d rreatife of Con.ftience. Afterward he addes a fpeciall application,£- A um ""(namely !ewes) haoebelee•ed in lefm Chrift,thatwe mightbe iujlifiedilythefaithoflefm Chrift : and in v. 2o.he defcends more fpe– cially to apply the Gofpel to himfclfe, I liNe (faithhe)by thefaitbofthe SonofGod, whobath louedme, andgiuen himfelfeforme. And in this kinde of application there is 1iothing peculiar eoPaut, for in this very action ofhis he auou. cheth himfelfeto bee anexamplevnto vs, r. T.m. I. r6.Forthis .-ufe(faith he)wa< I receiued I tomercie, that le{ mChrijljhouldjhewfirfton me all long-foffering, vnto the enfample of them I whichfball in time to CQmt belee"e in him to eurnaa life, Againe, Phii.,.S.he faith,/ think£ a~ thingsbutlo!fo,that I might win Chrift,andmight B befoWtdin him not hauing mineown rightesufoes, but that whioh i4 through thefaith ofCbrift, that I ..ay k/<ow himandthevertHe ofhi&rejimetfion: and afterwardheaddeth,v.r5. Lwus,Mmany tUbeperfetl,bethmmmded.III.Whatfoeuer we pray for accordingeoGods wil,we are bound to bcleeue that itlhal be giuen vnto vs, Mark, I I • •4· Whatfoeueryedefire whenJ'pray,btleeue thatye jhaO haudt, awditP1aN be donevnto you, But we pray for the pardon ofourfinnes, and for life euerlafiing by Chrifi; and that accor– ding to the will of God: Therefore wee are bound in confcience to beleeue the pard"n of our!innes,andlifeeuerlalting. I y, If6od lhould fpeake particularly to any man,and fay C vnto him, Cornelim, or Peter, belecuc thou in Chrifi,andthoulhaltbeuued; this comman– dement lhould binde him parti<:ular!y. Now whenthe Minifier lawfully called,inthe name and £lead of God publilheth the Gofpell to the congregation, thatis as much as if God himfelfe had fpoken to them particularly, cal– li"g eachofthem by theirnames, and promi– !ing vnro them life eucrlafting in Chrifr. 2· Cor,5 ••a.We membajjadorsforChrift,IUth••gh Goddidbefeech)••through vs,prayyou in Chrij/1 jlead,thatyebe reconciled to God. It maybe,andis obiel.<ed,that ifeueryman beboundinconfcienceto beleeue his ownee– leClion& faluation by Chrill:, then fame men are bound to beleeue that which \sfalfe, be– caufe fomethere be euen in the middefi ofthe D Church, which io the counfell of God were nenerchofen to faluatiou. I anfwer, thatrhis reafon were good; if rlten were bound abfo– lutely to beleeue their faluarion without fur– ther refpell orcondition: but the bond is con– ·ditioriall,according tothe tenour ofthe coue– nant of grace : for we are boundto beleeue in Chrifi,ifwe wouldcometo life euerlafiiRg,or ifwe would bo in the fauour ofGod,or ifwee woald begood difciples & mebers ofChrifi. I anfwer againa, that whatfocucr a maa is boundto belceue,is true;yet not alwaies inthe euent, but true in the intention of God that bindeth. Now the commandementof belee· uing and applyingthe Go(pell, is by God giuen to all within the Church i but not in the. fame maner t<> all.Itis giuen ro the Elell, that by bdeeuing they mightindeed be faued;God inablingthem todorhat which he commands. To the refr, w~6mGod in iufiice will refufe the fame commandement is giuen aot forth; famecaufe,but toanother end,thatthey might fee howthey could not beleeue, and by this !"canes be bereft of all excufe in the day of Iudgement. God dotk not a\waiesgiue com– mandemcnts fimply that they might be done but fometimes for other refpects , that they might be meanes oftriall , as the commande– ment giuen to .Abr•hamofkilling/faac:again, ~hat they might fcruc tokeepe men attheleafi 111 outward obedience in thislife, & fiop their mouthesbefore the tribunall feat ofGod. In that we are bound in cohfcienceonthis maner tobeleeue the promifes of the Gofpel with an application of the benefits thereof t~ ourfelues,fundry neceffary& profitable points ofinfiruction may be learned. The lirfi, that the Popilh Doctors abolilh a greatparrofthe Gofpell, when they teachrhatmen are bound tobeleeue the Gofpell oncly by a Carholike faith, which they make to be nothingelfe but a gift of God , or illuminationof the minde, whereby affent is giuen to the word of God that,itis true; and more fpecially that Ieft1sis Chrift,that is,an al·li•fficitntSauiour ofman· kinde. All which the damned fpirirs bclecue: whereas the Gofpel for thecomfortand falua– tion of mens foules, hath a further reach, namely, to enioyne men to belteue that the promife offaluation isnot only true in it fclfe, but alfoin the very perfon ofrhe beleeuer, as appeares euidently by the Sacrame•ts, which areas it were a vifibleGo{pd,in which Chrifi with all his benefits isof!ered and applyed to the particular perfons ofmen: to the end, no doubt , that they might bcleeue the accom• plilhmentofthe promife in themfelues. Secondly,welearne thatir is nlltprefump– tion for any man to beleiue the remitSioo of his owne finnes : for to doe rhewill ofGod to which we are bound,is nottoprefume : now it isthe will of Godto which hoe bath bound vs in confcience, to belteue the remifsion of ourownc !innes : and therefore rather not to doeit, isprefumptuousdifobedience. Thirdly, wee are heretomarke andtore– member withcare, rht foundation of them– fallible certaintyofmansfaluation.For ifman be bound in confcience lirfi to giue afi'ent to rhe Gofpell, and fscondly to apply it to him– fclfe by true faith; then without doubt aman by faith may bee certain~ly J><rfwaded of.his owneeleaion andfaluauonm th1slife, wnh– outanyextr~ordinary reuclation: Godscom– mandements being in this and the hkecafcs potSible. For commandementsare e1rher le– gall,or Euangelicall : Lcgall,lhew vs our dif– cafe,butgiue vs no remedie : an~ the perfetl doing of them according to themtentof the laW· giner by reafonofmans weakeneffe and throughm~ns default , is impotSible in this World. As f<i>r Euangelicallcommand<meRts, they
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