Çom i.- , Of Faith and7Jnbelicf Chap.7. a 13 all . c flacks and the herds be f nu, or all thefiíh of the Sea bee gathered together to fuïlice them ? God anfwcred; is the Lords hand waxed thort ?Thoufhaltfee whcther my word (hall come topars or not. 3. Laftly, for his Will,, take a place of a Father for all, Scio pof , fciofcire, cupere Lzm. :S: zrlic for, The Lord is good to them that troll in him, to the Soul that freketh him. 3 That faith is neceffary, may be thus proved, it is called the fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence, ground, or demonftration of things not feen ; both Hebtr.r. which argue the neceffity of it for intarisordinatis, (asReligion bath its order) the tirlt p.irt is fabfiantia religuorum, as the fubftanceof a houfe is in the foundation, of a Ship in the Stern, of a Tree in the Root. The Apoftle compareth it to a founda- tion; and to a-Rot, and he faith there is nanfragiumfide ;, a fhipwrack offaith ; andCol.r.:3. fo confcquently it is compared to the Stern of a Ship. ,lf faith then be úecelfary, as 5.7. the root and foundation of all Religion, then without it nothing can be done by a Chriftia(t, which is accepted of God, ad falutem, to falvation. Ifwe ffand,it is by Z C4, :% faith. If we walk, we walk by faith; whatfoever we do, if we do it not by faith, it is s'T not pleafin; to God, adfalutem. And it is in this refpeil that faith is called Röm.c9' 3' bedienti.e, theMother of obedience, becaufe alldutiesarife out of it. IParer ó- Lutherbath'alaying, (which is true if it be taken in a good fenfe) that in faith all theLaw is fulfilled, before we have fulfilled anypart of itin ail, becaufe it is the root from whenceall Chriftian obedience arifes,and whereih it is vertually contained; and therefore inregard of the necefíity of it, it pleafed God to rejeil all the high Titles of the Learned wife men of the world, as Philofophers, d-c; and to entitle his flock only by the name of Believers. And Eufeb. Emifenrrd gives a good réafon r Cor.r.:r; for it .: for the firft word of a Chriftian is credo, and that which maketh him a r Cor.ro,t3. Chriftian : if we benot faithful, then are we no Chriftians. God giveth ChrifliansHeb.r:.'' no other name than he gives to himfelf. Fidelisell Dew, God is faithful. Andhis Son is called the Author and finilherof our faith, and his Word is called, firmo fìdelis, Gal .6.io theword of faith ;: andhis family, thehoufhold of faith ; and Prayer is called by James 5.1í. Saint games, the Prayer of faith. AndSaint Paul calls the Sacraments, the Seals of Rom.4.11. faith. So we fee that faith leadeth us through all duties: and not only this, but that Whirls hath been Paid of knowledge, may ba laidof faith, that it is the beginning of our bleffednefs. OurSaviour faith to St. Thomr,Bleffed are they they that have notfeen, and yet have believed. There is an apt firnilitude in the Prophet to cxprefs this, John to.* I will betroth thee to mein faithfulnefs, and thou thole know theLord, Theinch as Haf.z.zo. tion of marriage is infponfalibtes. when hands are given, fo aie ourfpoofalia in fide, in this life, the marriage is confummate in Heavens Itisfaid, non crediderit condemnabitur, he that belieseth not fltallbe dam- LI I .,í6; red, nay further (as St. john bath it) his Sentence is no deferred, Nit it is gone al. it.' readyuponhim, he is condemned already. Therefore for the necefityof it s'eUeUas.6. may conclude with the Apoftle, Without faith it is impofble to pleafe God. And the . reafon is; becaufe there is no man but thinks it a difparagcmcnt not to be credited, and the greater the perfon; the more defirous he is to be believed. A private man would be believed upon his honefty; and a man of greater flare upon his honour; the Prince upon his own word, he writes, tellemeipfo, to argue the fufficiencie of his word, and a difgrace he accounted) it to break it, and if any of there perfons thou!d not be credited on thefeterms, they would think that agreat difcourtefie were offered to them. If then there be a God, hemuft needs expoet more than a Prince, and confe_ quentlyhe may of greater right fay, telle meipfo, becaufe he is above all Princes. hob' faith, Is it fit to fay to a King, Thou are wicked, or to Princes, re are sxeodl ? though ' they be fo ; much lefs toa good Prince, and leaf} of all to God. Now he that be_ .16j; 34.rß. lievethbath fet to his Seal that God is true. And on the contrary, He that belie jobn 3.33: veth not, maketh God a Lyar : and there can be no greater difgraceto God, than to fay, he is a Lyar therefore St. Bernard upon that place, Impofbile eft finefide. r John q.to placereDeo, it is impolfible to pleafe God without faith, óiyomodo ate cui non placer Deus ? how can that man pleafe God, who not pleated pw th a and .fu, :h is every one that believes him not. And thus much for the neceffityo of faith. Nowwe come to our Rules. z. As
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