The Christian warfare wherein is first generally showed the malice, power and politic stratagems…The Christian warfare wherein is first generally shewed the malice, power and politike stratagems…

§. Sect. 4 ¹Neither is the not feeling of Gods love and favour a good argument to prove that we are out of his love and favour, or the apprehension of his wrath and anger in our sense and feeling a sound reason to persuade us that we are subject to his wrathful displeasure; seeing the being of a thing, and the sensible discerning of the thing to be, are divers, and therefore howsoever at sometimes they concur, yet oftentimes they are severed and disjoined: so that the conclusion which is inferred negatively from the senses, to prove the not being of their object is not only commonly false, but also oftentimes absurd and ridiculous; for example sometimes we see not the beams of the sun, as in the night season, or when it is covered with some thick black cloud, but shall we herehence conclude that the sun shineth not, nor will ever again appear unto us? So the bright beams of Gods love and favour are sometimes hidden from us in the night of tentations, and so shadowed with the cloud of our grievous sins that we cannot sensibly discern them, but shall we hence infer that there is no grace and mercy to be found with God, or that he will never again make them shine upon us? The one is as absurd as the other, and both grossly false. So sometimes the Sun is eclipsed by the interposition of the Moon, so as we cannot discern his light or very dimly, but if any man should conclude from hence that it were quite taken ⟨p. 535⟩away, or that we were deprived utterly of his life-preserving influence, the experience of two or three hours would show the sottish weakness of his sensible argument, and so in like manner Gods favour and love are sometimes so eclipsed with the interposition of some great afflictions, that we cannot discern them for a time or but very dimly, but if we shall infer hereof that they are quite taken from us, and that they cast forth no comfortable influence on us, our present preservation from being swallowed up into utter destruction, and the speedy return of wonted joy and consolation, by the apprehension of Gods love and goodness towards us, will evidently show that this argument taken from the senses is void of reason.

§. Sect. 4 ¹Neither is the not feeling of Gods loue and fauour a good argument to proue that wee are out of his loue and fauour, or the apprehension of his wrath and anger in our sense and feeling a sound reason to perswade vs that wee are subiect to his wrathfull displeasure; seeing the being of a thing, and the sensible discerning of the thing to be, are diuers, and therefore howsoeuer at sometimes they concurre, yet oftentimes they are seuered and disioyned: so that the conclusion which is inferred negatiuely from the senses, to proue the not being of their obiect is not onely commonly false, but also oftentimes absurd and ridiculous; for example sometimes we see not the beames of the sunne, as in the night season, or whē it is couered with some thicke blacke cloud, but shal we herehence cōclude that the sunne shineth not, nor wil euer againe appeare vnto vs? So the bright beames of Gods loue and fauour are sometimes hidden from vs in the night of tentations, and so shadowed with the cloud of our grieuous sinnes that we cannot sensibly discerne them, but shall wee hence inferre that there is no grace and mercy to be found with God, or that he will neuer againe make them shine vpon vs? The one is as absurd as the other, and both grosly false. So sometimes the Sunne is eclipsed by the interposition of the Moone, so as we cannot discerne his light or very dimly, but if any man should conclude from hence that it were quite taken