Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

S n c T. III. Fall Signs ofGrace. 369 Firft, That although the word Faith be ofa veryvafffignflcation in the Scri- a, pture, yet thisdiflin&ion isnecelfaryrobeobferved; Faith is tither taken for the Objedwhich we dobelieve, or the true Docfirire ; inwhich fen!e the Apo- _ file calsit one Faith, and ;udeexhorts to contend for the Faith. Though ¡nsais very improbably would interpret that oftheadof Faith, exprefly reje dng that Expofition ofthe Dodrine of Faith. ThisWas afterwards called D ;gfiaüca;I andCatbolick Faith, or Fides qua rredstur; sir fcondly, it is taken for chat adof the foul, whereby we give affent unto truths revealed in Gods word and this is in theheart, not Catholick, but Perfona and particular; and in this khfe doe word is molt commonly taken, and this to Fides gnâ credirur.. Secondly, This Faith thus in the mindeand heart ofmen, is by theOrthodox z. divided into an Hiftorical Faith, not called fo becaule they believe the Scripture for the'Authority ofthe Hillory-writer, nor becaufe it believeth the Hilary of the Scripture onely , for it believeth the threatnings and Promifes allo, hot becaufe thehiftorical part is the greater part inquantity of the object believed. z. A miraculous faith. 3. A temporary, 4 A juftifying : by which divilon the learned do not diftributean. univocal genus into its diftind fpecies, but onely grolfely lay down this difference, for inajuiifiedpérfon its the fame habit of faith that believeth the Hiffory, and particularlyapplieth the promifes of jo- llification, the one being a general ad, the otherfpecifical. The Papifts Icons at this diftindion. To the Protellants, faith Maldonate, Tot funt fides, gust. ix Lyra, jetting upon theword Faith : The Proteflantshave as many faiths, as there beFiddle firings upon a Fiddle; but the Scripture compels us to makeiuch a diltinilion; forwe read of many who are Paid to believe in the Scripture, who yet hadnot a true lively work ofgrace upon them. g. To Faith or believing, there are three ads required, Knowledge, Affent 3, and fiducial Application; Hence itsufualwiththeScriptureto defcribe faith by one ofthefe ads, not excludingbut fuppofing the other, as, Thu si eternal life, to low thee,' &c. Joh. 17.3. by knowledge is meant the powerfull receiving of Chriftinto our hearts, and hereindoth this hiflorical faith come fhort, becaufe its not fo fiduciai,and fo receptive of Chrifl,the fountainoflife, as it thou Id be ; and in this ad its Paid to juflihe, compared thereforeby Divines to thehand," to theeye; to theglaffe- window in the houle that only lets in light ; to the navel bywhich thechilde in the mothersbelly liveth and obtainethall its nourilhment; but we at this time fpeakof faith in the fecondadas it is affenfitive, and giveth credence to the truthsof God. 4. Our affent and perfwafionof the truth inmatters of Religion, may be ei. 4 ther humane meetly, becaureofcuflome, education, and the Authorityof the Church : or divine, being enclinedand moved thereunto, becaule of Divine Authority. This diftíndion is much tobe obferved, becaufe its to be feared, that molt Proteftants have no more then a humane faith. Theybelieveour Reli- gionuponnomoredivine ground then Papifts theirs, or Turks theirs. It is the Religionof theirFathers, andof the State and Commonwealth wherein they live. Thus you fee how inKing Edwards daies thegenerality of the Kingdome turned Proteftants, and in Queen Marie/ papifls, why fo ? but becaufe their Religionwas placedas theHeathens did Fortune upon a round Globe, which . quickly moved this way,and the other. But DivineFaith bath this ground, The Lordbath faidit. And as a manTeeth the Sunne by the light of the Surine ; fo they believe the truths in Scripture, becaufe of that Divine Authority fhining therein, Ido not therefore fpeak of anhumane faith in matters of Religion,but a divine faith, wherebymen are inabled upon fupernatural grounds to believe the truthsofGod revealed; forfaithisrhegiftefGod, and that inalltheads of it, Knowledge, Affent and fiducial Application, and theSpirit of God doth fo enlightenthe minds ofmany unregenerate men, that they believe the word of God, asGods word, and yet for all that, arenot ina foul -faxing wayunited to Z' Chrik.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=