t.Car.t.i.i. Ephef.t,I;. ¿.Seí .8. The thirdar gu-mtnt is the fight betvvene heßefhand theIpirit. 52i g1o wemay 6eafured that we haste truefa ith. receiued the! irit oftheworld, 6ut the fpirit which is ofGod,thar weemight know the things that are?zuen to vs of (yod. That is, not onelyhis fpirituall graces in this life,in which number faith is oneofthe greatefi, but thole excellent ioyes inCods kingdome in the life to corne, of which alto wee haue force .knowledge and taíle by the illumination ofthe fame:fpirit. Lafilie, the Apoftleaffirmeth,z.Cor.i.zz.7hat Godbath f a.- led vs, and bathgiuen the earn, ofthe f frit inour hearts: and Ephef. 1.13. hee telleth theEphefians, that after they had heard theGofpell andbeleeHed, the' werefealedwith theholyfpirit o f pro7nife,rvhich was the earnegoftheir fnheritance,vntil the re- demption ofthepo fèfonpurchafdunto thepraifèofthegloríe of God. Wherefoeucr therefore is this teí+imonieof the fpirit, which as an earneft or Peale afhureth them that they arc the children ofGod, there alto is faith, for as theApoffle wit- neffeth,after that wee.beleeuewe are thus fealed. The third argument to prooue thatwee haue faith,is the conflia and fight which euerie Chriílian feeleth in himfelfe betweene the fpirit andthe flefh, the world and the diuell, and the combat which is betweene faith anddoubting; for fo longas wee are deflituteofthe fpirit,andalìuely faith,we are whollieouerfwaiedwith theflefhsand Satan like a migh- tie tyrant holdeth vs captiue peaceabiie andwithout any re- fiffance; but whenwee haue reeduce' the fpirit ofGod,and haue faith wrought in our hearts, then beginneth a fierce battell, which neuer endeth till by death our fpirituall ene- mies get a final! ouerthrow. Though therefore this fight bee mofl fhárpe,and exceeding troublefoine to thepooreChri- ífian, yet free may thereby gather vnto himfelfe foundcom- £ort,and certaineafhurance that he is indued with the fpirit ofGod,and a liuelyfaith; for when bee difcerneth that he is .affaulted with Satan and his owne corrupt fiefli,heemay bee :affured that Satan is difcafedofhis quiet poffeffionby a fupe- rior power, which canbee noother but the power ofGods .fpirit é fecondlie,by his affaulting, it manifeilie appeareth that hee findeth forne refií}ance, fo as hee cannot peaceablie ,reenter; thirdly,that howfoeuer our faith feemevntovsne. uerfoweake, yet it is foffrengthcned continuallyby vertue of ®
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