xv. 13.]

is; and as if that, which is not were; as if they did not believe when they do, and, as if they did despair when they do not. Which in some, I grant, is but a melancholy passion, proceeding only from that dejection of mind, the cause whereof is in the body, and by bodily means can be taken away. But where there is no such bodily cause, the mind is not lightly in this mood, but by some of these three occasions: One, that judging by comparison either with other men, or with themselves at some other time more strong, they think imperfection to be a plain deprivation, weakness to be utter want, of Faith. Another cause is, they often mistake one thing for another. St. Paul, wishing well to the Church of Rome, prayeth for them after this sort, "The God of hope fill you with all joy of believing." [Rom. Hence an error groweth, when men in heaviness of spirit suppose they lack Faith, because they find not the sugared joy and delight which indeed doth accompany Faith, but so as a separable accident, as a thing that may be removed from it; yea, there is a cause why it should be removed. The light would never be so acceptable, were it not for that usual intercourse of darkness. Too much honey doth turn to gall; and too much joy, even spiritually, would make us wantons. Happier a great deal is that man's case, whose soul by inward desolation is humbled, than he whose heart is through abundance of spiritual delight lifted up and exalted above measure. Better it is sometimes to go down into the pit with him, who, beholding darkness, and bewailing the loss of inward joy and consolation, crieth from the bottom of the lowest hell," My God, my God, why hast [Psalm thou forsaken me?" than continually to walk arm in arm with Angels, to sit as it were in Abraham's bosom, and to have no thought, no cogitation, but "I thank my God it [Luke is not with me as it is with other men." No, God will have them that shall walk in light to feel now and then what it is to sit in the shadow of death. A grieved spirit therefore is no argument of a faithless mind. A third occasion of men's misjudging themselves, as if they were faithless when they are not, is, they fasten their cogitations upon the distrustful suggestions of the flesh, whereof finding great abundance in themselves, they gather thereby, Surely unbelief hath full dominion, it hath taken plenary possession of me; if I were faithful it could not be thus: not marking the motions of the

xxii. 1.]

xviii.11.]

viii. 26.]

Spirit and of Faith, because they lie buried and overwhelmed with the contrary: when notwithstanding, as the blessed [Rom., Apostle doth acknowledge, that the Spirit groaneth, and that God heareth when we do not; so there is no doubt but that our Faith may have, and hath, her privy operations secret to us, in whom, yet known to him by whom they are. Tell this to a man that hath a mind deceived by too hard an opinion of himself, and it doth but augment his grief: he hath his answer ready, Will you make me think otherwise than I find, than I feel in myself? I have throughly considered and exquisitely sifted all the corners of my heart, and I see what there is; never seek to persuade me against my knowledge; I do not, I know, I do not believe. Well, to favour them a little in their weakness, let that be granted which they do imagine; be it that they are faithless and without belief. But are they not grieved for their unbelief? They are. Do they not wish it might, and also strive that it may, be otherwise? We know they do. Whence cometh this, but from a secret love and liking which they have of those things that are believed? No man can love things which in his own opinion are not. And if they think those things to be, which they shew that they love when they desire to believe them; then must it needs be, that by desiring to believe they prove themselves true believers: for without Faith no man thinketh that things believed are. Which argument all the subtilty of infernal powers will never be able to dissolve. The Faith therefore of true believers, though it have many and grievous downfalls, yet doth it still continue invincible; it conquereth and recovereth itself in the end. The dangerous conflicts, whereunto it is subject, are not able to prevail against it. The Prophet Habakkuk remained faithful in weakness, though weak in Faith. It is true, such is our weak and wavering nature, that we have no sooner received Grace, but we are ready to fall from it: we have no sooner given our assent to the Law, that it cannot fail, but the next conceit which we are ready to embrace is, that it may, and that it doth fail. Though we find in ourselves a most willing heart to cleave unseparably unto God, even so far as to think unfeignedly with Peter, "Lord, I am ready to go with thee into prison and to death;" yet how soon and how easily, upon how small occasions, are we changed, if we be but awhile let

[Luke

xxii.33.]

iv. 15.]

xi. 2, 3.]

alone, and left unto ourselves? The Galatians to-day, for their sakes which teach them the truth in Christ, content, if need were, to pluck out their own eyes, and the next (Gal. day, ready to pluck out theirs which taught them. The love of the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, how greatly inflamed, and how quickly slacked! The higher we flow, the nearer we are unto an ebb, if men be respected as mere men, according to the wonted course of their alterable inclination, without the heavenly support of the Spirit. Again, the desire of our ghostly enemy is so uncredible, and his means so forcible to overthrow our Faith, that whom the blessed Apostle knew betrothed and made hand-fast unto Christ, to them he could not write but with great trembling; "I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, for I have [2 Cor. prepared you to one Husband, to present you a pure Virgin unto Christ: but I fear, lest as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity which is in Christ." The simplicity of Faith which is in Christ, taketh the naked promise of God, his bare Word, and on that it resteth. This simplicity the Serpent laboureth continually to pervert, corrupting the mind with many imaginations of repugnancy and contrariety between the promise of God and those things which sense or experience, or some other fore-conceived persuasion, hath imprinted. The word of the promise of God unto his people is, "I will not leave thee nor forsake thee:" upon this the [Josh. simplicity of Faith resteth, and it is not afraid of famine. But mark how the subtilty of Satan did corrupt the minds of that rebellious generation, whose spirits were not faithful unto God. They beheld the desolate state of the Desert in which they were, and by the wisdom of their sense concluded the promise of God to be but folly; "Can God [Psalm prepare a table in the Wilderness?" The word of the pro- 19.3 mise to Sarah was, "Thou shalt bear a son." Faith is simple, and doubteth not of it: but Satan, to corrupt this simplicity of Faith, entangleth the mind of the woman with an argument drawn from common experience to the contrary; A woman that is old; Sarah now to be acquainted [Gen. again with forgotten passions of youth! The word of the 121 promise of God by Moses and the Prophets made the

* [Eph. iv. 21.]

i. 5.]

Ixxviii.

xviii.

[John

i. 45.]

Saviour of the world so apparent unto Philip, that his simplicity could conceive no other Messias than Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. But to stay Nathanael, lest [ver. 46.] being invited to "come and see," he should also believe, and so be saved, the subtilty of Satan casteth a mist before his eyes, putteth in his head against this the common[Ibid.] conceived persuasion of all men concerning Nazareth, "Is it possible that a good thing should come from thence?" This stratagem he doth use with so great dexterity, the minds of all men are so strangely ensorceled* with it, that it bereaveth them, for the time, of all perceivance of that which should relieve them and be their comfort; yea, it taketh all remembrance from them, even of things wherewith they are most familiarly acquainted. The people of Israel could not be ignorant, that he which led them through the sea was able to feed them in the Desert: but this was obliterated and put out by the sense of their present want. Feeling the hand of God against them in their food, they remembered not his hand in the day that he delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. Sarah was not then to [Matt. learn, that "with God all things are possible." Had xix. 26.] 1 Cor. i. Nathanael never noted how "God doth choose the base 27, 28.] things of this world to disgrace them that are most honourably esteemed?" The Prophet Habakkuk knew that the promises of grace, protection, and favour, which God in the Law doth make unto his people, do not grant them any such immunity as can free and exempt them from all chastisements: he knew that, as God said, "I will continue my mercy for ever towards them;" so he likewise said, "Their transgressions I will punish with a rod:" he knew that it cannot stand with any reason, we should set the measure of our own punishments, and prescribe unto God how great, or how long, our sufferings shall be: he knew that we were blind, and altogether ignorant what is best for us; that we sue for many things very unwisely against ourselves, thinking we ask fish, when indeed we crave a serpent: he knew that when the thing we ask is good, and yet God seemeth slow to grant it, he doth not deny but defer our petitions, to the end we might learn to desire great things greatly: all this he knew. But, beholding the land which God had

*[French: "Bewitched."]

severed for his own people, and seeing it abandoned unto Heathen nations; viewing how reproachfully they did tread it down, and wholly make havock of it at their pleasure; beholding the Lord's own royal seat made an heap of stones, his Temple defiled, the carcasses of his servants cast out for the fowls of the air to devour, and the flesh of his meek ones for the beasts of the field to feed upon; being conscious to himself how long and how earnestly he had cried, "Succour us, O God of our welfare, for the glory of thine own name;" and feeling that their sore was still increased: the conceit of repugnancy between this which was objected to his eyes, and that which Faith upon promise of the Law did look for, made so deep an impression, and so strong, that he disputeth not the matter; but, without any further enquiry or search, inferreth, as we see, "The Law doth fail."

7. Of us, who is here which cannot very soberly advise his brother; Sir, you must learn to strengthen your Faith by that experience which heretofore you have had of God's great goodness towards you, "Per ea quæ agnoscas præstita, discas sperare promissa, By those things which you have known performed, learn to hope for those things which are promised?" Do you acknowledge to have received much? Let that make you certain to receive more. "Ha- [Luke xix. 26.] benti dabitur; To him that hath, more shall be given.' When you doubt what you shall have, search what you have had at God's hands. Make this reckoning, that the benefits, which he hath bestowed are bills obligatory and sufficient sureties, that he will bestow further. His present mercy is still a warrant of his future love, because," whom [John he loveth, he loveth unto the end." Is it not thus? Yet if we could reckon up as many evident, clear, undoubted signs of God's reconciled love towards us as there are years, yea days, yea hours, past over our heads; all these set together have not such force to confirm our Faith, as the loss, and sometimes the only fear of losing a little transitory goods, credit, honour, or favour of men; a small calamity, a matter of nothing, to breed a conceit, and such a conceit as is not easily again removed, that we are clean crost out of God's book, that he regards us not, that he looketh upon others, but passeth by us like a stranger to whom we are not known. Then we think, looking upon others, and comparing them with ourselves, their tables are furnished day

xiii. 1.]