A. The conscience of Cain and of despairers, being no authentic Bible nor Judge,1 which can carry the controversy between them and God, so long as they are in the way, or are viators, the Gospel treaty betwixt them and Christ yet standing and not broken off upon the part of Christ, they are to cherish and hold up the Treaty, and (as it were) to force speech out of Christ, and to pursue the news of an offered salvation. 2. There is no Spirit of God that suggests to them despair, and bids them write themselves in the black roll of Reprobates, for though they believe hell, as the Devils haply believe there is a God, yet they blow the coals of that hellish furnace, and kindle a fire before night. 3. They being under the Law of Nature, are to rely on infinite mercy able to save. Their witty darkness of unbelief saith they believe, but they hate mercy in the general toward others, as to themselves. 2. For a doubting child of God, because the light of evidence (which to them, in that case is dim) comes nearer to the natural light of reason,2 then to spiritual light, therefore faith must be set on work to act as faith, and faith acts most strongly when reason is weakest. Natural causes work more strongly under opposition, the fire burns most vehemently in winter frost,3 and the internal heat of the body is most mighty for concoction, when the coldness of the air is most piercing without, faith sees God most piercingly at midnight in Job, when rottenness and deadness speaks the contrary, Job 19. I know surely (so the word, Exod. 8.1. Psal. 31.8. that my Redeemer lives. Isa. 50.10. He that walks in darkness, and hath no light (of evidence) let him trust on the Name of the Lord, and let him stay himself upon his God, Rom. 4.19, 20. (2.) There is a piece of unseen wilfulness in unbelief,4 and two refusals in it, as we see in Thomas, Joh. 20.25. as there is a mass of sanctified will required in sincere faith, Rom. 10.9, 10. Mark. 9.24. and so resistance must be made to that blind impulsion of will in unbelief,5 by which we please our selves in doubling our doubting. ⟨p. 49⟩(3.) Should the commanding of killing the Son, Gen. 22.2. seem to contradict the whole Gospel of the promised Seed, Gen. 15.4.
A. The conscience of Cain and of despairers, being no authentick Bible nor Judge,1 which can carry the controversie between them and God, so long as they are in the way, or are viators, the Gospel treaty betwixt them and Christ yet standing and not broken off upon the part of Christ, they are to cherrish and hold up the Treaty, and (as it were) to force speech out of Christ, and to pursue the news of an offered salvation. 2. There is no Spirit of God that suggests to them despaire, and bids them write themselves in the black roll of Reprobates, for though they beleeve hell, as the Devils haply beleeve there is a God, yet they blow the coals of that hellish furnace, and kindle a fire before night. 3. They being under the Law of Nature, are to rely on infinite mercy able to save. Their witty darknesse of unbeleef saith they beleeve, but they hate mercy in the generall toward others, as to themselves. 2. For a doubting child of God, because the light of evidence (which to them, in that case is dimme) comes nearer to the naturall light of reason,2 then to spirituall light, therefore faith must be set on work to act as faith, and faith acts most strongly when reason is weakest. Naturall causes work more strongly under opposition, the fire burns most vehemently in winter frost,3 and the internall heat of the body is most mighty for concoction, when the coldness of the air is most piercing without, faith sees God most piercingly at midnight in Job, when rottennesse and deadness speaks the contrair, Job 19. I know surely (so the word, Exod. 8.1. Psal. 31.8. that my Redeemer lives. Isa. 50.10. He that walks in darknesse, and hath no light (of evidence) let him trust on the Name of the Lord, and let him stay himself upon his God, Rom. 4.19, 20. (2.) There is a peece of unseen wilfulnesse in unbeleef,4 and two refusalls in it, as we see in Thomas, Joh. 20.25. as there is a masse of sanctified will required in sincere faith,
- 1What Judas & Cain in their despairing mood, are to do.
- 2What weak doubters are to do.
- 3When faith acts most strongly.
- 4Wilfulness in unbelief.VVilfulness in unbeleef.
- 5[Greek or Hebrew].〈non-Latin alphabet〉.
