The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

nor would men cry it down, because grace being mixed with so much corruption, it can hardly be discerned, and so will be alway lest in doubts, and that the heart is deceitful, and many that have evidenced ⟨p. 300⟩their estates, hereby have been deceived: I confess thus the Popish Doctors argue against assurance of faith from the Scriptures without special and extraordinary revelation; but what is all this to the purpose if the Scriptures make it an evidence? away then with thy corrupt experience, shall this be judge, or the Scriptures rather? what though many judging of themselves by marks and signs have been deceived; yet if the Scripture make it an evidence, (as we have proved) then, though men through their own weakness or wickedness have been deceived in misapplying promises; yet the Scriptures cannot deceive you: What though it be difficult to discern Christs grace in us? yet if the Scriptures will have us try our estates by that rule, which in it self in easy, but to our blindness and weakness, difficult many times to see; who shall, who dares condemn the holy Scriptures? which as they shall judge us at last day should judge us now. Suppose that divers books, and many Ministers sometimes give false signs of grace and Gods favour, yet doth the Scriptures give any? I shall propose one thing to conscience, as the conclusion of this discourse: Suppose thou wert now lying on thy death-bed, comforting thy self in thy elected and justified estate; suppose ⟨p. 301⟩the Spirit of God should now grapple with thy conscience, and tell thee, if thou art justified, then thou art called & sanctified, 2 Thes. 2.13, 14. Is it thus with thee? what wilt thou answer? if thou sayest thou art not sanctified, the word and spirit will bear witness then against thee, and say, then thou art not elected nor justified; if thou sayest thou knowest not, thou lookest not to sanctification, or fruits of the spirit, they will then reply, how then canst thou say that thou art elected or justified? for it is a truth as clear as the Sun, and as immovable as heaven and earth; None are elected and justified, but they are also sanctified, and they that are not sanctified are not justified, Rom. 8.1, 13. And now tell me, how can you have peace, unless you make your faces like flint before the face of Gods eternal truth, or heal your consciences by such a plaster as will not stick?