Tob I;.t f. 534 Confota'tionsforfuckas doenotfeele theirfaith fibly leek thebeanieburthen ofGods wrath, andplainelie difcerne his frowning and angry countenance againfl vs and therforehovvfoeuer thole childrenofGod,whoare inhis loueand fauour, may haue tome faith in them, although .it doenotalvvaies fò fenfiblie appeare, yet it is impoflìble that we.fhouldhaue any fparke thereof,feeing wee hauenot anie- fenfeofGodsloue and fauour; nay doe feniiblie perceiue the cle.ane contrarie. Towhich wee . are to anfwere,thatfaith . doth not relic it felfe vpon our fenfe and feeling ; for as the Apoflle faith, f rith is thegroNnekofthingr(not prefentlyinioy_ ed,but) rrh:ch arehopedfor,andthe euidexce or demonllration ofthings(not whichare fubie& to the fenfes, and fenfiblydif cerned,but) whichare not f ene, Heb.II.I. And wee beleeue that fuch ioies are prepared for vs, as neither eie bathfeene, nor eare bath heard, nor the heart ofman conceived, as it is I.Cor.2.9.And it isakind ofinfidelitie to beleeueonly thofe things which- are fubie& vnto our fenfes and vnder-fan- dings; and therefore when Thomas would notbeleeue that Chrif} was xifen before it was tnade.manifef}_ to his fenfes, hce isreprooued forinfidelitie, Bee :not(faithhee) .faithlefl'e. but faithfiiïl. So that when our fenfe and feeling ceafe,then: faith beg innethhis chiefe work;and the moli excellent faith fheweth itfelfe mofi cleerelie when wee haue no fenfe and. feeling, orwhen we difcerne and feeletheTlaine,contrary; for it is an eafie mattertobe lirongin faith,whenGod fhevv- ethhimfelfe gratiousand mercifitil; but whenhe appeareth: vntovs likean.angrie Iud;e, when as his wrath flamethout againf} vs, then to behold his loue through thewizard;-of anger, to. apprehend byfaith his mercie and .goodneffe to- wards vs, when ourfenfés apprehend nothing but his wrath anddifpleafure, to grow to lobs refolution in the middeft of ourbitter agonies, and grieuous. of i6iions, though bee kill me,yet vi/l I trufl inbim, and when we haue .received many . repulfes andbitter fnubs, vet with the Cananitifh woman, to continue our fuite,.argueth fuch a faith as is hardly found,no, not in Iftael. Our want offenfe thereforeofGods loue and fauor doth not argue want offaith, for our faith is not groit- 464 vpon our fenfe and feeling, but vpon Gods gratious promifes. '40.10,4%
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