sometimes when it is at the best and so not imagine that vnlesse wee haue it according to our owne desire we haue it not at all or as Gods people vse to haue it For vndoubtedly it is thus with the best at one time or other And concerning this desire of feeling and assurance wee must vnderstand thus much that none can haue this but those that beleeue so that though we should want them both altogether yet the desire that wee haue vnto them doth manifestly argue that we haue faith For who can desire to feele the heate and light of the sunne but he that hath life in him a dead carkase cannot doe it So â—f there were not the life of the Spiâ—it in vs by faith we could not haue aâ—y desire to feele the fauour of God â—n vs in truth at all He that is neuer so weake yet if he still desire streÌ„gth it appeareth that there is life in him so when we most earnestly desire to be strengthened in the assurance of our saluation it is a manifest token that the life of God is still in vs therefore let vs comfort our selues with such desires and know assuredly that as they be of God so he will satisfie them in his good time for the Lord heareth the desire of the poore Psal 10.17 he prepareth their heart and bendeth his eare vnto them that is as he giueth them so earnestly to desire these things which others neglect so he will shew by giuing also that which they doe desire that he hath not giuen them such holy desires in vaine For the saying of our Sauiouâ— Christ must be verified vpon all men without respect of persons Matth. 5.6 Blessed are all they that hunger and thirst noâ— onely after righteousnes but after any other graces of his Spirit for theâ— shall be satisfied and filled And the saying of the virgine Marie shall be verified in them Luk. 1.53 He hath filled the hungrie with good things and sent away the rich emptie that is as they that haue no such desires can looke for no such feeling so they that are vnsatiable in their desires that way shall be satisfied in time with abundance of feeling and if they waite vpon God with patience beleeuing these promises it shall be vnto them according to their faith That I might not say here that which is yet most true that while they so vnmeasurably desire it they haue it in a good measure For herein is the saying of S. Augustine most true that the desire of any grace of God is in some sort the grace it selfe He that vnfainedly desireth the forgiuenes of his sinnes doth with this desire obtaine the remission of them He that desireth a greater measure of repentance doth from day to day profit in repentance he that desireth not to sinne is no sinner before God he that desireth the fauour of God hath obtained it alreadie he that desireth the assurance of his saluation and the feeling of Gods fauour he hath both of them in some sort already When Abraham was willing to offer vp his sonne Izack at Gods commandemeÌ„t Heb. 11.17 he is said to haue don it by faith his desire before god was as though he had done it so when we offer vp these desires vnto God it is as well with vs in his account as though we had the things themselues For as the Apostle speaketh oâ— almes â— Cor. 8.12 if there be first a willing minâ— it is accepted according to that a maÌ„ hath and not according to that thaâ— a man hath not that is God looketh not so much to his deede as to his desire as the poore widow that offered but two mites was more accepted of God and commended by Christ then they that offered much because of her great desire So when in the sacrifice of prayer we offer vp our hearts vnto god with holy desires either for assurance of his fauour or feeling of our saluation we are accepted of him as though we had them and when he giueth vs this desire he beginneth to worke the grace it selfe and that desire is the earnest peny pledge of the thing it selfe Christ saith in the Gospel that whosoeuer looketh on a woman to lust after her Math. 5.2 hath committed adultery with her already in his heart So that the desire vnto any sin is the sin it selfe before God then the desire vnto any vertue is the vertue and grace it selfe before God And therefore he that looketh vp vnto God with an earnest desire of his saluatioÌ„ he hath obtained it alreadie before God who seeth aloweth the desire of his heart He that looketh on his own vnbeleefe and corruptions with a desire to be rid of them he is thereby discharged of them before God Thus we see that to desire feeling is an argument of faith as to desire meate is an argument of life yea to desire feeling is the very beginning of it in our selues and therefore we must be comforted ouer them Concerning which feelings we must also consider that in them that haue them in the greatest measure they are not alwaies alike but they are going and comming as the day and the night And as in the course of nature there is not one tenour of things but Gods works are subiect to many changes so is it in the course of Gods grace that which we haue receiued doth not alwaies continue alike neither haue we the same feeling of it to day that we had yesterday whether we looke to the feruencie of prayer or zeale to Gods word or loue to his Saints or assurance of our saluation Here we must comfort our selues with the remembrance of that that we haue found in our selues in times past and hope that we may finde the like againe and say as it is in the Psalme Psal 77.1 119 5â— I haue remembred the times past and haue beene comforted For as the woman that is quickned with child and feeleth it stirre in her bodie though shee doe not alwaies feele it stirre alike and sometimes not at all and sometimes more weakely then before yet shee assures her selfe that the child is liuing because shee hath felt it stirre before so hopeth that shee shall doe againe So when Christ is formed in vs first of all as the Apostle speaketh Gal. 4.1 we haue the feeling of him stirring and moouing in our hearts by his holy Spirit dwelling in vs which liuely motions though wee feele not so strongly moouing in vs afterwards or not at all yet we doubt not but that Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith still Eph. 3.17 and hope to feele it as sensibly againe in time as we haue done so much the more because Christ beeing formed in vs neuer dieth and therefore the remembrance of our former Feelings must comfort vs ouer the want of them for the time present for they are not alwaies alike in any that haue them it
not beleeue it And it seemeth that the rest of the Apostles were subiect vnto this vnbeleefe though not in the like measure for when Marie Magdalen at Christs commandement came vnto them and finding them weeping mourning tolde them for their comfort that Christ was risen though they heard her say â—ar 16.11 that he was aliue and had appeared to her they beleeued it not nay they were so farre from beleeuing it that her wordes seemed vnto them â—uk 24.11 as a fained thing so that they were not only somwhat doutfull of the matter but did wholly reiect it as a meere fable Moreouer when two of the disciples the name of the one beeing Cleopas going to Emmaus Christ did appeare vnto them in the way and though they knew him not at the first yet at the last their eyes were opened so that they knew him perfectly and so returning to Ierusalem saide vnto the eleuen The Lord is risen indeede and so doe auouch it constantly with a note of asseuerance and told them also what was done in the way and how they knew him at the last Mar. 16. â— They beleeued them neither So that this case was not of Thomas alone but of all the rest that we might see that the best seruants of God of all are greatly pestered with these remnants of vnbeleefe That as Dauid saith If thou Psal 13â—â— O Lord straitly markest iniquities O Lord who shall stand that is not the best maÌ„ in the world much lesse such a wretch as I So we may say if these holy men were so full of vnbeleefe in this thing no maruell if such a poore sinner as I am stand doubtfull and perplexed in many things and as Christ did succour them I hope he will be mercifull vnto me that desire to beleeue And it is very probable that the rest of the Apostles in this vnbeleefe of theirs were subiect vnto the same temptations that Thomas was and had the same thoughts to hinder theÌ„ from beleeuing that he had and namely that they spake within themselues as he did openly though for shame they did not vtter it as often it falleth out that many are afraid to vtter their temptations they are so fearefull and so straunge that they thinke that none are possessed with them but themselues But the Apostle telleth the Corinthians that no tentation had taken hold of them â—or 10.13 but such as appertaineth vnto man that is which proceedeth of mans infirmitie and which mans nature is subiect vnto that they might not be discouraged or dispaire for that that he had said vnto them And therefore he addeth that God is faithfull and would not suffer them to be tempted aboue that that they were able but would giue an issue with the temptation that they might be able to beare it as he did here vnto the rest of the Apostles and to Thomas himselfe And that they had indeede the same thoughts of vnbeleef that Thomas had it appeareth by the fact of Christ For when he came among them and they were abashed and afraid Luk. 24.3 supposing that they had seene a spirit he said vnto them Why are ye troubled and wherfore do thoughts arise in your hearts Behold mine hands and my feete for it is my selfe handle me and see and when he had thus spoken he shewed them his hands and his feete So that Christ in shewing them his hands and feete that so they might be ridde of those thoughts and doubts that hindred them from beleeuing did manifestly shew that he knew the thoughts of their hearts to be these that vnlesse they saw in his hands and feete the print of the nayles they would not beleeue that it was he Christ therefore like a skilfull physitian of their soules did applie his medicine according to their maladie and therefore when as at his first apparition he did shew vnto them his hands and his feete he doing all things in wisdom and to some good purpose did thereby declare what thoughts of vnbeleefe they were troubled with If such holy men as these who had so many meanes to helpe their faith did not sufficiently profit by them at the first but were found thus incredulous then we may be assured that vnbeleefe is more deepely rooted in vs then we be a ware of and if after many meanes and long continuance in the same we finde it in our selues more then we would we must not too much suspect our selues as long as we are sorie for it and doe groane vnder it as vnder an heauie burden desiring to be eased of the same For indeed there is no sinne in the world that hath more infected mankinde then that it came in with our first parents euen in Paradise and it will continue as long as there is any man vpon earth it is the first sinne that possesseth all men and it is the last that we must striue against in so much that when we haue ouercome all other then wil our vnbeleefe most of all trouble vs. And especially we shall finde this to be true in all afflictions and in the houre of death when the temptations of pride of voâ—uptuousnes of reuenge c. shall â—eaue vs as hauing receiued their â—eadly blow then will vnbeleefe and â—istrust fall vpon vs afresh as though 〈◊〉 had neuer beene wounded or neâ—er so much as incountred with For seeing that faith is as the Aâ—ostle calleth it Eph. 6.16 A sheild wherewith we may quench all the fierie darts of the deuill therefore he laboureth most of all to pull it out of our hands altogether or so to weaken it in many things that his darts may easily pearce through it into our soules to destroy them that is his temptation may deceiue vs one way or other For as long as this sheild of faith is whol and we be able to hold it out against our spirituall enemie we shall preuaile against him whether he tempteth vs vnto any sinne in time to come or for any sinne of the time past But if we let fall the sheild of faith or doe not defend our selues with it we lie open to all temptations of Satan that is if we altogetheâ— giue ouer faith or fall to doubting oâ— the truth of his word Adam and Eue were first ouer come by vnbeleefe and that was thâ— cause of their ruine for the deuill bâ— disputing with the woman like a subtile Sophister brought her at the last to cal into question the truth of Gods word and to say Gen. 3.3 Of the fruit of the tree which is in the middes of the garden God hath said ye shall not eate of it neither shall ye touch it least ye die whereas the Lord had said in expresse words before chap. 2 17. In the day that ye shall eate thereof ye shall die the death that is ye shall assuredly die which if they had steadfastly beleeued they had not beene ouercome of his temptation So in all
sinne that we commit there is vnbeleefe more or lesse for if we fall by presumption then we beleeue not his threatnings if by despaire then we beleeue not his promises And iustifying faith though it principally looketh to the promises of saluation yet generally it respecteth the whole â—ord of God The manifold sinnes then that we see in other and doe â—ommit our selues doe apparently shew how full of vnbeleefe we and the whole world is for if we did beleeue God to be true in his threatnings and in his promises we should be kept from sinne Besides when men are fallen into any sinnes what is the cause that they doe not speedily repent them of theÌ„ and so leaue them but onely vnbeleefe For if they did rightly beleeue either the promises of God as At what time soeuer a sinner shall returne from his sinnes â—zek 18.21 and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely liue and shall not die all his transgressions that he hath committed shall not be remembred or laide to his charge they would presently repent and leaue their sinnes that they might be forgiuen them Or if they beleeued his threatnings as Kisse the sonne Psal 2.12 least he be angrie and ye perish in the midde way when his wrâ—th shall suddenly burne blessed are all that trust in him they would speedily repent whiles mercie is offered least God take them away before or bring some great iudgement vpon them But contrarie to the truth of Gods word according to the nature of vnbâ—leefe they imagine some thing of their owne head wherein they rest and let all men say to the contrarie what they will they will beleeue none but themselues their owne conceit As that they shall doe wel enough though they continue in their sinnes or that they shall haue time enough hereafter to repent them at their leisure and that they may repent them when they list or some such like of which there is nothing promised in the word of God but the cleane contrary set down often and very plainly Therefore that men when they haue fallen into any sinne do so easily continue in them and either repent theÌ„ not at all or doe it very slowly that doth bewray sufficiently how full of vnbeleefe they are Seeing therefore that it is so vniuersally spread ouer all men no maruell if the better sort doe complaine so much of it in theÌ„selues and finde it to be a great deale more then they would Agine let vs be in trouble want meanes to helpe our selues and see if we be not prone to distrust God and so not to depend on his prouidence but rather to vse vnlawfull meanes to helpe our selues or to be too restles vnquiet in the vse of those that are lawfull and so either altogether to forget to seeke vnto God by prayer or else to doe it very coldly and with little hope Though God hath saide Call vpon me in thy trouble â—sal 50.15 so will I deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me â—ebr 13.6 And be contented with those things that ye haue for God hath said I will not faile thee nor forsake thee Heb. 6.31 And first seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse and all things necessary shall be ministred vnto you and a thousand such promises more which doth shew that vnbeleefe possesseth men euery manner of way and there is no man in the world altogether free from it though it be a great deale more in some then in other And to be short when we are teÌ„pted vnto any sinne we by lamentable experience finde that we are too easily ouercome because we beleeue not Gods threatnings that he will assuredly punish it And when we are tempted for any sinne how soone are we readie to despaire because we beleeue not the promises of forgiuenes vnto the repentant So that this sinne is found in the whole course of our life in so much that when we haue ouercome many other sinnes in the first and second table then we shal be either wholly ouercome with vnbeleefe or greatly polluted with it The Deuill did greatly assault our Sauiour Christ with this both in the first entrance into his office and also in the last discharging of it First of all in the wildernes when he would by that long time of abstinence want of corporall foode by the space of fourtie daies and fourtie nights haue perswaded him that God had forsaken him and had no care of him for then he would haue prouided for him all this while and therefore he must now shift for himselfe and if he could doe any thing he must shew his power If he be the sonne of God indeed â—ath 4.3 he must command that those stones he made bread Secondly when he was vpon the crosse for then they that passed by reuiling him and wagging their heads â—ap 27.39 said If thou be the sonne of God come downe from the crosse and the Priests also mocking him saide He saued others but he cannot saue himselfe if he be the king of Israel let him now come downe from the crosse so that they concluded against him to the weakning of his faith that God did not care for him because he did not presently deliuer him Thus by tempting him to vnbeleefe in the beginning he sought to discourage him from it and by the same temptation of vnbeleefe in the ending to cause him to giue it ouer before he had happily finished it And after the same manner the deuill setteth vpon all the members of Christ in the beginning of their calling he greatly buffeteth them with vnbeleefe and puts into them many feares and doubts that their sinnes shal not be pardoned that so they might as men tired in the combate giue ouer and returne to their old byas And before their death he terrifieth them againe with feare that they shall not goe to heauen that so in despairing of so great a matter they might giue ouer seeking it any longer But Christ did ouercome by the power of his Spirit in those temptations of his that by the same Spirit he might succour vs in ours â—eb 2.17 And so in all things he was made like his brethren that he might be mercifull and a faithfull high Priest to make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people for in that he suffered and was tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted As he did here in due season help the vnbeleefe of the Apostles in shewing vnto them his hands and his feet but most of all his weake and poore seruant Thomas For when he had saide â—â—h 20.25 Except I see in his hands the print of the nailes and put my finger into the print of the nayles and put my hand into his side I will not beleeue Then a little after Christ appeared vnto him and said vnto him Put thy finger here vers 27. and see mine hands and put forth thine
of this article of our â—aith The resurrection of the bodie â—hat is that these very bodies of ours â—eeing turned into dust and ashes â—â—e same in euery part and member â—ould be raised vp againe Some of â—â—e wiser sort of the Heathen did acâ—â—owledge the immortalitie of the â—ule and that there was a place of â—y for them that liued well and of paine for them that swarued from the rules of right reason after death Buâ— that the same bodies of men should rise againe they did not so much as once dreame of it because they could not comprehend it by any reasonâ— therefore in that matter we must beleeue others aboue all reason The like is to be saide of almes which hath a promise of increase so that by giuing to the poore we shalâ— not loose any thing but gaine which is a thing contrarie to reason that thâ— more a man should giue away from himselfe the more he should inricâ— himselfe and therefore few doe beleeue it which maketh them couetous and hard hearted and to be wiâ—â—ling to depart from nothing leaâ—â— they should want themselues and â—â— specially to be most hard hearted â—â—â— their poore brethren in the times oâ— scarsitie and want when they shoulâ— be most liberall and by that meaneâ— best prouide for themselues which S. Paul was so fully perswaded of that he doth commend it vnto vs by an excellent comparison saying 2. Cor. â— â— He which soweth sparingly shall reape also sparingly and he that soweth liberally shall reape also liberally Where he compareth almes vnto sowing of seede the more a man soweth the more he reapeth by Gods blessing the more a man giueth the more he receiueth by Gods promise the one we see by experience which maketh meÌ„ in the times of dearth and scarsitie to sow most the other we comprehend by faith which maketh the beleeuer in the hardest times to be most liberall Thus we see what vnbeleefe is in vs in that we giue no credit vnto others any further then we can conceiue a reason of it which is the same that was in S. Thomas and yet he was cured of it and so may we by the same grace of God if we will learne this lesson that in the time of temptation we beleeue others aboue our selues which if we doe not it is the next way to remain in vnbeleefe for euer but if we can come vnto this there is hope of vs in time THe 2. degree of Thomas his vnbeleefe appeares in this that he wold not only not beleeue this being thus often told him diuers times by sundrie credible persons but he will beleeue none but himselfe for he saith in plaine words Except I see in his hands the print of the nayls I will not beleeue it Which is as if he had said you indeed tel me that you haue seen Christ risen again so do diuers others I haue heard these things ofteÌ„ but I haue not yet seene him my selfe what others haue seene that appertaines not vnto me vnlesse I see him my selfe I will not beleeue it This therefore is further to be considered because somtime it fals out that there is good cause why we should not beleeue a thing spokeÌ„ often by many And if they be of any good credit though there be no cause in truth to suspect them yet it may seeme vnto vs that there is some and hereupon it commeth to passe that some in their vnbeleefe take exception against the Preachers and thinke that they haue some cause why they should not beleeue theÌ„ in the things that they haue preached vnto them though in truth there be none But yet to be altogether of this mind that S. Thomas was here in this matter that we will beleeue none in the world but our selues that seemeth to be such a thing as wanteth all colour of reason And yet thus vnreasonable is vnbeleefe as we see most clearly in this example for he saith very peremptorily that vnlesse I my selfe doe see in his hands the print of the nayles I will not beleeue it He doth not say vnles better men then you doe tell me so or vnles I heare more in number or vnles I heare better reason for this matter then I doe yet I will not beleeue it but if all men in the world tell me of it neuer so often vnles I see him mine owne selfe I will beleeue none of them which is as if he had said In this case I will beleeue my selfe and no bodie els We see then whether vnbeleefe will driue vs if we giue place to it euen that we shall beleeue none but our selues And indeede so it is in all sorts in whome it raigneth they will beleeue no more from any man then they can perswade themselues by their owne reason vnto that they obstinatly sticke against all men and so are not ashamed to say I will beleeue none of you all I will beleeue mine owne selfe and further I will not be lead by any no man shall draw me to â—eleeue that which mine owne reason tells me not And thus they so much abound in their owne sense through vnbeleefe that they perswade themselues that they haue more reason for that they hold then all other men haue for the contrarie And so let men say neuer so much against that which they haue conceited themselues they stil imagine that they haue some thing to say against it and some reason why they should not beleeue them And this is most true not onely in matters of faith but for life and conuersation which is the cause both that Papists and other heretikes are so obstinately addicted to their errors and also wicked men so altogether wedded vnto their sinnes that neither the one nor the other can be reclaimed from them And therefore when men haue saide what they can they will not giue theÌ„ ouer for they haue determined to beleeue none but themselues of this minde will they be till God ridde them of their vnbeleefe and then the saying of Christ shal be verified vpon them Ioh. 20.29 Blessed are they that haue not seene and haue beleeued that is they shall beleeue others besides themselues and so blessed shall they be as indeede this is the way to faith and so to blessednes to distrust our selues and to beleeue the seruants of God speaking vnto vs in his name of whoÌ„ Christ hath saide â—â—ath 20 40. He that receiueth you and your doctrine receiueth me And that we might come vnto this we are to remember that true faith yeildes vnto the bare word oâ— God against our owne reason and so giueth glory vnto God Rom. 4.20 as the Apostle sayth acknowledging and reuerencing his truth mercy and power where we can see no reason oâ— it and so praysing him for the same and resting in it Which we see to be true in AbrahaÌ„ not onely in the birth of Isaac which was beyoÌ„d the course of nature and so
an hundred times yet they wil know nothing til they see it And not onely this sinne raigneth in the wicked that they will beleeue no more of the promises and threatnings of the ioyes of heauen pains of hell then they can see feele theÌ„selues and so because they do neither of them yet they will beleeue none of them let men say what they will and neuer so long and so they goe on in their sinnes and liue thereafter which is greatly to be lamented But also if we will examine our selues other men we shall finde that this was in our selues and in them tilâ— the Lord had mercie vpon vs. That though we had often heard that God was iust and would punish sinne yeâ— we presumed otherwise and did not beleeue it because we escaped a while in our sinnes and did not see and feele the truth of it in our selues and by that meanes went on and were hardened in our sinnes And so that was verified in vs as well as in others which the Lord complaineth â—f by his Prophet Psal 50.21 These things hast â—hou done and I held my tongue â—herefore thou thoughtest that I was â—â—ke thee but I will reprooue thee â—nd set them in order before thee And thus not only before our calâ—â—ng infidelity did wholly beare â—â—e sway in vs but also since that time great remnant of it still remaineth 〈◊〉 vs so that in many things we will â—eleeue no further then we see and â—ele especially in the time of tempâ—â—ion for if we be in any great trouâ—â—e Iob and then if there be a messenger God sent vnto vs or an interpreter â—his word one of a thousand as Elihu calleth him who shal bid vs be of good comfort and put our trust in God he will helpe vs and deliuer vs in his good time and declare vnto vs many promises of his word to that ende We then if wee want meanes to help our selues we are ready to say O but I see not how and which way that should be So that if we did presently vse the promised helpe that we might feele it or had means to bring it to passe that we might see it we say we wold beleeue it or els not Sâ—â— our faith goeth no further to comforâ— vs then our senses of seeing and feeling And this is too true in what affliction soeuer we be either of pouertie sickenesse or any other distresse And this vnbeleefe of ours is 〈◊〉 much the more dangerous and thâ— more deepely rooted in vs becauâ—â— though we haue had experience 〈◊〉 Gods goodnes towards our selues iâ—â— time past wherein we may remeÌ„ber how he hath holpen and deliuered vs beyond all that we could foresee or haue any hope of yet at another time we trust him and his worde no further then we can see our selues Thus the people of Israel doubted of the power of God whether he would giue them flesh in the wildernes according to their desire though they â—ad seene his power before in giuing â—heÌ„ water out of the hard rock wherof Dauid speaketh after this manner They temped God in their hearts Psal 78.18 in â—equiring meate for their lust they â—pake against God also saying Can God prepare a table in the wildernes Behold he smote the rocke that the â—ater gushed out and the streames â—uerflowed can he giue bread also â—â—r prepare flesh for his people Where he aggrauateth their sinne â—f infidelitie in that they seeing beâ—ore how he beyoÌ„d all hope brought water plentifully out of the rocke to supplie their want they did now doubt that they should haue no flesh though Moses had promised it vnto them from God because they could not see how in the wildernes such aboundance should be prepared for so great a people that euery one might haue enough And we our selues are subiect to the like not onely in these outward things and are therein too much mislead because we relie wholly vpon our outward senses but also in the matter of our saluation therein our vnbeleefe doth especially shew it selfe so that we can hardly or not at all beleeue any thing beyonde our sense and feeling For when we are humbled vnder the weighty hand of God with the sight of our corruption and sinnes and haue the feeling of Gods wrath vpon vs for them in any measure theÌ„ though we heare the coÌ„fortable promises of the gospel made to all that vnfainedly turne froÌ„ them Rom. 8.1 As there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Esa 1.16 And if you will inwardly walke and make your selues cleane from them and take away the euill of your works from before your eies cease to doe euil learne to doe good though your sinnes were as crimson they shall be made white as snow though they were red as scarâ—et they shal be as white as wooll that â—s if you leaue theÌ„ I am readie to forgiue them though they be neuer so many and then we find by the grace of God that we vtterly detest them â—nd are weary of them as of an imâ—ortable burden haue cast them â—way from vs as a filthie cloath yet â—ecause we see not the light of Gods â—ountenance shining clearly vpon vs â—nd haue not the feeling of his loue powred into our hearts wee cannot beleeue the pardon of them as wee ought And vnto all the promises that are brought for our comfort we are ready to obiect alas we haue no feeling of that that is said vnto vs. Which is as if we should thus speak you say thus and thus vnto me but I can haue no comfort in it for vnles I see it and feele it I will not beleeue it Which vnbeleefe though it be very great yet Christ Iesus doth beare with them a while in it and helpe them of it in due season as he did his seruant Thomas the Apostle here And truly as the Deuill did by Gods permission thus farre preuaile with the Apostle S. Thomas that he was brought to this straight that without sight and feeling he would not beleeue So with this one temptation of his he hath so mightily preuailed against many of the best seruants of god that he hath brought them to a very low ebbe euen almost to their wits ende For besides that he hath driuen them to this extremitie which is very great that they wil beleeue no more of Gods fauour towards them then they can see and feele in themselues he hath gained this also at their haÌ„ds which is much more that because they haue no feeling therefore they say they haue no faith as though these two were both one feeling and faith or as though they were alwaies necessarily ioyned together And hereupon haue come the great complaints and outcries which some of them haue made against theÌ„selues in the time of their trouble and not onely of those who haue grosly apparantly fallen
into some sinne and therefore there was some manifest cause of it but of those also which haue liued blamelesly neither haue beene tainted with any great sinne And yet both of them in the time of their temptation haue vttered many bitter words against theÌ„selues as that they are altogether out of the fauour of God that they are not in the number of them that shall be saued they haue no part in Christ they are none of Gods children and such like And why so for say they they haue no sight and feeling of the fauour of God in themselues and therefore they haue no faith neither can haue for except they haue some feeling in their hearts they cannot beleeue And this temptation hath lien vpon the conscience of some more heauily and of others lesse vpon some longer vpon others shorter time euen as it hath pleased the Lord either in wisdome to trie the one or in mercie to succour the other This was that that did so oppresse Dauid as appeareth in many Psalmes that he was almost in despaire of himselfe when he said Psal 13.1 How long wilt thou forget me for euer how long wilt thou hide thy face from me and will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and 7â— 7 and will he shew no more fauour is his mercie cleane gone for euer and doth his promise faile for euermore hath God forgotten to be mercifull and hath he shut vp his tender mercy in displeasure and My God my God and 22.1 why hast thou forsaken me and art so farre from my health and from the voice of my roaring I crie by day but thou hearest not and by night but haue no audience And thus he continued till it pleased God for our instruction and comfort to giue him victorie partly by considering the former mercifull dealing of God towards himselfe and others partly by meditating vpon the constant truth of his promises which made him at the last trust vnto him and depend vpon him without any present helpe or feeling And thus he endeth the 38. Psalme which he made to put himselfe in remembrance of some great affliction of God that was vpon him and therefore intitles it a Psalme of remembrance â—â—al 38. in which are many grieuous complaints both of his sinnes and of the punishment of them without any feeling of present helpe and comfort onely he saith that he would waite vpon God â—â—s 15. hoping that he would shew himselfe fauourable in time though he had no present feeling of it And so must we doe in the like case But in the meane season we see that this measure of vnbeleefe that was in the Apostle S. Thomas that he would beleeue no more then he could see and feele is and hath beene in others also and that all of vs are subiect vnto it more or lesse But that we may arme our selues sufficiently against this grieuous temptation and comfortably support our selues when we shall fall into it we must consider that faith and feeling are not onely not all one nor alwaies ioyned together but also that they are many times seuered in the childreÌ„ of God so that there is faith where there is not nor caÌ„ be any preseÌ„t feeling yea that the greatest faith sometimes is where there is no feeling at all And to this ende we must remember what the Apostle saith of the nature of faith It is the ground of things which are hoped for and the euidence of things which are not seene Where he saith that faith is of such things as we see not and of those things which are but hoped for and we as yet haue not the present possession and feeling of them and yet we beleeue them And this he prooueth by most excellent examples when as first of all he addeth Through faith we vnderstand â—ers 3. that the world was ordained by the word of God so that the things which we see are not made of things which did appeare that is we know by faith that the whole world was made of nothing and this verely we beleeue but who did or euer could see this Therefore we doe and must beleeue that which we haue not neither can see so we haue the knowledge of it by faith and not by sight â—â—rs 7. Secondarily he thus speaketh there of the faith of Noah that he beeing warned of God of the things which were as yet not seene mooued with reuerence prepared the Arke to the sauing of his houshold Where two things are noted that he beleued that which he could not see 1. that all the world should be drowned for their sinnes 2. that by repentance and faith himselfe had fouÌ„d fauour with god should be saued in the waters therfore he made the Arke according to Gods coÌ„mandement long before he saw the flood or any tokeÌ„ of it that he might be saued in it And so he beleeued the iudgement of God to come vpon the wicked and saluation promised himselfe though he could not see nor haue any present feeling of either of theÌ„ And this is that operation of faith which it must haue in vs euen to cause vs to beleeue both the threatnings of gods iudgmeÌ„ts against impeniteÌ„t sinners the promises of saluation to theÌ„ that walk before him in truth though we haue no present sight or feeling either of the one or of the other For we must consider the constant truth of Gods word both in his iustice and mercie which in time shall be verified though for the present there be no visible signes and tokens thereof to be seene or felt of our selues or any other The third example is of Sarah the mother of vs all of whome it is said that through faith shee receiued strength to conceiue seede vers 11. and was deliuered of a child when shee was past age because shee iudged him faithfull which had promised When a man child was first promised vnto her beeing both old and barren as long as she measured things by sight and feeling shee beleeued not this neither could â—en 18.11 For shee saw that it ceased to be with her after the manner of women therefore shee laughed at it within her selfe as at a thing impossible for which shee was reprooued with these words Shall any thing be hard to the Lord But when shee gaue ouer consulting with reason shee beleeued not onely without but cleane contrarie to all sense and feeling for shee looked onely to this that he was iust and true who had promised it vnto her and by this faith was made fruitfull So in matters of faith we must not looke what we see and feele in our selues or in any meanes to effect them but what God hath promised and how faithfull he is to performe And so did Abraham of whome it is written Gen. 15.5 that the Lord brought him forth and saide Looke vp now to heauen and tell the starres if thou be able to number them and he