I .If Treatlfe of Confcience. 5fl ---:~ [ I ofexperimcntall certenty, when th~ cuent IS A their perfwafions, thinking they haue that accompli01ed. Hieron. booke 2. agamfl Pela- 1 whichtheyhauenot:l anfweragaine,that ma– gians: CaN nom~m bleffiJ. biforc hu end, for 44 ny doe falfely prefume ofGods mcrcr, and i– long a; ""/iHe here"" arein theftght,a?d"' long I maginethey haue that faith which they haue M !Veare in thefight,we haue·nocertenv1Eiory. V. uot: and in all fi1ch the aifumption is falfe: yet Somcplacesfpeakeofthe vncertenty ofother in all them that arechofmco f.tluation& tmly mcHs faluation,which we graunt. The author cal!ed,it is infallibly true. For fuch as hime reofthebooke de vocot. Gent. I. claff.faith, We ceiued the gift oftrue faith, haue alfo another canprono•nce ofno man before hi; end, that hee i gift ofdifcerning whereby they fcoandknow :jha/1bein thegloryoftbe e/efl.eAHguft.lih.deper- 1 theirowne f.ith· It isfnrtherobietled,that 1<- fiuer .cap. I 3.MenAre nqt withanycertenaffiue. remy faith, 17·9· The heart t~ deceit{Hll andwic. ratjon to auo~tchth.ltoth~rs belong tothU ca!!ing .I' k!d4baue a/J.things,whocan kzmv it? But the in~ VI.Somcfpeakeofthatcercencywhichcomes tent of this place is onely to fhew, that no by_reuelation without the word. ljreg. lib. 6. man can tearch his heartto the very bottome, epill:. 22. to ljret,oria. Wherea;yo~tadde inyour ro fce alland euery want,inlirmity,and wicked epiftles thJtt)UHWt!JbeearnefttvithmetiNlwriu~ B iRclinationrhatis therein. Fororjginall finne thttt it h4thbeenemade Jyowne 11nto m~th~ttyour l wherewith the heart of,man is taincc:d, is a fmnes ueforgiHen: you h4uc requireda hardand protteneOeor difpofidon r:o the fiones that are vnprofttable thing. Hard, becaufo I am V711t'Orthy or may be. And though men cannot difcerne towhoma rme/ationfbould be made:Vnprojit4ble, all theirfinnes, yet many ofthem are certainbecau.fo yo11 muflnot bee m/deji1re toHChing)·our ly knowne: why may not then many of the fomcsvnlejfi it bee in thei•ft day ofyour life, for graces ofGod becertenly knowne, efpccially thenyou fhouldnot beabletobewailcthefomefins. thofe which bee of the principall, as faith, V11. Some places denie vnto man that cerfand:ificatioo,repentance. Agaioeit is aHead· temie which is proper to God, which is, to ged, that Peter beleeucd that he was able to difcernc in himfelfe all things to comeplainly, lay downe his life for Chrill:s fake, and yet in as rhey fhallcomc to paffc , without'belpe of deed w~snor,as the euer.t declared,for when tcll:imony and outward fignes. Bernard.fer.t. the timccame,he denied Chrill:. eAnf. Peter de Sepmagef. Who canfay,Iamofthee/efl? I am atthattime was but weake iu faith,and he was ofthepredeftinate to life: certen!ywe hauc none as much carried away with aconfidence of his Jet, bHt the affiame of oHr hope comforteth vs. 0\Vnell:rengrh, which made him fpeake tbofe Conferrc rhefe words wirh thofe that follow. C words ofpreft•mption, and though hee failed For thilc•ufe certaineJigfies andmanifefl tok§ns in thisone particular attion, yet failed not in offolufl!ien tveregiuen, that it maybettthing out the princip:t.ll,that is,in the perfwafion ofthe ofdoHbt, that bee i; i• thenumherof thee/cfl: in pardon of his owne finnes and oflife euctlawhomthcfi]ignes"''· !ling. In a word,it is certainc that many perThus I haue in fome part made manifell: fwade themfclucs ofGods mercy, and yet are that an vnfal!ibl• certainty of pardon of fin, deceiued; neuerthdelfc all fuch as doe truly and life euerlall:ing is the propertie of euery bdeeue are not dcceiued. The holy Ghofl renned confcience. Now therefore I will promaketh them to fee that in themfelues which cecde further to confider hel\V this certentie by nature theycannot difcerne,asP~tRI fignifiis eaufed aAd imprinted in theconfcience. The ed, when he faid, I fpeake the truth I lie not, principall agent and beginner thereof, is the my confcience bearing me witnt!fe by the holy holyGholl, inlightning the mind and confciGhoft, Rom.9.1. epee with fpirituall and diuine lighn and the Agaioe, the fameteflimony is giuenotherinil.rument in this aCHon , is the minifterie of wife thus. the Gofpell,whereby the word oflife is appliEuery child ofGodbath thepardonof hi;Jinnes, ed in the name of God to the perlon of euery D faith Gods word. hearer: And thiscercentie isby little and little Bot I amGods child:andthereforebaHe the par_ conceiued in aformeofreafohingor praL\icall donofmy[mnes, faith the renued confcience, fyllogifmc tramedin the minde by the holy byrhedireClionofGodsfpirir,Rom.8o~6, Ghoit,on this manner: After that this tefiimonie is once begun it Gal. 4 . 6. Eaery one that beleeues i; thechildeofGod: is confirmed by the fame meanes, as alfo by But I doe beleeue: prayer and the Sacraments. But it may bede. Therefore Iamthechildofljod. manded, how a bodily element, as bread, The propofition is made by the minill:er of wme, water,fhou!dbe able toconfirme aperthe word in the publike congregation: and is fwafian ofour adoption that is iR the confci- \lOthing elfe but the promife ofeternal! life ence I An[w. The element in the S<!crament applied to the particular hearers. The fecond isan outward fealeor infrrumem to conlirme partor the affumption is the voice of confci. faith,not as amedicine refiores and confirmes enceregenerate,or the voice ofGods fpiritin health, whetherwe thinke on iter not, whe... the fame.Nowpapifrs write &auouchthatthe ther we fieepe orwake , and that by his owne a!fumption is (alfe:but the reafons which they ir!hercnt vercue : but by reafoning in a fyllovfe to prooue the fame, are offmall moment, g•fme made by the goodconfcieAce: the, me. Firll: they alleadgc, that many are deceiued in dium thereof beeing the outward figne in the o~eafon Aaa Sa~mcnt :_ _ _
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