A 'lreatifl of Confcience. 543 little before his deparrureoutof the world, A olidcomfort allhisdifciples,partly by renuing the promi!C oflife euerlafting, and ofthe pre– fenceofhis fpirit vnro them; and partly by prayingvnto the Father for their finall prefer– uation: fo as they could not but be fully re– foluedoftheir happie eftate, both in this life, and in the life to come. .Arg+Abrahamsfaith was a full perfwafion wherby he applyed the promife vnto him– felfe. Rom+21, Andthis faith ofhis is an ex– ample propoilded vntovs,accordiogto which we are ro beleeu:: & therefore he is called rhe fatherofthefaithfisll,v.t6. and Paul hauing fer downe the narure& effetts ofthis faith, faith, ltwaswritcnnotonlyforhim,b,.talfoforvswhich B beleeue,v.z3. Iris obietted, thareAbrahams faith was norof faluarion,bur itconcerocd his i1fuein his old age,as Paulfairh,Rom+t8.A– braham aboue hope beiee•edthat he fhould bethe father ofmtJnynations:according tothat whichw.u fPokfn,SoP,all thyftedbe, .An f. We mull diftin– guifh cheobied offaith,whith is eitherprinci. palorleffiprincipai.Principal,isalwaies Chrift with his benefits: leffe principalare other !elf~ & particular benefirs obtained by Chrift, As of.Abrohams faith, rhe obieClleffe principall was acarnallfeed or Hlue: and the principal! obiel:t moll ofall relpetted,as the foundation of all other blefsings , was the blelfed feed Chrift IeliJS,Gal.j-,16·T• Abr.hamandhi&fi•d were the promifis made. Hcfoithnot,e,A11dto the C feeds >M ofmany:but,andtot~yfeed~tU of #ne,which i4 Chri/f. andV•29• Ifybc Chrif/s,chen .Abr•· b:lms~ei~ Thus iris piaine;that iffue was nei– therpromifed nor defired, bur with refpe&to Chrift , who cou!d not haue defcended of.A– braham,ifhehad bin wholly without feed. Hauing thus alleadgcd fome arguments for the truth, Icome now toconfider theobietl:iw onsofrhe Papifts, Obieti.I.lobbeing arighte– ous man wanted certainty ofgrace in himft:!fJ lob.9.zo. lfI wouldiuj/ifie myjilfe, min<own• mouih fha1 1contkmne me:ifI wouldbe perfeiJ,h,. Jb•H iudgemnvick:d: th01sgh 1were perfeiJ,yes '~Jfol:leflu!Jnot k.yow it .Again,v.18.lama[raid ofaft mywork:s, k!zowing th4t thou wilt mJt 1udge •minm;=mt. e.Aa[.Btldadinrhe former chapter D extolled the iurlice ofGod: & Job in this cha. giu.es aff~ntthercto,faying,v.~. 1k.Eow veri!yit i4fo:and he likcwifc fpends the whole chapter in magnifying the ju11ice of God: and hauing propounded this end of his fpeech ; hee dorh • Thn• notfpeakofhimfclfe,& ofhisown eftare'fim· Hlerome ply,as it lsconfideredin irfclfe: but as hee e– fi"d'J.h £teemed hirnfelfe, being compared with God, ch:pt::. e efpecia.Uy then whe'n hce enrreth into a flrait examination ofhis creature. And fo muG: the fpeech be vndedl:ond,l/1wereperfetl, my(olile fh'"idnot "-""" it,rhatis,I wil noracknowledge or fhnd vpon any righceoufnes ofmine owne, when God fbal enter iuto iudgemenr with rne. And rhus much rhe very dell: Angels, being In potfefsionofheauen, and therefore hauing more then affurance thereof, cannot but fay, when rl:oyare compared with God. Againe, the words accordingto the originall,are com– monly ofall , and fo may well bee rranllared rhus: Am I perfea?I k_nownot myfoul•, I abhorrt my lift: rhari,, ifr rhinke my fdfeperfett, I haue no refprd:to mine owne foule: or rhus, I amperfett in refpect ofyou, and I know not my foule, and I abhorre my life, namely, in refpett of mine owne vprighmetfe. And the other place is thus to be rranflated, Ifear< aN myftrrowes,and notall my workes: forthis is flat again!l:the Hebrew text, and PopiJh rran– flarorsthemfelu~ follow it nor. 00ie<t, 2 .ccc/if9·1 ,z. Man/,zl•wes notwhe– ther h<beworthyofioHt or hatred. For all things are k.!pt Vf1.ctrtaineti0 the time tocome.Anf. Firft I fay,rhe tran£lari6 is not right: the words are rhos in the Hebrew and the Seuenrie: No m•n knoweth loHe orhatred, aOthings are before them. As for thefe words(allthi•gsare k!ptvn<main tiOthetimetocome) are thrufi: into the text by head and lhoalders : and Hicrom<hath them nor. Secondly, I anfi.ver, rhatthe holy Gholl: dorh not deny limply t~eknowledge of Gods loue Of hatred, as rhougn there could bee no certaine affurance of ir in rhis life, Ifwe vn– dedlan~ the words rhus, then the argument of the holy Ghoft mull bee framed on this l manner. Ifloueor hatred were tobe knowne, then it mull bee knowne by the outward blefsings of God: bur it cannot be knowne bythe outward blefsings ofGod,for al things ceme alike to all: therefore loile and hatrtd cannot be knowne. The propofiri'on is falfe. For loue may be knowne otherwaies then by ourward benefits: and therefore the reafon is not meet to be afcribed to the fpirir oftruth. Wherefore the true and proper fenfe of the words, is, that ldue or hatred cannot bee · iudged or difcerned by <>utward blefsings of God; s. Bern.rdfpeakes of this tdct on this manner, that no man knowCs loueorhatred, Bernard. namely, by himfelfe; yet rharGod giues moll fe~m. de ccrtainc reO:imonies rherofto menvponearth. ;~~'· Andjirm.5 .de<JJedk. his wordsarerhefe:Who lz.•bwesifh• be wmhy ofl.ue orhatred/whokt!•ws themindofthe Lord? Hm bothf•ith•ndtrutb mHflneeds helpevs, that, tbt.tt which is hidden in the heart ofth< Father,mayberm<altdvntofJsby thefPirir;•ndhi&fPiritgiuing tef/imonyperfwadtJ o1erJPirit, thKt we areth6fonr.es ofGod: andthis perfwajion i4 eaufedbyhi&caUing,andiujlifiing vs jfeely byf•ith, And S. Hierome (though commonly abufedto the contrary) faith no more, Hi"dme but that men cannot k11ow loue or hatredby •: •h•• tbe prefent afflictions which they fuffer ,.be- P " · caufe they know nor whetherthey fuff:r them for rriall or pnnifbmenr. Obi 3·l·Cor·4·3,4•liudge not myft/fo,I /,zlow nDthing by myji/f$. Here l'a11/ as not being pri– uie to hiS owne-·e~ate , refufeth to giae any mdgement ofhts nghreoufnes•.Anf lr is ma– nifeft by the wordsofrhis epiftle, that certain in Corinth,boldly mote thcll wlfelz, cenfured the Apoftlesminifterie,and withall difgraccd it
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