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How the
Chriffian
being
foiled
may be
railed.
the
flcíh and
the
meffenger
ofSatan,
which did buf et
him
;-
but
the Lord returned
hire
this anfwere, My
grace
is
fuffci
ent
for
thee,
for
my
power
is
made
perfe
&l
through
weake
-
neffe; after which
anfwere
receiued,
the
Apofile
quieteth
himfelfe,notwithílanding
his infirmities
, nay glorieth in
them,rather
than
in his reuelati.ons,
as
bee profeffeth
failing,
Very
gladly
therefore will
I
reioyce rather in
mineinfiirmi--
ties,
that the power
of
Chrifl
may dwell in
ale.
2"hat.theLord
Though
then
our infirmities be
great
and our
fálles
many;.
fuf
eretb vs to
yet
are we
norto
be
altogether
difcouraged thereby,
feeing
ml
i
tatato
the
o
ma-
it
is
the will
of
God that
wee
fhould
thus bewray our
infir
bs
ana
pó mities
and corruptions,
to
the
end his power,
mercie
and
wer,mercy
and
goodneffe, may
bee
made
the
more manifefl, and
that
both
goedneffe,and
vnto our
felues,
and vnto others.
.For
fuch
is
our fpirituall'
fOrokrbuni,
blindnes and
fecret
,pride,
that
if
wee
fhouldaiwaies
alike
withfland
the temptations
of
Satan,
without
receiuing any
foile, and
neuer
fall
into
any
fitne,
wee,would
be readie
to
thinke that
wee
flood by our owne
flren
:h,
and
fo
afcribe
the
praife
of
vielorieto
our
felues,
thereby robbing
God
of
the honour due vnto
him
:
and allo
for
the
time
to
come,wee
would
relie vpon our
felues
rather
than on
the Lords
afE-
fiance
;
than thewhich nothing
could bee
more
difhonoura-
ble vnto
God,
nor
pernicious vnto our owne
foules.
But-
when
as
in
the
fpirituall
combate oftemptations,wee fome-
times
Rand and
foanetimes
fall,fometimes
refill
thole
affaults
which
are
firong
and
violent,
and
another
time
faint
and
yeeld in the Iightefl
trials
:
this maketh
it
apparent
that it
is
not
our owne power, which
in
it
felfc is
not
much
vnlike:
at
all times; but
the power
ofGod,
which
fuflaineth
vs
Tome-
times,
that
we may
not
bee
wholly
difcouraged
;
and
fome-
times
withdraweth it
fclfe,
that
wee may
by
receiuing foiles
learne to know our infirmities,andwholly
to relie our
felues
on
the Lords
aÇiflance,
returning
all
the
praife
ofvielorie to
the Lord, who
onely
bath
fuflained
vs.
As
therefore our
in-
firmities in refpe&
of
our
felues,
fhould
férue
to
abate our
pride
j
and to
worke in
vs
true
humiliation and vtter
defpaire
in
our own
flrength
:fo
in refpe&that
they
{hew
vnto
vs
the
d
tads(
power fupporting
ys,
they-fhould the rather
incou-
rage
,r