516 The Lfi of ari. hopes or fears s upon the faces of men, nor make either them or my Life the rule or end of my defires ? Doe I . yeeld and ferioully endeavour an univerfall obedience !. unto all Gods Law, and that in'the whole extent and 'la- titude thereof, without any allowance, exception, or re- fervation ? Is not my obedencemercenary,but fincere ? Doe l no itpenfe with my felfe for the leaf} fprigges of thine, for irregular thoughts, for occasions of offence, for appearances of evill, for motions of concupifcence, for i 1e words; and vaine converfawn; for any thing that carries with it the face of hrnne ? And when in any of these I am overtaken, doe I bevvailr my weakneffe, and renew niy refolutions againfl it ? In a wo, d, when 1 have tmpaitia11y7 and uprightly meafured mine own heart 1?y the rule, dotti it not conderrine me of felfe.deceite, of y pocrifie, of halting and diffembling, of haling and prevaricating in Gods fervice ? I may thin comfortably conclude, that my Faith is in fome meafure operative and efl?e6tuaíl in mee : Which yet I may further trie by the nature of it,as it is further expreffed by the Apoflle"in the Teat; Thai 1 may know him. Here we sec the nature of faith is expreffed by an at7 of knowledge, and that act (refpeCtivel y to juftifcation) limited to Chri3t ; This it eterr:m11 Life to know thee, and him whom thou haft font : where by knowledge I un- derftand a certaine and evident agent. Now fuch ail eats are of two forts ; forne grounded upon the evidence of the obje ¿t, and that light which the thing affènted unto cloth carry and prefent to the underflanding ; as I aff'ent to this truth, drat the Sunne is light by the evidence of the thing it felfe : and this lcinde of aílent the Apoítle contradiitinguiiheth from faith by the name of fight. Other are grounded upon the authoritie or aut bentical- ne ffe of a narrator, upon whofe report while wee rely witlìou: any evidence of the thisig it felfe, the alfent Which we produce is au offent of faith or credence. Now that
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