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Show 764 An .Add,-ejs to Protejlants: VoL, I. 1679. as well as you, and trembles too, which is mo~e. This .lhows there is a ~ Faith that is nor the true Faith, and t~Jt !JOt ~lt~ Relat10n to the .Mat· Part II. rers believed1 but the Spirit of th~ M1~d II\ bchevmg; For the Devtls be· Sea. 3· lieve the Truth, litera11y, bnt the1r Fatth works n~t by Love, no more than their Knowledge b! Obedienu, and ~herefore It does them_ no Good, and is not the true Fatth. 0 that Cbnfluzdom. would lay tbts very one Thing to Heart ! But I muft proceed. . . . . . . The Exhortation of the Apoftle Pne~ 1~ a fan~e.r and plam DifcnmJ~a- 2 Pet. 1. ~· tion of true F:Iith ; .dnd hefidn this, gtvmg alJ Dtltgence, odd to your Fatth 6,7,8,9. Virtue, nndtsVirrue Knowledge, n_nd to Kno~ledge Temperan~e, and to Temperance Patience, and to Patience Godlme~s, and to 9odlmefs ~rotherly Kindnefs, and to Brotherly Kindnefs ChJ_n ry. For if tbefe Tbm~$ be in JOUand abo~tnd, the] mai:.e you that yejbal~ nwber he barren nor unfru1t· ful, m the Knowledge of our Lord Jefi1s Chnft. Bu~ be tbat lack.eth thife Tbingt is blind, and canno~ fee far ofh and barb forgottutbat be was pur· ged from his old Sins: As It he ~a~ fa1d.,_ they hav~ forgot ~here they begun, that think they can J;e Cbrif!Mn~ wa~out a Life of H_olmefs. I will feal up rhefe Scnprure-Tefhmontes of Fmtb, ~Ith that .Accozmt which is given us by the Apoftl~ ]tJbn, _For wbatfoever u born of God, O· 1 job. S· 4' vercomerh the World: And this 1s the V10ory, that overcomerh the 'Y orld, S• even oJtr Fait b. Who is be thtJt O'Uercometh tbe T-l(or{d, hut be that beheverh that Jefus if the Son of God? So that t_he ~el1efJ~ the Son of God, mu~ have this Evidence to prove it a true Behef 10 Gods Account,. that _by ~t John l4o •1· Men are horn of God and overcome tbe World: ~here fore t~etr F~ttb IS falfcwhom the World overcomes: I am nor of rhu World, faith Chnft Je· fus \ neither can that Fa1th he, that is rightly called the Faith of the ~on <>fTGhoedr. e are. three Paffaguleft us upon Record by h"Bl dD"'"l f t IS e OYe . hCip eo ]ej11s of great Weight and Importance ~o us: Whe_n he ~ad dtfcourfed of the Propitiation and .Advoearejhip of Chnft, he doe~ tmmedtately add ; .And hereby do we know, that we know him, if ~e keep hrt Command~ents. He that J John 2• J• faith, I know him, and keepeth not hts Co~mandm::nts,. 11 a ~ya_r aml 4•S' 6' tbeTrutbisnot in him. But wbofo k.eepeth bu Wor4, ''! hrm venly u ~be Love of God perfeaed : Hereby know we, that we are m bun. He that fmtb, be abideth in him, ought himfelf alfo fotC? walk, ev~n ~she walked. The Second Pa.ffage very pertinent to thts ~a.tter, .ts tn the next Cjlapur; t:hap. 3• t8, 1Hy little 0Ji!dre11 let m not love in Word, neuber zn Tongue, hut zn Deed 19• 20 • 211 and in Truth . .An1d hereby we ..brow that we are of the Truth,. andfoaU ajf11re :n, 23" our Hearr1 heforebim: For if our Heart (ondemn ll:t, God u greater than our Heart, nnd knownb aU Tbing.r. Beloved ; if our Heart condemn us nor, then have we Confidence towards God: And wharfoever we atk, we. receive of him, becaufe we keep his Comrn~ndments, and Jo tbofe Thmg.r thttt are pleajing in hh Sight. .And this it.hu Commandment, that we fhould believe on the Xame of his StJn Jefus Chnft, and love one another, 41 be gave llsCommandment. . • . The Third and l:Jft Pafi'age, which I. fhall .mention on thiS Account, IS in his fourth Chapter of the fame Epifl!eJ v1z • .A._nd 'fl)e have fun and do Char- 4· 14, teflijie, thttthe Father fent tbe Son, to be the Sawour of tbe "fY"or~d. WhoIS, 16. 17. Joever jhaU cmifeft that Jefus U the Son of God, God dwelletb 111 h1m, and ke in God. .And we have known and believed the Love God hath to 111. God ts Love; and be tbat dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God, and Go~ in him. Here' in our Love is made perf(n, rbar uc mal have Boldnefs rn the Day_ of Judgment. becaufc, ashe is, fo are wem this World. Soth._rkcepmg God's Word, and Commandments, and our Omfcie'!ces from accufing us, and our being like to Chrifl in this World, is our lovmg of God as we ought to love him. Cb ~ Thefe are the Holy Fruits of all thofe that love God, and believe in n , that are the Family of the Faithful, regenerated and redeemed from t e Earth: Where·ever two or three of them, are met togerh~r, Ch~ifl is in the Midft of them; they neither a~ nor hope in Vain. Wuh thts Cbar~~ " VoL. I. . An ..Addrefs to '.Proteflants. 765 let us rake a V1ew ~fall Perfons and Societies of Chrifiians throughout the "i6 . World, nor forgett_ln~ our felves: Letrn bereby try their Faith tmd R I" ·• • 79· on, and our own; if rt he of God the Ruhe_r 11 is p11 d U d e 1l.1 ~ leads them that have it, to Vijirrbe F'llfbcrle.fs ;nd Wido:: ~ rh .n Jfj{~! It ~an. H. .;;~~~:fj! themfo!ves Utifpoued /rom the World. Is this ~ur C::fe? Q rh:; Jam.e~~j: If it be objeaed, Tl(hicb Way foaU roe obtain rhit like Precio11s F4 irh? I a· .. fwer, You mujltake dJ/tgenr. Heed to the Light and Grace that come !J )efu~ that Candle ?f t_he Lord wbJC~ he ha~ for up in our SoJt/s: We muftl·ill ; Deeds to tbn Ltghr, and fee if they be wrought in God or no? R. b" rg_ou us. to difcern betwixt. the Preciom and the Vile; the one give; y/;, lrh: ~:b:: John l·20,2t• brzf!gt a Load of Gut!t upon the Soul. Do we not know, ThtJI we do rbe Tln!lgs we fugh~ nor ; and that we leave undoMe the Tbingt we ought to do Thts, alas. wtll be our Judgment one Day, rhe Laft, the Terrible Da =· For therefore Men are Condemnable, becaufe they know. y Tbofe, therefore, that would obtain this Precio11s Faith that overcomeS th7 W:orld, mull embrace the Grace of o11r Lord ]efin Cbr}ft, by which this !'atth ts begotte~ ; and r.hey, who believe nor in this Grace, nor receive it In the Lov~ of It, nor g1~e r~em~elves up to be tlughr and led by ir, can n~ver be f:ud truly _to believe. tn h_tm, from whom it comes, ~ny more than tHe Jews rna~ be fatd, To he!teve zn God, when they rejeOed Him that came [rom. God, Hu Beloved Son. He rhat denies the Meafure, can never own or recetve the Fu!nifs .. John bears Record, that he was f 11D of Grace ll1td Truth, and th;u of hu Fulnefs they received, and Grau for Grau: For !~h~ 1: t4, the ~a.w was g1v:n hy Mofes, hut Grace and Truth came by Je]11s Chrijl: So ' 7 that us urterJy tmpoffible for a Man, to believe in Cbrifl, and nor robe ta~g~t and led by the _Grace that comes from him, and by him. Tu a common Saymg of.People in thefe Days, We are nor under the Law, but !'nder Grace;. who are In Truth under Sin and the Law of Dearb, and Subje~s to the Pr~nce of the Power o~ the. Air; who reigns in rbe Het~rts cf the Chlldren of Difobedunce; and their Lives lhow it : No, rhofe are un• de~ Grace, tha~ live t.he holy Life of Grace. For the Grace of God, that ~nngeth Salvatto"tf, fatth th~ Apoftle Pttul, bath appeared unto aU Men, teat!J.. 2 Tit. 11, 12, zRg rn_, that denytng Ungod!mejs and tbe Worldly Lifts, wefoould live Sober~ ly, Righ_reoupy, nn_d Godly m this P:ifenr World: Thefe are the People th.at belt~ve m .Chr!ft, unto the Savmg of the Soul. This is thlt ble!fed Ltgbr whtch flunes m the_Heans of tho'fe that believe, and givesrbe Know--- (edge rf the Glory of Go~ rn tb~ Face of Jefus Chrift. The Ancients walkt in It, and found Eternal Ltfe by It. ! am the Li_ght of the World, faid Chrift, John 8. 12. be tbttt foUows me, jhaU 1101 wal~ rn Darknej"s, bur have the Light of Life. The S11~ts armed themfelves '_VJ~h i~, ag:~:inft rhe Fiery Dartt of Satan, and• ~ythe Vmu~ an~ Power that 1s tn tt, were en:~: bled ro overcome Tempta- ~3~~4~ 1• 12' tion. And th1s w_tll be the Condemnation ?f DiftJbedienr Men, th:lt they fee, _but fhut ~hetr. Eyes; they_know the Lr.t:ht, but rebel againftit. Chriftf by .h1s holyL_tghttn the ConjCJence, fhews Men theii Da1.1ger, warns them of tt, before It comes upon them : No Man on E.:trrh can plead either Jgno· ranee or Surprife. :Tis rrue,. the Candle of the Wic~:d is ~fun p111. ou_r; But ~hlt ~mplies, Job 21 , 17• It ts often ltght~d, ~nd that Men S1n agam!l ConvtEhon, agamft Stght and Knowledge: It ts wilful, and that's dangerous. No Faith in Difohedience will do; no_F~ith without H?lY Fruits! Holy "Torks, wm fave. Men muft be born aga~n tf e\'er they ~Ill corer _Into the Kingdom of God: there is John 3• 1• no Fel_lowfrHp betw~en Chrijl and lJdJal: People muft parr with theit Vile 2 Cor.6. 1t• ..i1.1fe0zons and I'!ord~r.ate Dejiru, or they are no Company for.Chrifl:; they t1. have no Share 10 h1m. What Part can Pride ha\'e in Humility, Wrath in ~eek~efs, Luft in Self·denial, Reven&e in Forgivenefs? To prerend to be-lieve tn Chrift, and not to be like h1m, is a Conrradicti()n. Tf:.ir it t!Je 1 Jvhn r. ~. Me.J!age (faid the Beloved Difciple) rohich we have beard of him, and declare 6,7,8, ~. unto yon~ that God is Light; and in him is no Dar~nefs fit all: If we j(ry, that we have FeUowjbip wirb him, arrd walk in ndrknif.r, «l Lye and do 1101 tbe |
