270 ObíeEi ons agalnfi thecertainty o f otsreleMogeinfirerect felfe guiltie offinse, and in this refpeél fubie& to The anger ofGodand condemnation, fearethand trembleth to thinke vpondeath : The fpirit conceiueth ofGod as ofamerciful! father in Chrifl,and in alneceffities fliethvntohim byhearty prayer; the flefh conceiueth ofhim as ofanangrie andfeuere iudge, and therefore flieth fromhim, defiring rather to feeke for helpe any where elfe than ofthe Lord : fo that the Chri- ílian by reafòn hereof, at the fame time findeth inhimfelfe oppofition betweene action and action, affeaion and afrèc;i- on. For at the fame inílant, while the flefh, hauing in it the confcienceofínneand fenfe ofguiltineffe,doth murmur,re- pineand complaine vponGod,as anenemie which is readie todeflroyvs; the fpirit doth flie vnto Godby a liuelyfaith, and committeth itfelfe tohis prouidence, will andprotee}i- on, expe&ing faluation from him onely ; which it could ne- uer doe, ifit were not allured that we were inhis loue and fauor.And in this theChriftian maynot vnfitlybe compared to a child,whohauing been fharply corre&ed by his father, doth auoide his prefenceasthough he were hisenemy ; but if at the fame time fome fuddaine danger affright him,before al other he runneth tohis father for fafegard andprotec`lion : fo when our heauenly father bath fharpl corrected vs,either with fomeoutward or inward afflidions, wee flee fromhis prefence as though hewere our enetny;but when an immi- nent danger ouertakethvs, andwebe in perill to be fupplan- ted withSatan and his aflìflants,who areour enemies indeed, then thefonne -like affeetion which is wrought in our hearts by Gods fpirit, Bothmoouevs to runne vnto him before all other, defiring and crauing his aide and a ïttlance. And thus it appeareth, that though the flefhand the fpirit be mixt together,yet they retaine their owne natures.proper- ties and effe&is;and though faith which is a grace of fpirit, be mingledwithdoubting, yet this doubting is not ofÿna- ture offaith,which in it felfe is certaine and affured,nay,tt is not an infirmity offaith, as lamcneffe is an infirmity of the ioints,and ditnneffeofthe fight,for it is not any way incident to the nature thereof: and therefore much kife is it aconi- mendable virtueoffaitb, as the Papifis teach, butit is a fruit of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=