How to live, and that well in all estates and times, specially when helps…How to liue, and that well in all estates and times, specially when helps…

To go yet further, Spiritual life is most of all manifest in afflictions and temptations, in the bearing whereof faith reigns: and that by a threefold action. First of all it makes us to depend on gods promises, and to trust God ⟨p. 40⟩without limitation. For it doth not limit God to any set time of deliverance, but leaves all to God.¹ He that believes, doth not make hast. ²Daniel waited 70 years for deliverance out of captivity in Babylon, and then finding the time of deliverance to be at hand, he prayed to God for the same.³ Again faith doth not limit God to any means of deliverance. God made promise to Abraham of a blessed seed. For the verifying of this promise he gave him Isaac in his old age. This don, he commands him to offer his only son in sacrifice. A grievous cross: for by this means all hope is cut off, touching the promised seed. Yet by faith Abraham ⟨p. 41⟩still believes the promise, and that in the very offering of his son. Lastly,⁴ faith doth not limit God for the measure of affliction. Job saith, He will trust in God, ⁵though he kill him. It was a grievous affliction for David to be driven out of his kingdom by his own son, yet mark what he saith in the flight: If he say, ⁶I have no delight in thee, behold here I am, let him do unto me as shall seem good in his eyes. The second action of faith is to make us believe the promises of God, when we feel the contrary, and in one contrary to believe an other. When we feel our own sins, it makes us believe our justification: when we feel our ⟨p. 42⟩wretchedness and misery, it makes us believe our happiness: when we feel nothing but death, it makes us believe our eternal salvation: when we apprehend Gods anger and feel him to be our enemy, it makes us to apprehend his mercy and to believe his fatherly kindness. When Christ was forsaken of God, he even then by his faith believes God to be his God. The third action of faith in afflictions, is to assure us of Gods presence, and to behold him with the eyes of faith. Thus David saith,