588 / 772
4r.).Sec.3.
That Satan
cannot pre
-
uaite
again
(1
the
vveaI
eft
faith.
Yt,om.lt.29.
560 That
the?bea>keft
faith
cannot
be finally
ouerthrowne.
t
till
we
become
of
babcs
flrong
men
in
Chrift;as alfo
that
fin
-
ding
our
felues
as
weake
as
little
infànts.,:we
bee
not
vtterlie
difcouraged;for
if
we fuck
the
breafts
ofour
fpiritual
mother
the
true
Church,and
rcceiue
from her
the
milke and
f}ronger
caseate
of
the word
and facraments,
wee
thall
afiuredly
grow
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
of
the
foule,and
relapfes
into
has,
whereby our fpirituall
growth
for
a
time
is
hindred, and
our ftrength
in
Gods
graces
much abated,yet
ifwe
often
feed
vpon
the comfortablefood
ofGods
word,and
vfe
this fpiri-
tuall phyficke
prefBribed
by
God
himfelf,we
Thal
not
only
a-
gaine recouer our former
flrength
and
health,
but
allo find
a
great
increafe
of
Gods
graces in
vs.
Lalllie, Satanwill
fuggef}
that
though
our faith bee
true,
yet it
is
fo
exceeding
finali
and
weake,that
with the violence
ofhis
tentations,& huge
maffe
ofour
own
corruptions,itwil
eafïly
be
ouerthrowne
and
turned into
infidelitie.
To
which
we
are
to
anfver,that though
herby our
faith
maybe
fiìreud
.
lyfhaken,yet it
can
neuer
bee
ouerturned;though
it
may
bee
couered with the
allies
ofour
corruptions,let
it
can
neuer
be vtterly quenched;though through our
grieuous
foilesand
fais
in the
combat
of
tentations, it
may be
as
it
were
brought
into
a
trance,
fo
as
wee
cannot
fenfibq
difcerne any
a
&ion,
motion
or
life
offaith,yet
the habite
and grace
it
felfe,after
it
is
once
giuen
ofGod,is
neuer
taken away,' neither
is
it
pofT-
blc,that
it fhould be
quite
del}roied
by
all
the
power
of
hell.
And
this may appeareby diners
reafons;firft,becaufe
faith
is
not
ofour
felues,
blet
the
free
gift of
God,
as.
it
is
Ephef.2.8.
And whatfoeuer
fan
&ifying and
fauing grace the Lord
gi-
ueth,that
he
neuer
taketh
vtterly
away
;
for
the
gifts and
cal
-
lirgofGod
are
lrirhout
repentance, as
the
Apoftle fpeaketh,
Rom.
z
z ,
29.
Secondly,whofoeuer
truely
beleeueth,he
is
truly
knit
and
ìnited
voto
the
bodie
of
Chrif
},
and
is
made partaker
of
his
holy fpirit,which
as
it begetteth
and
beginneth
all
the
faneci-
fying and fauing
graces in vs,fo alto
itnouritheth,l}rengthe-
,9eth
and confirmeth thetn,fo
as
they
can neuer
vtterlyTaile,
-for