Faithuan 4ent. all his promifes,, & canneitherdeceive nor be deceived. A- brahambeleeved God ; the word imports, bee thought the words ofGod tobe fure,certaine,t+able,andconfiant. Mo- tes faying, Ifráelwill not beleeve me, meaneth, theywould not afí'ent or givecredit tohis words. Andwhen it is laid, Ifrael beleeved the Lord and hisfervent Mofes, thereby is underfiood, that they gave credit to thewordof the Lord fpokenby his frvant Mofes. This is cleare in theexhorta- tionof Jehofhaphat unto thepeople, faying,Beleeve in the Lordyour God,fofhallyou beeflablifhed ; beleeve his Pro- phets,fo fhallyeeproftier. And that of David, Ibeleeved, thereforehave 'I#oken. Beleefe is alwayesgrounded uponthe authoritie and re- putation of him forwhore word fakeweebeleeve, and mutt needs have reference to force uttered word or revelation, as theobject : but it maybe fuflained and flrengthenedby other motives and inducements, experimentsand proba.. bilities. Manyobjets of faith may alto bee evident, and thatwhich is beleeved may alto be feene : 7homas,becaufe thouhagfeene me,thou hartbeleeved. Thereisa compof- fibilitie of faith and evidencein diverte refpeas, whereby they, mayboth (land together in the fame man, about the fame object, albeit faith tell not upon that evidence, but upon divine revelation. Faithand Science are habits that may {land together. Faith by anthoritie revealed, Know- ledgeorScienceby evident demonfiration. For albeit faith exceed thedimenfionofreafon, yet reafon is fubordinate to it, as fenfe is to underflanding : and therefore as it is no in- convenienceto fay, wee underfland the thing wee fee ; no more is itto fay, wee beleeve that which is evident indi- verfe refpe&s. Many divinethings touchingGod, which are received by faith, may alfobe foundoutby naturali rea- fon. And if things, credibleby themanifeft likelyhoodof truthwhich they have in themfelves, beemademoreincre- dible by theknowneconditionandqualitie of the utterer, . faith relying upon the authoritieof the revealer, maybee tirengthenedbythe probabilitieofthe thing. C a Faith I9 Gen ,x5:6. EiCoä7. Dsutx37. F.xod4.31, & 24.3x. ± Chre,n.zo.so. Pfal.uG:ró. Job. zo7,9.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=