156 Other tentations cowerningfairh,anfwered. bic, inflable,inconflantandwauering,and that it is not only continuallie affaulted,butalto often foiled &ouercome with doubtingand infidelity,and therefore that it is buta fhadow òffaith, and not true faith indeed.The which temptationwe mayeafilie anfwere,ifwecbut remember that which already hath beendeliuered ; narnely,that the bell cannot attaine in this life unto fuch perfec`lion offtith as is quite freed from all infirmities &corruption;that there are diuers degrees oftruc iuflifÿing faith,fome weaker,fome ílronger,fotne in greater, and force in fmaller quantitie, force like fi»oking flaxe, and a graine ofmullard feed, and force like a bright burning flame whichgiueth light,and the liuelyheateoftrue comfort to thofe Nvho are indued therewith,andofas high growth as the greatef} tree in the garden; and yet all true faith is fuf ficient for faluation : that fo long as we continue in this life, our knowledge is but imperfe&,andvailed with much dark- , neffe and ignorance, forwe 1 norr but impart, as euen the Apo- a.Cor 13.1z... file fpeaketh in hisowne perfon, t.Cor.t 3.1( 2,' And therfore ' our affent and perfwafion muf} needs-be imperfe&, and but in part, andoften affaultedwithmuch doubting : that how- foeuerfaith anddoubtingare oppofed in their ownenature, yet notwithflanding theymay bee together in the fame fub- iea in refpe&ofdicers parts. For wee arepardie flefh, and partlie fpirit,and thefe two with their feuerall fruits do con- tinually fight and firiue oneagaiñflthe other,and foinetimes the flefh, fometimes'the fpirit with their feuerall fruits get the vpper hand;in the tneane timeboth retaining thick owne nature andproperties, howfoeuer they doe not fo euidently fopowerfully worke theirfeuerall a6tions,whet% theaduerfe part preuaileth, and hath put them to the foile for examplé,faith,which is a fruiteofthe fpirit, is continually affaultedby doubting,which is a fruit of the flefh, and pro- cecdeth from the roote ofinfidelitie,and fometime faithpre- :uaileth, and fometime it receiueth the folle; but yet at the 'fame time howfoeuer wee cannot fer_fibliedifcerne it, nor theablions thereofyet it retaines it owne nature and proper- ties,neither is it depriued of his firmencffe, conflancic and certainty,howfocuer they befor a time couered&hid out of our Y
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