4r.).Sec.3. That Satan cannot pre- uaiteagain(1 the vveaIeft faith. Yt,om.lt.29. 560 That the?bea>keftfaith cannot be finally ouerthrowne. t till webecome ofbabcs flrongmen inChrift;as alfo that fin- dingour felues as weake as little infànts.,:webeenot vtterlie difcouraged;for ifwe fuck thebreafts ofour fpiritual mother the true Church,and rcceiue from her themilke and f}ronger caseate ofthe word and facraments, wee thall afiuredlygrow vp from grace to grace,and flrength to ftrength, till ofb'abes wee become firong men in Iefus Chrifl; and that though wee haue many-great fickneffes ofthe foule,and relapfes into has, whereby our fpirituall growth for a time is hindred, and our ftrength inGods gracesmuch abated,yet ifwe oftenfeed vpon the comfortablefood ofGodsword,andvfe this fpiri- tuall phyfickeprefBribedbyGodhimfelf,we Thal not only a- gaine recouer our former flrength and health, but allo find a great increafe ofGods graces invs. Lalllie, Satanwill fuggef} that thoughour faith bee true, yet it is fo exceeding finali andweake,that with the violence ofhis tentations,& hugemaffeofour own corruptions,itwil eafïlybe ouerthrowneand turned into infidelitie. Towhich weare toanfver,that thoughherby our faithmaybe fiìreud . lyfhaken,yet it canneuer bee ouerturned;though it may bee couered with the allies ofour corruptions,let it canneuer be vtterly quenched;though through ourgrieuous foilesand fais in the combat oftentations, it may beas it were brought into atrance, fo as weecannot fenfibq difcerne any a&ion, motionor lifeoffaith,yet the habite and grace it felfe,afterit is once giuenofGod,isneuer taken away,' neither is it pofT- blc,that it fhould be quitedel}roiedby all the powerofhell. And this may appeareby diners reafons;firft,becaufe faith is not ofourfelues, blet thefreegift ofGod, as. it is Ephef.2.8. And whatfoeuer fan&ifying and fauing grace the Lordgi- ueth,thathe neuer taketh vtterly away ; for thegifts andcal- lirgofGod are lrirhout repentance, as the Apoftle fpeaketh, Rom. z z , 29. Secondly,whofoeuer truely beleeueth,he is trulyknitand ìnitedvoto the bodieofChrif}, and is made partaker of his holy fpirit,which as it begetteth andbeginneth all the faneci- fying and fauinggraces in vs,fo alto itnouritheth,l}rengthe- ,9eth and confirmeth thetn,fo as theycan neuer vtterlyTaile, -for
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