298 6 Confidence The àe ;eit. Anddifcovery. The deceitful ie ffe of Max i hem. of the fpirituall and holy. For if then we delire no- t as fervently as before, wee may juftly feare fraud in our defir.es. Here cooled delires are crafty, decaying deceiving,flinching, Palle. 6 Affe &ion is Confidence. Where the deceit is to think we truft in God , when indeed wee truft only in the meanes. The deceit is, both when we have the meanes, and when wee want them. The deceit of both is dìtcovered by our behaviour to- ward Cod in the prefence of the meanes. For if then wee give over praying to God, or abate of our fervencie in fuing and Peeking to him for his help , wee may well doubt of our confidence. For if we doe truly rely on God , as on him who is fufficient without meanes, and without whom even the toff fufficient meanes are altogether in- fufficient ? why then doe wee begin fo to fecure our felves, and lay afide all feare, when once wee are fenced with the meanes ? Again, having been fo confident and comfortable in the enjoyment of the meanes, if afterward in the rime of danger, when the me )n es faile us , we lofe this confidence, and thew our felves faint and hartleffe Cowards; this alfo is another conviCion of deceit in our confidence. So both theft wayes is our confi- dence found out to be dLceittull, both by exceffe of fpirit in peace , and by want of ípiric in crou ble. The like deceits might ':.e (hewed in divers other affections. But the Work growing biuger than I thought it would, I forbeare. So much then fhaïl fuffice to have fpoken concerning thedeceitfulneffe of
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