Shepard - BT378 T4 S44 1660

__Il!_\ 'mfi""<' "<0< who<' ~~~h~~~:.~d~:~~' '"'"' ;fi, ,,, hooctl I n:en are reputed to have we~k bmns , and never faw the depth> of the fecrets of I God.) W~a~'s his lafi proof? bec.tHfe we k!ep hu Commandments, j, ,, we have them wm tn our hearts, and keep them , though we cannot fulfil theni , it n;tak~s us every way mere holy : Chri~ doth not k~ep _them only, but we through · htsGracekeepthem; thusheprovestcbyaworkmhtm. Nowtbus Ireoly if !all works in the fouls ofSaints be co!Umon ro Hypocrites, then John went u~on 1 falfegrounds, deceived him{ elf, and all th.u heard him,and all the Churche> rhat ever were to th~s day. Ufo I, OfCqnfut. I Ufe :z. ' OfConflll. SECT. lii. To the Papilts, who in their writings feek to rhame, the Churches or Chri!l fay!ng that they deny al~ Inheren! Righreoufnejfo or GriiCes,. m~"king a man jua by the nghteoufnel1e of Chnll, and m die mean whtle ro remam hke aCarkafe or Ghol1:, or apainted Sepulchre full of rottenne!Te ~vithin. Three or four of rhefe I Archers that have rhot thefe arrows I haye met with, wbe~eby they wound the he_art ofProfc:ffion, and keep the peo?le tn a profdfed enmu~ and oppofirion a1 gamJ1 the wate> ofGods Grace: Now we do nor only deny rbts , but we profe!Te that rhe Lorddorh not only out of the ri~hes of his Grace accept us in Chrilt, bur our of the fame love f~:nds down rhe Spmt ofGrace, not only ro make us civil and moral, or hypocritical, bu~ that the Lord works ~hereby fuch ,\chmgc .\S is not eo be f<:mnd ~n rhe mol.l: refined ~YP<:<=rites breaching. And we pr?f~frc th~ugh our Ju{hficauon cloth not con6fl: m tbts,. yet who-ever haeh not tbts ts mt juflified (wh~t-ever he mal imagine) in the fight of God. And the Lord grant the Churches of the Lord jefus may never open the mouths of thofe Blafphemers of his Name, in denying 4ll righteoufnelfc in our felves at all; Deny it to juaifie, deny it nor'altogether. , ' · Ofan old Arminian error ; for they hold and maintain an Inherent Rightlllllf neffe, but chat there is no difference between the Graces of Beleevers and Hypocrites, only in their continuance, and that is by chance coo, and doubtful, vi:t.. if they hold on, and for this purpofe cite many Scriptures, three efpecially , that of E~~ 18. 24, If the rit,hteo114 m!IJI forfak!, &c•. which is fpoken of rotten Phanfa!Cal Hypocmes falhng far fuort of what the Samts have. And the Parable of the Seed, M11t. 13. They ~tll [prang 11p: where 'tis manifd1: the foyl was naught 911t ofwhichthey thatfellawaydidgrow. And Heb. 10. 29. Blbodwhmwiththrl wtre fanEiijied, which is meant of fuch as had fome Inward enlightning, and lafiing, and external profeffion really,not in appearance only in them , yer not any faving and effecl:ualwork, but elms by making Grace common they make it vile,and under acolour ofmaking all men watchful, they dellwy all Faith in Gods faithfulne{fe and Promife, efpecially until aman come to die. Divines have mat•Y fironu arguments againl.l: them, and fhew however there may be decaies, and relapfes,an~ wimer-feafons of the Saints,yet ever there remains in them the Seed of God, I Joh,. 3·9· John4.14. The main around of this their conceit bath been double. · ·I. Falfcobfervation,in beholding many fall off that were not Stars, but Snuffs, glorious Profe!Tors for a rime; and I ell they £hould be madwithout reafon herein, they .fcarch t:He Scriptures, and in four thoufand years find but four or fivt that fell away, DAVid, Solomon, H7menem, Alex1111der, and. Demas, none ofwhich if examil ned will ferve their turn. ' · ' , z. Agr.eacmillakeoftheworkofGrace, together with their own ~perience, for they conceivingGrace to be but a mean tbing,and not underllanding it,becaufc theynever felt it in rhemfelves ; hence make no difference between one man · and

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