hold that true believers may fall from true faith and into those sins which cannot stand with true and justifying faith neither is this onely possible but oft cometh to pass Proofes out of holy Scripture True Believers may fall from true faith Mat. 13. 20 21 22. Luke 8. 13. 14. They on the rock are they which when they hear receive the word with joy and these have no root which for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away And that which fell among thorns are they which when they have heard goe forth and are choaked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring forth no fruit unto perfection Rom. 11. 20 21 22. Because of unbelief they were broken off Gal. 5. 4 7. Ye did run well Ye are fallen from grace 1 Tim. 1. 18 19. Holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwrack ch 4. 1. Some shall depart from the faith ch 5. 12 15. Some are already turned aside after Satan Having damnation because they have cast off their first love See ch 6. 10. 2 Tim. 1. 15. ch 2. 17 18. Gen. 3. 6 24. Into sins which cannot stand with justifying faith c. 2 Pet. 2. 18. See ver 1. c. They allure through the lusts of the flesh through much wantonness those that were clean escaped from them who live in errour It hath happened unto them according to the true proverb The dog is turned to his own vomit again and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Mat. 26. 70 72 74. Then began Peter to curse and to swear saying I know not the man David a man of great faith and integrity 1 King 15. 5. yet 2 Sam. 11. 4 15. ch 12. 9. He committed adultery and murder And Solomon beloved of the Lord. 2 Sam. 12. 25. 1 Kings 3. 10. yet 1 Kings 11. from 1 to 10 verses through the love of strange women his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared unto him twice and went after other gods And that these sins of Adultery Murder and Idolatry are inconsistent with true justifying faith See Gal. 5. 19 20. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Rev. 21. 8. ch 22. 15. Demas one of Saint Pauls fellow-labourers Philemon 24. Col. 4. 14. Whose names were written in the book of life Philip. 4. 3. yet 2 Tim. 4. 10. He embraced this present world How great a sin that is in a person so engaged 2 Tim. 2. 3 4. See Iames 4. 4. 2 Pet. 2. 20. 1 Iohn 2. 15. Ier. 2. 13. My people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living water c. Rev. 2. 20 22. Jezebel seduced my servants to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to Idols and they commit adultery with her Luke 11. 24. c. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places seeking rest and finding none he saith I will return unto mine house whence I came out And when he cometh he findeth it swept and garnished Then goeth he and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked then himselfe and they enter in and dwell there III. They hold that true believers may through their own default fall into crimes and heinous offences continue and die in them and so finally fall away and perish Proofes out of Holy Scripture 1 Chron. 28. 9 If thou forsake him He will cast thee off for ever John 15. 2 6. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away and it is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned Ezek. 18. 24. When the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall he live all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespass that he hath trespassed and in his sin that he hath sinned in them shall he die See ver 26. and ch 33. 12 13 18. Matth. 18. 26. ad finem Then his Lord said unto him O thou wicked servant I forgave thee all that debt because thou desiredst me shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pity on thee And his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors See the Reasons of the 2 3 4 c. Negatives and the proofes of the 2 Affirmative III. They hold that true Believers though they fall sometimes into grievous sins and such as wast the Conscience yet fall not from all hope of repentance but that God according to the multitude of his mercies can and often doth bring them again by his grace unto repentance although they cannot certainly be assured that this shall certainly and undoubtedly be done Proofes out of Holy Scripture Fall not from all hope c. Ezek. 18. 30. Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions so iniquitie shall not be your ruin See Rev. 2. 4. c. 3. 3. Psal 51. 17. Ier. 3. 1 12 14. Thou hast plaid the harlot with many lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord. Turn O backsliding children I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful I will not keep anger for ever For I am married unto you Hos 14. 4. I will heal their backsliding I will love them freely Ier. 31. 19 20. Is Ephraim my dear son Is he a pleasant childe For since Ispake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord Mich. 7. 7 8 9. Therefore I will look unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me Rejoyce not against me O mine enemie when I fall I shall arise Mat. 18. 21 22. How oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him Jesus saith untill seventie times seaven Luke 6. 36. As your father which is in heaven is merciful Exod. 32. 2. c. to the 10. Aaron makes a calf and provokes the Lord yet chap. 40. 13. He is consecrated to the Priests office Hezekiah humbled himself the wrath of God was removed from him 2 Chron. 36. 26. Peter weeps bitterly Mat. 26. 75. Davids sin is put away 2 Sam. 12. 13. The incestuous Corinthian findes indulgence 2 Cor. 2. 7 10. A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Psal 51. 17. They cannot certainly be assured c. 2 Tim. 2. 25. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Divel Joel 2. 14. Who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behinde him Ionah 3. 9. Isa 27. 11. For it is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on
providence it was that being dedicated to the service of Christ in mine Infancy the Piety of my Parents took an early care that I should not be alienated from him through the allurements of the world for want of a religious education and from a childe having been acquainted as Timothy was with the holy Scriptures which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus herein I have exercised my self through the assistance of his grace to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men Mr. Narrowgrace You speak as if regeneration came by nature and education Tilenus No Sir to say regeneration comes by nature were a Contradiction Mr. Takeo'-trust Do you not remember what the Apostle saith Rom. 3. 23. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God And Ephes 2. 1 2. We are dead in trespasses and sins and are by nature children of wrath Can there be so great a change wrought in a man as is a change from death to life and he have no apprehension or feeling when such a change is wrought in him Tilenus When I reflect upon the exuberance of the Divine grace under the Gospel I perswade my selfe there is some difference betwixt Christians born of faithful and godly parents and from their childe-hood educated and instructed in the wayes of faith and pietie I say we must make a difference betwixt these and those Jews and Gentiles of whom the Apostle speaks before they were made Christians I know you will not allow Heathens to stand in Competition with the servants of Jesus devoted to him from their very infancy neither is the law and discipline of Moses an equal standard to measure the dispensations of the grace of Jesus Christ by and yet if you consider Zacharie and Elizabeth who were trained up under the Pedagogie of Moses and date their practice of Pietie from their youth * See 1 King 18. 12 as you ought to do for why should we make an exception where God makes none You will finde that being righteous before God and walking in all the Commandements and ordinances of the Lord blameless S. Luke 1. 6. they were not capable of answering your question When and where and how the work of grace was wrought in them Now if the ministration of Moses which was in comparison a ministration of death was thus glorious how shall not the ministration of Christ which is the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious 2 Cor. 3. Under the Gospel that Covenant is fully accomplished wherein God bound himself to Abraham by the sacred tie of an oath to grant us a power to serve him in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of our life S. Luke 1. 74. And the conveyances of this powerful grace being all put so freely into our hands this word and Sacraments it is required of us as a duty to have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Heb. 12. 28. and doubtless 't is only our own inexcusable fault if we have not for indeed be it spoken with holy reverence the administration of our sacred baptisme were not better than a piece of solemn Pageantry if grace were not conferr'd upon us in receiving that Sacrament for therein are begg'd on our behalfe the blessings of Christ grace and pardon with the renewing and assistance of the holy spirit These the Church by prayer seeks for on our behalf by vertue of that Covenant wherein God hath promised and engaged himself to bestow them which promise be for his part will most assuredly keep and perform Then upon this we engage our vow to forsake the Devil and all his works and to keep Gods holy will and Commandements Can we think either that God in goodness or justice would require such an ingagement at our hands under peril of a greater condemnation or that the Church of God in prudence could oblige us to undertake it without good assurance of sufficient assistance and power from his gracious spirit to inable us to perform it according to the tenour of the Gospel Mr. Fribabe It seems you are for universal grace and you hold that all the children of the faithful dying in their infancie and before they have the use of reason are saved by vertue of that Covenant made Isa 49. 8. Heb. 13. 20. with us in the blood of Christ into which they are consigned at their baptisme as if all such were invested with some priviledge to exempt them from the absolute decree of reprobation Tilenus This Sir is the faith into which I have been baptized and catechized for I am taught to profess that in my baptisme I was made a member of Christ a childe of God and an inheritour of the Kingdome of Heaven Mr. Knowlittle But you know that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Heb. 12. 14. Tilenus That I very well remember but withall I consider that besides that federal holiness which removes all obstacles in the children of the faithful and renders them recipients duly qualified for the Sacrament I am instructed in my Creed to believe in God the Holy Ghost who sanctifieth me that is if I do not resist his work and quench his motions and am further directed to beg by diligent prayer his special grace to inable me to discharge my duty to God and my neighbour which grace if I be not wanting to my duâ—y I have reason to assure my self of upon the strength of our Saviours promise S. Luke 11. 13. The short is Baptisme being stiled the laver of regeneration Tit. 3. 5 6. And the children of the faithful being in no capacitie of putting a bar against the efficacie of it the learned Davenant one of the Divines of the Synod of Dort concludes that therein they are truly justified regenerated and adopted and by this means a state of salvation is conferr'd upon them suitable to the condition of their infancy and arriving to the use of reason if they walk in the strength of the Divine grace under the command and conduct of the Holy Spirit and fight under Christ's banner as generous souldiers ingaged by solemn covenant and armed with assistance from above to that purpose should do we are assured that sin shall not got the dominion over them Rom. 6. 14. for he is greater that is ingaged in them for their assistance then he that is in the world against them 1 John 4. 4. Whereupon the same Apostle is confident to conclude c. 5. v. 18. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not Mr. Knowlittle You speak as if a man might live without sin and so be saved without Christ Tilenus Sir I believe it is the duty of the children of God and therefore possible to be blameless and harmless without rebuke shining as lights in the midst of a crooked and
God Rom. 5. 1. Tilenus Tentatus Sir I know these are excellent Cordialls to the soul that is perswaded she hath a reall interest in them but they are designed onely for a very small number as the doctrine of the Synod hath determined For those Divines tell us that Almighty God did by an absolute decree elect certain particular persons to salvation neither considering the death of his Son nor the faith of those elect in that decree but then decreed to give his Son to die for them and irresistibly to work in them a saving faith to lay hold upon that his Son and actually to apply all the said benefits to themselves for whose salvation only they were all prepared and designed Now all the promises of salvation in Christ how universally soever propounded being by your Doctrine restrained onely to these Elect amongst whom that I should reckon my self neither any particular mention of me in Scripture nor any revelation by Angel or Prophet out of it doth assure me and the number of them according to your computation being so small in proportion to the Reprobates there is so much odds against me that I have reason to be afraid that I am inlisted under the greater multitude When Christ said to his Apostles One of you shall betray me though the odds were eleven to one on the Innocent parties side yet it raised so much scruple and suspition in all their bosomes as made them very anxious and inquisitive Matth. 26. 22. Master is it I Were the number of the Reprobates for whom you say Christ died not far more disproportionable to the elect yet the sad apprehension of those eternal torments fatally link'd to the end of that horrible decree would prompt me to entertain fears jealousies more than enough lest I should be filed upon that chain having no assurance to the Contrary How much more should fearfullness and trembing surprize me when I consider how few the Elect are even amongst the vast multitudes of such as are called Mr. Simulans Seeing it hath pleased the wisdom of Almighty God to keep his immutable Decrees as well that of Reprobation as that of Election locked up in the secret Cabinet of his own unsearchable Counsell we are to govern our judgment by the rule of Charity which beleeveth all things and hopeth all things 1 Cor. 13 Tilenus Tentatus I confesse the judgement of Charitie is a try'd and equall beame in many Cases but if you extend it generally and apply it unto all particulars it must needs be very false and I am confident you dare not avouch the trueth of it in such a latitude or if you dare you are no more able to maintaine it than I can beleeve these two contrary propositions at once that Jesus Christ died for all and yet that he died for a very small number 2. It is not the judgement of my Charity but the certaintie of my faith that must give me assurance and comfort in this particular 3. Charitable judgement is a fair standard to measure the doubtfull actions of our neighbour by and commands us to cover his infirmities and stifle the too light conception of suspitions and sinister opinions touching him but bindes us not to preach falshood to him to induce him against his own reason to foster too good an opinion of himself When I see a man present himself to the Holy Sacrament the judgement of Charity perswades mee knowing nothing to the contrary that he addresses himself to it with that preparation of heart that becomes a good Christian But that such as are rightly prepared and qualified do partake thereof to their salvation this I beleeve by the judgement of faith which admâ—tteth nothing that is or can be false So when I see a sick man render his soul up with much devotion and resignation into the hands of Christ I beleeve charitably that he dies as becomes a faithfull Christian But that God communicateth his salvation to such as die in the profession and obedience of the right faith this I beleeve by the certainty of faith wherein it is impossible I should be deceived though the judgment of Charity deceives us very often In a word the judgment of charity is a good standing measure betwixt man and man but it is not current betwixt man and his own Conscience much lesse betwixt him and God I know I am not to be relieved but by such succours as are levied upon the divine promises and those promises having their foundation and infallibilitie in the undeceivable truth of God they require such a certaintie of faith as will admit no mixture of any thing false or doubtfull Besides when I do inquire which act of faith hath the prioritie viz. to beleeve in Christ or to beleeve Christ to be my Saviour in particular I am taught by some of your Divines Maccovius by name that I must in the first place beleeve that Christ is my Saviour and that is the cause of the other act or the reason why I place my faith in him Now if Christ died only for a few particular persons and all the promises made in him belong to those few onely unlesse I could find some mention of my name amongst them or receive some revelation from heaven to that effect how can I with any certainty or assurance build my faith upon it that I am one of them Mr. Tako'trust We are bound to think every one is of the number of the Elect till it appears to the contary Tilen Tentatus This is but singing the old note ever again This is still your judgement of Charity which though it suppresseth all suspicion in you towards me yet can it not cure those feares and jealousies which I have but with too great reason conceived of my self As for your appearances to the contrary I cannot understand them much lesse set any value upon them for by such outward things the Synod is ready to tell us we can never perceive any thing of what belongs to the state of Election or Reprobation I am beholding to you that waving the severity of your reason you will make use of a charitable supposition to flatter me into an opinion that I am one of that little Flock for which Christ dyed But there is nothing can secure and comfort me but a full and certain perswasion that I am one of them which you will never be able to work in me denying that Christ died for all unlesse you can find some particular and undeniable evidence of my interest in him Mr. Indefectible You should reflect upon your former experience of God's gratious work in you That spirit of adoption sent out into the hearts of Gods Elect to bear witness to their spirits though he may become silent and not speak peace to them in such an audible language of comfort as is alwayes apprehended by them yet he abides with them for ever Spiritual injoyments are different from these outward and carnal ones we
by works of righteousness which we had done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour 1 Pet. 1. 3 23. The father of our Lord Jesus Christ hath begotten us again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God c. See Ezek. 36. 26 27. Renewed in understanding will affections c. Ephes 4. 23. Renewed in the spirit of your mindes Col. 3. 10. In knowledge See 1 Cor. 1. 4 5. Tit. 2. 11. Acts 26. 18. To whom I send thee to open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God Acts 15 9. God through the Holy Ghost purifying their hearts by faith Heb. 9. 14. The blood of Christ purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit and the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly 1 Thes 5. 23. To do that which is savingly good c. Mat. 7. 17 18. and chap. 12. 33 34 35. Make the tree good and his fruit good Rom. 6. 22. But now being made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life See verse 18. II. They hold that the grace of God is the beginning proceeding and fulfilling of all good so as even the regenerate man himself without grace preventing exciting following and co-working cannot think will or do good or resist any temptation to ill so that the good deeds and actions which any man can conceive are to be ascribed to the grace of God in Christ Proofes out of holy Scripture That the grace of God is the beginning c. James 1. 17 18. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above John 8. 36. 2 Cor. 4. 6. If the Son shall make you free ye shall be free indeed 2 Cor. 3. 17. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is libertie Phil. 1. 6. chap 2. 13. It is God which hath begun a good work in you which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure Heb. 12. 2. The author and finisher of our faith 2 Thes 2. 14. Whereunto he called you by our Gospel See verse 15 16 17. 1 Pet 5. 10. c. 2 Pet. 1. 1 3 His divine power hath given us all things that pertain to life and godliness Or resist any temptation to ill c. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand in the evil day Ephes 6. 13. Watch and pray c. Mat. 26. 41. Lead us not into temptation Mat. 6. 13. The good we do to be ascribed to the grace of God c. 1 Cor. 15. 10. By the grace of God I am what I am Gal. 2. 20. The life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope c. 1 Pet. 5. 10 11. But the God of all grace who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen See Rom. 1. 8. 1 Cor. 1. 4 5. Ephes 1. 3. c. Rom. 16. 25 26 27. Rev. 1. 5 6. III. They hold that to hear Gods word to be sorry for sin committed to desire saving grace and the spirit of renovation nothing of which notwithstanding can a man do without grace is profitable and needful for the obtaining of faith and the spirit of renovation Proofes out of holy Scripture St. Luke 19. 13 Negotiamini dum venio Trade till I come for whosoever hath to him shall be given and he shall have more abundance Luke 19. 26. See Mat. 13. from v. 10 ro 17. Iohn 6. 45. See Luke 16. 11 12. chap. 19. 17. Every man that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me Rom. 10. 17. Faith cometh by hearing Acts 17. 11 12. They of Berea received the word with all readiness of minde and searched the Scriptures Therefore many of them believed Iohn 7. 17. If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrin whether it be of God See Psal 25. 12 14. Psal 111. 10. Prov. 1. 7. 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation See Acts 2. 37 38. chap. 16. 29 30 Prov. 2. 1 2 3 4 5. If thou wilt incline thine â—ar unto wisdome and apply thine heart to understanding If thou seekest her as silver Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord Prov. 8. 17. I love them that love me and they that seek me early shall finde me Luke 11. 13. Your heavenly Father will give the spirit to them that ask him See the example of Sergius Paulus Acts 13. 7 12. Especially that of Cornelius Acts 10. 1 2 4 5 34 35. See also Gal. 3. 24. Prov. 3. 32. Iob 28. 28. 2 Tim. 2. 21. James 1. 21. 2 Pet. 2. 1 2. See the reason of the Negative following IV. They hold that effectual grace whereby a man is converted is resistible and though God doth so work upon the will by his word and the inward operation of his holy spirit as that he gives both power to believe and supernatural abilities and makes a man actually to believe yet can man of himself despise that grace not believe and so through his own default perish Proofs out of Holy Scripture Ezek. 11. 20. compared with the 21. verse I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh That they may walk in my statutes and keep mine Ordinances and do them But whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations I will recompense their way upon their own heads Mat. 11. 20 21 22 23. Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not Woe unto thee Chorazin woe unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloath and ashes And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto Heaven shalt be brought down to Hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day Ezek. 24. 13. I have purged thee and thou wast not purged Acts 2. 41. They that gladly received his word were baptized 1 Thes 2. 13 19. See v. 19. Acts 11. 21. Ye received it not as the word of man but as it is in truth the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe See Rom. 1. 16. Acts 13. 46. 48. Luke 14. 16. c. Mat. 22.
them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Prov. 1. 28. Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not finde me Numb 14. 40. c. They rose up early in the morning saying we will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised for we have sinned viz. in refusing to go up at his command see 1 Cor. 10. 6 11. Heb. 3. 18. with chap. 4. 11. And Moses said it shall not prosper But they presumed to go up and were discomfited Heb. 12. 17. Afterward when he would have inherited the blessing he was rejected for he found no place of repentance in his Father who had past away the blessing from him though he sought it carefully with tears If these places do not make a saving repentance especially after grievous sins see Acts 8. vers 22. and an obstinate continuance in them somewhat doubtful yet doubtless they implie a difficulty and the more difficult the more doubtful So do the places following Mat. 12. 43 44 45. He taketh seven other spirits more wicked then himself and they enter in and dwell there And the last state of that man is worse than the first 2 Pet. 2. 20. Compare this with verse 1. c. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are again intangled therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them than the beginning Heb. 6. 4 5 6. For it is impossible i. e. very difficult as Luke 17. 1. or Luke 18. 27. If they fall away to renew them again unto repentance See the last Negative precedent Ecclus 5. 5. Concerning propitiation be not without fear to adde sin unto sin Rom. 2. 4 5. Despisest thou the riches c Luke 13. 24. Strive to enter in at the straight gate for many I say unto you will strive to enter in and shall not be able V. They hold that the true believer may for the present be assured of the integritie of his faith and conscience and for that time may and ought to be assured of his salvation and the saving love of God towards him Proofs out of holy Scripture 1 John 1. 7. If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all our sin 1 John 2. 3. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his Commandements 1 John 3. 14. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren 1 John 5. 2 3. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his Commandements and his commandements are not grievous Gal. 6. 4. But let every man prove his own works and then shall he have rejoycing in himself 1 Iohn 3. 21. If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our reâ—oycing is this the testimonie of our conscience that in simplicitie and godly sinceritie not with fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Rom. 5. 1 2 5. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given unto us 1 Ioh. 4. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because He hath given us of his spirit Rom. 8. 16. The spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the Children of God For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live For as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God ver 13 14. Isa 32. 17. And the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietness and assurance for ever VI. They hold that the true believer may and ought to be assured for the time to come that in the use of watching and prayer and other holy exercises he may persevere in faith and that Gods grace shall never be wanting thereto But how he may be assured for the time to come that he himselfe shall not be wanting to do his duty but that he shall in the actions of faith piety and charity as beseems the faithful persevere in this school of Christian waâ—â—â—re they see not nor think it necessary that a believer should be assured thereof Proofs out of Holy Scripture In the use of watching and prayer c. Eph. 6. 11 13 to 19. Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil having done all to stand 2 Thess 5. 17. pray without ceasing Watch and pray Matth. 26. 41. ch 24. 13. with the 42. Luke 12. 35 36 37. Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning and ye your selves like unto men that wait for their Lord. Luke 21. 34 36. Take heed lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfeting and drunkenness and the cares of this life Watch ye therefore and pray alwayes 1 Pet. 5. 8 9. Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Whom resist stedfast in the faith James 4. 7. Resist the devil and he will flee from you 1 Iohn 5. 18. He that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not Heb. 6. 11. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end That Gods grace shall never be wanting Psal 23. 6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life Rom. 8. 38. For I am perswaded that neither death nor life c. shall separate us from the love of God Phil. 1. 6. He which hath begun a good work in you Iohn 15. 2 7 10. Every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall aske what ye will and it shall be done unto you See Luke 11. 13. Acts 5. 32. ver 10. If ye keep my Commandements ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my fathers Commandements and abide in his love Rom 6. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law but under grace 2 Cor. 12. 9. My grace is sufficient for thee 1 Iohn 4. 4. Ye are of God little children and have overcome them the false teachers because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world But how assured for the time to come that he himself shall not be wanting c. For 1. Man is many