will better helpe in sufferings and keepe up the soule in patience and comfort then the spirit which is spirituall there is no spirit to the sound spirit and the spirit can never bee sound untill that it be made spirituall conscience was made good at the first and conscience is fit for goodnesse now and goodnesse will bee the good of it and the good of man by it learne to know two things First that the goodnesse of The goodnesse of spirit stands in 7. things 1. Holines conscience stands 1. In its sanctity by spirituall renovation when as it is free from the filth of corruption and qualified with divine graces 2. In its quietnesse and peace 2. Quietnesse it must be pacified as well as purified it must not onely bee privatively quiet but also positively quiet there must not only be no torment but a blessed security and assurance within it 3. In its sincerity it must be 3. Vprightnesse upright freed from the rottennesse of guile and hypocrisie this is that truth in the inward parts which God so much delighteth in Psal 51. 6. 4. In its ability when it is 4 Stâ—engtâ— strong in execution and able to exercise its owne operations and freely disposed to spirituall imployments what good can conscience doe us whilst it is weake and unable to beare it selfe 5. In its tendernesse it must 5. Tendernesse be feeling melting yeelding and bleeding 6. In its clearenesse the 6. Clearenesse good of conscience is the light in conscience it must bee filled with saving light and be informed by the rule not onely naturall but spirituall it must in some measure in a spirituall manner see and know it selfe its God its duty its way its worke its object 7. In its freedome it must 7. Liberty have liberty although it hath a a binding power which it derives from the Word of God yet it selfe must bee freed from entanglements by sinne and error and must be brought into bondage by no creature Secondly the way to attaine this goodnesse of spirit is Two waies of attaining goodnesse of spirit 1. To bee sensibly convinced of the badnesse and naughtinesse of our spirits naturally we have within us no sparke of saving goodnesse but our hearts are full of guile and guilt and they are evill above all things Ier. 17. 9. wee foolishly fancie their naturall goodnesse and that keepeth us of from found endeavour after their spirituall goodnesse who among us would labour after that which hee conceiveth hee wants not our worke is to get sound acquaintance with the illnesse and bafenesse of our owne spirits and to bewaile the same before the Lord. 2. To set upon the use of those meanes whereby badnesse may bee remooved and Meanes of making conscience good to be are are foure 1. The Spirit true goodnesse may be brought into your consciences which I conceive are these foure 1. The Spirit in Sanctification who alone can and doth heale the infirmity of mans spirit by the subduing of corruption within him and vouchsafing courage and strength unto the inner man by the creation of all saving graces within 2. The Lord Jesus in application 2. Christ there is that vertue in the bleedings and dyings of Christ that it is able to kill and crucifie sinne and to sprinkle from an evill conscience and to purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. 10. 22. there is enough in the Lord Jesus to make us wholly holy and truly good in Gods sight he being made unto us of God Wisedome and Sanctification and one every way fitted for the communication of holinesse to his members 3. The Word in administration 3. The Word the Law and the Gospell meeting in the spirituall vertue thereof with the spirit of man is a notable meanes to make it good and sound the Word of God by its comfortable promises and cleare directions doth and will mightily enable the spirit in his office of upholding and strengthening man in the daies of adversity the Word of God is sutable nourishment unto the spirit it is strong and the admirable strength of the spirit it is sweet and the great refresher of the spirit it doth every way so glad and cheare mans spirit that it giveth him most sure grounds of standing under the greatest burdens Note beleeve me if that conscience bee not informed by the Word it is blind and where it is not fed by the promises it is infirme and can never beare up our infirmities Vnlesse thy Law had beene my delight I should then have perished in mine affliction Psal 119. 92. 4. Faith in operation a 4. Faith conscience full of infidelity is full of badnesse and feares and sinkings but the more beleeving a mans heart is the more sound and the more stout it is I had fainted unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living Psal 27. 13. I assure you that faith is a grace that deales with the God of all comfort and the Word of all comfort and when distresses are like a strong tyde beating much upon Note us it is as a rock beating off all waves and keepes the spirit in strength and courage in times of trouble Vse 4 Lastly learne a duty of care and respect towards your spirits that they may performe their office in upholding and strengthening you in the daies of your adversity if that our Six things to be done about the spirit 1. Abuse it not spirits faile us we are undone and to this purpose I shall advise you unto these things 1. Abuse not conscience the abuse of our best friends is base and we cannot with safety Tvvelve vvaies of abusing conscience to our selves abuse our spirits Now men abuse their conscience 12. waies 1. By resisting the motions of conscience there is in conscience a certaine naturall power either by a watch word to give warning when men are bent to sinne or to give the check after the commission of sin it is a word within us and behind us it doth dictate to us and direct us Now when a man shall crosse conscience in this worke and notwithstanding all that it saith and doth go on in an evill way this is the abuse of conscience by an act of resistance 2. By disregarding the motions of conscience conscience is speaking and that very loud it many times groweth importunate with us and stands in our way at every turne Now when men turne away their eare and passe over conscience finding out other matters of very purpose that they may not answer or follow conscience it is a great abuse of conscience Acts 24. 26. 3. By wounding and wasting conscience our spirits are tender things and should be gently used it is as our eye and every the smallest dust offends it it is as a glasse and every knocke crackes it it is a brittleship and we may soone
lost them for ever if sense must bee his judge and give the sentence Christ therefore doth shew him his weakenesse and failing in saying to him Thomas Blessed are they that have not seene and yet have beleeved verse 29. you that will have all by sight and feeling or else you will never bee quiet I tell you 1. That sense is not a fit judge of a Christians spirituall condition it cannot at all times see into our estates much lesse report our estate unto us the spirituall Psal 73. 28. condition may be without all feeling eyes may faile and flesh faile and God frowne and faith onely expresse such acts as are pure and hidden grounding it selfe upon the naked promise and how can sense report and give sentence 2. That sense is yea and nay it maketh our condition to bee good and bad lost and found and that many times in one day nay in one hower and all because it looketh on the outside of things judging according to outward appearance I yeeld that it is uncomfortable for a man to walke without his feeling but it is as uncertaine to walke alltogether by feeling 3. That the spirituall course of Christians doth many times goe against all the sense of Christians sense and the promise are many times at a contradiction the promise goeth on when sense cannot perceive it but behold the contrary and how can sense meeting with contrarieties resolve 4. That sense goes mans way but faith goes Gods way sense mooves upon what appeares and takes Gods deed whereas faith relyeth upon Gods Word and pitcheth upon things invisible I will waite upon the Lord that hides his face from the house of Iacob and I will looke for him Esa 8. 17. to this purpose reade Esa 50. 10. Hab. 3. 17 18. Ninthly maintaine and set up faith beleeving is the ground of setling after yee beleeved you were sealed saith Paul Ephes 1. 13. a man cannot have the fruit before hee hath the tree nor safety before hee hath laid himselfe on the rock nor assurance before hee beleeveth looke as the soule Simile breeds seeing in the eyes and hearing in the eares so true faith doth breed in the soule true setlednesse and assurance if Christians could rise up to the granting way of faith their doubts would more and more vanish faith is 1. The first ground of all a Christians assurances and experiences if any man hath either in his soule he obtained them by faith 2. The prime instrument bringing home the comfort of all divine good unto the soule the joy of Heaven merit of Christ and favour of God cannot actually comfort and quiet mans heart untill that faith hath done its part Faith at liberty and in authority doth compose a Christians doubtings keeping him from sinking under them two waies 1. By yeelding a ground for setlednesse all the while the soule can finde and feele no bottome it cannot but doubt and stagger can the ship but rowle up and downe when the Marriner cannot finde a place to Simile fixe his anchor but when a man can finde in and by beleeving the truth and goodnesse of a promise to rest upon and can say as David Remember the Psal 119. 49. word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused mee to hope now is hee resolved and become quiet I beleeved and therefore I spake and what reason is there that a man should doubt his safety when hee is once fully set upon the rocke 2. By overmatching all the causes and grounds of doubtings imagined by Christians Christians doubt many times when as they have little reason to doubt and sometimes they thinke their reasons for their doubtings are unanswerable but faith prevailing will put the lie and folly upon al that can bee said for doubting it will shame and silence the foolish reasonings of the hearts of Gods children you may see this in David when his thoughts ranne wild upon the prosperities of wicked men and the adversities of Gods children how did his doubts come in upon him even to his sinking he saith Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands in innocency for all the day long I have beene plagued but how doth he recover himselfe Surely it was by the exercise and liberty of his faith he went into the house of God and there his faith found matter and ground to worke upon and hee became better setled in his soule Psal 73. 13 14 15 16 17. and truth it is that every thing appeares in all causes of feare when faith is not the master and cannot have full power to bee agent and factor for a Christian Beleeve in the Lord your God and you shall bee established 2 Chron. 20. 20. Tenthly subdue and keepe downe sinne in the love and power thereof If iniquity bee in thine hand put it farre away and let not wickednesse dwell in thy tabernacles for then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot yea thou shalt bee stedfast and shalt not feare Iob â—â— 14 15. where wee plainely see that the more sinne doth die in its love and power within the soule the more will doubtings die too kill sinne and faith lives and doubts vanish The Apostle would that men should draw neere with a true heart in assurance Heb. 10. 22. of faith i. e. to cast away doubtings in their approaches to God and not to come indifferently may bee I shall bee accepted may bee I shall not but as verily perswaded of Gods acceptation happily some Christian might say to him how might a man doe this hee answereth having the heart sprinkled from an evill conscience q. d. faith cannot well perswade nor the heart settle till you get quit of sinne if your consciences doe charge and condemne you of evill you will bee doubtfull truth it is that doubtings are cured by Mortification the heart must bee circumcised of its unbeleeving and hardnesse and ungodlinesse ere ever wee shall get quit of doubtings if wee resolve to bee evill wee must resolve to bee doubtfull were it not for sinnefullnesse faith would bee quicker and stronger and wee more setled and staied in our mindes a heavie rhume falling into the eyes doth hinder a man from looking up and sinne entertained in the soule reares up contrary reasonings and denials to faith making the incouragements of it to bee so difficult that a Christian spirit doth faile him and hee shall not bee able to looke up Psal 40.12 CASE III. Of personall unworthinesse IT hath not a little troubled the minds of many of Gods deare children to consider what unworthy creatures they are in themselves and that they are so ill deserving at Gods hands having no more goodnesse in them to commend them to Gods acceptation and love wee finde them many times complaining and that with much griefe of heart that they have nothing in them but sinne and wickednesse and how should God ever accept such as they are to love and life under the presence
it or disliking of it contentment maketh the present condition to bee Gods condition and knoweth that Gods condition is the best condition Psal 16. 6. 3. Satisfyingnesse of minde In all contentment there is sufficiency there is a blessednesse even in misery and there shall be no want in all wants the reachings and cravings of the soule shall bee fully answered Now hereupon because by holy contentment the soule is enabled to take up the impression of the present condition as humid qualities doe receive the figure of their continent and because the mind and soule falls in with an afflicted condition as the dispensation and allotment of a Soveraigne and wise God hence it is J say that the spirit is so sustaining under trialls and troubles 5. A sound spirit is a beleeving spirit filled and qualified with faith which must needs bee a ground of strong supportance under all humane calamities all things are possible to him that beleeveth and a spirit of faith is couragious and conquering doe but consider a fourefold worke of faith enabling the sound spirit to beare Faith doth 4. things to the enabling of the spirit under the crosse its calamity 1. It apprehends divine assistances and sets up overmatching helps under all calamities it is the dejection of the spirit to be left to it selfe in times of trouble and for a man to finde to his sense a troubled condition to be his master as we may see in Elishaes servant who when he saw the great hoste of the King of Assyria sent to take his master crieth out Alas master how shall we doe his troubles were above all his arguments and the man seemeth to be at his wits end But behold the faith of Elisha and you shall see it to be above all his trouble for he quiets his owne heart and the heart of his man with the beleeving apprehension of a greater power with him then against him Saying feare not for they that bee with us are more then they that be with them 2 King 6. 15 16. it is the worke of faith to finde out and to bring home a Christians helps unto him in times of triall it makes God at such times both present in favour and assistant in councell and power in confidence of this David will lie him downe and sleep wake and not be afraid Psal 3. 5 6. of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against him round about yea he can walke thorow the valley of the shadow of death and feare none evill Psal 23. 4. 2. It sets up God for a mans owne in love and care in the midst of all afflictions God separated and divided from a Christian in any misery is the weakenesse of the Spirit and makes the heart to sinke and faint within Oh how downe dead how crackt and undone was David when God to his sense was gone from him at such times he was a man without a spirit and now the evill was great and sore and intollerable But when by the eye of faith God was discovered to be his God and hee could well perceive that it was not all his afflictions which could separate him from the love of God unto him in Christ Now he cheeres up himselfe and saith to his soule Why art thou so dejected O my soule trust still in God who is the health of my countenance and my God Psal 43. 5. 3. It keepeth of from the soule and spirit whatsoever might weaken or deject it in and under calamities in the day of a Christians calamitie it is with him as it is in the gathering of a bile or botch in the body all the ill humours will make their recourse unto the botch increasing disquietment unto the patient just so when we have miseries seazing upon us suspition of Gods love towards us Note feares of what men can doe against us and tumultuousnesse of passions will haunt and follow us in so much that wee finde we have our selves to bee greater troubles to our selves then all outward troubles that doe befall us wee sticke our selves in greater deepes then troubles doe cast us into Now faith relieveth the soule against these or the like things partly Foure vvaies hovv faith releeveth the soule in carrying a man from all the creatures unto God shewing unto him that men are but men whose breath is in their nostrills and whose power is confined and malice over-ruled by the power of an Almighty God who being with us and for us wee need in nothing to feare who can harme us partly in keeping a man from looking too much downeward and overwhelming our selves in and by the aggravation of our trouble Simile if men looke too much upon the water in tempestuous times their heads will soone swimme and their stomack qualme and whilst sense and reason is poaring into an afflicted condition and a man is willing and wittie in aggravating his miseries unto the highest making the most and the worst of them the spirit will soone bee sicke and sink and faint within now faith sets a man above all his miserable conditions shewing to a man that hee lieth not at the mercie of any his most miserable conditions that as it is not a good condition which can make him so it is not any bad condition that can marre him partly by setting a Christian upon the way of mitigation learning the Christian the art and skill of breaking the wave in the midst of his most violent tossings Now it starts up the hand of God in all this and the wisedome and goodnesse of God in ordering all unto good which was Davids stay in the great calamity and made him to say let him alone and let him curse the Lord hath bidden him and it may bee that the Lord will looke on mine affliction and that the Lord will requite good for his cursing this day 2 Sam. 16. 11 12. partly by countermanding the violent risings and habituall vexations of the soule faith is an enemy unto distempered passions it checks it and crieth it downe and will not admit that a man should be angry and froward and fretfull under the hand of God Dost thou well to be angry Jonah 4. 4 saith faith shall we receive good and not evill from the Lord Iob 2. 10. 4. It puts the pawnes and earnests of God into the hands of a Christian in evill times a man in any condition without the promise is as weake as miserable but the promises of God going along with a man they will proove his greatest strength and comfort in any condition we must know that the Covenant was made for the comforting of Christians in all conditions and there are speciall promises made to Christians in times of their distresse which onely faith can finde and supply the Christian withall by meanes where of the head is held above water and the man made stronger then all his trialls and crosses when faith reades that God wil know the soules
filth of it get the washing of Justification and of Sanctification into thy soule and doubt not but thou shalt be cured 3. Apply the playster 3. Unto the laying on of the all-healing plaister upon the wound it is the plaister in application that is healing Christs blood was shed to heale broken spirits Esay 61. 1 2 3. 53. 6. He is that Sun of righteousnesse that hath healing under his wings Mal. 4. 2. that blood alone can asswage all our ragings and heale all our woundings Now then make a seasonable application of that blood to your wounded soules sprinkle with his blood your wounded spirits God alone is pacified if the blood of Christ be sprinkled and conscience doth heale when God is reconciled O that we would set our selves by faith into the dying and bleedings of Christ a man must earnestly labour to beleeve that Christ doth and will satisfie for those sinnes which breed the terror within and this will proove the curing and the comforting of his heart as we may see Act. 16. 31. 4. Unto the daily openings 4. Dresse it daily and dressings of the wound it is a necessary thing for the soule to be venting it selfe into full and frequent confessions of sin there is a need of letting out the filthy matter that the wound in healing gathereth this wee hold keepe in sin and Note you keepe on your trouble but let out the filthy matter and ease will follow it is an easing thing to bee much in acknowledgement of sin to God and to accuse a mans selfe of sin before God we see David found it specially curing unto him Psal 32. 3 5. and besides this there must be the renewing of our repentance and godly sorrow for sins committed sinfull wounds are deepe wounds and great sins call for great sorrowes David was wholy in teares and Peter weepes bitterly and wee must be constant in repenting if wee expect a compleate and comfortable cure and lastly we must lay open all our sores before the Lord in prayer Davids sore ran and ceased not and yet in the day of his trouble he sought the Lord and he prayed when his spirit was full of anguish Psal 77. 2 3. and thus must we doe wee must come unto God with all our sinnes and soares craving healing from him who will heale us in his owne time and by his owne meanes Hosea 6. 1. 14. 4. 5. Unto the upholdments of 5. Provision our spirits under all the dressings of its wounds wee are very apt to faint in the thought of distresses but when wee are felt and drest and dealt withall in a most healing way wee are ready to qualme and sinke so that it doth very much concerne us to have our cordials and restoratives neare us such as are the sweet and precious promises of the Note Covenant of grace wee must set our selves under grace and beleeve that God hath a good opinion of us and that his love is towards us wee must set up the saving vertue of Christs blood against the damming power of sinne wee must eye Gods acceptance of weake endeavours and passing by of many failings wee must conclude that a state of love may bee under the sense of much wrath and that though the paine for the present be much and great yet it is sanctified and God will put an end unto it for good unto such as are his in Covenant This if we could wisely doe wee should keepe downe the risings of uncomfortable thoughts and cease so much talking of our paine and making complaint thereof and happily attaine to the curing of the wounds of our spirits the greatest of mercies and the ground of singular rejoycing because the wounds of the spirit are so intollerable and unsufferable as I have opened unto you Eight Cases of conscience opened for the relievement of wounded spirits IT now remaineth that I open unto you some of the things which are greatly wounding unto mans spirit and yeeld unto you such relievements against them as Cases of conscience doe require a work requiring both experimentall knowledge and the tongue of the Learned unto which I acknowledge my selfe insufficient yet having found the good proofe of these following directions in the comforting of many soules already I am the more encouraged to communicate them unto you in a more publique way and the blessing of the Almighty goe along with them CASE I. Of the suspension of divine favour THe first thing which I Case 1. shall speake of as The absence of Gods lovâ— in sense is a great trouble greatly wounding and troubling the spirits of Gods children is the absence of God in the sense and feeling of his loving kindnesse all absences of God suppose them to be longer or shorter inward or outward troubles Christians exceedingly if Caine could make it distraction unto him when he was cast out of Gods visible presence Gen. 4. 15 16. If Mary weepe because that they had taken away her Lord and she knew not where that they had laid him Iohn 20. 13. how much more wounding unto Christians is the suspension of divine favour the soule cannot lie under the sense of Gods displeasure and withdrawments of his love without much alteratioâ— and affliction The life of a Christian is much after the life of some great Favourite in the Court whose Simile comforts or discomforts depends upon the countenance or discountenance of his Prince or as it is with the Marigold which opens and shuts with the Sun just thus all the while the love of God shines upon a Christian so as he is able to apprehend it he lives and is very chearefull in spirit the sense of divine love is a spring of joy a well of consolation and the admirable refreshment of the soule a Psal 30 5. thy favour is life b Psal 63 3. thy loving kindnesse is better then life saith David this was it that gave unto him exceeding joy of heart Psal 4. 6 7. The Church sate under the shadow of Christ with great delight and his fruit waâ—â—weet unto her taste Cant. 2. 3. The enjoyment of this love is the day and joy of a Christian But now if that there bee a withdrawment or clouding or restraining of the love of God unto sense let God I say but hide his face and seeme to forget and forsake his let him but cover himselfe with a cloud and absent himselfe for a time covering his with his wrath and just displeasure now 't is all night and darkenesse yea and death it selfe unto Christians as you may see in these Scriptures of experience Psal 30. 7. 88. 14. 44. 24. 77. 3 7 8 9. 13. 1. 31. 22. Lam. 3. 18. 42 43 44. Esa 45. 15. 49. 14. Ionah 2. 4. Reason And all this is by reason of that conjunction and relation that is betweene God and them and the wonderfull sweetnesse and joy wherewithall they were filled and refreshed in tâ—â— daies of their
travells he should never be at a stand or question which was the way that he should take and it is to me as strange a Christian that can passe over so many crosse and unknowne paths unto nature as are to be gon over and yet never to bee weather-beaten or wind-shaken or to be so simple as to doubt for certaine this is nothing but presumption and selfe-deceiving and I would wish no man to blesse himselfe in this estate The other doubts of his 2. Men of doubtings estate because of doubtings it is a maine part of Satans policie to stagger Gods children and to cause the rising up of suspitions within themselves doubting whether that they are Christians in the state of grace by reason of the many doubtings that are found within them O say they we find within our selves the suspension of our mindes in the determination thereof our soules doe hang betweene two objects and unto The nature of doubtings either of them they cannot fixedly incline wee finde that there are at one time two distinct and opposite waies and objects and ends proposed and presented unto our mindes for choice as to beleeve and not to beleeve to be saved and not to be saved to doe this and not to doe this to have heaven and not to have heaven and now it becomes questionable unto us which of these two is eligible or which of these two shall befall us the minde reflects upon both and lookes upon both yet one alone must be ours in the issue our mindes doe debate exceedingly and beate themselves about them whether this or that this way or that way wee shall goe wee know not there are found within us at the same time the assentings dissentings of our minds perswasions and disswasions take hold of us we are like unto the waves of the sea that thrust forth to the shore and yet drawing backe againe or like unto men in ungrounded Simile places who no sooner pluck up one leg but the other sinkes in deeper many reasons on either side are apprehended and no fastning can be found if we looke 1. Upon things to be beleeved Doubtings seene in two things and done there are within us doubtings of the truth and goodnesse of the one or of the lawfullnesse and unlawfullnesse of the performance of the other we still halt betweene two opinions if wee looke 2. Upon our owne particular course and condition whether that we are Christians indeed and be such whose persons are accepted of God whose waies do please God who have any part in the Covenant or just title to the best things and that when we die wee shall goe to Heaven here likewise our hearts doe mis-give us and we daily question our owne estates And could this bee our condition if that we were in a good estate This I confesse is the trouble of Gods dearest children whose Doubtings in the godly cause 4. things mindes within them are diversly carried and cannot come to a rest whose mindes doe hang in suspence and cannot determine this condition causeth unto them 1. Multiplication of disputes such persons have contrariety of reasonings within themselves reason can never be equally ballanced but remaineth as a paire of scales turning this way and that way such can say as much why they should not doe such and such duties as why they should doe them and they conceive as many and as strong reasons why that they should be damned as well as saved 2. Interruption of the practicall act of the understanding that it cannot give sentence either way for a man or against a man so that men under doubts remaine under certaine trouble and restlesnesse but uncertaine quiet and reliefe and know no more what to resolve on then he who hath referred himselfe and his cause unto the umperage of him who will not as yet declare himselfe 3. Uproare in affections they will be very tumultuous passions by doubtings are set on a hurley burley and rage exceedingly now men fret and feare and faint and even vexe themselves unto death 4. Alterations and changes men under doubts are constant in inconstancie and do never remaine setled unto themselves they cannot bee long of one mind but as the weather-cock doth turne with Simile every turning of the wind from point to point so such men to day shall and will be of a good mind for God and Heaven but to morrow shifting and of a new and another mind thus do they every day vary from themselves and this being the condition of a doubtfull Christian I cannot wonder why his doubts should so perplexe him Consider with mee one thing more what it is that causeth doubtings in the soule and if we prove the springs or causes to be evill and terrible no marvaile if that they are so troublesome unto Christians I open it thus unto you Five cau ses of doubtings in Christians Doubtings within Christians spring 1. From originall corruption that sinning sinne and mother of all sinne in men which hath in it the seed of all sinne and therefore doubtings nature it selfe can nothing but doubt flesh in the Elect is wavering and weake even when grace would beleeve and settle innumerable evills have compassed mee about mine iniquities have taken hold of mee so that I am not able to looke up they are more then the haires of my head therefore my heart faileth mee saith David Psal 40. 12. in which place you may see plainely what it was that made Davids heart to faile him it was his sinnes these were the clog unto his spirit and these were they that did stagger and doubt him 2. From the darknesse and ignorance that is within their mindes withholding not so much the light of nature as the light of the Scripture in generall and of the promise in particular without which they are never able to judge aright of things and condition what determination can there be whilst a man is in darkenesse he that cannot see what hee is or where he is may do things at a venture only but in all things he Pro. 4. 18. is uncertaine and doubtfull 3. From the hurryings and winnowings of Satan who followeth Gods children with many and various temptations in times of tempest it is no new thing to see a ship fastly anchored Simile tossed too and fro and when Satan is maliciously haunting and vexing a Christian no marvaile if doubts and irresolvednesse do appeare 4. From the greatnesse of dangers into which they are cast if Peter be ready to sinke in the sea he will doubt O thou Mat. 14. 31. of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt saith Christ we see how his feares did sinke him below the waters and â—urely as a Christians troubles inward or outward doe arise so doe his doubtings arise also the ship doth not more naturally arise Simile with the flowing in of the waters then doubts in the soule with the comming in of troubles 5. From Gods forsaking