Ball - BT770 B3 1637

Faith isimperfats thoughaworke of the spirit. 9 The Spirit worketh faith not by morali perfwafion, Faith power- onely inciting to beleeve, and leaving it to our free full worke ofGod. choyce, whether wee will affent or no but by his powerfull operation , and omnipotent hand put forth for filch a purpofe, hee producerh this gracious effet}. There are no feeds of faith in our nature, out of which by meere outward teaching wee may bee brought to.beleeve: for then fhould faith bee natural', as all other things are, which our nature can attaine to with outward helps. There is no fpirituall life in us before the infufion of grace, whereby wee fhould bee able to embrace the perfwafions of the Spirit : for then wee fhould live fpiritually of our felves before wee are quickened by grace. Ifthe Spirit ofGod doe onely move and perlvade to beleeve, then God doth not make the beleever to differ from the unbeleever , but the good tire of his owne free will. It is of grace that man might °beleeve , and fo might hee that continueth in infidelitie, for hee received equal' aid, and was e- qually perfwaded and incited by the Spirit. But if the quefhion bee , why doth the one beleeve and not the other ? it is nottheSpirit here that makes the difference, but thegood ufeofmans free-will : and fo, that man is ina- bledtobeleeve, it fhould beofgrace; but that he doth be- leeve, and fo differ from other men, this fhouldbee from himfeffe aThe fame powerthat railed Chrifl from the dead,1 $ Epher x x9,2o, Col.x.xt. is laid to raife us up tobeleeve. Ifanhand or eye beewan-k The(fxg. tingto aman from hisbirth, cananypower reflore them, EPph. ;.,xe,zo. but the Almightie power of God, by which the body z er ßs;2,;. was at firfl framed and falhioned? By what power thenis Theft =xx. this handof. faithcreated, which reacheth toheaven ? this ;'cr.s4 eye which doth fee the things within the vaile , which concerne our peace? b This further appeareth by the caufe b that moveth. the Lord to bellowfaith upon fome which a T3,9 is his free, eternall,,unchangeable graceand love, whereby Marrh.xx,,E. hee loved them tobe made heires offalvation, before the foundation of the earth was laid.. For fo farre as God effeaually

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