A47584:1406
The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland
The history of the reformation of the Church of Scotland containing five books : together with some treatises conducing to the history.The historie of the reformation of the Church of Scotland containing five books : together with some treatises conducing to the history.
London: printed by John Raworth for George Thomason and Octavian Pullen, 1644
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The cause that God's elect begin to faint and to sink down in the time of §2great adversity, is fear and unbelief, as in Peter doth appear; for so long as he neither feared danger, neither mistrusted Christs word, so long as the waves (above, and contrary to their nature) did obey and serve his feet,1 as they had been the dry, solid and sure ground: But so soon as he began to despair and fear, so soon began he to sink: To instruct us, That lively faith maketh man bold, and is able to carry us through such perils, as be uncapable to nature; But when faith beginneth to faint, then beginneth man to sink down in every danger; as in the Histories before rehearsed, it may appear,2 and in the Prophets it is plain; for Elijah at Gods Commandment passing to the presence of King Ahab, in the fervency of his faith, obtained the fire to come from heaven, and to consume his Sacrifice: by which also he was made so bold, that in the presence of the King he feared nothing to kill his false Prophets. But the same Elijah hearing of the managing and threatenings of cursed Jezebel, 3and considering that the wrath of a wicked woman could by no reasonable means be appeased,4 he saw a storm, and feared the same, and so he prepared to fly; which he doth not without some sinking down, for he began to reason and dispute with God, which never can be done by the Creature, without foolishness and offence. The same we find in Jeremiah, and many more.
The cause that Godt elect begin to faint and to sink down in the time of §2great adversitie, is fear and unbelief, as in Peter doth appear; for so long as he neither feared danger, neither mistrusted Christs word, so long as the waves (above, and contrary to their nature) did obey and serve his feet,1 as they had been the drie, solid and sure ground: But so soon as he began to despair and fear, so soon began he to sink: To instruct us, That lively faith maketh man bold, and is able to carry us thorow such perils, as be uncapable to nature; But when faith beginneth to faint, then beginneth man to sink down in every danger; as in the Histories before rehearsed, it may appear,