laden and I will ease you This then we see is no new thing for men not to beleeue sundry parts of Gods word brought vnto theÌ„ by the ministerie of diuers of his faithful seruants by reason of the great vnbeleefe and hardnes of heart that is in them whereby it commeth to passe that their owne vnderstanding doth more preuaile with them to distrust then the testimonie of many to beleeue How then had we neede to find out this vnbeleefe in our selues which when we haue done we are not to iudge too hardly of our selues seeing that it is so common but onely lament bewaile it seeke vnto Christ to be holpen of it who is the author and finisher of our faith â—â—â— 12.2 and say with the Apostles â—â—â— 17.5 Lord increase our faith and with the man in the Gospel â—â—â— 9.24 Lord I beleue helpe my vnbeleefe And if there be such great streams of vnbeleefe in Gods children till they be holpen of it what a bottomlesse sea thinke you is there of it in the wicked whereby it commeth to passe that they are filled with all atheisme and prophannes casting the word of God behinde their backs so that let neuer so many learned and godly men witnesse the truth vnto them for their amendment they will beleeue no more then they haue determined before hand with theÌ„selues Let vs pray to God for them that they may haue better mindes euen desirous to beleeue and then shall they be holpen in time as the Apostle S. Thomas was And for our selues let vs labour to haue teachable hearts that we may reuerence giue credit vnto them who in the mysterie of our saluation know more then we doe and haue in the matter of faith a great deale more experience then we our selues That so it may come to passe of what minde so euer we haue beene before that when Gods faithfull seruants whome we should esteeme and trust they shall tell vs so and so whether for Gods iudgements or for his promises or for the direction of our liues we may beleeue and obey them Then shall we come to faith and be confirmed in it â—â—â— 1â— 17 for he that regardeth instruction is in the way of life And if in other matters we thinke it reasonable that we should beleeue those that haue more knowledge theÌ„ our selues yea euen cleane contrarie to that that we thought before as for the matter of our health we beleeue many skilfull Physitians for the state of our bodies and many expert lawyers for the state of our lands and goods why should we not then in matters of diuinitie and for the state of our soules giue more credit to many skilfull Diuines then to our selues Especially when as the generall rule holdeth as well in that as in any other science that euery skilfull man is to be credited in his owne arte and facultie our reason is more corrupt in this then in any other thing and therefore there is more cause that we should beleeue others then our selues Therefore as in other matters when we are doubtfull we conferre with them that haue more skill and knowledge and giue credit vnto theÌ„ contrarie to our owne thoughts and we are readie to relie vpon them rather then vpon our selues So let vs doe in matters of faith and let vs not offer Gods seruants and our selues this great wrong that we wil beleeue all men in other things sauing then in this It is too much that we haue done it so often alreadie let vs not continue in it that we should come to the Church and heare Gods word preached and goe away not beleeuing it and come againe the next day and then depart away as full of vnbeleefe as before and thus from day to day so still be of this mind that whatsoeuer men say we will beleeue none but our selues thinking that we haue reason as well as they and therefore vnles we can conceiue it by reason we will not admit it whatsoeuer they say For faith is aboue reason therfore we must beleeue the seruants of God in things whereof we can conceiue no reason nay reason is against faith and there is nothing in vs more to hinder vs from beleeuing then to harken to our owne reason â—or 2.14 For the naturall man by his best reason perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither can he know them by his owne wit because they are spiritually discerned that is by a supernaturall inlightning of the sprit of God So that matters of faith we can not only not by reason comprehend theÌ„ but they seeme foolishnes vnto all theÌ„ that will no further giue credit vnto things then they be demonstrated by reason which made the Apostles when the women came from the sepulchre told them that Christ was risen not onely not to beleeue them but that their words seemed vnto theÌ„ as a fained thing Luk. 24.11 and a meere fable that had no truth in it and therefore Christ saith in the Gospel Math. 16. If any man will follow me let him forsake himselfe that is his owne reason most of all that so he may beleeue others contrary vnto it And this is that which is so highly commended by the spirit of God in our father Abraham Rom. 4.1 that he aboue all hope that reason could affoard him beleeued vnder hope that he should be the father of many nations for he considered not his owne bodie which was now dead that is void of strength and vnmeete to get children beeing almost an hundred yeares old neither the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthned in faith and gaue glorie to God beeing fully assured that he that had promised it was able to doe it where we see that renouncing his owne reason which would haue held him in vnbeleefe he rested vpon the truth and power of God and so beleeued aboue that by reason could be shewed him or he able to conceiue and so must we doe also â—â—â— 11.3 The Apostle saith that through faith we vnderstand that the world was ordained by the word of God and that the things which we see are not made of things which did appeare that is that this great beautifull frame of the world was made of nothing is a matter not to be comprehended by any reason but onely by faith which made not onely the Epicures but also some of the wisest Philosophers to hold that the world was not eternall for it was vnto them a principle in reason that of nothing â—omes nothing neither can you so multiplie nothing that there should come any thing of it Therefore the Apostle saith that he that will hold â—hat all these things which we see in â—eauen and earth were made of noâ—hing he must beleeue it aboue all â—eason And who can by any reason conâ—eiue the truth
said vnto him So shall thy seede be and Abraham beleeued the Lord. And the Apostle commendeth this faith in him so much the more because he considered not his own body Rom. 4.1 which was now dead that is voide of strength and vigour to get children beeing almost an hundred yeare old neither the deadnes of Saras wombe who was both aged and barren Both which if he had looked vnto he could haue had no sight or feeling of that that was promised for they were directly against it But he gaue this glorie to God vers 2â—â— that he was fully assured that he that had promised it was able to doe it and so aboue hope he beleeued vnder hope that he should be the father of many nations according to that which was spoken vnto him So shall thy seede be And so he beleeued that which he neither had nor could haue any present sight or feeling of Thus both Abraham and Sarah beleeued that which they could haue no feeling of in themselues and so must all the sonnes of Abraham and daughters of Sarah And thus to doe is not onely faith but the greatest faith For if they could haue seen how this might haue beene done and haue felt such streÌ„gth in their bodies that they might perceiue it very likely by the course of nature then it had beene no great matter to beleeue it nay it had beene great infidelitie not to beleeue it So for vs to beleeue the promises of God when we may see and feele how they may be performed that is a matter of no moment but when all things go against them we haue no sight or feeling at all in our selues of that that is said vnto vs then to beleeue God and to giue this glory vnto him that he is able to performe it is a matter of great faith And therefore here it is said of Abraham not onely that he beleeued but that he was not weake in faith vers 1â— that is very strong and constant in faith So that the Spirit of God commendeth this in him as an high degree of faith that he beleeued without sight or feeling to shew vs that faith is so many times seuered from feeling that it is theÌ„ the strongest when we constantly beleeue that which we neither see nor feele but waite vpon God for them both And this is that which was in our Sauiour Christ also who though he did alwaies put his trust in his father and was sure that he loued him and his faith this way was as pretious and pure as gold yet it did most of all shew it selfe in his full strength when he came to suffer vpon the crosse when it was so many waies assaulted that contrary to all sense and feeling he remained constant and so ouercame to succour all those that shall be oppressed with the temptations of vnbeleefe because they haue no feeling For when things did lie so heauie vpon him he beeing then to beare all our sinnes and corruptions and in them to appeare before God his father and to answer for them yea to satisfie his wrath by induring the full punishment of them first of all it is written of him that he began to waxe sorowfull â—ath 26.37 and grieuously troubled in his minde and this griefe was so deadly that he was not able to containe it in himselfe but did bewray it with most lamentable words vnto his Disciples that he might haue comfort from them saying vers 38. My soule is very heauie vnto the death tarie ye here and watch with me and then because his grief was not asswaged 39. he fell vpon his face downe to the ground and praied saying O my father if it be possible let this cuppe passe from me And thus he praied the second and third time And that it might appeare what vncomfortable striuing he had in himselfe all this while not onely with death but with the fearefull iudgement of his angrie father it is further added that he fell into a great agonie Luk. 22. â— and distraction of minde whereby all his bodie was distempered so that for anguish his sweate was like drops of blood trickling downe to the cold ground And at the last when he was vpon the crosse he was further assaulted with temptations from the speeches of men euen his enemies which reuiled him â—ath 27.39 wagging their heads and casting out many opprobrious speeches against him 40. saying If thou be the sonne of God come downe from the crosse he trusted in God let him deliuer him if he will haue him for he saide I am the sonne of God Whereby his discomforts and discouragements for our sakes were so increased that at the last he brast forth into these most lamentable words 46. and as the Euangelist saith straining as it were all the parts of his bodie and powers of his spirit hee cried with a loud voice My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All this while what present sight and feeling could he haue of Gods fauour when as not onely all things outwardly did shew but his words also did abundantly declare that inwardly he felt the contrarie Therefore his faith was now the greatest as it was meete it should be to incounter and ouercome so many and great temptations when as contrarie to all these things which he saw and felt he not only praied most earnestly vnto his father and continued therein praying three times the same words with such feruencie of spirit that beeing vpon the cold ground he sweat water and blood and he praied in faith Heb. 5.7 For when he did offer vp those praiers and supplications with strong crying and teares vnto him Luk. 22.4 that was able to saue him froÌ„ death he was heard in the thing which he feared and God sent an Angel vnto him from heauen to comfort him Whereby he came to this resolution of minde that he quietly submitted himselfe in these his sufferings vnto the will of his father saying Abba father Mark 14. all things are possible vnto thee take away this cup from me neuerthelesse not that I will but that thou wilt be done And beeing now at the point of death in the middest of all his sufferings and in the height of his temptations that it might appeare that he had ouercome all â—â—k 23.46 he cried out with a loud voice straining himselfe to the vttermost when life was almost out of his weake and painfull bodie Father into thine hands I commend my spirit and when he thus had saide he gaue vp the ghost quietly died Which wordes of his beeing vttered with great zeale did shew the excellencie and perfection of his faith especially if we consider in what case he was then and so his faith was the greatest when he had the least feeling And thus no doubt the seruants of God in their seuerall afflictions of body and mind and otherwise are in measure made like
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
spirits and soothsayers and did very much euill in the sight of the Lord to anger him yea the Prophets do not spare them that were nearest in blood to them or nearest in any bond of affinitie or friendship Num 12. For Moses doth set out the murmuring of Aaron his owne naturall brother and of his sister Miriam and how God did punish them for it which he did not to deâ—ame them or with a minde to be reuenged of them for the Lord gaue this testimonie of him that he was a very meeke man vers 3. aboue all the men that were vpon the earth And the Apostles doe write the truth boldly and sincerely of their fellow Apostles though their faults were exceeding great and not the like almost heard of Math. 2â— As how Iudas did for thirtie pieces of siluer sell and betray his Lord and master Christ into the hands of his most deadly enemies And how Peter did not onely denie him once but the second time did forsweare him vers 7â— yea did curse and banne himselfe if that euer he did but know him And to conclude this point their vprightnes in their writings appeareth so much the more that they doe not spare theÌ„selues but publish their owne faults to the praise of God as his spirit in them did direct them For Moses declareth at large how slow backward he was to take vpon him that calling that God had appointed him vnto and what excuses and delaies he made in so much that the Lord was very angrie with him â—xod 4.14 And Dauid writeth of the adulterie and murder that he had secretly committed against Bath-sheba and her husband Vriah and confesseth openly that he had deserued death for both of them when he thus prayeth â—sal 51.14 â—iddamim Deliuer me from bloods O Lord. So likewise the Apostle Paul spareth not himselfe because it was not he but the spirit of God that spake in him Gal. 1.13 in that he had persecuted the Church of God cruelly and wasted it This kind of simple dealing is one argument not of the least moment among many other to euince that the Scriptures are written by Gods spirit and are therefore Canonicall for they are not partiall but the spirit of truth simple dealing doth maruelously appeare euery where in them But it may further be demanded though such things as these be written of the Saints whether they should be read openly in the Church vpon those holy daies that cary their name as if when we keepe the memorie of a man all his euill deedes should be reckoned vp tending to his infamie and discredit Concerning which as the prouidence of God therein is to be acknowledged who hath thus disposed of it so we are to reuerence and highly esteeme the godly wisdome of those holy fathers who did first appoint those daies thus to be kept For they did it to the honour of God and therefore would by the reading of these texts of scripture haue all men know what the Saints were of themselues and what infirmities vnbeleefe and other sinnes they were subiect vnto euen the same that we are as Paul and Barnabas saide of themselues â—ct 14.14 We are men subiect to the like passions that you are and as S. Iames saith of the Prophet Elias â—â—m 5.17 that he was a man subiect to the like passions as we are That so if they were any thing we might know from whence it came and so as Paul saith of himselfe I am the least of the Apostles â— Cor. 15. â—0 which am not worthie to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God but by the grace of God I am that I am and his grace which is in me was not in vaine but I laboured more aboundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God which is with me So we might say of them beeing put in minde by the Scriptures that are read euen vpon those daies wherein we keepe the greatest memorie of them what they were of themselues and what they were by the grace of God and so not so much honour them as praise God for them For the purpose of those ancient fathers of the Church who apointed these daies thus to be kept was not to set out the Saints themselues that we might glory in them and in their merits but in the merits of Christ in the mercie of God shewed to theÌ„ for his sake and so not only to teach vs how rightly to esteem of them but â—hat in them as in a glasse we might see what we are subiect vnto and yet â—ow gratious God is to pore sinners 〈◊〉 so might take comfort in the mercie of God shewed to them As here what great vnbeeleefe was in Saint Thomas and yet Christ did help him of it and saued him to shew vs that we are as full of vnbeleefe as he and much more yet Christ will not refuse vs if we do not obstinatly remaine in it but are willing to be holpen of it and haue a desire to beleeue by the meanes that he shall bestow vpon vs. And this is the vse that we are to mak of the vnbeleefe of S. Thomas euen then when we heare it read vpon his day The Papists did not so for besides that they had a great number of couÌ„terfeit Saints in their CaleÌ„der whose names were not written in the booke of life some of them traytors and others as ill or worse then they vpon their festiuall daies they caused to be read out of Legenda aurea that is their Legend of lies a storie of their liues full of all vertues and miracles that they wrought some in their life some after their death whereof most were fained and some of them most absurd And thus they made them to be Gods vpon the earth not making mention of any fault of theirs at any time especially so great as these that we haue heard of in S. Thomas S. Paul and the rest Whereby it came to passe partly by the obseruation of those daies and partly by hearing what was then reported of them out of their stories that the coÌ„mon people were brought into a superstitious admiration of them and had no hope by imitating their vertues to be like them but rather did worship them by meanes of the straunge and incredible things that they heard of them And so here was no comfort from them for poore sinners but only for their merits and mediation for they did not speake of their infirmities and falls But we see how the Scriptures set out the true Saints of God after an other manner not onely in their miracles and vertues but in their greatest corruptions and sinnes that we knowing what they were of themselues and what they are by the mercie of God and the grace of Christ the poorest sinner might be comforted in themselues by the one and giue thanks to God for the other Seeing that there is
no sinne in themselues which they haue not seene pardoned and cured in some of the Saints or other nor any grace wanting to themselues which by that experience of Gods goodnes which they haue scene in others they might not hope for in themselues in some measure BVt I come to the principal thing in this text which is the great infirmitie and wonderfull vnbeleefe that was in the Apostle S. Thomas declared in these wordes of his owne that when the rest of the Disciples had told him that they had seene the Lord he answered them Except I see in his hands the print of the nayles and put my finger into the print of the nailes and put mine hand into his side I will not beleeue it The circumstance of time and many occurrants going before this doe aggrauate the greatnes of his vnbeleefe For this was done the eight day after Christs resurrection then he did shew himselfe vnto Thomas as it is saide vers 26. Eight daies after his Disciples were againe within and Thomas with them then came Iesus when the doores were shut stood in the middes and said Peace be vnto you after he said to Thomas Put thy finger here and see mine hands and put forth thine hand and put it into my side and be not faithlesse but faithfull In the meane season he had â—ppeared vnto Marie Magdalene at the sepulchre the first day of his resurrection earely in the morning and shee knew him for he called her Marie and shee answered Rabboni that is to say master vers 17. at what time shee was willed to goe tell the Disciples that he was risen and shee did so and also shewed them what other words he had spoken vnto her but none of them did beleeue her as S. Marke saith Mark 16.11 Thus at the first hearing of it Thomas was incredulous as well as the rest And the same day toward the euening he appeared vnto two other as they were in the waâ—â— to Emaus and they returned presently and tould the Disciples of it buâ— they did not beleeue them neither vers 13. The same night therefore he appeared vnto the eleuen as they satâ— together and cast in their teeth theâ—â— vnbeleefe and hardnes of heart because they beleeued not them whâ—â— had now twise told them that theâ— had seene him beeing risen againe vers 14. And because their vnbeleefe was so great at that time to put them out of al doubt for the time to come he shewed them his hands and his side that was pierced and the print of the nayles in the one of the speare in the other and bad them looke on them that they might know that it was he indeede Ioh. 20.20 as S. Iohn the Euangelist doth report it At this time Thomas was not present among them The Lord of his infinite wisdome and goodnes thus disposing of it for the further good both of Thomas and of all the rest and of the whole Church that by this meanes there might be a new confirmation of his resurrection by a second and more sensible apparition when they should not onely see againe the print of the nailes in his hands but for Thomas also to put his finger into them But in the meane while all the rest tell him what they had seene namely not onely Christ in some forme but so certenly that he spake vnto them and shewed them his hands and his feete and the print of the nayles in them so that they could not possibly be deceiued in so cleare a matter yet for all this he not onely not giueth credit vnto some one of them seuerally but not vnto all of them ioyntly beeing so many and so credible witnesses and further is so wilfull and obstinate and so addicted to his owne senses and feeling that he tells them plainly that vnles he himselfe see the print of the nayles in his hands and may put his finger into them and the print of the speare in his side and may put his hand into that he will neuer beleeue it This is a maruelous thing may seeme iustly to be wondred at that he beeing an Apostle and one that had beene conuersant with our Sauiour Christ a long time and had heard his doctrine and seene his miracles yea had preached saluation in his name with the rest and had heard Christ ofteÌ„ say that he must be put to death and the third day rise againe that though he did generally beleeue in him yet he was not perswaded particularly of this article of his resurrection But such is our corruption and we doe so receiue the Spirit but in measure that we may be true beleeuers in many particulars as we see in the Apostle here who beleeuing Christ to be the sonne of God and the Sauiour of the world and so held the maine point of saluation failed in the particular manner and was not yet perswaded of the truth of his resurrection But for all this we are not to account him as an infidell but thinke thus with our selues if such a man as he was subiect vnto so great doubtings no maruell then if I in many particulars finde my faith to be so full of doubting and wauering Onely let vs in these doubtings still vse the meanes and God will at one time or other blesse some of them vnto vs. As Thomas here not beleeuing that Christ was risen though the rest of the Apostles did tell him of it did not forsake their companie but came into their assemblies vpon the Lords day to serue Christ with them and then Christ did appeare vnto him and ridde him of his vnbeleefe Whereas if he had beene still absent as he was before and therefore hee remained longer in his vnbeleefe then they God might haue depriued him of all meanes and iustly haue giuen him vp to his vnbeleefe But this is a greater wonder and herein his vnbeleefe doth appeare much more that besides the former things when the other Apostles whom he by long experience knew to be very reuerend and credible meÌ„ told him that they had seene the Lord and after what manner euen with the prints of the nailes of the speare in his body yet he so distrusted all of them that he would beleeue none of them Oftentimes wee beleeue meaner men and of lesse credite in matters of great vncertentie and of small moment therefore not to beleeue so many and of so good credit and in a thing of great moment it beeing true also doth plainly shew how deeply vnbeleefe was rooted in him Especially if we consider how he further addeth that if there were neuer so many more of them let theÌ„ be what they will be that should tell him so he would beleeue none of theÌ„ but his owne selfe and his owne sense and feeling for vâ—les he could see in his hands the print of the nailes and put his finger into the print of the nailes and put his hand into his side he would
aboue all reason but also in the offering vp of the said Isaac his sonne whom he loued and in whom he receiued the promises euen that with him God would establish his couenant Gen. 17 â— and with his seede after him for euer and therefore take away him and take away all and the hope of all and yet at the commandement of God he was contented to offer him vp for a burnt offering in mouÌ„t Moriah which he did by faith chap. 22 as the Apostle saith Hebr. 11. for he considered that God was able to raise him vp eueÌ„ from the dead and so he measured the performance of the promises of God not by his owne reason though neuer so great but by the truth and power of God The like may be saide of Noah concerning the building of the Arke of whom it is said â—â—rs 17. that by faith he beeing warned of God of the things which were not as yet seene mooued with reuerence prepared the Arke to the sauing of his houshold In which matter if he had consulted with flesh blood and conferred with his own reason he should neuer haue vndertaken so great a matter For how could he thereby imagine that all the world should be drowned except his family and that they should be saued and all the rest perish when by the space of 120 yeares he both preparing the Arke and preaching their destruction not one man or woman would beleeue it besides his owne family of eight persons might not he haue thought that he was deceiued rather then they all And how could he haue hope that fowre men should gouerne so great a vessell wherein should be male female at the least of euery liuing thing vpon the earth â—nd in the ayre with sufficient prouision for them all by the space of an whole yeare and that not in the great Ocean sea but when the whole world was a sea And where could he thinke â—o haue meanes to take and bring in all these fowles of the heauen and beasts of the earth and how could â—hey attend vpon them all to feede them and to doe all things necessarie â—nto them And many more things might be put into his head to cause â—im to desist from this worke as a â—hing impossible and no doubt he â—as subiect vnto many of these and â—uch like temptations but the Apoâ—tle sheweth vs how he ouercame theÌ„â—ll euen by faith whose nature and â—ropertie is to relie vpon the comâ—andement and promise of God aâ—oue all reason and contrarie vnto â—t But on the otherside vnbeleefe which is contrarie vnto faith that resteth wholly and onely vpon reason in so much that vnlesse they can see some reason how that may be done that is saide and promised they will not beleeue it they thinke it impossible they reiect it as an vnreasonable thing A most liuely patterne whereof we haue in that great man of Samaria in the daies of Ahab king of Israel at what time by reason of the fiege of the king of Aram there was such an extreame famine that women did eate their owne children â— king 6.28 Then the prophet Elisha did prophesie vnto them great plentie on the sudden euen the next day following To whom this great prince â—hap 7.2 on whose hand the king leaned answered and said Though the Lord would make windows in heauen could this thing come to passe as though he had said this is impossible though the Lord shal raine downe corne from heauen among vs for he could not conceiue â—y any reason how either the siege â—hould be so suddenly raised or if it â—ere how it should come to passe â—hat corne beeing so vnreasonably â—eare to day it should be so exceeâ—ingly cheape to morrow But God verified his owne word vnto them at â—he time appointed and this man saw it with his eyes but neuer tasted of it because of his vnbeleefe For the king appointed him to be gouernor and to sit in the gate of the citie to see the corne sold to the people who so thronged vers 20. that they troad vpon him and there he died The whole world is full of this vnbeleefe that they will beleeue no more then their owne reason perswades them vnto and that that goeth against their reason they are readie to crosse it though it be neuer so true For how many are there that haue set downe with themselues that whatsoeuer the Preachers say they haue determined a course which they thinke they haue good reason for in that they minde to continue beyond that they will not goe they are so setled that out of it they will not be remooued they hope they are not now to learne they are too old to be taught they trust that they haue not liued so long for nothing they haue wit and reason as well as other men and so that that they haue conceiued they will sticke vnto that course they haue entred into they purpose to continue in and in that they minde to liue and die and this course they hold for doctrine both of faith and manners for duties to God and to men and thus they will beleeue none but theÌ„selues and their owne reason And thus though they come to the Church from day to day they come not to learne any thing they haue determined beforehand what they minde to doe They will learne of no man they can teach themselues sufficiently Whereupon it commeth to passe that though they daily heare their sinnes rebuked they will amend nothing and the iudgements of God denounced against them they will beleeue nothing they thinke they haue better reason for their doings then any man can haue against them And if they be called vpon to increase in knowledge and godlines and so to goe on to perfection they stand still at a stay and thinke it not necessarie they like well of their owne doings and no man shall remooue them froÌ„ them they will beleeue none but themselues vnlesse I see reason for it mine owne selfe I will not beleeue you Thus through vnbeleefe the word is choaked in the greatest part of the hearers as our Sauiour Christ sheweth in the parable of the seede and it profiteth them not one whit no more then it did the Iewes when it was preached vnto them because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it â—ct 4.2 And so that is the very cause why in this long time of preaching there hath bin so little good done euen the great vnbeleefe that raigneth in men euery where Of which the Prophet Isai had too great experience in his time in them to whom he preached and doth with great griefe complaine of it when he crieth out thus pathetically who will beleeue our report to whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed â—â—a 53.1 meaning that none would beleeue it but those whose hearts God touched by his holy Sprit And thus by their doings men doe too apparently