The triall of truth Containing a plaine and short discovery of the chiefest pointes of the doctrine of the great Antichrist, and of his adherentes the false teachers and heretikes of these last times.

Opposit. 4.

The faithfull servauntes of Christ by the preaching of the worde of God having their secret sinnes dis••layed and their consciences touched to the quicke, and feeling in their hartes the divine power and maiesty, purity and perfection thereof lightning their mindes, sanctifying their affections, and converting their soules doe fall downe (as the A∣postle saith) and worshippe God, and say, that God is in you of a trueth, acknowledging the preachers of that worde to be Gods ministers, and * 1.1 the worde it selfe to bee Gods word, vvhereof they haue so good proofe and so sufficient warrant in their owne heartes: whereas faithlesse hy∣pocrites having felt within them no such divine power of Gods hea∣venly worde, doe not beleeue it to bee the worde of God, for the words sake it selfe, but for the outwarde testimony and witnes of the church.

THE mighty and powerfull worde of Christ is the scepter of * 1.2 his kingdome whereby he ruleth and raigneth in the heartes of his loyal and obedient subiects: & the most sharpe sword whereby he subdueth and vtterly destroyeth all his enimes. By it he beateth downe, in the heartes of his chosen, infidelity, Idola∣try, pride, and vnthankefulnes, and whatsoeuer lifteth vp it selfe against God: and planteth faith, piety, humility, and an hearty desire of sincere obedience and thankefulnes vnto God. In this word being laide open the infinite and inestimable dignity of the sufferings and death of Christ, whereby ful reconciliation is ob∣tained with God, & satisfaction made for sinne to the vttermost, and a perfect purchase made of the kingdome of heauen, how are the faithful encouraged with ful assurance of faith to come vn∣to God, and to place their whole trust and confidence in him? As by the dreadful denunciations of Gods wrath against all iniquity and sinne set downe in this word, especially by that seuere execu∣tion of the iustice of God in the death of Christ, in whom the sins of all the elect were so seuerely punished, that in vnspeakeable mercy they might be most freely pardoned vnto themselues, how are the faithful touched to the quicke, pricked at the very hearts, humbled and after a sort cast downe into hell, that they might be

lifted vp againe by the Lordes mercy, & tast & see how gracious the Lord is? So like wise vvhen the infinite wisedome, equity, iustice, righteousnes, integritie, puritie, sanctity, vprightnes which is in every one of the commaundementes of God is made knowen in some measure to everie of the faithfull, how doth it winne all his affections to the loue of this lawe, and cause him to lay it vp fast in his heart as a most precious and invaluable treasure? O the•• (saith he with the prophet David) the law of the Lord is an vnde∣filed law, * 1.3 converting the soule: the testimony of the Lord is sure, and giueth wisedome vnto the simple: the statutes of the Lord are right, & reioice the hart: the commandement of the Lord is pure, & giueth light vnto the eies: the feare of the Lord is cleane, & indureth for ever, the iudgmentes of the Lord are true, & righteous altogeather: And more to be desired then gold, yea then much fine gold, sweeter also then the hony and the hony combe. The Samaritās who at the first were induced to beleeue in Christ (vpon the testimony of the womā which said vnto thē, come & see a man, which hath told me all whatsoever I did: is not he th•• very Christ?) whē they had heard thēselue, the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth, & had felt in their heartes the power of his do∣ctrine, thē they said to the woman that first brought thē to Christ: Now we do not beleeue for thy words, for we haue heard him our selues, & * 1.4 do beleue that he is the very Christ. So Austin whē he was a cōtētious & carnall Manichee would not beleue the gospell but for the testimony of the church: but when by the divine oracle being admonished to take the booke of God into his hāds, & to reade therein, he had read: Let vs walke honestly as in the day-time, not in gluttony and drun∣kennes, nor in chambering and wantonnes, nor in strife and envying: but put yee on the Lord Iesus, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lustes of it: this did seeme so holy, heavenly, and divine a doctrine vnto him, and such an admiration and alteration it wrought in his hart, that thē no doubt he did not beleeue for the bare outward testimony of the church, but for the divine fruite, vertue, power, & puritie of the divine word of God, that he himselfe had felt in his own hart. VVherefore in that the children of the church of Rome doe teach and avouch that they doe not, nay cannot beleeue the di∣vine scripture to be the worde of GOD, but for the testimony of the church, it is manifest that they haue not felt the divine pow∣er

thereof in their heartes, nor haue beene translated thereby out of the slavery of Satan into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Cor 14. 25.
• * 1.2

  Heb. 1. 8. & 4. 12. Isa. 11. 4. Apo 19. 15.
• * 1.3

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 19.
• * 1.4

  •…•…h. 4. •…•…om 13. ••ug. Conses. ••ib 8. ••ap. 12.