5 52, `Mat afind d a»dwei&efaith may bea truefaith. beleeue, who hearing thedo'rine of Chrifi, and feeinghis- miracles beleeued, and acknowledged him to be the true Meflîas and their Sauiour, though at the fame time they had . attained toan exceeding fmall meafureofknowledge, and were ignorant ofmany of the chi efeprinciples ofChriflian- religion,becaufe they nourifhed not this theirignorance, but refolued to vfe all thofe good meanesof increafing in knowledge whichGodhath ordainedfor this purpofe. And thus manyof the Samaritanesare Paid to have beleeued for the fayingof the woman, and becaufe of his owne word. Ioh.4. 39.41. Ioh.4.39.41. Thus acertaine rulerand all his houfeholdare Ycr.$t, faid tohauebeleeued, when they law the miracle which our.' Sauiour°wrought. in curing the rulers fonne of his feauer:. onely withhis word,verf:52. Yea, theApoflles themfelues,,, whole faith our SauiourChrifi compareth to afirme rocke, again(} which the gates of hell fhould neuer'preuaile, were notwithflanding indued N.vith a \weake and final meafureof faith,before the afcenfionofour Sauiour, and fendingofthe holyGboß For they-were ignorant euen ofthe maine prin- ciplesofChrifiian religion,and ofdiuersarticlesoffaith,and confequently couldnot beleeue, affent, or be perfwaded of thofe things which they did not vndcrfland.' For example, Mact11,16.18. howfoeucr they-knew and acknowledged that our Sauiour ChrifTwas the promifedMeflîas,yet they were ignorant that he fhould redeememankinde byhis death;for when he fore- told that he fhould be deli uered into the handsof the Gen- tiles tobe crucified,-it is:Paid that they vnderflood none of 142n11.10.1.8. thofe things,Mattb.2od 8,. Luk.9.45. Soalfo they knewnot Luk 9.41. that being déad',he fhould rife agaitie the third day,as the E .... Ma'k.9 ;24 uangeliti fheweth,Matth.9.3 2. And when they heard there- Lek.:4.1 s. ofby the women,they:thought it afaiued thing,as it is Luk. 24.1.1. Theywere ignorant alfo ofhis afcenfion,as appeareth ;. ;8. loh.r3.36.and 14. 5:-andofhiskingdome,fortheydreamed end r4... oían earthly kingdome, andof worldly preferments which AE2s 1.6. theywere to hauebyhün,as- we.may fee,.A a.6.IVIark.to.3 7. ask.lo.37.. By all which it plainelyappeareth, that though the Apofiles were indued with a true faith, yet their faithwas exceeding Iveak alto it ismoíi:euident in that reprehenfon.: rfed
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