4. The excellency of this grace is seen in the difficulty of it, and transcendency 1to flesh and blood: for if Aristotle could say homo was magis sensus, quam intellectus, more sense then understanding, putting forth the acts thereof more then of reason, we may say much rather he is more reason then faith. The difficulty of it maketh the People of God oftener in distracting fears and carking cares then in any other sins. David who professeth his trust in God, yet how often tempted to diffidence? Asa a good man 2 Chron. 16. 12. is blamed that in his disease he sought not to God, but to the Physicians. It was lawful for him to seek to them, but because he rested wholly on them, and not on God, therefore is he thus taken notice of: seeing then its our duty to use means and not to expect that God will in a miraculous and immediate manner work all things for us: Hence is the great difficulty in this matter, so to use them, as not to put confidence in them. Alas all the Creatures, all the second causes by their own power without Gods blessing, could do us no good; our clothes would not warm us; our food nourish us, unless God command it. Hence our Saviour saith, Man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word proceeding out of Gods mouth. Matth. 4. 4. It is not then the Creatures; it is not the conditions and relations ⟨p. 324⟩we are in, that do support us, but God only. Again the difficulty is seen in trusting of God, because Gods promise and his providences seem to go contrary to one another. The godly have the promises of this life, health, wealth: Peace is promised to them, and yet how often exercised with the contrary; and this maketh trusting in God the more difficult. So that what inevidence is, in respect of faith assenting, the same arduity and improbability, yea appearing impossibility is in respect of faith trusting. In all believing there is an inevidence, not in respect of the testimony, as the Papists dream; and therefore would have faith defined by ignorance, rather then by knowledge; but in respect of the thing it self. We do not apprehend the things of faith by reason, as we do natural truth; and this maketh faith, as it is assenting, to be so difficult; and no less is it in faith, as trusting, for the difficulty and improbability, which appeareth in the things hoped for, so much is contrary to flesh and blood;
4. The excellency of this grace is seen in the difficulty of it, and transcendency 1to flesh and blood: for if Aristotle could say homo was magis sensus, quam intellectus, more sense then understanding, putting forth the acts thereof more then of reason, we may say much rather he is more reason then faith. The difficulty of it maketh the People of God oftner in distracting feares and carking cares then in any other sinnes. David who professeth his trust in God, yet how often tempted to difidence? Asa a good man 2 Chron. 16. 12. is blamed that in his disease he sought not to God, but to the Physicians. It was lawfull for him to seek to them, but because he rested wholly on them, and not on God, therefore is he thus taken notice of: seeing then its our duty to use meanes and not to expect that God will in a miraculous and immediate manner work all things for us: Hence is the great difficulty in this matter, so to use them, as not to put confidence in them. Alas all the Creatures, all the second causes by their own power without Gods blessing, could do us no good; our cloathes would not warme us; our food nourish us, unless God command it. Hence our Saviour saith, Man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word proceeding out of Gods mouth. Matth. 4. 4. It is not then the Creatures; it is not the conditions and relations ⟨p. 324⟩we are in, that do support us, but God only. Again the difficulty is seen in trusting of God, because Gods promise and his providences seem to go contrary to one another. The godly have the promises of this life, health, wealth: Peace is promised to them, and yet how often exercised with the contrary; and this maketh trusting in God the more difficult. So that what inevidence is, in respect of faith assenting, the same arduity and improbability, yea appearing impossibility is in respect of faith trusting. In all believing there is an inevidence, not in respect of the testimony, as the Papists dreame; and therefore would have faith defined by ignorance, rather then by knowledge; but in respect of the thing it self. We do not apprehend the things of faith by reason, as we do naturall truth; and this maketh faith, as it is assenting, to be so difficult; and no less is it in faith, as trusting, for the difficulty and improbability, which appeareth in the things hoped for, so much is contrary to flesh and blood;
- 14. Tis difficult to flesh and blood.
