A09466:279
A treatise tending unto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of…A treatise tending vnto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of…
A treatise tending unto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of damnation or in the estate of grace and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he may discern it, and persevere in the same to the end. The points that are handled are set down in the page following.A treatise tending vnto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of damnation or in the estate of grace and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he maie discerne it, and perseuere in the same to the end. The points that are handled are set downe in the page following.
London: printed by R. Robinson for T. Gubbin, 1590
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
then my heart began to wax soft & melt at the bounteous mercy of God and kindness showed of Christ. For when the gospel was preached, the spirit of God (me thought) entered into my heart, and opened my in ward eyes, and wrought a lively faith in me, and made my ⟨p. 126⟩woeful conscience feel and taste how sweet a thing the bitter death of Christ is, & how merciful & loving God is through Christs purchasing and merits, and made me begin to love again, and to consent to the law of God how that it is good and ought so to be, and that GOD is righteous that made it: lastly it wrought in me a desire to be whole, and to hunger and thirst after more righteousness and more strength to fulfil the law more perfectly: and in all that I do or leave undone to seek Gods honour and his will with meekness evermore condemning the imperfectness of my deeds by the law. Now then this good work of God to my salvation standeth in two points, the working of the law, and the working of the gospel: the preaching of the law was a key that bound and damned my conscience, the preaching of the gospel was an other key that loosed me again. These two salves (I mean the law & the gospel) used God & his preacher to heal and cure me a wretched sinner withal. The law did drive out my disease and made it appear, and was a sharp salve and fretting corrosive, & killed the dead flesh, and loosed and drew the sore ⟨p. 127⟩out by the root, and all corruption. It pulled from me all trust and confidence I had in my self, and in mine own works, merits, deservings, and ceremonies, and robbed me of all my righteousness, & made me poor. It killed me in sending me down to hell, and bringing me almost to utter desperation, & prepared the way of the Lord, as it is written of John Baptist. For it was not possible that Christ should come unto me as long as I trusted in my self or in any worldly thing, or had any righteousness of mine own, or riches of holy works. Then afterward came the Gospel a more gentle plaster, which coupled and swaged my wounds of my conscience and brought me health: It brought the spirit of God, which loosed the bands of Satan, and coupled me to God & his will through a strong faith & fervent love. Which bands were to strong for the Devil, the world, or any creature to loose.
then my heart began to waxe soft & melt at the bounteous mercie of God and kindnesse shewed of Christ. For when the gospell was preached, the spirite of God (me thought) entred into my heart, and opened my in warde eyes, and wrought a liuely faith in me, and made my