Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	believe_v	faith_n	power_n	4,181	5	5.2665	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20398	A Most excellent and profitable dialogue, of the powerfull iustifying faith shewing what it is to beleeue in God, and what wonders are wrought by the power of beliefe, be it worldly or diuine, and what things do hinder beliefe : also how a man may hate himselfe, and by faith forsake himselfe, and kill the deeds of the flesh : the effect of the talke is this, that he which beleeueth in God, and in his son Iesus Christ, is able by the power of that beliefe, to mortifie his flesh, with the lusts thereof, through the Holy Ghost, and to serue God in spirit and truth / translated out of Latine by Arthur Golding.	Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606.	1610 (1610)	STC 6809.5; ESTC S342	24,313	58

and without such hardnesse there is no accesse to be had to that strength like as a figge or a grape cannot become sweet except it be first sowre And because I my selfe haue not yet attained the victory but do yet still sweate in the incounter of forsaking my selfe and as yet am farre off from the garland I will say no more concerning the victory that is to say concerning the thing which is vnknowne to me but yet as much as I can I will helpe you by Gods grace in the incounter if you wil be my companion Lew. Truly for my part although my selfe do shudder start backe at it yet am I carried with my spirit and mind to follow you For I sée no other way for a man to be saued but by departing out of his owne nature that hee may put vpon him the nature of Christ and by caring studying striuing and taking paines to repaire the image whereafter we were created And therefore beséeching God y t it may be to his glory 〈◊〉 mine owne saluation henceforth I yeeld my selfe into this way as a follower of Christ taking God for my guide Fred. And I thanke God for this willingnesse which he hath giuen you beseeching him to finish his worke which hee hath begun in you and to bring you to that poynt that yee may at length serue righteousnesse as ye haue serued vnrighteousnesse which thing hee will vndoubtedly do except you grieue his spirit and cast it out through your disobedience Finally of this I will warne you that you must haue a rich faith because you beleeue in him that is rich in doing good For men haue euer sinned in beleeuing vnto wardly and more niggardly of Gods gracious goodnesse then they ought to do Abraham and Sara were rebuked for laughing as though it had bene a matter to be laughed at that God promised them issue when they were both old and Sara moreouer barraine Zacharias the father of Iohn Baptist was striken dumbe for a time because hee beleeued not the Angels words We be commonly more forward in following the weake beleefe or if I may so terme it the vnbeleefe of the godly then in following their full and rich beliefe Why doe wee not rather follow those which durst beleeue all things Elizeus durst craue double the spirit of Elias which soothly was a great thing euen by the record of Elias himselfe and yet he obtained it so vnpossible is it for any faith to be so great but that Gods gracious goodnesse and power doe surmount the same All things saith he are possible to the beleeuer Againe Whatsoeuer you aske beleeue that you shall obteine it and yee shall haue it in deede Remember I say the saying of Elizeus speaking after this maner to the poore woman Borrow oyle vessels of thy neighbours yea borrow a great sort and the Lord will fill them all full Euen so Lewis let vs do our endeuour that wee may haue such a faith as may be able to receue the greatest good things and let vs be bold to beleeue that God both can and wil bring to passe that wee shall loue him alone with our whole heart soule power and strength And hee of his owne gracious goodnesse will bestowe all thinges vpon vs much more largely then we can euen thinke for his Sonne our Lord Iesus Christs sake to whom be honour glory and dominion for euer Amen FINIS 2 Thes. 1.11 Rom. 6.2.4 Prou. 15. Rom. 5.1 Gal. 5.6 He beginneth at the difficulties of obeying GODS healthful commandements The effectuall power force of beliefe The righteousnesse of the law and why it beareth that name Beliefe without obedience is dead A godly Christian wish concerning obedience Beliefe in God is most necessary to the obtaining of saluation Many things are easie to bee said which are hard to bee done The first way to the knowledge of the truth What it is to beleeue in the Father is shewed by the gathering together of certaine circumstāces How needful obedience to the Father is is shewed by examples Fleshly feare 〈…〉 How belife in God is neglected by trusting too much to these trāsitory flightfull things That Gods promises deceiue not the beleeuers Two things may let mē frō performing their promises Honors change maners as the common prouerbe saith How boūtifull God is to them that loue him Proofes or tokens of mistrust in God Abrahams faith is of necessity to saluation This as I take it is that which they call the historicall faith The signes that are peculiar to the beleeuers The force of worldly faith and how wonderfully it moueth men He proceedeth in shewing the strēgth of the worldly beleefe How great force worldly beleefe hath euen amōg some whole Nations A triall of Christian faith most worthy to be obserued Where obedience is not there is not faith The mark whereat mans saluatiō shooteth What things our forefathers attained to by their faith The fond idle beliefe of the Iewes The work fulnesse of Christian faith appeareth in charity Who they bee which haue the true Christian faith To what purpose bodily myracles are wrought The diuels that lurk within vs and what is meant by speaking with new tongues The works of such as speak with new tongs Of the true iustifying faith how mighty it is in working No man doubts but that all these things are spoken of the wicked beleeuers By an argument frō the lesser to the greater he sheweth the force of true faith Paules faith warranted by his owne record What thing held Paul occupied chiefly aboue all other things The true faith hath scarce any place in the world The impediments of faith shewed by an argument taken from the Court barre or from a case in Law An example by the vse of things in common Another example by the deliuering of soules c. The last example by the persecution for religiōs sake Selfe-loue is the hinderer of faith There is no boubt among Christians cōcerning the doings of Christ What is the cause that so few beleeue Gods commandements Not myracles but beliefe is needfull to saluation The beleeuing of Christs resurrection maketh all the rest of his sayings doings credible What is meant by not beleeuing of Christs commādements and who they be that offēd in that behalfe How the Israelites beleeued not God in that they beleeued not his cōmādemēts How the place taken out of Iohn is to be vnderstood Psalm 95.8 Selfe loue dazeleth mens eyes that they cannot see to beleeue the truth What is the cause why false Prophets do easily finde credit We must 〈…〉 hate our selues and not loue our selues All things be they else neuer so impossible are possible to the power of God How pernicious selfe-loue is is shewed by certaine familiar exāples Men are ●aught with pleasure as ●●shes are 〈◊〉 an an●gle a ba●t 〈◊〉 their vndoing Euery mās own flesh is a harlot of whom he warneth men to take very good heede Most wholsome counsel worthy to be followed The incōparable harmes that come of pleasure The preposterous ●re●erri●g 〈◊〉 the feare 〈◊〉 worldl●●unishnēt ●●fore the ●●are of GODS ●rath ●engeāce The cōclu●●ō gathe●ed of the ●●ings go●●g afore The knowing of many yea or of al things is no let 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 may serue the Diuell 〈◊〉 being 〈◊〉 natiue ●ountry ●annot bee ●orsaken without griefe to vs. Euery mā is a deadly enemy to himselfe how such an enemy is to bee dealt with The flesh the spirit are cleane cōtraries and fightful but one against another A familiar example wha● by 〈◊〉 goet● about to teach a man how to forsake himselfe That to the beleeuer all things seeme they neuer so high hard or aboue power are notwithstanding easie to bee done There is but onely one right way to the attainment of saluatiō Men must not conceiue spa●ingly and niggardly but largely 〈◊〉 aboun●antly of 〈◊〉 gra 〈…〉 dnesse We cannot aske so largely at Gods hand but that his bounty wi●● surmoun● it God will grant vs all good things for Christs ●●ke

you shold suffer to haue it shewed that you want the thing which you weene you haue aboundantly soothly the first entrance to the knowledge of truth is to vnlearne the vntruth or else there will be no roome for seede where all is ouergrowne with weeds Come on therefore let vs examine your beliefe I pray you Lewis when you were a child did you beleeue in your father Lew. What meane you by beléeuing in my father Fred. That you tooke him for your father and depended wholly vpon him Lew. Yea that I did Fred. Then if you wanted any thing as shooes apparell or meate you resorted to none but him neither doubted you any whit his good will towards you Lew. Surely no more then of mine owne Fred. Againe if any mis-hap befel you you had your eye vpon him onely Lew. Yea verily Fred. Also if he promised you any thing you doubted not of his performance Lew. No more then if I had had the thing already in my hand Fred. Then tooke you no thought for his behauiour towards you but onely of your owne towards him Lew. You say truly Fred. Moreouer if he either commanded you any thing or did any thing himselfe whereof you being a child knew not the reason or which seemed to you against reason yet notwithstanding you did it and stood not skanning doubtfully vpon his doings Le. So is it For vpon a time whē new grapes were broght in he bad me tread vpon thē with my féet surely me thought it was a fond thing to treade vpon so good and faire grapes which I had rather should haue bene saued to eate But because he was my father I thought he cōmanded me not without a cause therefore I obeied him Also at another time whē he shredded his vines grafted trées to my séeming it was against reasō to cut off y e boughs which nature had brought forth which were likely to haue broght forth fruit But yet this thought ran alwaies in my minde Unlesse this were good my father would not do it Fred. Now let vs come vnto God You say you beleeue in God the Father by that name you call vpon him saying Our Father which art in heauen and so forth Surely it is meete therefore that you should depend vpon him no lesse then you depended vpon your father when you were a child Lew. Yea. Fred. Then if you want any thing you fly vnto God alone and you doubt not at all but that hee will giue you all things bountifully What Doubt yee why answer you not my Lewis Confesse the truth and let not fleshly feare restraine you which is wont to with-hold men frō being aknown of their vices because they are afraid lest hee to whom they be to be vttered should mislike of them as of sinful folk or make the lesse account of thē But there is no such perrill toward you at my hand for I cannot finde in my heart to mislike of any man for those things which I both see bewaile in my selfe not long agoe and I doubt not but are in others also vnlesse they bee come already to their wayes end which certesse we two that is to say you and I haue not yet attained vnto neither will I make the lesse account of you for confessing the things with your mouth to your friend which I am sure you acknowledge already in your heart Lew. O my Frederike I am ashamed to be acknowne of it Uerily I am yea euen very sore afraid lest I should want bread and drinke and such other things specially when I sée I haue but a little money left and no likely meane at hand whereby to get new money Fred. What if you haue your purse full or some meane in a readinesse whereby to come by money thē you take no thought at all or at least-wise your thought is the lesse Lew. It is so Fred. Ergo you trust to your money or to your owne policy more then to God Lew. Truly it is euen so Fred. But when you were a child you trusted onely to your father Lew. Yea. Fred. Now then you see how you beleeue not in God but in your mony and in your owne policy Verily I beleeue these things seeme boysterous vnto you in that you be not able to deny them and yet are either doubtful or ashamed to confesse them so soone But enforce your selfe Lewis Many things are to bee sifted out which lye lurking in our hearts and the very root must be gone vnto without the plucking vp whereof we cannot bee saued Let vs go on What say you to aduersitie Lewis Is your minde nothing troubled at it Lew. Yes very sore I can very ill away with it and besides that I séeke all the corners of my wit for worldly helpe Fred. What do you concerning Gods promises Hee hath promised to giue all things needfull for your life if you first seeke his kingdome and righteousnesse Do you certainly beleeue that promise so as you doubt no more of his faithfulnesse then you did of your fathers when you were a child Lew. Alas I am farre from it Fred. But if your neigbour Henry Rottenfield a rich man and in account of the world a man of good credit had promised you three hundred crownes I am of opinion you were ridde of that care for a good sort of yeares Lew. Yea that I were Fred. Now God hath promised not 300. crownes but all things that you haue need of and yet you distrust him Lew. O how truly you say Fred. Lesse therefore doe you beleeue in God I say not than in your owne father but than in Henry Rottenfield Lew. I am compelled to confesse the truth Fred. And yet men may start from their promises either through vntrustinesse or for want wherof none of both can befall vnto God You therefore by this distrust of yours doe falsly accuse God either of vntrustinesse or of want Lew. I do so indéed Fred. Now if you doe thus distrust of God in the sustenance of your body which notwithstanding you haue neuer wanted to this houre can you trust to him for the blessed endlesse life which you neuer yet tasted of For consider the matter after this sort with your selfe If a king should now send an Embassadour vnto you to adopt you for his son and you beleeued him how would you behaue your selfe Lew. Truly what substance soeuer I haue I would make no reckoning at all of it being here as a Way farer in body I should haue my minde running vpon the Court for a much like thing happened to me when I was a stripling For whereas I liued in very slender state I was called into the houshold of a certaine Gentleman of great worship and wealth wherupon I felt my mind so altered y t I thought of none of the things which I had thought of before neither was I pincht with any further care

Insomuch that when my father my mother were about to haue sent me a little money I sent them word againe that thenceforth I should néed no money What néed many words I imagined aforehand in my minde a kinde of fashion of the buildings and of the place and of the persons among whom I was to dwell and yet had I neuer seene them Fred. I beleeue you Lewis For I my selfe haue had experience of the like But what if you had not beleeued that message Lew. Surely I had continued in mine old state still Fred. And what if a man had seene you abiding in your former state might he not well haue auowed that you beleeued not the message Lew. Yes very well Fred. Now let vs come to the matter To them that loue God God hath promised such good things as neither eye hath seene nor eare heard nor heart of man conceiued Let vs confesse the truth here also my Lewis If we beleeued this promise throughly should not our mindes be rauished vp into heauen so as no earthly care might touch vs much lesse trouble vs Lew. Yes verily Fred. But now when wee bee glad of gaine sory for losse greatly grieued and cast downe with reproch hoysed vp with honour and ouerioyed with pleasure all which things are earthly is it not an apparant proofe that we beleeue not Gods promises but sticke still to the earthly inheritance Lew. Yes that it is Fred. What if God should promise vs some thing that might seeme vnpossible as when he promised old Abraham a son by Sara being old and barren too Or what if hee should command vs a thing that might seeme vnreasonable as when he willed the said Abraham to offer vp his sonne in sacrifice by which sonne he had promised him an off-spring without number Lew. Surely I am afraid wee would not beleeue him Fred. And yet was Abraham the father of the faithfull so as if we will bee saued we must haue the faith of Abraham And thus much concerning beliefe in the Father Now if we come to the Sonne I feare me we much lesse beleeue in him For I take not faith as a number thinke it to be a beleeuing that Christ hath done and suffered the things which are written of him for as for that faith or beliefe the very diuels haue it But I speake of the true liuely mightfull faith which is able euen to remoue mountaines whereof the Lord speaketh thus The signes that shal follow those which beleeue are these In my name they shall cast out Diuels speake with new tongues and driue away serpents if they drinke any deadly thing it shal not hurt them When they lay their hands vpon sicke folkes the sicke folkes shall recouer Doe these tokens follow your faith Lewis Lew. No verily Fred. Then you haue not faith Lew. Why They deny that there is now any néede of myracles Fred. Neither do I now require any such neither were they at that time wrought by all beleeuers For Paul writeth Do all worke myracles Haue all the gifts of healing Doe all speake with tongues The thing that I require is the same that Peter requireth Get you strength to your faith saith he For needs must the faith of any man or of any time haue strength if it bee matched with loue Which thing that you may the better vnderstand consider the force of worldly beliefe A man beleeues that riches are good and that it is possible for him to attaine to it by merchandise Hereupon leauing oftentimes a very faire and deare-beloued wife and yong children at home hee vndertakes the vnmeasurable perils of robbers of waies and of seas and endureth intollerable pains to feth the riches whereon hee hath set his beliefe and loue euen from Taprobane and the Isles of Canarie which are the vttermost parts of the world and it is his beliefe that purchaseth him this stoutnesse For vnlesse he beleeued he would not do it And therefore it may bee said that this man is enriched by beliefe What shall wee say of Learning Lewis The child beleeueth that learning and humane arts are a very goodly thing and to bee sought with all his power And thereupon applying himselfe to them day and night hee endureth pouertie cold and whatsoeuer else in seking them with all his might to the intent hee may attaine to the thing which hee beleeueth to bee good Also what do souldiers What kind of calamity is there which they vndertake not to obtaine either victory or reward How often watch they all the night long How often are they pinched with hunger insomuch that sometimes they eate Mice Rats Horses yea euen their own shooes and afterward make their boast thereof Whence haue they so great strength Whence but of beliefe For they beleeue the thing which they couet to be good Againe what do hunters doe do they not spend oftentimes the whole winter nights abroad when the cold is so great that it giueth euen the flints Yea and what do louers what inconueniences do they not most gladly endure to the intent to please the partie whom they be in loue withall And still they deeme themselues happy that they haue suffered those things for her sake And this force of beliefe is seene no onely in seuerall persons but also euen in whole nations For whereof comes it that our Italians doe so easily absteine from drunkennesse or that the Swissers are so resolute in battell that they will rather be slaine then flye Euen of this that they are perswaded in themselues that so they ought to doe And surely if they perswaded themselues alike in all other vertues they should excell alike in all other vertues Many other things of the same sort may be gathered so great is the power of the beliefe that worketh in thē Therefore let vs examine our faith that we may seee whether Christs spirit do dwell in vs or no. Christ telleth vs that they bee blessed which doe hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and hee commandeth vs to hoord vp treasure in heauen Come on Doe you feele as great thirst of righteousnesse as euer you haue selt at any time of water or as great desire of Gods kingdome as the couetous man feeleth desire of money Doe you watch day and night to please God Haue you euer spent a whole yeare or twaine in the study of godlinesse Lew. Nothing lesse Fred. Well What strength haue you in suffering of wrongs If a mā strike you on the right cheeke can you turne to him the left Can you blesse him that curseth you Can you wish well to him that reuileth you Can you pray for him that raileth vpon you Can you seeke his welfare which practiseth your death Lew. Soothly I am very farre off from these things Fred. Then doe you not beleeue in Christ. For if you did you would obey his commandements Lew. But I neuer referred beléefe to

that to obey is not a harder matter then to work myracles and yet that to obey belongeth to all beleeuers whereas to work myracles belongeth not to all as I haue shewed afore Lew. Indeede these things are true Fredericke but yet there remaineth one thing which I would faine haue opened vnto me You said euen now that all men beleeue Christs histories but not his cōmandements likewise But if they beleeued y e whole story of Christ specially his resurrection in my opinion they should beleeue all the other things also For no doubt but if they beleeued that Iesus Christ is risen from the dead in so doing they should both beleeue that he is the very sonne of God indeed and moreouer giue credit to all his sayings In which respect Iohn said These things are written to the intent yee might beléeue that Iesus is the annoynted sonne of God and that through beleeuing it yée should obtaine life by his name Fred. Whereas I deny that they beleeue his commandements I would not haue it so taken as though they beleeued not that his commanding of those things was well and as became the sonne of God to doe but that forasmuch as they beleeue not that the things which he commanded to be done are either possible or needfull to be done misconstruing them after their own fancy not according to his mind I say they beleeue them not aright For your better vnderstanding whereof I will giue you an example When God hauing brought the children of Israel out of Aegypt commanded them to enter into the land of Canaan did they beleeue that God commanded it Lew. Yea verily Or else they would neuer haue sent spies into the land of Canaan Fred. Why then did they not obey him Lew. Because they were of opinion that the Canaanites could not bee ouercome and that God had brought them out of Egypt not to conquer Canaan but to perish wretchedly in the wildernesse Fred. Then did they not beleeue Gods commandement according to Gods meaning forasmuch as his meaning was that they should haue inuaded Canaan subdued the Canaanites Lew. You say the truth Fred. Thē did they not beleeue aright Lew. No not aright Fred. Whether then are they to be called beleeuers or vnbeleeuers Lew. Truly by this reason they should be called vnbeléeuers Fred. And soothly so they be Lewis in very deede For in the very same place God calleth them vnbeleeuers in these words How long will this people spite me How long will it be ere they will beleeue me for all the miracles which I haue wrought among thē Now if these be iustly called vnbeleeuers the same reason leadeth vs to call the others vnbeleeuers and distrusters of Christs commandements forasmuch as they do no lesse misconstrue the precepts of Christ thā the Israelites did the commandements of God For Christ hath not wrought fewer miracles to vs then Moses did to them Neither did Christ command vs lesse earnestly to subdue sin then God commanded them to subdue the Canaanites Neither are we lesse spiteful distrustful towards him if we deny that sin may be subdued when as hee both commandeth vs and promiseth vs strength then they were spitefull and distrustfull towards God in denying it to be possible to ouercome the Canaanites Neither do we offend lesse against the meaning of Christ when we deny that it is either possible for vs or meant by Christ that wee should do the things which he hath commanded vs to doe then the Israelites offended against the meaning of God when they wrested it another way then his open words imported And therefore in denying them to beleeue Christs commandements I do them no wrong As touching the place of Iohn by you alledged it is to be taken as if a man should haue said at that time to the Israelites GOD hath wrought these miracles for your sakes in Aegypt to the intent you should beleeue and by beleeuing enter into the resting place of Canaan But the cause why all of them came not there was not Gods purpose but their owne hardening of their hearts against him which thing would God were not done in Christ also But we see it is so howbeit the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews warneth vs not to do it citing this saying out of a certaine Psalme To day if ye heare his voyce harden not your hearts as your forefathers did harden theirs Therefore to returne againe to the matter Whereas these men are wont so diligently to picke out the things to beleeue which belong to the office of God to refuse the things that pertaine to the duty of man I pray you what a dealing is it Gods gracious goodnesse hath yeelded saluation to all men O how gladly is this admitted But as for that which followeth namely to teach vs to forsake vngodlinesse and worldly lusts to liue soberly righteously godlily in this world that is a seede which fewe men receiue Many beleeue that Christ hath so performed that poynt as that wee neede not to performe the same Againe that the man is blessed to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne is easily beleeued of all men but as for that which is annexed to it namely and in whose heart there is no guile that they beleeue to be impossible Likewise it is commonly vaunted with full mouth that they which are in Christ Iesus are not subiect to any condemnation for it is a very sweete saying indeed but as for this Which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit it is bitter and of very fewe beleued And to make fewe words men doe easily beleeue that they shall reape with ioy but if you tell them that they must sow with teares they put that sentence ouer vnto Christ. Hereupon it cometh to passe that the false prophets because they teach delectable things and blaze abroad Gods pleasāt promises with open mouth do easily finde credit whereas the true Prophets because they vrge men make them afraid with threats teach the truth seuerely do beare sway among very few according as Esay crieth out Lord who hath beleeued our preaching Hereby it appeareth plainly my Lewis that selfe-loue is the lot that men beleeue not the truth And if self-loue were done away they would beleeue nothing so easily as the truth as who are born vnto truth and doe by and by fall in acquaintance with it as a thing of their owne kinne if there bee no impediment to let it Therefore if you will rightly beleeue the truth that is to say God you must needes put away selfe-loue or rather conceiue a hatred towards your selfe Lew. Truly Frederike you win me to be of your mind in these things but it is no smal matter for a man to hate himself Neither do I sée how I may attaine vnto it or yet perceiue whether it bee possible for me to attaine thereto I am so farre in loue

with my selfe Fred. I know Lewis that it is a very hard thing and passing the strength of a mā but in this case we must beare in mind how that when Sara beleeued not that she might breed child our Lord said of her Is there any thing which God cannot do The things that are vnpossible to man are possible to God and where God is our guide nothing is to be despaired of Lew. I beseech you then shew me the way to attaine thereunto Fred. By Gods leaue I will do it giue eare vnto me If I had a seruant in whom I very much delighted faire-spoken and seruiceable which should prepare mee some meates that best liked mine appetite with the same meats should mingle poyson to bereaue me of my life and you who loue mee should haue knowledge thereof what would you do Lew. Surely I would spéedily and earnestly giue you warning that you should not taste of those meates nor loue that seruant for that hée lay in waite for your life Fred. What if I should say that I am delighted with the seruiceable behauiour of that seruant and with the sweetnesse of his cooquery Lew. I would counsell you that you should not make so great account of your present pleasure as to lose your life for it Fred. What if some friend of yours were in loue with a flattering and painted harlot which were diseased with the French pockes and you knew of it what would you doe Lew. I would make him priuy to her disease and to the vttermost that I could I would disswade him from her company Fred. What if hee said he were delighted with her Lew. I would tell him that fishes also are delighted with baites but yet that it were folly to purchase so small pleasure with so great sorrows or rather with death Fred. What if hee should say that hee cannot but like well of the pleasure Lew I would counsell him that if hée could not yet restraine the desire of his mind he should at least-wise resist it and not yéeld to obey it Fred. But what if hee obeyed it for all that Lew. Then would I thinke him foolisher then the brute beasts and worthy of any mischiefe For fishes wolues foxes puttockes and such other bee they neuer so hungry will neuerthelesse forbeare the baite if they spye or mistrust any snare or any thing wherewith they may bee caught Fred. You say truth Lewis Thus then standeth the case Euery mans owne flesh is as a harlot as Iudas termeth it in his Epistle yea and a painted harlot which with her enticements and faire fawnings doth allure delight and egge the man to sinne and hold him downe in sin and at length throwe him downe into death of the soule And man being ignorant of the poyson embraceth the pleasures and yeeldes himselfe ouer to them Now commeth in truth as a friend vnto him and warneth him that the wages of sinne is death declaring vnto him that his flesh whom he tooke to haue bene his friend is his deadly enemy Therefore if thou desire to be saued thou must beleeue that thou hast not a more noysome enemy to thee then thy selfe that is to say then thy flesh or thy lustfulnes that as thou hast hitherto loued it thou must hēceforth hate it resist it because it is noysome deadly And although thou canst not rid away her allurements out of hand as indeede thou canst not for they sticke fast to thee the truth will say vnto thee as it said in old time vnto Moses Goe thy way into Aegypt for it lyeth in thee to doe that and I will bee with thy mouth and I will enable thee to doe that which thou canst not do Euen so Lewis the truth saith vnto thee as now Do thou what thou art able and God will enable thee to doe that which thou canst not do As for examples sake Thou sittest at a well furnished table and hast eaten inough already to refresh thy powers and to staunch hunger Now there is brought in some delicate dishe made to prouoke gluttony withall By and by thy flesh is tempted with it and putteth such an imagination as this in thy head This is a fine dish if I eate of it I shall receiue pleasure by it But the spirit striueth against the flesh and warneth thee thus Beware Lewis that thou yeeld not vnto voluptuousnesse for voluptuousnesse is a poysoner For first it calleth away thy mind from God than the which there can be no greater mischiefe for seeing that no man can serue two maisters thou canst not serue both voluptuousnes God because voluptuousnesse ouerwhelmeth the mind beareth it downe to the ground and separateth it from God Besides this it also hurteth the body with surfetting insomuch that although thou hadst no soule yet oughtest thou to abstaine from superfluity euen for thy bodies sake I require not now that you should not be tempted with the inticements of the flesh but that you should not obey them And whereas you alledge that you cannot but obey thē you be easily disproued For if a man would giue you a floren to abstein frō the said dish would you not absteine Yes And will you not absteine by reason of the truth Do you not hereby bewray that the truth beareth lesse sway with you then one floren Or if some man should threaten that he would giue you a blow on the eare if you refrained not surely you would refraine Behold God threatneth a blow vnto your soule and yet you refraine not The like I say of all other things You be minded to haue to do with a whore but because a boy is by you doe it not Behold God is present and yet you be not ashamed to do it Do you not now make lesse account of Gods presence then of the presence of a boy Or if you forbeare for feare of punishment at mans hand and not as well for feare of Gods punishment doe you not preferre man before God You are angry with a man and would faine cudgel him but you forbeare for feare of the magistrate Why forbeare you not as well for feare of God I pray you make as great reckoning of God as you doe of men why doth the feare of God beare lesse sway with you then the feare of men You slaunder your neighbour God seeth the slaunder and yet you do it neuerthelesse But if men saw it you would not do it Run through all things after the same sort Lewis you shall see that whosoeuer doth more for the loue or feare of men then of God doth beleeue in men rather then in God Lew. O my Fredericke my conscience beareth me witnesse that y e things which you say be true and rightfull but thereof springeth a griefe in my heart Lew. Why so did you feele any such griefe when we treated of Predestination or of Free-will Lew. No none at all Fred. I beleeue you