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Of

the

meanes whereby otsr

fáith

may

befiregrhemel.

545*

Yea

with

the

affli&led

foule fay,

But how fhould

I auoid

§Seíl.9.

t,

feeiug

I

am

forciblie prefled

into it with

the intollerable

Tbat

vve

waight

of

my

finnes,

and

with

the

fenfe

and apprehenfion

h

Pe

agaik%i

ofGods

fearefull

wrath and

dif

leafure

feeling

no

comfort:

e,ard

Ge-

1

leerae

agairl,

nor

affurance

that

euer

I

(hail receiue pardon?

To

which

I an-

beletfe.

(were,

that

yet

in

no

cafe

they

are

to

defpaire,

but

to

hope a-

gainfl hope, and

to

beleeue

again('

beleeue,

and

as

it

were

from the

bottomof

hell,to

call

vp

the

eie

of

faith

into

hea-

uen,laying hold

ofGods

mercies

and Chrifls

merits

;

know-

ing

that

faith

is

ofthings

not

fcene,

neither

with

the

bodilie

eie,nor with the

eie

ofreafon,

and that the

Lord

feetneth of-

ten

to

hate

thofe,whom in

truth

he

dearely

loueth.

For

fo

Jong

as

we beleeue

Gods

protnifes,and

haue

force

hope

that

our

finnes

are

either

pardoned,

or at

leafl

pardonable, there

is certaine

comfort;

but

when

as

all

hope

is

call

off,

and

that

we

reieSS

all

Gods

promifes

through

vnbeleefe,

and

fall

into

utter defperation, there

nothing

remaineth,

but

moll

cer-

taine deflru6lion

:

when

finne

lieth

vpon

vs,

it

no

queflion

exceedinglie

vexeth

vs

with

the

torments

of

confcience,

but

ifwe

defpaire,we prefently

in (lead

ofobtaining

eafe

call

our

(clues

into

the torments

ofhell;the

pangs

of

confcience

eau-

red

by the

fenfc

of

the

beanie

burthen

of

finne,

are

a

good

means

to bring

vs

to Chrifl,that

we may

be

cafed

of

this bur

-

then;

but

defpaire

flaieth

vs

in the

midway, and vtterlie de-

barreth

vs

from euer

being

partakers

of

Chrifl, or

any

of

his

benefits. And therefore

though

the burthen

of

finne

bee

ne-

tier fo

irkfome

and

gricuous, yet let

vs

be

contented to beare

it

till we come

vnto Chrifl

for

cafe:

let

vs

beware

in any

cafe

that

we

doe

not faint

through

impatiencie and

want

ofhope

and

fo fall

into

defperation,for

fo

(hall wee

but

increafe

the

--

waight

ofour

finnes

in

exceeding meafure,which

already we

thinke

an

intollerable

burthen,

and

confequentlyour

horror

of

confcience;fo fhall we

bring

our

felues

from

a

doubtful,or

rather

hopeful

flate,to

moll

certaine

and

prefent deflru&ion;

fo (hall

wee

change our

temporarie griefe for

that

which

is

euerlafling,

and the

terrors

of

confcience for the

torments

ofhell;

fo

(hall

that which wee

moil

feare

and

flee,prefenclic

ouertake and ouerwheitne

vs:

forwhilefl

in an

horrible

man

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