Collectanea. Out of St. Gregory the Great, and St. Bernard the devout, against the Papists who adhere to the doctrine of the present Church of Rome, in the most fundamentall points betweene them and vs.

§. 10. Faith excludeth not all feare and doubt.

FIdes ipsa quae ad bona alia capescenda nos imbuit,* 1.1 plerunque in exordijs suis nutat & solida est; & iam certissimè habetur, & tamen de eius fiducia adhuc sub dubitatio∣ne trepidatur: Pars nam{que} eius prius acci∣pitur ut in nobis postmodum perfectè com∣pleatur. Faith it selfe which seasoneth vs to the receiuing of other graces, com∣monly in the beginning thereof is both wavering and sound; wee already most certeinely haue it, and yet of the assu∣rance thereof we feare and doubt: For we first receiue a part of it, that it may bee af∣terward

perfectly fulfilled in vs.* 1.2 He bring∣eth for example hereof, the poore man in the Gospell to whom Christ said, Marke 9. v. 23.24. If thou canst beleeue, all things are possible to him that beleeueth. And he answered; Lord I beleeue, helpe my vnbeliefe. Vno eodemque tempore cla∣mabat se etiam credere & adhuc ex incre∣dulitate dubitare. At one and the same time (saith he) he cryed that hee did be∣leeue, & yet still did doubt by vnbeliefe. Vno eodem{que} tēpore is qui nec dum perfectè crediderat simul & credebat, & incredulus erat. At one and the same time (saith hee in another place) hee which did not per∣fectly beleeue, did both beleeue, and was also vnbeleeuing. And yet in another place he saith. Saepè conting it ut fides jam in mente vigeat, sed tamen ex parte aliqua in dubietate contabescat. Vnam eandemque mentem & certitudo solidae fidei roborat, & tamen ex aliquantula mutabilitate perfidiae aura dubietatis versat. It often falleth out, that faith now is growing in the minde, and yet by doubting it languisheth in in some part; that certainery of sound faith strengthened one and the same

mind, which notwithstanding the winde of doubtfulnesse shaketh by some muta∣bility of vnbeliefe, as namely saith hee of the man before mentioned. Per fidem spe∣rans, & per infidelitatem fluctuans dicebat, &c. et exorare certus iam per fidem coepe∣rat, & adhuc incertus undas perfidiae ex in∣credulitate tolerabat. Hoping by faith, and wavering by vnbeliefe, he said, Lord I be∣leeue, helpe my vnbeliefe.* 1.3 He beganne to pray (saith he) certaine now by faith and yet being vncertaine hee bare the waues of vnbeliefe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mor. l. 22. c. 14. There may bee a godly feare which is a di∣strust of our selues but the godly cannot haue a doubtfull feare which is distrust full of God.
• * 1.2

  Greg. Ibid. Faith and vn∣beleefe, certain∣tie and vncer∣taintie, assurāce and doubt may be blended toge∣ther in one and the same man, why doth the Church of Rome now teach the contrary, saying that faith ex∣cludeth all feare and doubt. The Scripture indeed commen∣ding a feare vn∣to vs, doth not meane a doub∣ting feare, such as is contrary to assurance of faith, but such as is contrary to presumption & pride, and trust in our selves, & imparteth hu∣mlity, lowlines of mind, distrust of our owne strength, that we mày relie vpon the strength and power of God. Mor. lib. 10. c. 8. Idem ibid.
• * 1.3

  He hoped in faith, yet wave∣red in vnbeliefe.