Or Ojthe Creede. Faith•. Jaithd::– fcribc:d gc neu!ly. 01 >uld make an entranco thereto by defcri- A bing the nature,properties,and kinds offaith, the confc:fsion and grout:ld whereofJs ft:t forth in the Creede. Faith therefure;. • gift •fG•d, wh~ret:J we giue affint or credence to Gads wo~d. For there is necefruy rel:ttion betweene fatth and Gods word. The common property of faitli, .is noted by the outhor ofth< Hebrew;s, Hd>. 11 .r; wh~n hc[·dch,Fat'rh i& thsgrormdofthmg;hopeJ for: 3.nd,tht demotiflr.ttiono[fhingJtbat.trenot {tene: For>11 this may be vn!erflocd,not oneJy of iullifying faith, but alfo of temporary flitl1, and the faith ofmiracles.Where faith is C1id tobe l11TOHtliJthe 1ncaning is,tbat though there are t~any things promifed by God, which men doe r.ot prdiontly enioy,but onely B hope for;becaufe as yet they are nor:yet faith doth afcerafort giue fcbfiflin~ or being vnto tht:rn. Secondlv,ic isan enjdmce or demrmjlra– rUn,&c.thlt is,by belecuing aman doth make :.a thing .1s it were vifibk, being orhcrwife in– uifiblc and abrt:m. Faith is oftwo forts:eithq common faith, orthefaithoftl•celctt: asPaulfaith, hceis Ti:,t. ,, an Apoflle lCcording tot hef•itbofqoauUf: ,,Tiu'-I.5. which isalfo calledfaii!J \lritbout h;pomfie.The eo nmon faith is th:tt \Vhich both t~e EkB:, and reproblte hauc, and it is threc-folde, The lirfl is h;flori<•llJ-.th, which is, when a man doth bcle<uc the outward letter and hil!ory ofthe word. It bath t•No patts;knowledge of Gods word, and alfent vnto the fame know- C ledge : and it is to be found in the diuell and his angels. So~aim Iamts faith, tbe diH<Is belam.:. , 9 , leeHt~•nJtremb'le. Some will fay, what a faith haue rhey ? Anfw. Such as theceby they Vl-1dcrfland both the Lg~· and the Gofpell ; be– fides; they giue a!Tent to itto be true : & they doe more yet, in thatth<y trerr.ble and feare. And many a man h:tth not fo much. For a. mongll vs, there is many aone which harh no knowlc~ge ofGod at all, more then hee bath learned by the common t>lke ofthe world: os narnely~rhatthere isaGod,andthat ~c i~mercifull,&c. and yet this man will fay,that he be– leeueth with all his heart: but without know– ledge it can1-1ot be th!t any 01ould rruely be– lceue, and therefore hee di:ceiueth himfelfe. D fl.•efl, But whence haue the diuels hylloricall fJith! were they illuminated by the light of the fpirir? An{i•. No: but when the Gofpell was preached, theydid acknoNiedge it, & b<– keued it robe true, and that by the vcrtue of the reliques of Gods image, which r:rnaioed in them fince their fall. And therefore this theirfait), doth not arife from any fpeciall il– lumin.ltion by !;is fpirir, but they attaine to it eu~n by thevery light ofnature, which was left in themfrom thebegi11ning. . The recond kind offaith, isTempor<tryf•ith, fo called,becaufcit lafleth but for atime and' fearon, and comm0oly not to the end of a mans life. Thi8 kiode offaith isn0ted vnro vs i1~ thepa.able ofthefeede, that fell in the l!o– mc ground. And there be twodifferences or kinds ofrhis faich.The firit kinde oftempora– ry fairh,hath in it thret; degrees.The lirll.is to know the word ofGod, and particularly the Gofpell. Thefc:cond,to giue an affent vnro it. The tbird,to profdfco it, but to go ne> ft~rther: and all this may be done without any loue to the word. This faith hath one degree mor< then hifloricall faith. EXlmplesof it we hauc inSimon ot/ff~tg:u,A[/.8.1 3· whoisfaid to bc– leeuc, becaufe hee held the doctrine ofthe A– ponle to be true; and withal! profdfed the fame : and in thedioels alfo,who in rome fc-rt confelfcd, rhat Chril.l was the Sonne ofthe moll hightfl, and yet looked for no faluation by hi•n. M<rk.:5·7·A£/.t9·15· And this is the corgmon f>ith that abouuds in this land Men fay th~y bekeue as rho Prince bdeeu<th, and ifr<ligion change, they will change. Fvr by rear on ofthe authority of Princes ia'>''f'S, rhey are made to learne fo:ne little knowledge of the word : they beleeue it robe good, and rhcy profeffe it : and thus for the fpace of thirty or forty yeares .men heare th~ word preached, and recdue che Sacramenrs, beiiJg for,!! this as voide ofgrace :1~r.uer they WC"tt' at the lirfl day:and the reafon is,becaofe the)• doe barely profelfe ic,wirhouteirhcr liking or loue ofthe fawe. The fecood kindc oftempo– rary faith, hath in it fiue degrees. For by it, lirfl aman knowes the u•ord. Secor.Qiy, bee afii:nteth vnto it. Thirdly, hee profdferh it Fourthly,he reioyceth inwardly in it. Fifrly, he b~iogeth ferth fome kindeof fruit:and yet for all this hath no more in him but a faith that will faile in the end : becaufe hee wanteth the eff,&ual application ofthe promife ofthe Gofpel,and is without all maneroffound con– nerfation.This faith is like Corne in the houfc top,which groweth for a whilc,but when hear ofSummer co·nmerh,it withererh. And this is alfo fet forth vntovs in the Parable of the Secd,which fell in llonyground,which is hal!y in fpringing vp : but becaufc of the flones, which will not fuff<r it to takedeepe roote, it withereth. Aud this is avery common faith in the Church of God : bywhich, many re· ioyce in the preachingofthe Word, and for a rime bring forth fame fruits accordi[jgly,with lhew ofgreat forwardnes;yet afterward fluke offReligion& aii.Bm(fomewill fay)how can this be a temporaric faith, fceing it harh fuch fruites I AnfSuch a kinde offaith isterr.po.. rarie, becaufe it is grounded on ternporaric:: caufcs, which :~re three. I. . A ddire to get knowledge offo:ne flrangepoints ofreligion. For m&ny • m•n doth labour for the fiue for– mer degrees of remporarie faith, onelybe– caufe hc:e defires to get :nore kno~ ledge in Scripture thenother men haue. The fecund caufc,is adeftre ofpraifc among men,which is of that force, that it will make aman put ona lhew of all the graces which God- bellow::th vpon his owne children, though orh<:rwife he want them: and to gocvery farreio religion;.. which appearcth thus. Some there are which feeme lukeS.13.
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