Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A09473
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Tvvo treatises· I. Of the nature and practise of repentance. II. Of the combat of the flesh and spirit.
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Perkins, William, 1558-1602.
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1593
(1593)
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STC 19758; ESTC S102079
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38,243
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106
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aud suppresse the bad motions and suggestions of the flesh S. Iohn saith he that is borne of God sinneth not because his seed remaineth in him that is grace wrought in the heart by the holy ghost which resisteth the rebellious desires of the flesh That the manner of this fight may more clearely appeare we must examine it more particularly In the soule of man there be two speciall parts the mind and the will In the mind there is a double combat The first is betweene knowledge of the word of God and naturall ignorance or blindnes For seeing we doe in this life knowe but in part therefore knowledge of the truth must needs be ioyned with ignorance in all that are inlightned one of these being contrary to an other they striue to ouershadow and ouercast ech other Hence we may learn the cause why excelleÌ„t divines do vary in divers points of religioÌ„ and it is because in this coÌ„bat naturall blindnes yet remaining prevailes more or lesse Men that are dim sighted cannot discerne without spectacles if they should be set to discry a thing a far off the most of them would be of divers opinions of it And men inlightened regenerate in this life do but see as in a glasse darkly Again this must teach all studeÌ„ts of divinity often to suspect themselues in their opinions and defences seeing in them that are of soundest iudgemeÌ„t the light of their understanding is mixed with darknes of ignoraÌ„ce And they can in many points see but as the man in the Gospell who when our Saviour Christ had in part opened his eyes saw men walking not as men but in the forme of trees Also this must teach all that read the scriptures to invocate cal upoÌ„ the name of God that he wold inlighten theÌ„ by his spirit abolish the mist of natural blindnes The prophet David was wor thily inlightned with the knowledge of Gods word so as he excelled the ancient and his owne teachers in wisdom yet being privy to himselfe touching his owne blindnes often prayeth in the Psalms Inlighten my eyes that I may vnderstand the wonders of thy law By reason of this fight when naturall blindnes prevailes the child of God truly inlightened with knowledge to life everlasting may erre not only in lighter points but euen in the very foundation of religion as the Corinthians the Galathians did And as one man may erre so an hundred men may also yea a whole particular Church and as one Church may erre so an 100. more may For in respect of this combat the estate and condition of all men is alike Whence it appeares that the Church militant upoÌ„ earth is subiect to error But yet as the diseases of the body be of two sorts some curable and some incurable which are to death so likewise errours are And the Church though it be subiect to sundry fals yet it can not erre in foundation to death the errours of Gods children be curable Some may here say If all men Churches be subiect to errour then it shall not be good to ioyne with any of them but to separate from them all I answer though they may and do erre yet we must not separate from them so long as they do not separate from Christ. The second combat in the mind is between faith unbeliefe For faith is imperfect and mixt with the contrary unbeliefe presuming doubting c. As the man in the Gospell saith Lord I beleeve help mine unbeliefe By reason of this fight when unbeliefe preuailes the very child of God may fal into fits pangs of dispaire as Iob David in their teÌ„ptations did For David once considering the prosperity of the wicked brake out into this speech Certenly I have clensed mine heart in vaine washed mine hands in innocencie yea this dispaire may be so extreme that it shal weakeÌ„ the body consume it more then any sicknes No man is to think this strange in the child of God For though he dispaire of his election saluation in Christ yet his desperatioÌ„ is neither total nor final It is not totall because he doth not dispaire with his whol heart faith euen at that instant lusting against dispaire It is not finall because he shall recouer before the last end of his life To proceed the combat in the will is this The will partly willeth and partly nilleth that which is good at the same instant so likewise it willeth nilleth that which is evill because it is partly regenerate partly unregenerate The affections likewise which are placed in the wil partly imbrace partly eschew their obiects as loue partly loueth and partly doth not loue God and things to be loued feare is mixed not pure as schoolemeÌ„ haue dremed but partly filiâ—l partly servil causing the child of God to staÌ„d in awe of god not only for his mercies but also for his iudgements punishments The will of a man regenerate is like him that hath one leg sound the other lame who in every step which he makes doth not wholly halt or wholly go upright but partly go upright partly halt Or like a man in a boate on the water who goeth upward because he is caried upward by the vessell at the same time goes downward because hee walkes downward in the same vessell at the same instant If any shall say that contraries caÌ„ not be in the same subiect The answer is that they caÌ„ not if one of them be in his full streÌ„gth in the highest degree but if the force of them both be delaied weakned they may be ioyned togither By reason of this coÌ„bat wheÌ„ corruption prevails against grace in the wil affectioÌ„s there ariseth in the godly a certain deadnes or hardnes of heart which is nothing els but a waÌ„t of sense or feeling Some may say that this is a fearfull iudgement but the answer is that there be 2. kinds of hardnes of heart one which possesseth the heart is never felt this is in them who haue their coÌ„sciences seared with an hot iron who by reason of custome in sin are past all feeling who likewise despise the meanes of softning their harts And indeed this is a fearful iudgement There is another hardnes of heart which is felt this is not so dangerous as the former for as we feele our sicknes by contrary life health so hardnes of hart when it is felt argues quicknes of grace softnes of hart Of this Dauid often coÌ„plained in the Psalmes of this the childreÌ„ of Israel speak when they say Why hast thou hardned our harts froÌ„ thy waies Thus much of the maner of the câ—mbate in particular before we proceed any further let us mark the issue of it which is this The spirit prevailes against the flesh at two times in the course of a mans life and at his end but yet with some