for a time so that they feele in themselues the graces of the holie spirit to be as it were perished and dead Further to releeue the infirmitie of your iudgment in this part and point because I knowe it may much distresse you you must vnderstand there be two kinds of hardnes of hart the one which is not perceiued felt the other which is perceiued felt and of the former that there be two sortes the first which is most fearefull when any do purposely resist the motions of God his spirit willingly refuse the means of their salvation of the which Zacharie speaketh 7. 11. They refused to harken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they shuld not heare yea they made their heart as an Adamant stone lest they should heare the Lawe and the wordes which the Lord of Hosts sent in his spirit by the ministery of his former Prophets The outragious sinne of these men the Prophet Esay expresseth in these their owne fearefull tearmes 28. 15. Wee haue made a covenant with death and we are at agrement with hell though a scourge run over and passe through yet it shall not come at vs for we haue made falshood our refuge vnder vanitie are we hid This was a fearfull estate indeede yet for all that no man can say but some of them hauing hardened their hearts might be and were afterwards converted the other kind of hardnes of heart which is not felt nor perceiued or if perceiued yet not felt which albeit is lesse fearefull yet is dangerous enough is in such who although they wilfully resist not Gods spirit in good meanes yet securely carlesly willingly they ly in sin and that without any remorse of it or any tast of good things Such was Davids state by the space of a yeare before Nathan the Prophet came to reprooue him and rouse him from his lulled sleepe both these kindes I am perswaded you are free from other wayes than in temptation Sathan may sometimes mooue you thereunto The other kind of hardnes of hart which is perceived and felt is of two sortes the one in them who are desirous of meanes whereby to be releeved although they doe finde small or no grace in themselues for a time In this kind the Prophet Esay in the want of some of Gods people complaineth Esay 63. 15. And such was Davids state after Nathan had reprooved him and Gods spirit began to work with him yet cryeth he out as ye heard before of the losse of Gods graces and when hee saith that God will accept of no sacrifices be they neuer so many or pretious without a contrite heart broken spirit he shewed that for a time even after the Prophet had reproued him he wanted both This is your cace and therefore in the state of salvation for David was in this cace even after he had confessed his sin as my trust is you doe and after he had receiued absolution and pardon from God by the ministerie of Nathan although he never felt any ioy thereof nor true griefe for the other yet because in truth of heart he confessed his sinne as I hope you do and was certainly perswaded of the pardonablenes of it by Gods mercy as you must be if you will haue mercie although he was farre of from feeling it or applying it to his woefull conscience his state was good and very well to be hoped of and you must know and be perswaded of Gods Saintes namely of David and Peter such others that they are ensamples for vs if wee will stay our selues vpon the word of God in the ministery of his servants and wait vpon the Lords good time vntil he come neerer vnto vs by his spirite neerer I say for he was come already vnto you or it may be he never went from you because to be grieued humbled with blindnes of minde and hardnes of heart to beleeue certainly the servāts of God which bring vnto vs glad tydings of salvation and the truth of Gods promises in generall and to long after comfort vsing the meanes of the word and praier the Sacrament of the supper the company of Gods children contrary to hope vnder hope yea without any present feeling all this is a certaine argument that Gods spirite is with such and therefore vvith you This estate though it be very grievous yet it is never dangerous much lesse is it fearfull vnlesse any be so wilful that they do perseuere and continue in desperate refusing of all good meanes Vnlesse they persevere I say for that through the subtill sleights of the spirituall adversarie his forcible power whereby God suffereth him sometime for a season to winnow them as wheat they are so bewitched and intoxecated that they are carried with violent force of temptation to waxe weary of it or to refuse all kinde of comfort by fittes yea almost to haue no desire at all vnto them yea sometimes even to speak evill of them but all this is but in temptation therfore God will be mercifull vnto them for Christes sake Thus Iob cursed the daye of his birth and wished to bee strangled Ieremiah almost repented that euer he preached in the name of the Lord both scarsely abslaind from blasphemy David moued with the spirite of ambition though dutifully admonished yet wilfully went on in numbring the people Peter also vaine-gloriouslie presuming of his owne strength beeing most wisely effectually praemonished of his weaknesse even by our Lord Iesus yet vvittinglie rusheth as an horse into the battell and then very cowardly yeeldeth and doublie denieth yea strengthneth his sinne with a threefolde corde and fastneth it with banning and cursing and yet all these obtained mercy bountifullie for why as Sathan had desired to winnowe them so our Saviour Christ prayed for them that their faith although it was battered yet it should not be destroyed although it were sore oppressed yet it should not bee extinguished And heere be you fullie perswaded that though Luke 22. the wordes seeme to runne as belonging to Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy faith should not faile yet that hee prayed as well for the rest of the Apostles yea for all the faithfull for first hee saith not Simon Sathan hath desired to winnowe thee but you why then saith hee I haue prayed for thee Verely because he shuld more grievouslie offend than the rest althogh their offence was very great therefore his and our most blessed Saviour applied to him the promise but did not appropriate it to him onelye and restraine it from the rest and compare with this place Iohn 17. 20. and you shall see that the heauenly veritie affirmeth that hee prayed not onely for the Apostles but for all those that should beleeue through their worde Yea further our Lorde Iesus Christ was yester day and to day and shall be for ever And as the Fore-fathers were baptised into him and did eat his fleshe and drink his
of pride when hee will make vs equal in dignity with the highest of Gods Saintes but vnequall in duetie with them then he perswadeth vs God is as good to vs as hee hath beene to others but he keepeth vs from vsing those meanes whereby they had and we shuld haue the goodnesse of God convaied vnto vs wherefore as we must not distrust God that we shall obtaine the like mercies with other if we vse the same means so wee must not dreame that wee shall haue the like fruites with them except wee haue also the like faith with them though not in quantitie yet in qualitie 92 Many dispaire of helpe because of their owne vnworthines as though there were no hope of Gods mercie vnlesse we bring in our guift and pawne in our handes to him but this were to discredite the Lordes mercies and to bring in credite our merites and rather to binde the Lord to vs than vs vnto him but if our sinnes be great our redemption is greater though our merits be beggerlie Gods mercie is a riche mercie If our cace bee not desperate and wee past hope of recoverie our redemption should not bee so plentifull but when all seemes to go one way when Heaven and Earth the Sunne the Moone and the Starres goe against vs then to ransome vs and to make a perfect restitution is to drawe something out of nothing even as in sicknesse to haue either little daunger or in greate daunger deliverance by present meanes is nothing but in extreame perrell when Phisick can doe nothing and nothing maketh for vs but the Graue then to bee rescued from the graue and to recover our life from the pitte is Redemption 93 There is nothing so pretious as Gods grace which changeth the face of Heaven and Earth and nothing so vile as sinne who openeth hell and staineth the Earth and shutteth vp Heaven 94 There are two working of Gods Spirite in vs the one inferiour which bringeth but certaine fruites of the Spirite without any speciall fruite of grace the other superiour and more certaine when the spirit worketh an infallible sanctification the first may totally be darkned and fully quenched the other hath but particular Eclypse and in measure may be dimned as it was in DAVID Psal. 51. But this is not finallie quenched As God made man so that hee might fall though afterwards he had mercie vpon him so he regenerateth vs so that wee may fall though afterwards he may raise vs vp againe and will And it is fearefull ynough that there may bee such particular decayes of it in vs as to feel lesse comfort in the word lesse feare of sinne lesse care of well doing lesse zeale in praying lesse fruites in the meanes so that all our actions are turned to bee bitter which were sweeter vnto vs than any worldlie increase to the worldlie man or honie can be to them that loue it these are evident tokens of the sanctifying spirite to loue good because it is good and to hate sinne because it is sinne the more wee growe in guifts the more to hunger the more to complaine of our vnworthiness the more to be humbled in our selues the more meeklie to judge of others when we are most quiet with all things then to think our selues least quiet then most to feare out selues so to feele the graces of God in vs and yet our sence and feeling of sinne is not lessened and to feare and quake at the first degrees and motions of sinne not lest they fully quench but lest they coole the heate of the spirite in vs. 95 They whose knowledge is in swelling wordes and painted eloquence of humane wisdome being but a doctrine of the letter in their death they are as if they knewe nothing of Christ crucified and whereof comes it that there is soe much preaching and so little learning but because men preach and delight to heare plausible novelties to please the eare rather than the simple power of the worde to pearce the heart they take the bone and refuse the marowe they are content with the shell but want the kernell and not onely the Lawe killeth but even the Gospell also that is the letter of the Gospell being ministred without the spirite Aske the wounded conscience what comfort it is to hear that Christ died for our sinnes nay ask if this gall not as much as the Lawe it selfe so long as it is rather conceived by reason than received by faith 96 As of all guifts the guift of Gods spirite is the dearest so the losse of it is most dangerous for besides that wee know how few taste of it and with what paine they that haue gotten it keepe it and with what hard brunts they that lose the graces of it recover them againe wee may conjecture the greatnes of the losse by our experience in other things they that haue beene in reputation for their riches and are become bankrupts are grieved and ashamed how much more then should their griefe be who by the riches of Gods graces haue beene comfortable to themselues and honourable amongst others and now by the decaye of those guifts haue lost both the sweete peace and joye in themselues and their credite with God and in the conscience of the godlie 97 Wee must bee like Children in three things chiefly First in respect little babes Secondly in regard of innocents Thirdly in respect of thē that are growing from child-hood First babes are neuer quiet except the pappe bee in their mouth or else having late beene at it they are well fedde so ought wee still to desire to lye at the foode of our soules and to finde vnquietnes in our soules if wee be long from it Secondly wained children though they are not without naturall corruption yet this corruption doeth rather shewe it selfe by imitation than by action and if they doe any evill it is rather violent than permanent Thus should wee be Not making an occupation of sinne but are occupated of sinne not forecasting patterns of sin but bend our minds how we may not sin we are violently drawne therevnto by another rather than voluntarilie commit it our selues Thirdly they that grow out of child-hood do things beseming manhood rather than childishnes so though babish things both in life doctrine become vs being babes yet having passed our child-hood the Lord looks for more manly ripenes both in knowledg godlines of life thogh our perfect age be not consummated before the resurrection 98 As litle children whether in teachablenes to good or reformablenes from sinne are either woone by afaire worde or allured by a trifling benefite or awed by a check or feared by a frowning look or stilled by seeing another beaten before them or else quieted with the rod So if we be children either the promises of God must affect vs or the mercies of God must allure vs or his threatnings in his word must awe vs or his angry countenance must feare vs or his
curteouslie saluted and worthelie commended of a Gentlewoman who said she heard a very good report of him he answered her the like haue I heard of you but God make our after fruites of his spirite more effectuall thā the former or else we shal not answer the glory of God and good opinion of his Saintes conceiued of vs. 19 The wicked that dare not boldly professe iniquitie redeeme times secretlie to commit it so though we haue not the strength to professe Religion publictlie yet let vs redeeme times secretly to frequent the exercises of Religion 20 To a Courtier complaining of the occasions of evill he saide Though you haue occasions of sinne offered yet the cause of sinne is still in your selfe 21 Sometimes in a good action vsing good meanes with an vpright heart to a lawfull end yet our prayers be vnfrutefull and our labours want successe then let vs remember that in all these there were secret imperfections and that the Lords deferring is that wee being better prepared by humilitie to be thankfull he may grant our requests in richer manner and measure 22 Where there is an immoderate care of outward things there commonlie is little care of inwarde good things for if one haue inward good things they so content the persons that haue them that they labour not much for outwarde things if they want them desire them the carefull seeking of them bringeth a godlie neglect of outward things 23 Ministers shoulde most frequent those places where God hath made their ministerie most frutefull they shoulde heerein be like the covetous man that where they haue once found the sweetnesse of gaining of soules thither they should be most desirous to resort 24 Let their advice be a generall praescription of Phisick First the parties afflicted are to labor to haue peace of their consciences and joy of the holy Ghost through the assurance of their sinnes pardoned in Christ then carefull must they be to vse the meanes which may nourish their inward peace joy Thirdly they must rejoice and recreate themselues in wisdome and well doing with the Saints of God and holy company and lastly they must refresh themselues with Kitchin phisick and a thankfull vsing of the creatures of God 25 When one saide to him after long conference and praier Sir I haue troubled you oh my brother Not so said he I never felt it by well doing and if I may pleasure you it is as joyfull to me as ever it was to you to receiue money for for this cause I liue 26 His loue ever grewe to a man as he knewe the man to growe in godlines his loue decayed as the graces of God decayed first he was greeved and then his loue was flacked 27 Vnto one that was tempted with much vnbeliefe hee gaue this counsell When the temptation commeth either fall downe in praier and say Lord thou makest mee to possesse the sinnes of my youth and this temptation is very equitie howbeit oh Lord graunt I may by wisdome herein make this temptation an holy instruction and suffer me to possesse my soule in patience oh turne this to thy glory and my salvation I see and confesse what hath beene in mee a long time by that which now sheweth itselfe in me and that thy grace hath altogether hitherto kept vnder this corruption yet Lord I beleeue Lord yet I will beleeue helpe Lord my vnbeleefe thy name bee praised for this seale of thy loue and pledge of thy spirit that in this vnbeliefe I am grieved as in my beliefe I am wont to be comforted and though my former ould and secrete sinnes deserue that I should not onely be given over to infidelitie but also that it should be in mee without griefe remorse yet Lord forgiue my sinnes newe and ould forgiue my vnthankfulnes Lorde increase my faith and grant good Father when thou shalt restore to mee this guift of grace againe that I may vse it in feare and shew it by fruites Or if this doe not prevaile giue your selfe with all humblenes to reade the worde of God especially his promises and bee still attending vpon the meanes wayting when the Lord shall inlarge your heart Or if this do not help go to some faithfull brother confesse yourselfe to him acknowledge your weaknes to him be not ashamed to giue God the glory by shaming your selfe and opening your corruption to him that so hee may pray for you whose praier according to the promise of God made to his holy ordinance herein Iames 5. vndoubtedly shall be heard in the appointed time Thus having prayed by yourselfe and with another and vsed the meanes of reading for your recoverie though you haue not present reliefe yet in meeknes of mind and patience of your spirite go to your calling knowing that your praiers and the word of God being as seede must haue some time betweene the sowing of them and the reaping of the increase and fruite of them Aboue all reason not with your temptations dispute not with the Devill as though you could prevaile of yourselfe and as I would not you shoulde dispute with your temptation so I woulde not you shoulde despise it and make no account of it for in both are extremities If you take it toe much to heart or maruell howe you should overcome such a temptation it will make you dull or desperate If you account of it toe little and maruell howe such things should come into your head which was not woont to be so it will make you not to striue and you shall be swallowed vp before you be aware If you account of it toe fearfully Sathan will oppresse you before you beginne to fight If you account of it toe lightlie the devill needes not to wrestle with you you wil overcome yourselfe Fight boldly in Christ tremble at your owne corruption but rest and trust in Christ your salvation If stil you ar tempted and no bodye by you write your temptation and offer it to God by prayer and promise to him that you will ask counsell at his word at the mouth of his Minister when he shall giue you just occasion If all this help not comfort your selfe with this pledge of Election that you are joyed when you feele your beleefe and you are grieved lest you shuld displease God by your vnbeleefe and knowe that as there is a vicissitude of the meanes of salvation which you must vse so there is also a vicissitude of temptations whereof this is one against which you must striue 28 Vnto one that was tempted with worldly shame and thought the distemperature of his mind proceeded thereof hee saide on this sorte first knowe that Sathan hath no absolute power but a power by permission to trye vs against which we must arme our selues by faith which will assure vs that either the Lord will mitigate our temptation if our power and patience be not great or else if he enlarge the tryall hee will increase our strength
the partie with his friends and increase his discredit with his foes and againe if by all occasions of calling person tyme and place the Lord hath put you in this place to rebuke sinne consider you must put on you the person of the offender that as you spare not his sinne because of the zeale of Gods glory so you presse it not toe farre because of compassion to a brother then look that with these your heart be right in zeal and loue and so call for Gods assistance before you speak his grace in speaking and for his blessing after your speaking if any thing be left out that might haue beene profitable please not your selfe in it but be humbled for it though some infirmities be in you yet shall they not do so much hurt as Gods ordinance shall do good 43 Because great natural and worldlie sorrowe and joye will cause a man to break his sleep at midnight he wold trie himself whether sorrow for sin and joy in salvatiō had caused him to do the like 44 He rejoyced to see his friends but hee was humbled in that hee rested so much in that joye that he forget to doe the good to their salvation or to receiue good from them to his salvation which he thought he should do 45 One asking what hee thought of Fayries hee answered he thought they were spirits but hee distinguished betweene them and other spirites as commonly men distinguish betweene good witches and bad witches 46 His greatest sorrowe was when either he spake of some good thing that was not on himselfe and the greatest joy he had was in the contrarie 47 He vsed this tryal in his affections as of anger griefe joy or such like in this manner if by them he was made lesse fit to pray more vnable to do the good hee should doe lesse carefull to avoid sinne then he thought it carnall and filthie and not of God but when his anger loue grief and other affections provoked him more to praye made him fitter to doe good than he thought his affections sent to him to be as the blessing of God 48 He said whensoever he suspected and feared any evill to come vppon another he ever had a desire to be delivered and deceived of his opinion and that he would be glad to beare the shame of his priuy jealousie so as the person suspected might turne to God 49 He thought all afflictions to bee puttings of him to God frō slothfulnes 50 Vnto one afflicted in minde hee gaue this comfort First if you haue knowledge be thankfull for it and desire the Lord to giue you faith if you haue faith which vndoubtedly you may haue though not rightly discerning your self you presently perceiue it not you must waite on the Lord for feeling of it and though it may be you shall tarrie the Lords leasure long yet surely hee will giue it you in time in the meane time assure your selfe that the greatest faith is when there is least feeling because it is easie for every one in glorious feelings and joyes vnspeakable to beleeue but when a man feeling no sensible comfort in the Lord can notwithstanding beleeue in the Lord and by faith waite on him this mans faith is most great 51 To one that asked his advise whether he might avoid the doing of a thing whereunto he was called because he felt corruption in himselfe he said In avoyding societie you shal cover but not cure your infirmities and though you depart from men yet you cannot goe out of your selfe 52 He gaue this advise to one against the deadnes of the mind that overtaketh the godly First search the cause whether it be for some evil thing done or for some good thing not done so leaving some meanes of salvation vnvsed whether for some sinne seene but not repented of or some sinne repented of but not soundly or for vnthankfulnes Secondlie vse the remedie please not your selfe in it but rouse vppe your selfe as from a slumber which willingly you woulde shake from you call to minde the speciall and greatest mercie of God vse the meanes Thirdly in the meanes offer thy selfe to God waiting humbly and patiently for the time of deliverance neither esteeming toe much or toe little of thy afflictions 53 He said to one that for want of feeling was loath to pray you must not tarrie to pray vntill you find feeling but offer your selfe vp into the handes of Iesus Christ and so humbling your selfe before him pray on and continue in a praier of faith though not of feeling 54 When one asked him concerning Marriage whether it were good to marrie seing somtimes when concupiscence prickt him he was moved to it and some other times when he felt no such thing he thought he might abstene from it he answered Many came hastely into that calling not vsing the meanes of trying their estate throughly before as namely whether they by prayer fasting and avoiding all provocations of Concupiscence haue the guift of Chastitie or not Many vse some of the means but not 〈◊〉 many vse all the meanes but a 〈…〉 therefore it is good to vse first the mean◠not part of them but all of them not for a while but long and attend vppon the Lords ordinance if so be that all these things will not prevaile waite when the Lord shall giue just occasion of vsing that estate to his glorie and for our comforte 55 He said the best way to haue comfort in any of our friends was to pray for them and that he never had more joy in any than in them for whome hee most praied and in them most when he prayed the ofter and vehementliar for them whome we loue whether present or absent for this is a token of true loue to pray for them whome we loue 56 To one that complained of hardnes of heart he saide you must waite for comfort and know that you can now no more judge of your selfe than a man sleeping can judge of things which hee did waking or a man wandering in the dark canne discerne of bright colours who though environed with freshe colours and yet for want of light can haue no vse of his eies nor pleasure in the objects so you haue done great good things whilst God gaue you a waking hearte to put them in practise and the light of his spirit to discerne his graces in you though nowe you haue neither the sight nor sence of them even as he which sleepeth whilst hee waked might doe excellent things and yet now neither he himselfe knoweth of them nor another can discerne them in him and this is the thing that deceiveth and disquieteth many they look for that remisse in them which they had when Gods spirite wrought in the sweetest and fullest measure in them and beeause there is some intermission of the worke of newe birth they think it is a flat amission in them of the spirit of God but as it is a tokē of a mind
more if happely they growe herein negligent in which repetition of their vowes and promises which argueth their great desire of their hearts for looke what one delighteth in hee often speaketh of it and in many wordes they declare that as even in things agreable to nature wee will helpe our delight by often speaking and repeating of them so much more this help is requisit in things aboue nature and among all the partes of godlines which are aboue nature and chiefly in thankes-giving which is more contrarie to nature for we will pray oft for a thing but hardlie giue thanks once yet experience proveth in civil things that of all arguments to perswade one to giue vs a guift none is more eloquent or forcible than to promise our selues to be thankfull and mindefull of that wee shall receiue 81 The cause why our meditations praiers are no stronger in the night is because we joyne not with meditation the examination of our heartes vppon our beddes which if wee did in some trueth it would keepe vs from drowsines and want of reverence in our praiers aswell as worldly men ar kept waking by thinking on worldly matters heere wee are taught by Davids example when wee wante the more solemne and glorious meanes in dignitie to make a supply by often and sinceere vsing of such private meanes as we can 82 It is very hurtfull that abuses haue so long time beene declaymed and the true vses of things so slenderly vrged for though holy dayes haue justly beene spoken against yet the reverent vse of the Sabboth hath beene little defended though superstitious fasts haue beene defaced yet true fasting is not imbraced though the carnall presence of Christ hath beene confuted yet the reall and true presence of Christ hath not beene established though popish discipline hath beene misliked yet who so maintaineth true Discipline is thought to bee a Pope in his owne parish though popish confession hath rightly beene banished yet christian confession is neither known nor acknowledged 83 Though we finde not the spirituall joye which we should feele yet let vs not be toe much cast downe so that our conscience tell vs that wee are ready to withdrawe somewhat from our outward pleasures for want of this inward pleasure and that we haue not prevented or smothered out these spirituall joyes but are grieved that wee haue them not and waite for the time to feele them for of al things we must beware that we draw not into their stead carnall joyes and so driue as it were exile the working of Gods spirit in vs by them 84 As it argueth great height and willingnes to sinne when men fearing to sin in the day redeeme steale time to sin in the night so it sheweth a great height and willingnes to godlines when men beeing not sufficiently contented to doe good in the day stretch their well doing even to the night also wherin they shew themselues to be free from vaine glorie that none seeing them yet they do good for loue of God and not for outwarde things 85 As by nature we are long and hard to be brought to bee grieved so being once downe wee are hard to get vp and to rise out of our griefe againe for two extremities attend vppon vs the one to bee grieved and feared toe little the other to be grieved and feared toe much the one makes vs secure and the other dead and dull To meet with these two it is good in time of joye to thinke what judgments haue befallen vs heretofore what may befall vs hereafter In time of humbling we are to consider what mercies we haue received and what mercies are stored vppe and tarry for vs againe and surelie no one thing makes griefe more to waste vs than the forgetfulnes of Gods mercies past and the carefulnesse of them that are to come though mercies succeede mercies yet the sea of Gods mercies is never drawne drie if we claime hould of them by our former experience 86 Two things especially may warrant both the speakers and the hearers of their doctrine if their calling be good and godly if the generall course of their doctrine be sound and pure Iere. 17. 87 If the health of body bee such a thing as is rather with comfort enjoyed than in words to be expressed how great is the peace of Conscience and joye of the holy Ghost which may bee tasted but cannot be vttered 88 Because wee will not obserue one another which is godlie Discipline others shall obserue vs even the wicked which is a neere discipline 89 There be some which haue peace neither with God nor with themselues as desperate heretiks some haue peace with themselues but not with God as secure sinners some haue peace both with God and with themselues as repentant Christians 90 As in prosperitie nothing is a greater token of Gods favour than to feare our selues so in adversitie there is a pleasant pledge of our conscience when we wait attend on the Lord for the time the manner and the measure of our deliuerance There be foure properties of this waiting The first to waite in our soules Many will not outwardly murmure and yet inwardly they boyle and fret but where is quietnes of heart there can be no great disquietnes in the toung or in the hand The second is to waite on the word for some will waite but it is to obtaine something the sooner not to shew their faith and obedience to the word The third is to continue in it if we had a definitiue determination how many daies or moneths or houres wee shuld waite the end of our tearme drawing neere wold sustaine vs but it is hard to leaue all moments and conditions to the Lord and to be in a continuall expectation but let vs consider howe justlie God may suspend his answer in helping vs either in that our sinnes are not sufficiently bewailed or our faith not sufficiently purified or his grace not sufficientlie wrought in vs. The fourth is by vehemencie in waiting to be kept from faultring or fainting in hope to bee vehement in hope for a while is easie but not to slake the heat of our affections and not to be remisse and dead in the suite of our desire though no appearance of deliverance be seene this is hard indeed vehemencie argueth faith and deferring of our desire doeth not breake our zeale in waiting it bewraieth want of faith when without al hope we are greedy and ravenous to haue our requests or else we cast all away 91 Sathan hath two buffetings when by example we ar provoked to patience First he smelleth of despaire and telleth vs that true it is so did such men abide trouble but they were rare men of rare faith of rare feelings of rare patience God hath not called vs to that measure of grace wee are vnworthie by reason of our sinnes to hope for the like faith or the like fruites of faith This other temptation smelleth