The Institution of Christian Religion

By which words we are taught, that sometime they become dumb, as though their faith were utterly overthrown, yet they faint not, nor turn their backs, but proceed in their battle, & with prayer do encourage their slothfulness, lest by favouring themselves they should grow to unsensible dullness.

By which wordes we are taught, that somtime they become dumme, as though their fayth were vtterly ouerthrowen, yet they faint not, nor turne their backes, but procede in their battell, & with prayer do encourage their slouthfulnesse, lest by fauoring themselues they should growe to vnsensible dulnesse.

For the understanding thereof, it is needful to return to that division §18of the flesh and the spirit, whereof we made mention in an other place, which doth in this behalf most clearly appear. The godly heart therefore •eleth a division in it self, which is partly delighted with sweetness by acknowledging of the goodness of God, & partly grieved with bitterness by feeling of his own misery, partly resteth upon the promise of the Gospel, and partly trembleth by reason of the testimony of his own wickedness: partly rejoiceth with conceiving of life, and partly quaketh for fear of death. Which variation cometh by imperfection of faith, for as much as we never be in so good case in the course of this present life, as being healed from all disease of distrustfulness, to be altogether filled & possessed with faith. Hereupon proceed those battles, when the distrustfulness that abideth in the remnants of the flesh, riseth up to assail the faith that is inwardly conceived. But ⟨image 196⟩if in a faithful mind assuredness be mixed with doubtfulness, come we not then alway to this point, that faith standeth not in a certain and clear knowledge, but in a dark & doubtfully entangled knowledge of Gods will toward us? No, not so. For though we be diversly drawn with sundry thoughts, yet are we not therefore by and by severed from faith: though we be vexed with tossing up and down of distrustfulness, yet are we not therefore drowned in the bottomless depth thereof: and though we be shaken, yet be we not thrust down out of our place. For this is alway the end of this battle, that faith doth at length with wrestling overcome those hard troubles, wherewith when she is so besieged, she seemeth to be in danger.