Math. 13. 19. touching whom we may obserue 2. things 1. the manner of their hearing 2. the issue and euent of their hearing 1. the manner of their hearing is not here expressed yet is mentioned Math. 13. 19. they heare and vnderstand not 2. The issue and euent of their hearing which is set forth by the diuells practise and behauiour toward them And that is described 1. by the manner 2. by the end of it 1. by the manner of it for he is said to come and take the word out of their hearts 2. by the end wherefore he doth so which is double he doth it to preuent 2. things which they might receiue by hearing the one being subordinate to the other the former being a meane of the later and the later being a reward of the former the one is least they should belieue the later is least they should be saued 2. The second kind of ground was stony who are ment thereby is specified vers 13. Another sort of vnprofitable hearers who are described by 4. properties whereof the two first declare their present estate and the two last their future condition 1. they receiue the word with ioy 2. they haue no rootes 3. they belieue for a while 4. In time of temptation they fall away 3. The third kind of ground was thornie which also representeth another sort of bad hearers described vers 14. by the causes and by the effect or issue by the causes for 3. things are named which like thornes choake the seede of the word 1. cares 2. riches 3. voluptuous liuing by the effect or issue that followeth thereupon they bring forth no fruite 4. The fourth and last kind of groūd was good ground in which the seede sprang vp and did beare fruit That is a resemblance of good hearers as appeareth vers 15. And those are described by 3. properties 1. by the manner of their hearing they heare with an honest and good hart 2. by their keeping of it after they haue heard it 3. by their fruitfulnes And that is amplified 2. waies 1. by the maner of it heare with patience 2. by the measure and varietie of it some bring forth more some lesse in Math. 13. 23. Mar. 4. 20. some thirty some sixtie some an hundred fold 1. To begin first with the first and so to proceed in order to the rest Christ sheweth what is ment by the seede when he saith the seede is the word of God By which tytle is plainely manifested the vertue force and efficacie of Gods word As seede is the beginning and cause of all the fruit afterward reaped so is the word the beginning and cause of all goodnes in vs euen of all grace in the heart of all good words in the mouth and of all obedience in the life And as good seede if it be well sowne in a fertile soyle will yeeld fruit so the word being well taught to capable and docible persons wil produce some good fruit for the glory of God and for their comfort and saluation The word is resembled to many things in regard of the power and vertue of it As to an hammer that will bruse vs to a fire that will either purge or consume vs to a light that will direct vs to salt that will season vs to a sword that will defend vs to seede that will beget vs to foode that will nourish vs to goades that will pricke vs forward so also to seede that being sowne wil yeeld plentie of fruit because of it owne nature through Gods ordinance and blessing it will prouoke people to obedience If therefore you receiue it and doe not beare fruit the fault is in you and not in it you are but barren soyle vnworthy of such seede Moreouer it is to be obserued that Christ compareth the word to seede that is sowne for in the propounding of the parable he said the sower went out to sowe his seede and now he saith the seede is the word meaning the seede sowne Mathew saith that the diuell catcheth away the word sowne in the heart And Marke saith that the sower soweth the word And therefore it must needs be vnderstood of the word preached The word of God as it is written in the scriptures and conteyned in the bookes of the old and new testament is good seede indeed yet it is as seede in the barne vnthrashed or as seede laid vp in the garner but the word read and expounded preached and applyed to Gods people is as seede sowne in a field And preachers be the sowers of it for albeit Christ doth not expresly declare who be the sowers yet that is apparant from other circumstances for if the word be the seede sowne then they who preach the word are the sowers And if they who heare the word taught be the ground in which the seede is sowne then the persons who teach them and whom they heare are the sowers So Christ by preaching the word was a sower yea the chiefest of all others the ground was his the seede was his he like a good husbandman with his owne hands did sowe his own seede in his owne field So the Apostles were likewise sowers Christ was a sower to the Iewes onely they also to the gentiles he in the little field of Iudea they in the large field of the whole world Wherfore S. Paul said If we haue sowne vnto you spirituall things is it a great thing if we reape your carnall things as also we together are Gods labourers ye are Gods husbandry And so all those who preach the same word which they did are sowers for as the sower filleth his hand with seede and casteth it abroad among the furrowes of the field not setting it seede by seede or choosing a peculiar place for euery seede but lets it lye as it lighteth So the preacher disperseth and dispenseth the word in a mixt people not able to giue it successe but as it pleaseth God to giue a blessing and as the hearts of the hearers are prepared for it Hence then wee may learne the necessitie of preaching no sowing no reaping As you cannot in any field reape a crop of corne at haruest vnles it were sowne with good seede at the seede time no more can any fruits of grace or any good works bee found in the Church or children of God vnlesse the seede of the worde bee sowne among them Indeed there may be sometimes good sowing and little good fruit to be reaped As the Lord did all that could bee done to his Vineyard and yet it brought forth nothing but wild grapes but if there be no sowing it is impossible to gather any fruit at all Christ therefore sayd Except the wheat corne fall into the ground it abideth alone Our hearts are the ground they must be sowne with the seede of Gods worde otherwise they will bee altogether barren or else bring forth nothing but briars and brambles thornes and
I am good They may here behold and if they please take a tast of the meate wherewith his Maiesties subiects are daily fed Though their diet be homely yet I hope it is holesome though the manner of teaching be plaine yet is it profitable especially for such people as I am appointed to instruct My iudiciall hearers can testifie that these sermons were sutable to my ordinary teaching and that in penning them I haue altered very little either for matter methode or stile I thinke few will complaine of the vnprofitablenes of our labours but those who doe reioyce thereat and would haue vs remoued lest our labours should become more fruitfull hereafter who would rather haue the countrey still remaine addicted to popery and impiety then brought to the obedience of the Gospell How fruitfull our labours haue bene your Lordship can better iudge then any of them Yet must we needes confesse that the fruitfulnes thereof hath bene and still is greatly hindered by two sortes of persons namely by popish priests and profane Pypers The priests like Samballat and Tobiah hinder vs in edifying the Lords Temple and labour to pull downe as fast as we build vp like the old seducers they creepe into houses and lead captiue simple women laden with sins and led with diuers lusts They withstand vs as Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses Yea they subuert whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre They are sent by the Pope to recouer if it were possible the reuenews rents tributes which once he had out of this kingdome who hauing no other meanes wherby to liue haue raised a gainefull trade of seducing and through couetousnes doe make marchandise of the peoples soules Though it pleased his Maiestie to banish them yet as a Witch was found in Endor after that Saul had banished all out of Israel So now vpon diligent search many priests might be found in these pants Though they lurke in secret corners and dare not shew their faces yet may we traâ—e them by their footesteps and take notice of their presence by their practises euen as we may discerne where a snaile hath crept on the wall by the slime which it leaueth behind it Who maryeth our recusants who baptizeth their children but they Not one recusant is maryed not one of their children is baptized by our ministers Shall we thinke that they who hold Matrimonie to be a sacrament would liue together as man and wife and neuer be maried Can we imagine that they who hold baptisme to be absolutely necessarie to salnation will suffer all their children to remaine vnbaptized Therein they verifie the Poets saying In vetitum nefas gens humana ruit Before we had any statute lawe against mariages and baptizings by popish priests it was a rare thing to heare of any one who offended that way But since that law was made it hath bene a rare thing in this countrey to heare of a Recusants mariage solemnized or a Recusants childe baptized by any of our ministers So as if our law-makers had foreseene the issue it may be they would haue forborne the making of that law least as Solon thought of a law to be made against Parricides they should put men in mind of such an offence What is the reason of this their wilfulnes Not onely impunitie our lawes made against them being like an vntimely birth dead assoone as borne and wanting execution which is the life of them but especially because the priests doe euermore excite them to disobedience and will canonize them for holy confessours for that their contemptuous breach of our lawes And whence commeth it that scarce one of an hundreth of all our Recusants and non-communicants would come to take the oath of allegiance when they were therevnto lawfully called but because the priests disswade them from it by authoritie of the Popes bulles and by warrant of the Cardinalls bookes Augustine acknowledged that through feare of the imperiall lawes put in execution not onely some few persons but likewise many whole cities who formerly had bene Donatists became right Catholikes So if our lawes might be duely executed if not against all papists yet against the priests I doubt not but within a while we should drawe most of the people to due conformitie All their bookes haue bene answered all their dispersed pamphlets confuted and many disputations haue bene graunted them Seeing then that after so many conuictions they remaine obstinate I hope all will acknowledge with the same Father that wee may lawfully craue the execution of the lawe against the enemies of the faith if it be done with a minde to correct and not with a desire to reuenge Moreouer I cannot but lament and with griefe of heart complaine that still in this part of the countrey the course of religion is exceedingly hindered the fruites of our labours greatly frustrated the Lords Sabboth impiously profained by publike pyping by open and lasciuious dancing on that day That it is not consecrated as holy to the Lord but rather kept as a feast of Bacchus and Venus That pyping should put downe preaching that dancing should draw the people from their dutie That for one person which we haue in the Church to heare diuine seruice sermons and catechisme euery pyper there being many in one parish should at the same instant haue many hundreds on the greenes Our learned and late diuines doe teach that the virgines of Israel giuing themselues to dancing on their feast day did thereby abuse it And that it was no maruaile if at the same time they were all ranished for the punishment of that their sinne Gregory Nazianzen exhorted his people to celebrate their feastes diuinely and not by dancing And accounteth the vse of it and such like things an hethenish maner of celebrating feastes Isidor Clarius thought that gamsters players and dancers sinned more haynously and should be punished more gâ—…sly then he who gathered stickes and 〈◊〉 the â—â—wes who gathered manna on that day Augustine taught that it was better for men to dig and delue and for women to card and spin then to dance wantonly on the Sabboth which he ment not of the Iewish Sabboth onely but also of the Christian Sabboth because in the same places he exhorted christiaÌ„s to keepe their sabboth spiritually end not carnally as the Iewes did by idlenes and dancing The councell of Toledo forbad that custome of the common people on their holy daies And charged Priests and Iudges to suppresse that bad custome in all their prouinces Leo 4. with 67. Bishops in a Synode at Rome decreed that priests should admonish men and women not to gather companies together on their holy daies after the maner of Pagans to dance and sing filthie songs And that those who were admonished and would not cease should be suspended from the Communion Yet the greatest part of our people spend more then
Mathew sets downe one propertie of them and Luke another Mathew saith They are such as heare and vnderstand not There be 2. sorts of hearers who vnderstaÌ„d not the word 1 Some through naturall infirmitie through defect of capacity conceipt vnderstaÌ„ding memorie If these naturall faculties be not perfit they cannot possibly vnderstand the word which they heare but of these Christ doth not heare speake this is rather an infirmitie then a fault rather a punishment of sin then sin it selfe God may beare with their weaknes especially if their mind and vnderstanding be as weak in apprehending worldly matters as it is in diume If they vnderstand the fundamentall grounds of Religion If they mislike this their infirmitie desire to haue it redressed If they haue a care according to their small capacity to encrease in knowledge And if they frame their liues according to the measure of knowledge which they haue receiued 2. Some vnderstand not the word through negligence carelesnes contempt who heare the word but heed it not regard it not marke it not care not much for it let it passe as it coÌ„meth and are thinking of some other matter while they should attend to it who are so farre from laying it deepe in their hearts as they will not suffer it long to continue in their heads Of these persons doth Christ heere speake for he noteth it as a great fault in them and opposeth them to those who receiue the word with ioy And fitly are they resembled to the high way as before was declared This kind of hearers is not wanting in these daies who marke and vnderstand little or nothing of that we speake though wee speake neuer so plainely If they heare a long discourse of worldly matters they giue attentiue eares can carry it away repeat it to others but let them heare a poynt of necessarie doctrine on an article of their faith discussed they conceiue little and afterwards can rehearse nothing at all So that in them is fulfilled that Prophecie of Esay applyed by Christ to the obstinate Iewes By hearing they heare vnderstand note by seing they see perceiue not Let them know that their hearing shall not profit them vnles they vnderstand Indeed there be some who vnderstand what they heare yet shall reape no benefit by it yet is there not any who shal haue any coÌ„modity by that which he heares and vnderstands not Wherefore we must say to them as Christ said to the multitude heare and vnderstand you loose your labour in hearing if you vnderstand not The Eunuch thought it impossible for him to vnderstand the scripture he reade without a guide yet thereby implyed that if he had a guide he could vnderstand Our people haue such guides and yet many of them vnderstand little If one aske them the meaning of a text which they heard lately and learnedly pithily and plainly expounded they cannot tell the sense of it If one aske their opinion touching a point of doctrine lately taught them they are not able to speake any thing of it which declareth that they vnderstood it not and so they proue themselues to be no good hearers Some say they are not learned they are of a dull capacitie yet they haue a good meaning and as good an heart as those who vnderstand most they hope God will beare with them and accept of their good meaning when as they should rather accuse themselues of negligence If they did duly prepare themselues and carefully attend they might vnderstaÌ„d much more then they do But let them first know that though they be not learned and cannot reade yet ought they and may be able to vnderstand for God hath furnished preachers with learning and appoynted them so to explane the word that the simple may vnderstand it Euen as Ezra and the Leuites reade the booke of the lawe distinctly and gaue the sense and caused the people to vnderstand it Though thou be not able to vnderstand the word of thy selfe yet may â—st thou be made able by them yea and shalt be made able to vnderstand the most necessatie points of saluation before thou canst be made fit for heauen yea many of the most necessarie points are so easie of themselues that thou may vnderstand them at the first hearing if thou wilt carefully marke them The entrance into Gods word sheweth light and giueth vnderstanding to the simple And therefore if thou vnderstand not thou should rather blame thy selfe for want of attention then for want of capacitie or learning Againe know this that God will neuer accept of thy good meaning nor of thy good heart vnles thou d oin some competent measure vnderstand his word for it is the word rightly vnderstood that must direct thy good meaning and correct thy heart thou maist thinke thy meaning is good and thy heart good when both be naught as indeed they are if thou vnderstand not the word aright And how should God accept of thy good meaning voyd of vnderstanding It is but the sacrifice of fooles blindnes was a blemish which made beastes vnfit for sacrifice And doest thou thinke God will accept thy blind deuotion deceiue not thy owne soule herein but seeke for vnderstanding There be some that be desirous to vnderstand what they heare and it may be would gladly knowe how they may be able I would aduise them to doe these 6. things 1. Let them prepare themselues before they come to heare As we must prepare our selues before we pray if we will not pray vainely and as we must prepare our selues before we come to the Sacrament if we will not receiue it vnworthily so must wee prepare our selues before we heare if we will not heare vnprofitably The husbandman prepares his ground by plowing it before he sowe it If thou goe rashly to heare without preparation thou shalt yeeld no more fruit then a field that is sowne before it be plowed Thou maist prepare thy selfe by considering before hand that the word which thou goest to heare is not the word of a mortall man but the word of the euerliuing God that not man onely speakes vnto thee but that God speaketh vnto thee in and by the man That the word is the power of God to saluation that one day thou must giue account to God for thy hearing If thou doest seriously consider these things before hand they will prepare thee to heare with more reuerence and vnderstanding Againe prepare thy selfe by vnfained humiliation for thy former sinnes least God for the punishment of them should blind thy vnderstanding when thou hearest Likewise prepare thy selfe by renewing thy faith in the truth of Gods word and of his promises knowing that the word will not profit the hearers vnles it be mixed with faith 2. Pray earnestly vnto the Lord that he would enlighten thy minde by his holy spirit for the naturall man perceiueth not the things of God neither can
vnwritten traditions Alfonsus Uiruestus a Popish Bishop and a bitter enemie to Luther acknowledgeth so much For he saith That things may bee contayned in the Scripture eyther formally and expresly or materially being drawne by a necessary collection from the contents And this he saith is called Uirtualis continentia To denie this saith hee is not Christian wisedome but Iewish superstition And then teacheth that wee are as much bound to giue assent to those things that be materially conteyned and drawne thence by a lawfull collection as to those that be formerly and expresly conteyned Bellarmine cannot deny but that Scotus taught there was not any expresse place of Scripture to proue Transubstantiation without the declaration expositioÌ„ of the Church Neither dare the Cardinall reiect that assertion but saith that Transubstantiation belongeth to the Catholicke faith because it is collected out of the diuine Scripture In his iudgement then that is a written truth which is collected from the Scripture as well as that which is expressely set downe in the Scripture If therefore Preachers deliuer no other doctrines in their Sermons if they confute and condemne no other errors if they teach no other duties if they reproue no other sinnes if they minister no other consolations and if they vrge no other exhortations then they haue warrant in the written word of God eyther by expresse testimonies or by necessary collections the word which they preach is the very same in kind in nature and substance with the word written And so there is not one word written and another word preached as the Docter would beare men in hand but one and the same word diuersly vsed So absurd is this his obseruation so voyde of reason so destitute of proofe and so discreâ—ant from the doctrine of his owne Church that it may well be thought that rather malice against vs then any warrant from the text caused him to sâ—t it downe And heere behold how farre malice doth carry your teachers euen to forsake their owne companions and to ouerthrow the coÌ„mon and receiued doctrine of their owne Church that so they may crosse and condemne vs. And to conclude with him he that will regard what he writeth in the latter end of his obseruation may easily perceiue how hee ouerthroweth his owne note obserued in the beginning For he produceth the Apostle Peter as an in different witnes in this case who saith that the Word of God endureth for euer and this is the word which is preached among you whose testimonie doth euidently prooue that the word written and the word preached then by the Apostles and other Ecclesiasticall persons was the very same word For it is apparant by that verse which he alleadged that the word of God which endureth for euer and the word which then was preached were one and the selfe same word Now what was the word that endureth for euer was it not the word written If any will denye this let him reade the former verse in Peter and compare that verse and this with the words of the Prophet Isaiah and hee shall finde it to be the word written by the Prophet So as Peter maketh the word written by the Prophet and preached by the Apostles to be the same Againe this great Docter saith the Word is the Seede because it is vnchangeable in it owne nature and substance though diuers in explication and proueth it out of Basil and Uincentius Lyrenensâ—s who make that agreemeÌ„t betweene the word written and the word preached that they are both one in substance for they preached nothing but what was written yet the word writteÌ„ was made fruitfull by preaching SECT III. BVt to leaue the Doctor and his obseruation It may be some others will acknowledge contrarie to his minde that whosoeuer preacheth nothing but such doctrines as are either expresly taught or necessarily gathered from the scriptures preacheth nothing but the written word And yet will likewise contradict me because they hold that there is another word of God besides the written word Bellarmine saith there is verbuÌ„ Dei scriptuÌ„ verbum Dei non scriptum A word of God written namely the bookes of the old and new Testaments And a word of God not written namely the traditions of the Church which be not written in the scriptures Gregory de Ualentia holdeth it for a most certaine thing that the word of God is not onely conteyned in written letters as it pleaseth him to tearme the scriptures in way of disgrace but is also put in the voyce of the Church and there doth sound Coster the Iesuite speaketh more plainely and peremptorily That the consent of the Catholike Church and the consonant doctrine of all Christians throughout the world is the scripture And in many points excelleth the scriptures which the Apostles haue left vs in parchments And this he maketh the first and chiefest kinde of scripture which now wee haue vnder the Gospell and saith that is a scripture penned with their owne hands The scriptures penned by the Apostles and Euangelists he placeth in the second ranke And addeth that a scripture of the third kind is in the degrees of generall Councells The decrees whereof if a man respect truth if he respect the seale and confirmation of the holy Ghost or the presence of Christ haue the same waight and moment that the holy gospells of God haue And so whereas Bellarmine made but two words of God he maketh three and two of his three are neither of the Cardinalls two Now those who depend on such teachers as these wil hold that albeit the seede be the word of God and Preachers must teach nothing but the word yet they may preach the traditions of the Church and the canons of councells as well as the contents of the written word because these be the word of God as well as the written word Wherevnto I answere that if the Traditions of the Church the word put in the mouth of the Church and the decrees of Councells be eyther expresly taught in the written word or may be warranted thence by iust and lawfull consequence we will acknowledge them to be the word of God But if they be praeter verbum besides the word writteÌ„ hauing neither way any warrant thereby they are not to be preached as the word of God but to be taken as the word of man And if they be contrary to the word written they are so farre from being the word of God as they must rather bee reputed to be the word of the diuell I neede not to stand on the first and last kinde For we acknowledge the first as well as the papists and the papists doe in generall condemne the last as well as we though they iustifie some in particular All the doubt is whether such traditions and canons that bee praeter verbum are to be taught to the people as the true word of God and be the seede
Yet vnto this faith assent of reason and the minde that it may be called a perfect faith there ought also to be adioyned a certaine sure and firme trust of the heart whereby the belieuing soule doth so stay vpon trust to the worde and truth of God that without all doubting whatsoeuer it is he hath it as sure as if he held it in his handes And hee further addeth that this is the Faith and not that assent of reason which the Lord euery where required of them whome hee vouchsafed to heale Of that he spake when he saide Daughter be of comfort thy Faith hath made thee whole And this is the same Faith which maketh prayer effectuall which Christ and Iames require in them that pray Didacus Stella hauing distinguished of faith that there is one to belieue whatsoeuer is to be belieued called a Theological vertue another is a Considence by which we belieue that the Lorde will giue whatsoeuer we aske He saith that without this faith 1. this Confidence our sinnes cannot be forgiuen For although a man belieue all thinges contained in holy Scriptures to be true and all things which the Church belieueth yet if he shuld not trust and most certainly belieue that they shall be forgiuen him they should neuer be forgiuen him And saint Iames saith Let him aske in faith nothing doubting To the like purpose doth he afterward distinguish of faith describe the later kinde saying Faith is taken two wayes One way for the habite of belieuing according to which we doe assent to the trueths of the Scripture And this is the Faith without which it is impossible to please God And this is one of the three Theologicall vertues 1. Cor. 13. And by this faith a belieuer differeth from an Infidell There is another faith which is called a Confidence whereby a man asketh of God confidently hoping and belieuing most certainly that he shall obtaine of the Lord that which he asketh Which faith is needefull for him that prayeth otherwise hee shall neuer obtaine any thing If this be the faith required of them that pray aright it is the faith of all Gods Saints and of them which are iustified for they pray often and are heard And if this man write truely then those who teach and haue no other faith then an assent to the truth of things reuealed can neuer obtaine pardon of their sinnes nor haue their petitions graunted Tollet taught and that out of Euthymius that Faith in many places of scripture is takeÌ„ Not for the assent of the minde but for the assuraÌ„ce of the will Iansenius also writeth the same Therfore most rightly as appeareth it may be saide that by the name of Faith in the Gospells wheÌ„ saluation or the obtaining of those things which wee desire is ascribed vnto it both these are comprehended both that firme assent in things to be belieued concerning God and Christ and also a Confidence conceyued from his goodnesse c. For these two doe so cleaue together that neyther can there be any Confidence without Credulitie neyther can Credulitie without Confidence obtayne any thing of God And to the same effect afterward thus These two to wit Credulity and Confidence seeme to be included together in the name Faith when it is set downe that the Lord saâ—d According to your Faith be it vnto you That the meaning may be As ye belieue that I can heale you and for this doe trust that I will heale you So be it vnto you If then by the testimonie of these Authors Faith bee often so taken in the Scriptures And if this be the only Faith whereby we obtaine such things at the handes of God Why should wee be condemned as Hereticks for teaching such a faith Ought not we to haue such a faith in Christ for the saluation of our soules that those men had in him for the curing of their bodyes Though Stapleton denie this speciall Considence yet hee acknowledgeth that for one and the same faith Christ gaue them both outward inward health Paulus Burgensis saith that Abraham by the Faith which was imputed to him for Righteousnes did not onely belieue that he should be the Father of many Nations but rather that he his seed should obtaine euerlasting life in heauen In Genes 15. Addit 2. The Diuines of Colone taught that through the faith of the word of God working in vs true Contrition and Repentance and other works of preuenting grace we are iustified as by a certaine cause preparing and disposing vs. But through the Faith whereby without doubting we doe firmely trust our sinnes are forgiuen vs through Christ wee are iustified as by a cause receiuing it And also adde further that the Righteousnes of Christ is the cause of our Iustification not as it is out of vs in him but as and when the same is imputed vnto vs for Righteousnes yet so that it be apprehended by faith Cassander who was so highly esteemed for learning and wisedome that two Romane Emperors Ferdinand and Maximilian 2. sent to him for his aduise howe to compound the controuersies in religion approueth their opinion saith that Booke was greatly commended of all the Learnedst diuines through Italy France as a Booke that excellently relateth the summe of the Ancients opinion touching religion out of whose writings the booke is as it were confirmed And with great approbation citeth these words out of it Wee confesse it to be true that it is altogether required for the iustifying of a man that a man doe certainly belieue not onely generally that for Christ sinnes be forgiuen to them that be truely penitent but also that they be forgiuen to the man himselfe for Christ by faith Hee also alledgeth out of the Ratisbone booke these words We call a liuely faith a motion of the holy Ghost whereby they who truely repent are lifted vp to God and doe truely apprehend mercie promised in Christ that now they truely perceiue that they haue through the free goodnes of God receiued remission of sinnes and reconciliation for the merits of Christ and doe crye Abba Fâ—ther And therevpon hee inferreth that rightly agreeably to the scriptures it is saide that this is the nature of a Iustifying Faith that it perceiue that feeling of Gods fauour which the holy Ghost worketh in vs. And further addeth that to obtaine Iustification Such a Faith is required whereby a man after the example of Abraham doth not doubt of the promise of God through distrust but aboue hope belieueth vnder hope that God will impute to him that belieueth in him who raised Iesus from the dead this Faith to his iustification and will not impute his sinnes to him An example whereof as he saith we haue in the cure of corporall diseases which beareth an image of the inward cure For there Christ required a Faith whereby a man did belieue that Christ