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ƲƲhat ought to be the order of Application?
Analyticall, namely that euery one who seeketh the declaration of his election, should not begin at that most excellent degree, that is, at the verie secret purpose of God, without Christ and the voice of the gospell crying out in the Church: for so will it fall out, that he cannot at all endure that immensurable right of God in a con∣trarie course, but let him so begin at the lowest degrees as at the effects, namely, let him make his beginning at the calling through Christ, & the hearing of him, according as Rom. 8.30. Those whom he hath elected, he hath called: so he may by little and little come to that principall part of our saluation: where at last hauing found a firme and substantiall remedie against all tempests, he may rest as it were in harbour, in this wise.
Let him search diligētly, if he heare the word of God with a good heart, and therewith be well affected, both to God-ward, and to∣ward his neighbour (for this is an effect of Regeneration and San∣ctification): from thence to faith, whether he feele himselfe to be in Christ by faith, or whether he doth beleeue on Christ. From faith to iustification, from iustification let him go on to effectuall calling. By which graces of God, if they be in vs, euery faithfull man may most assuredly iudge of his owne electiona 1.1. For sense and motion are not more certaine proofes of an animall life, then Faith, Hope, & Charitie are arguments of our election. Besides in the childrē of God there is a singuler testimony of the holy Ghost testifying to our spirit that we are the sons of God, by which spirit vve crie boldly Abba Father. Rom. 8. ver. 14.15. Gal. 4.6. But if sonnes, then heires vvith God, and fellovv heires vvith Christ, and so from the last to the first praedestinate to life. Hereunto belong al∣so certaine outward things, as annexed to them. viz. harkening to the word of God, and signing of the Sacraments, whereto we at∣tribute the second place.