428 Of the Nature of ol.II. this fenfe it is fometimes ufed in common difcourfe , and in all forts of.Writers. I hhall only mention a Text or two where it is fo taken. Mat. 23. 23. And have emitted the weightier things of the law, judgment, and mercy, and faith, that is, fidelity. And Rom. 3. 3. with relation to God, Shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none efeçl ? that is, 'his faithfulnefs in his Promifes. Tit. 2. to. Not purloining, but 'hewing all goodfidelity, mímv aaav, all Faith. Secondly, It is fometimes put for fpiritual gifts , and particularly the gift of Miracles, which. were wrought by the power of Faith. Rom. 12. 3. According as God bath dealt to every man the meafure of faith ., that is of fpiritual gifts, of Prophefying, or Minyry, or Exhortation, as it is ex- plain'd afterward. r Cor. 12. 9. To another is given faith by the fame fpirit ; that is, a power of Miracles in general , as learned Interpreters think. Nor doth that which is added afterward, that to another is given the working of miracles, prejudice this Interpretation ; for cvspyú¡tgau, dL váµkwv, the operation of powers, which we render ofmiracles, feems to figni- fie force fpecial fort of Miracles, not the power of Miracles in general. And this feems to be favour'd by the acceptation of it in the next Chap- ter, ver. 2. And though Ihave all faith, fa that I could remove Mountains; where Faith is undoubtedly taken for the power of Miracles. Thefe being removed , as very alien and remote from the common and ufual acceptation of the word , I come now to fix the general no- tion of Faith, to which all other acceptations of it may eafily be reduced; and 'xis this. Faith is a perfwafion of the mind concerning any thing ; concerning the truth of any Propofition, concerning the exiftence, or futurition, or lawfulnefs, or convenience, or poffibility, or goodnefs of any thing, or the contrary ; or concerning the credit of a perfon, or the contrary. And this notion is not only agreeable to the proper notion of the word risn, which comes from ore $ to perfwade, but is warranted from the com- mon ufe of it in this latitude. It is ordinary for Men to fay, they be- lieve or are perfwaded fuch a Propofition is true or falfe, fuch a thing is or is not, fuch an Event will be or will not be, that fuch an A&ion is lawful or unlawful, fuch a thing is good or bad, convenient or inconveni- ent, poffible or impoffible to be done ; or that they believe fuch a Perfori, or do not believe him. And I could thew from Scripture that believing is apply'd to all thefe matters, and many more; I will only inftance in one or two. That Faith is frequently ufed for the perfwafion of the truth of a Do- arine, or of the veracity of God or . Chrift, I lhall not need to produce any Texts, there are fo many. That Faith is ufed for a perfwafion of the lawfulnefs of an a&ion, the 14th Chapter to the Romans doth abundantly teftifie. Ver. 2. One belie- veth that he may eat all things ; that is, is perfuaded in his mind that all forts of meat are lawful without diftin&ion. Ver. 22. Haß thou faith ? that is, art thou perfwaded or fatisfied in thy mind of the lawfulnefs of thofe indifferent things he had been fpeaking of? Ver. 23. He that doub- teth is damned if he eat, becaufe be eateth not of faith: for whatfoever is not of faith, is fin ; that is, whatever is not done with the Perfwafion and Satisfa&ion ofour Minds that we may lawfully do it, is fin. I !hall trouble you with no more Inftances. Now this being the general notion of Faith, that it is a perfwafion of the mind concerning any thing, from hence by a Metonymy it comes to be put for the argument whereby this perfwafion is wrought in us. Hence it is, that among the Rhetoricians orlsrns are any kind of argument or proof i which Orators make ufe of toperfwade men ; and there is one place in the
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