Therefore as I have already admonished, I must again renew this Admonition. that in this course of Obedience, the godly practice of Charity should not be separated from us, but should of necessity accompany Faith: but yet it must be so admitted, that it shut not out Faith from its own Office and Dignity, nor jostle out the glorious Riches of the Grace of God, which is in Christ Jesus: Nor darken the Glory of the Cross of Christ, nor take away Consolation from troubled Consciences, nor corrupt the sound Doctrine, which the Apostles have taught us; which seeing it places all our Salvation in nothing else, but the Benefit of Redemption by Christ, ⟨p. 512⟩let men of understanding and Piety judge which of the two Opinions is in the right; whether they that place all the Hope of their Salvation in Faith only, or they that place it in the Righteousness of inherent Works only, and call Faith, if alone, a Presumption. Verily if the Spirit of Christ could not 1endure those Laodiceans, who were puffed up with a false Imagination of their own Righteousness, and understood not how wretched and miserable, and naked they were: I suppose it may easily appear what should be judged of Popish Catholics, and all this Divinity of theirs. I beg of Christ, the infinitely Glorious, and only begotten Son of God, King of Kings, Preserver of Life, the Merciful Author and Defender of our Salvation, the Glory of Heaven, the brightness of his Father's Glory, according to his Infinite Goodness, unto whose Everlasting Dominion all things are subject, that are in Heaven and in Earth; that we miserable Men, whom Nature hath brought into this wretched Condition, who are Poor and Needy, Naked and Blind, and utterly. destroyed, being restored by his Bounty, and having Salvation bestowed upon us by his free Gift, and being clothed with his Ornaments, and enriched with his Wealth, and carried on by the safe conduct of his Spirit, we may grow in him daily more and more, and never fall from him, being strong in the Faith, and fruitful in good Works, until at length at the coming of his Kingdom, we be received into those blessed Mansions of Immortality, where he Lives and Reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in Eternal Glory. Amen.
Therefore as I have already admonished, I must again renew this Admonition. that in this course of Obedience, the godly practice of Charity should not be separated from us, but should of necessity accompany Faith: but yet it must be so admitted, that it shut not out Faith from its own Office and Dignity, nor justle out the glorious Riches of the Grace of God, which is in Christ Iesus: Nor darken the Glory of the Cross of Christ, nor take away Consolation from troubled Consciences, nor corrupt the sound Doctrine, which the Apostles have taught us; which seeing it places all our Salvation in nothing else, but the Benefit of Redemption by Christ, ⟨p. 512⟩let men of understanding and Piety iudge which of the two Opinions is in the right; whether they that place all the Hope of their Salvation in Faith only, or they that place it in the Righteousness of inherent Works only, and call Faith, if alone, a Presumption. Verily if the Spirit of Christ could not 1endure those Laodiceans, who were puffed up with a false Imagination of their own Righteousness, and understood not how wretched and miserable, and naked they were: I suppose it may easily appear what should be judged of Popish Catholicks, and all this Divinity of theirs. I beg of Christ, the infinitely Glorious, and only begotten Son of God, King of Kings, Preserver of Life, the Merciful Author and Defender of our Salvation, the Glory of Heaven, the brightness of his Father's Glory, according to his Infinite Goodness, unto whose Everlasting Dominion all things are subject, that are in Heaven and in Earth; that we miserable Men, whom Nature hath brought into this wretched Condition, who are Poor and Needy, Naked and Blind, and utterly. destroyed, being restored by his Bounty, and having Salvation bestowed upon us by his free Gift, and being cloathed with his Ornaments, and enriched with his Wealth, and carried on by the safe conduct of his Spirit, we may grow in him daily more and more, and never fall from him, being strong in the Faith, and fruitful in good Works, until at length at the coming of his Kingdom, we be received into those blessed Mansions of Immortality, where he Lives and Reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in Eternal Glory. Amen.
- 1Apoc. 3.
