Ball - BT770 B3 1637

Faith is anAient. 21 Hee doubted not through infidelitie, but of infirmitie bee doubted, when hee wokeHagar; and requefl'edSarah to fay, theewas his rifler. Much isfpoken inScripture of the faith of David: but hewas fhaken many times, ashe con- feifeth ofhimfelfe; IPaid in mixehafte, Iam cut offfrom, before thine eyes.Verily,1 have cleanfedmy heart in vaines andwafhed mine hands in innocencie. Ifaidin myhaf#e, All menare Tiers. And though it be out ofqueftion, that we areto endevour for the perfeelion, asof other graces ofGods Spirit, foof that faithwhereby weegive affent to what God hath revealed: yet by reafonof our weaknefl'e it comes topaffe, that doubtings doe many times arife in our hearts. The affent'thatfaith gives to the word of God is ab- 2. Abfolnte. folate and unlimited ; viz. tothe whole truth, promifes, threatnings, commandements. It will not take and leave at pleafure, but if it apprehend in one thing what the Lord faith, it will receive his teflimony, if it can appre- hendit tobeofGod, in everie thing, and that limply be- caufe it is thewordof God, though it exceed humane ca- pacitie and likelÿhood. So worfhip I the godofmy Fa- Aas24.14: thers,beleeving all things that are written in the Lawand theProphets. It is a fine for a man not to beleeve whatfoever God hath made knòvvne in his Word, and in that refpeel it is damnable not tobeleeve, or tomif-beleeve anything : But through ignorance and infirmitie a Chrillian may mil-be- leeve many things without the danger of damnation. Faith íhould bee entire in all things, muff bee entire in all fundamental] points; without the knowledge and faith of which, a manofage and dïfcretion cannot bee faved : but all errour and mif -beleefe loth not deftroy the truth of faith, nomore than everie imperfeóian Both the truth of rìghteoufneffe. A man may mifunderfland diverte places of Scripture, and thereupon hold that to bee truewhich is fade, andyet bee lived for all this errour. The Apoflles Aa.,t.6. &24,3. themfelves, for a long time, even tillafter the Afcenfion of C 3 our Gent6 Gen.tz.z;. Pral ;z., PCai.7 ;.z3,z6,22. and zz6 xi.

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