Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

170 Fal(e Signaóf Grace. S Ë c r. II I. Chrift. It may indeedbe well doubted, and fome Divines incline thatway, that no unregenerate man bath tomuch as an hiftoricall faith, as infufed by God in them, andacing upondivine motives : only they fay, theyhave an humane affent, as we fpake of. But becaufe the current of learned'mengo otherwife, end we fee theScripture expre(ly faying, thac,many did beleeve in-him, whoyet did not mot- , tifie vain- glory, andfinfull fear ofmen, therefore we thalltake it for granted, that they have a divine faith,though not juftifying. 5. 5. This hiftoricalifaith, though it be not enough to Jz[tification andfalvation, Hifloricall yet it'sabfolutel necelfir , and is tobe laid downa''sthe foundation. The ground faith abfolutc- y y I neceffar . why menliving under the Miniftry are damned, is becaufe they have not fo much Y Y ashiftoricall faith. whohsthbeleeved our report r They do not firmly beleevethat there is a God,that there is anhell,that the threatningsof God are true ; for if fo, what fear,whatgreat alterationswould this makeupon them) We fee what humane faith will do, if a man beleeverh thathe is in fuch danger, that Inch enemies lie in wait to kill him, that he is condemned by theIaw co death, how reftleffe and troubled ishis foul ? how muchmore weuld the heartofa firmer quake within him, if hedid beleeveThat Word of God.which doch thus threaten and damnmy fins is infallibly true, it will bemade good, do I whatI can : heaven and earth will fooner fall to pieces then one iota or tittle of it : Whether (ball I fly from it ? how fhall I efcape is ? Thefe vehement workings of faith would be like fire in his bowels, burning and confuming him, till he becooled by the blond of Chrift. Therefore though this faithbe not enough, yet here is no buildingwithout this foundation. 6. 6, This biltoricall faiththough in forre refpecs it be like that of the devils, ef- Difference be- pecially becaufeof the barrennclle and unfruitfullneffeof it : yet it is in other re- tween this fpecs farce different: for this faich is an habit mauled into the beleever, and fo faith and that wrought by God, but in the devilsit's from evident experience, fo that it's not a of the devils. voluntary but a neceffary faith, for they being already in torments, and finding partof theirtorments already infiicedupon them, they are forced to believe there is aGod. Now althoughthis be fo, yet we maywith the Apoftle makea compa- rifonof both of them together, and thus farre argue, that if the meet acknow. ledging and beleeving of the matters ofreligion were enough, thenthe devilsmight be lavedas well asfuchbeleevers. 7. Although faith bath knowledge ( fora man cannot beleeve that whichhe 7. bathnot either evidentiamrei, or evidential"' teftimonij at leali. The Trinity though it hashnot evidence of the thing, yetit bath evidence of the teflimony plainly in Scripture) yet that knowledge is not by demonfiration, which Philofophers call fcientia flriftly, and therefore is obtained not fo much by difputation as refignati- on, bringing thetenderfanding intocaprivity, ththeApol}le: and this (houldbe thought onby thefe fceptique tunes, who are bsGed inknowing but not in affent- bag, which makes them fo fickle and unconftant : Auftin faid, that not intelligendi vivacitat, but credendi fimplicitas tuiumfacie turbans; but how many like thole Valentinian,, Iresetu fpeaks of are puftup with arrogancy andpride in knowledge, as if they could number the hair ofa mans head, and cell the (tars in the heavens, or the fandon the tea flame: S. I.aftly, It cannotbe denied but that the Scripture doth attribute falvation in force places even to this hifloricall faith, Mat.9,ii8. Chrift required only of that blindeman,, a faith that he was able tohelp him; foLuke 7,9. Mat.8.to. The faithof the Centurion fo much commended, feemeth only CO be of thehiftorieal( truth of_Chrifts Divinity and omnipocency. Peters faith whichChrift fo praifed, was only, Thou art the Son of theliving God : fo Martha's faith, 7oh. r r.a6. and that is remarkable, t Ìobn 5.t. Every onethat beleevetb that Kw u Chrift, is born ofgod. Thefe and the like places make Papifts conclude that all the juftifying faith that is, is tobeleeve theft truths only: yea Arminius, and I with not coo many of late, hold this to be faving and juftìfying faith, when we beleeve that jefus Chrift is the Mediatour, and will fave all thofe that beleeve in him, and they are not ta-

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