Spirituall encrease: or, Conclusions for pacifying the perplexed conscience of the weake Christian

EXPLA.

As feare is opposed to faith, we heare God appoin∣ting his Ministers to call his

people from it:* 1.1 Say vnto the fearefull, bee thou strong, feare not, behold our God commeth with vengeance, and hee will come and saue you: and againe, Feare not, for I am with thee, be not afraid,* 1.2 for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee and help•• thee, and sustaine thee with the hand of my Iustice: And againe, Feare not, for I haue redeemed thee, I haue called thee by name, thou art mine: And againe,* 1.3 Feare not, for thou shalt not be ashamed nor confounded: in righteousnesse shalt thou bee established, and be farre from feare; for it shall not come neere thee: this is the heritage of the Lords seruants, whose righteousnesse is of me: (for Christs merit is our righteousnesse.) And all this

is, because wee should rest in full assurance of safety without feare or doubt, be∣cause hee promised to pre∣uent all occasions whence any feare should arise: And so he deliuered them out of the hands of their enemies without feare:* 1.4 and Christ died that he might deliuer them,* 1.5 who for feare of death were all their life time subiect to bondage: and now wee haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare a∣ny more,* 1.6 but the spirit of adop∣tion to cry abba Father; for God hath not giuen vs the spi∣rit of feare, but of power,* 1.7 and of loue, and of a sound minde: for there is no greater bon∣dage then that feare, when we are vncertaine what shall become of vs: but he said,

Feare not little flocke, for it is your Fathers pleasure to giue you the Kingdome.

Now that other com∣mendable feare doth not shake assurance of saluation, but the faithfull finding that in him, doth gather the grea∣ter assurance to himselfe. For the punishment of God is feare∣full vnto him that dreades Gods iudgements,* 1.8 abhor∣reth wicked courses, labou∣reth in righteousnesse, is strong in the Lord,* 1.9 and in the power of his might, and doe work their saluation with feare and trembling, with humility, and acknowledgement of their own frailety, and neuer to commit themselues to themselues, but to him who hath* 1.10 wrought all our workes

for vs;* 1.11 for by his owne might shall no man be strong.

Now there is difference betwixt absolute doubting, weake assenting, and inter∣ruption in assent with some feare; for the seeds of all im∣piety land in the corruption of the heart, whereby we are assaulted with doubt of the principall poynts of our be∣leefe; the wisedome, power, iustice, mercy of God; & yet do not wholly relinquish the assent thereof▪

Notes

• * 1.1

  Isa. 35.4.
• * 1.2

  Isa. 43.1.
• * 1.3

  Isa. 54, 14
• * 1.4

  Luk. 11, 74.
• * 1.5

  Heb. 2.15.
• * 1.6

  Rom. 8, 15.
• * 1.7

  2. Tim. 1.7.
• * 1.8

  Iob 31.23.
• * 1.9

  Eph. 6.10
• * 1.10

  Isa. 26.12.
• * 1.11

  1. Sam. 2.9