Palle ofaChgTian 79 reach outthe fame and receiue an almes ofa King : and fo in likemanner a weake and languifhing faith is fufficiently able toreach out it felfe , andto ap- prehend the infinite mercies ofour heauenlie king offered vntovs in Chrift Faith in the 3. ofIohn,is compared vino the eieoftheIfraelite,which although it wereof dimme fight,or looked a fquint,yetifit couldneuer folittle beholde thebrafenSerpent,it was fufficient to cure the flings ofthe fiery Serpents, and to faue life. Timeth. Seeingthatyoufatisfiemein euerypoint fofully,fhewmeeIpray you , whether a man maybe wicked and hauefaith,and whether faith entring exoelleth wickedneffe.For I haue heard fòme fay, that aman might beleeue the wordofGod , and yet bee neuer the better inhis life, or holier than be- fore hee was. afeb. Manie there arewhich when they heareor reade offaith, at once theyconfentthereunto,and hauea certaine imagination andopinionoffaith : as when aman telleth aflorie;or a thing done ina (frange land that pertaineth not to themat ali: whichyettheybeleeueand tell vs a true thing,and this ima- gination or opinion they call faith. Therefore as loon is theyhaue this imagi- nationor opinion in theirhearts, theyf<ty, vercly, this do6trine feen.eth true, Ibeleeue it is euen fo:then they thinkthat the rightfaith isthere; but afterward when they feele in themfelues nomaner ofworking oldieSpirit, neither the , terrible fentenceofthe law, and thehorrible captiuitie vnder Sathan, neither can perceiue anyalteration in themfelues, and that anygoodworkes followe, but findethey are altogetherBas before, and abide in their ólde flate , then thinke they that faith is not fufficient , but that workesmull bee ioyned with faith to iuflification:but ttuefaith is onlie thegift ofGod,and is mighty inope- ration,euer working, being full ofvertue : it renuethman, andbegetteth him afrefh,altereth him,chaungeth him , and turneth himaltogether, intoa newe . creature and conuerfation : fo that a man fhallfeelehis heart cieanechanged, and farte otherwifedifpofed thenbefore , and bath power to lone thatwhich before he could not but hate,and delightethin thatwhich befbrehe abhorred, andhateth that which before he couldnot but lone. And it fetteth the foule at libertie ,andmaketh herfree to followe thewill ofGod, and is to the foule as healthto the bodie. After that a man is pinedwith longfcknes,the legs can notbeare him,he cannot liftvp his hands to help him,his tale is corrupt-, fugar is bitterinhis mouth,his flomacklongeth afterflubbcrf-uce &fvvafh,at which a vihole ftomacke is ready to cafi.his gorge:when health comtneth íhe chan- geth andalterethhim cleane,giuethhim f#rength in all his members , loft and will todo ofhisown accord that whichbefore he couldnot doe,neithercould fullerthat anyman fl ouldexhorthim to doe, and bathnow tuft inwholfotne things,andhis members arefreeand atlibertie, andhauepower to do allthings ofhis owne accordwhich belong to afoundand wholeman to doe. ,end faith workethin thefamemaner,as a tree bringsfoorthfruit ofhisowne accord:and as aman neednotbid a treebring forth fruit , fo is there no lawput to him that Ff beleeueth
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