The oil of gladnessThe oyle of gladnesse

§ 5.

Ah but I have no faith, I have no faith, and ⟨p. 171⟩therefore I am not pardoned. I answer first, thou mayest have it hereafter if thou hast not yet attained it, yea thou shalt have it if thou continue to beg it: yea I answer again, this is a false accusation, thou hast faith. For he that doth so acknowledge the perfect righteousness of Christ, that he concludes, Christ can pardon me, and therefore follows him with continual supplications for pardon, he hath faith, and a good measure of faith too. For how shall they call upon him in whom ⟨p. 172⟩they have not believed saith the Apostle, & our Saviour saith to the blind men that confessed he could help them, and ran crying after him for help, according to your faith be it unto you. Well therefore thou dost believe, and though thy faith may be weak, yet some it is, & that so much as shall make thee accepted, for weakness of faith cannot hinder remission of sins, seeing the Apostles were pardoned, whom yet our Saviour reproveth, because they were men of little faith. ⟨p. 173⟩O but all graces are weak and feeble in me, even so weak, that I cannot tell whither I have any or none. I answer, an infant is a very weak thing, and hath little and feeble limbs, and so small use of reason, that one can hardly perceive him to have any at all, and yet he is a man, a reasonable creature. Grace is as little at first as natural life and reason in a new borne babe, but if it be true, all is well, then at last it shall be strong, and true it is, if one find its own weakness, and be made little ⟨p. 174⟩in his own eyes because of its littleness, and mourn because it is so little, and would fain have it more, and use the best means he can to increase it, and by not finding so great an increase as he desireth, is not driven to cast off all means, but rather labours to use them more and better, that by them it may at last attain its wished confirmation.