid toknow thethings whichwe !carne by conieálures. Behold a Mire and Poore !hilt. Saint Iohn faith,cap. _,4.7hefethingswe write vntoyou thatyour ioy maybefall. Now it is but an vncerten soy thatrifeth.by eonieaurall knowledge. Againethis knowledge brings foorth confidence and boldner twitbefore god,c.3.v.r9,2t.and there- fore it cannot butinclude an infallible certenti.e: and toput it out ofqucfxi. on that the knowledge here mentioned is the.knowledge ofdi;iine faith,or as vnfallible as it is or canbe, it is added,cap.4.16. eAndrrebaneknowne and beleeuedtheloue which Clodhath toward vs. Secondly it is anfvvered, that all there fpeaches are generali and not concerning particular men : but it is falle: forwhenSaint Iohn faith(rreknow)he fpeakesof himfelfe and includes the reffofthe Church in the fame condition with hirnfelfe.N.ow he hi;,3- felfe was fully afl`ured.of his owne faluation.For Chrifl alittlebeforehis-des parture out of the world , did comfort all his difciples partly by renewing thepronisíe of life euerlafling and of the pretenceofhis Spirit vnto them ; and partly byprayingvnto the fatherfor their finali preferuation: foas they could not but be fully refolued of their happie eflateboth in this life and in the life tocome. Argum. 4. Abrahams faith was a full perfwafion wherebyhe applied the promifevntohimfelfe,Rom.4.2t. And this faithofhis is an examplepro- pounded votovs according to which we are to belecue: and therefore he is called thefather o fthefaithfull,v. r 6. andPaul hauing let downethe nature and e&êás ofhis faith , faith, writtcna notnnely,for himbut .alfoforvs which bcleette. v. 22. his obiec`led that Abrahams faith was not offaluation° but it concernedhis iíhue in his old age; as Paul faith,Rom.4.i8.A6r4ms aborte hopebeleeued that bee tiovidbe the'Sohn. ofmany nations: according to that whichwas f olken,Soi7ialltbyfeede le. 4ff.Wemuff diflinguifh theobiea offairh,which iseitherprincipai orleffa pritacipal. Principall,is alwaies Chrifl with -his benefits:leffe principali, are other leiTe and particularbenefits ob., tamedbyChrift. As ofAbrahams faith sheobieei lefieprincipall was acar- nall feede or ifhue: and theprincipali obie& tnoflofall refpe&cd as the fort. elationofail otherbleiTings, was the blared fedeChrifl Iefus. Gal.3 .1 6.: To ,Abrahannand hisfadewere the promiferrr.de..I efrith not, And to the . edes,aa ofmany: but,and to thyfeede,cuofone,which io Chrifi. And v. 29. Ifye he ¿hrifl,then Abrahams f ede. Thus it is plaine that ifhue was neither pro- mired nor defiredbut with refpe&to Chris},who could nothauedescended ofAbraham, ifhe had beene whollywithout feede. I- auingthus alleadged fame arguments for thetruth,/ comenow to cô- filer thc,obieìionsofthe Papifls. Ob;eí`C, I. Iob Geeing a righteous.ruan=
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