The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise

But some may here object and say, is not this a ground of comfort, and a ground of looseness, for drunkards and carnal libertines: for they may say, why should we not live in our sins, seeing Christ hath take• the guilt of them upon him, and will deliver us from them; they think they may be careless of whatsoever they do, and sing care away, never to be troubled for, nor affected with the burden of their sins and rebellions any more, because Christ stands charged with their sins, therefore they may throw away the care of them. Thus, as I may say with holy reverence, they make Christ a stale for all their sins: therefore let me show all such loose libertines of this last age of the world, what fond conceits they have: I mean the Anabaptists, but specially the Familists, who think it is unprofitable for a believer to trouble himself for his sins, and to go up and down with his heart full of grief, and his eyes full of tears; and they think it unwarrantable and unlawful, and therefore they grow careless of sin, and fearless when they have committed sin: hath Christ undertaken for sin, say they, then why should a believer take sin to himself? This is the cursed opinion of the Familists. There is an unspeakable, and an unmeasurable measure of comfort in this Doctrine for all the people of God, and the other suck as much poison from it. I have borne a secret grudge against this doctrine of theirs many a day, but I could not tell how to meet with it, neither do I love to meddle with ⟨p. 182⟩it, till I meet at in my dish: therefore to prevent the cavils of the wicked, that a carnal heart may not presume of the mercy of God in Jesus Christ, and also that the poor sinner may not burden himself with needless •ea•es, nor with his sin more than God requires, suffer me to clear the Doctrines by laying open two things:

But some may here object and say, is not this a ground of comfort, and a ground of loosenesse, for drunkards and carnall libertines: for they may say, why should wee not live in our sinnes, seeing Christ hath take• the guilt of them upon him, and will deliver us from them; they thinke they may be carelesse of whatsoever they doe, and sing care away, never to be troubled for, nor affected with the burthen of their sinnes and rebellions any more, because Christ stands charged with their sinnes, therefore they may throw away the care of them. Thus, as I may say with holy reverence, they make Christ a stale for all their sinnes: therefore let mee shew all such loose libertines of this last age of the world, what fond conceits they have: I meane the Anabaptists, but specially the Familists, who thinke it is unprofitable for a beleever to trouble himselfe for his sinnes, and to goe up and downe with his heart full of griefe, and his eyes full of teares; and they thinke it unwarrantable and unlawfull, and therefore they grow carelesse of sinne, and fearlesse when they have committed sinne: hath Christ undertaken for sin, say they, then why should a beleever take sinne to himselfe? This is the cursed opinion of the Familists. There is an unspeakable, and an unmeasurable measure of comfort in this Doctrine for all the people of God, and the other sucke as much poyson from it. I have borne a secret grudge against this doctrine of theirs many a day, but I could not tell how to meet with it, neither doe I love to meddle with