Chap.5. the Epi~le to the C}alatians. , Thefecondis, rharwearetomcreafe and A profit in all good dories, fpecially in know– ledge, faith, repcnrancC'. But wee in this age doeotherw>fe. For cirher wee !landat a Clay, or go backe,andvery few of vsprocecde for– ward ingood dutiC"s.And there are two caufes of this. One is blindne!Te of minde, wh1ch makes vsrhatwee fee not how little our faith and r<pentance is, and how great is the matfe ofour corruption: thefecond iaour vnbeliefe in the article of life euerlaCling. Tbe third dutie is, that wee muCl neither looke to the right or left han<1, orlooke to thinges behinde vs, to fet our alfetlion on them, but wee muCl prc!Te on forward to the price of crernalllife, Phil-3. 13. Luk.9. 6z. B Here comes a common fau[r to bee confide– red : wee in refpctlof profdlion go forward; yet we lookebackein our courfe, and mindc earthly things. Lalily, wee mu!lnotbee mooucd with the fpeeches ofmen which aregiuen of vs either eo or fro. Theyarelookers on,ahdmull haue theirfpeeches, andour care mull bee not ro heedrhem,but to looke to our courfe. The fecond dury of ChtiClian people i•, chat they mufl not onlybe runncrs,bur they mufl runne well. And that is done by bclee– uing, andbyobeying the true religion, or as Pa11/ faith, byha•ing f•ithand goudconfcience, I.Timothic 1. 18. Thcfeareas itwerc the rwofeere by which weerunncto life cuerla– !lmg. Vndcr faith wee are to comprehend C thetrue acknowledgement ofGod, alliance in him, and inuocation, &c. Vnder good confc>ence, iscomprifed thepurpofeofnot !inning, and the care to obey God in all his commaundcmenrs. To apply this to our fclues:runnerswee:tre, but alas, fcwe o(vs arc good runners. We haueonegood foote, & that is our faith or religion wh1ch is found and good: but wee halt on the other foote: our care to kccpe confdence is notCurable to ourreligion. And threcthingscaufea lamenefieor feeblenctfe in this foor,the [ufl ofrho eyc,rhar is,couetoufnetfe:thelufl of thefielh, and pride of life. D The third duty is, that weemull runne the race from t~e beginning to the ende, and fi, niOJ ourcourfc, foas wee may apprehend life euerlaCling, 1. Tim. 6. 11. z. Tim. 4·7· r. Cor. 9·•4· And for thiscaufe wee mull chc– rifh in our hearu a louc and ferucnt dcGre of eternall life, and by this meanes wee lhal! be drawne on through all mifcries, and ouer– palfethem to~hecode. Secondly, weemu!! hold and maintaineaconflanr and daily pur• pof: of not Gnning. And where wee arc the weake!l, there mull our refo[ution bee the flrongc!l. And rhus lhall we be con£lam to the death. · 8 It u not t/;< perfwafion of /;i,.th.tt CA0eth ]011, . The meaning. Thisopin{onof iu!lifica– riDn by theworke.s of the Jaw J is not from God, who bath calledyou from bondage ro hberty. Thefcope. P•t~lhere mecreswith acon– ceitofrhe Galatians, which was this: Why doe!I thou fo often and fo lharpcly reproouc vs/ for we holdcnothingagain!l confcicncc, butarc per(waded of the thing whichwcfay. To this PAHI anfwera herc:rhuper[w.jioms not ifGod;becau(e it is aga1nflthecalling ofGod, tor he calo you to libeuy' and this your op•· nion drawcs you into bondage. Here wee fee the caufeof mens declining from God and his word,andthat is this:Men denie credence to Gods word, and li£len to plaufible pcrfwafiom 1 andfo fallaway.Thus ·EHe fell in the dlare ofinnccenci.e by l•llc– ning to the fa[{c per!\vaGons of the diucll. The PapiClsnuOe rhemfd ues in their fuper– flitions, bya prefumprion that the Church cannot erre, andtbat God willnor leaue his Chur<h dcUimte of the alliflance of his Spi· rit. Our common people boul!ler them– felues in their blindewaJcs by a prcfumpti– on that God isall of mercy; and thatif they doe their true inrcnr, ferue God, fay thm prayers, deale iuflly, and doeasrhey·wauld bee done vnto, they O>all cerraiucly bee fa– ~ed. Tradefmen often vfe many pratlifcs of fraude and iniu!licc,and that vpon aperfwa– Oon, that they baue a charge and familie which mull bee maintained. If men now a· daicswill nor blafpheme, drinkc,and riot, as others doe,theylhal! becharged withprecife– ne!fe: and that cornea vpon aperl\vafion,thar 11fufficeth to auoid the outward and notori· ous crimeswhich are menrioned& condem– ned in the law. Thusrhe whole world is mif– led by blindeperfwaOons. Secondly, hcncewe[earnetoclofcvpour eyes (as it 1vcrc) and abfo[utely to follow the callingofGod, and tofubiethll the powers of our fou[es vnto it , Thus did AbrahAm when hecwas called togoe he knew not'whi– ther, and Past without vfing confultation, went and preached in Arabia at rhccal!ibg ofChri!t. Thirdly, Paul here fetsdowne a nole to d1fcerne of fa[fe dotlrincs and opinions in rehg>on, If they befutable tothe.calling of God, they arc good ' if they bee again£l the calling of God , they arcnaught. This I• Pauls rule, God cals vsroliberty :therefore the dotlrine of iuClification by the 'workes of the law is naught : for it drawes vs.into bondage. In like forrGodcalsvuofreciu– !lification:and therefore thedotlrincof hu– mane fatisfatlions,and ofrhe merit ofworks is naught. Againe, God cals vs to an.vrter deniall of our felues: and therefore the Po· pilh dotlr!nc of prcpuation , and of free· dome of will in theconuerllonof a tiO<ler,i• naught, · . . La!lly,itis to bccobferu-ed,rhal Pa•l faith mtheumcprefent[ifhimtharo•Ueth7ou]for hence llappeares, that ~odcontinues to call D d % the
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