576 / 772
54a
Of
the meanis
whereby
our
faith
may
be
f
rengthened.
ncí%,fo
I
will with.
all my
power
refill
Satan
when
he
feeketh
to
loade
me
with.this loade ofdclperation,as
being
far
more
innol7ler,able;heretofore
I haue
difhonoured
God
by
my fins,
but
now
I
wil give
him glory
in
beleeuing
and
acknowledg-
inghis
infinit mercie,goodneíl"e,iufliceand
truth
in
his pro
mjfes;and feeing by my fins,I haue
crucified
the
Lord
of
life,
hv<<àll
not
ad
hereunto this outragions
wvickednes,to
tram
ple,
his
pretious
blood
vnder
my
filthy
feet,
as
a
thing vnholy
and
of
no
worth,
neither
will
I through
my
vnbeleefe,make
it to
be
fpilt
in
vaine
-;
but
now
with
all care
and
confcience
I
will
gather it
vp as a
aloft
precious
balme,
and
with the
hand-
of-faith applie
it
to
thofe griellie gafhes and
dupe
wounds
which
finne
hath
made
in
my
foule
and confcience, and
with
this fpirituall lauer
I
will
wafh
my
polluted
foute, till
it
bee
throughly
purged from
all
vncleannef
c.
And
feeing
I
hane
depriued
my foule
ofthat
inherent righteoufnes,,
wherewith-
it
was
indued
by
creation,now
I
will
applie
thereunto
a
farre
more
excellent righteoufneffe
by
the hand
offaith,
euen
the
righteoufneffe
of
Iefus
Chrift
God
andman, wherewith
be-
in
adorned,
I
may
boldlie
offer
myfelfe
into
the prefence
of
my
heauenly
father,and
receiue the bleffing
ofeuerlafting,
happineffe.
.Se51.
6.
Laftlie, we
are
to
confider
;that
as
defperation
is
a
finne
That
defpera-
it
own nature
moil
grieuous,fo
alto
it
is
vnto our
felues
aloft
ríon is
a;
rixe
pernicious:
-for
whereas
other
Pinnes
make
vs
worthie
of
the
.y,
í
ooft
perni-
torments
of
hell
and
eternal' condemnation,
this
as
it
abouti,
x,
all
the reft
intitieth
vs
unto
the
right
of
this
helii%
inheri-
tance,fo
alto
it entreth
vs
into the moll
certaine and
prefent
poffeffion
thereof
euen
whilefl
wee liue vpon
the
earth. For
what
are
the torments
of
a
defpairing confcience,
but the
flafhings
ofhell
fire
?
and
what
are
their
blafphemies
which
they vtter againft
God,
and
their
impatient
curlings
of
their
accurfed felues,
but
the
yelling
cries
of
damned
foules
?
And
therefore
ifwee
would not
caf+
our
felues
into
the
iawes
of
hell,ifwe would not
whileft wee
liuebeginne to
die
an
euer-
Iafling
death,letvsin
no
cafe
fuller
our
felues
to
be plunged
with the
violence
of
Satans
tentations into this
bottomlee
ofvtter
defperation.
Yea,