should liue by faith Because this last point is of great moment I will spend some time in the explaning of it That a man then may liue by his faith two things are required the first that faith be rightly conceiued grounded in the heart the second that after it is once conceiued it Raigne and rule in the heart That faith may rightly be conceiued two things are required The first is the knowledge of the word of God for faith stands in relation to the word the word alone is the foūdation of our faith Hereupon the word is called the foundation of the Prophets Apostles By light of naturall reason we vnderstand that the world had a beginning and was made of God Yet cānot reason breed in vs a certen perswasion of this point but onely the testimonie of the word of God and therefore it is saide By faith we vnderstand that the world was ordained by God And this made Dauid say In God I wil praise his word Furthermore in the Word three things are to be knowne precepts or commaundements because they teach obediēce threatnings because they restraine disobedience promises because they serue to confirme vs in our obedience Againe promises are either principall or lesse-principall The maine or principal promise is that in which God offereth and reuealeth righteousnesse and life euerlasting by Christ. Within this promise is contained the graunt of remission of our sinnes of necessarie patience of the assistāce of the spirit of God and of all gifts that are inseparably ioyned with faith Promises lesse-principall are concerning deliuerances in temptations safetie in daungers health wealth libertie peace c. And these must all be vnderstoode with an exception of the crosse and correction and they shal so farre forth be accomplished as they serue for Gods glorie and the good of them that beleeue Now all these heads points of the word of God must be knowne and that in some particular sort that a man may liue by his faith The second thing required for the right conceiuing of faith is after the word of God is once known To trust God vpon his word yea to depend vpon it to build vpon it This is the first principall worke of true faith it is called by Paul the obedience of faith and it is made the end and scope of the preaching of the Gospell and not without cause For this is the first and principal honour of god to beleeue him vpon his bare worde and thereby to make a cōfession of the truth of God This the deuill knew right well and therefore the first thing that he sought to ouerthrow in Adam was his faith in the word of God and the scope of the first temptation wherby he assaulted our Sauiour Christ was to ouerthrow that faith confidēce he had in his father saying if thou be the sonne of God commaund that these stones be made bread but this thou canst not doe therefore thou art not the sonne of God That this obedience which we giue to God by trusting his very word may be right obedience it must haue sixe conditions First of al it must be absolute for we must as it were shut vp our owne eyes and simply without any more ado trust god vpō his bare naked word and suffer our selues to be ledde by it In naturall things experience is first and then faith comes afterward And Thomas following nature desired first to feele before he would beleeue But God must be trusted though that which he saith be against reason and experience Thus Abraham beleeued God against all humane hope The secōd cōdition is that this obediēce must be sincere For we must trust Gods word for it selfe because it is Gods word all by-respects set apart They which are as the stony groūd receiue Gods word and reioyce in it and yet afterward in time of temptation goe awrie The reason is because they receiue the word reioyce in it not properly for it self but in respect of honour profite or pleasure which they looke to reape thereby Iohn the Baptist was a burning candle and the Iewes reioyced in his light onely in respect of the noualtie of it and therefore the holy ghost saith they reioyced in it but for a season The third condition is that we must trust God not in a part but in his whole word and therefore many faile in their faith that are cōtent to trust him in his promises of mercie saluation but list not to beleeue him in his commaundements and threats The fourth condition is that we must trust God in his word with al our hearts that it may take deepe roote and be an ingrafted word It is not sufficient for vs to haue a taste of the good word of God and to receiue it with ioy vnles we thoroughly and soundly build and relie our selues vpon it The fifth condition is that this trusting of God must be with an honest heart that is with an heart in which there is a distinct and setled purpose not to sinne but in all things to doe the will of God The good hearers are they which receiue the word with an honest and good heart Without this can no man possibly liue by faith He that puts away his good conscience makes shipwrack of his faith It is godlinesse alone that hath the promises of this life and the life to come And none can liue the life of faith but he that is a iust man After that men haue made some good proceedings and doe know the word receiue it reioyce in it bring forth some fruit if the heart for all this be euill it will cause them at length to depart frō God by distrusting or by denying credence to his word The sixth condition is that the obedience of faith must be stable and constant The Lord saith my soule hath no pleasure in them that withdraw themselues that is which for a time beleeue God and afterward pull backe their foot and goe backe from their faith Seeing this is the right way to cōceiue faith to know the word of god and to trust him vpon the same word all such as would liue by faith must haue their harts kindled with a desire to doe the things before named specially to giue credence to euery word of God We may not forsake God for any creature now we forsake him when we distrust him in his word Againe not to beleeue God is very Atheisme For by this meanes God is made a lyar and his glorie and maiestie is abolished It is the greatest part of our glorie to beleeue God as Christ saith He that receiues his testimonie puts to his seale that God is true that is giues vnto God as it were a testimonial of his truth and thereto puts his hand and seale And what greater honour can there be then this that the creature should giue testimonie to
How to liue and that well Jn all estates and times specially when helps and comforts faile Printed by Iohn Legat printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1601. And are to be sold at the Crowne in Pauls Churchyard by Simon Waterson To the Reader GOod Reader if thou wouldest be saued by thy faith in Christ after death thou must here liue by it before death And faith for the time of this life hath two great vses The first is to cut off worldly sorrowes and cares It is the common fashion of men to multiplie their cares out of measure and thereby to make their liues most miserable For first of all beside necessarie labours they take vpon them many needelesse and superfluous businesses Secondly their manner is to care not onely for the labours to be done but also for the euent and successe of their labours that they may alwaies prosper and neuer be crossed but this care belongs to God alone Thirdly they content not themselve with their lot and condition but seeke by all meanes to increase their estate and to make themselues rich Lastly they exercise themselues not onely in disposing of things present but they forecast many matters in their heades and plotte the successe of things to come Now faith when we haue done the works of our callings according to the prescript of the word of God saith I say makes vs commend to God the blessing successe euent therof by prayer and affiance in his promises not doubting but he will giue vs all things necessary And if we want the blessing and successe we looke for yet faith makes vs to renounce our owne desires and in silence to quiet our hearts in the good pleasure of God And thus many worldly cares are cut off Secondly when a man at his wits ende knowes not what in the world to doe being as it were plunged into a sea of miseries faith giues direction and staies the minde For when all temporall things faile vs euen to the very skinne and life faith preserues within vs an affiance of the grace and mercie of God and the hope of life euerlasting Faith shewes vs hidden things not to be discerned by sense and reason Life euerlasting is promised vs but we die for al that we heare of the resurrection but in the meane season we rot in our graues we are pronounced blessed but yet we are ouerwhelmed with infinite miseries bundance of all things is promised but for all this we often hūger and thirst God promiseth to heare vs and to be present with vs but he seemes oft times to be deafe as it were at our cries Now then comes faith which is the substance of things hoped for and makes vs lift our minds aboue the whole world to apprehend the inuisible and vnspeakable things of God which he hath reuealed and promised vnto vs. These things I shewe more at large in this small treatise following read it at thy leisure vse it for thy good and see thou be a doer of them W. Perkins Hab. 2.4 The iust man shall liue by his faith IN the former chapter the Prophet complaines and expostulates the matter with God why the Iewes the people of God should be oppressed by the Chaldeans the enemies of God In the beginning of the 2. chapter the Lord makes answer to the Prophet and the effect of the answer is this They shall certenly be deliuered in the time appointed but they shal not yet be deliuered Vpon this answer the Prophet might happily obiect on this manner How then shall the afflicted Iewes be able to liue in the mean season the Lord answers by a distinctiō thus The vniust man puffs vp himselfe with vaine confidence but the iust man shall liue by his faith For the better vnderstanding of the words fiue things are in order to be explaned The first what is meant by the iust man Iustice mentioned in the word is twofold the iustice of the law and the iustice of the Gospel The iustice of the law hath in it all the points and parts of iustice and all the perfection of all parts and it was neuer found in any vpon earth except Adam and Christ. The iustice of the Gospel hath all the parts of true iustice but it wants the full perfection of parts as a childe hath all the parts of a man in the infancie though it want perfection of stature and talnesse And this kind of iustice is nothing else but the conuersion of a sinner with a purpose will endeauour to please God according to all the commādements of the Law Thus was Noe iust Iob Zacharie and Elizabeth and thus must the iust man be taken in this place for one that turnes to God by grace indeauours to please God according to the whole law of God in his place and calling The second point to be considered is what life is here meant As death is here twofold the first and the second so is life The first is the coniunction of the bodie and the soule the second is the coniunction of the whole man with God The first is called naturall the second spirituall or eternall life and both are meant in this place For Paul brings this very text to proue the iustification of a sinner by faith and iustification is a part of spirituall life because it is the acceptation of a sinner to eternall life And for this cause the prophet saith The iust man shall liue hauing relation not onely to the time of affliction then to come but also to eternall life The third point to be considered is what is the faith here meant And that is iustifying or sauing faith because we must liue by the same faith whereby we are saued And faith hath his effect not onely after this life but also in this life We must liue first by it before we can be saued by it Paul therefore in his own example expounding this text saith And in that I liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me The fourth point is the construction of the wordes and that is two waies The first is thus The iust by faith shall liue the words by faith being ioyned vpon the word lust And then the sense is this He that is iust by his faith shall liue or haue eternall life The second is thus The iust shall liue by his faith the words by faith being ioyned to the words shall liue then the sense is this The iust while he liues in this world he shall liue by his faith This latter construction and sense I rather choose and imbrace because Paul cuē in this sense brings this text to prooue that life eternall and consequently iustification comes not by working according to the law but by beleeuing and he makes an exposition betweene liuing by faith and liuing by workes The fifth and last point to be considered is How a man
of the doctrine of the Gospel worthie consideration on this manner There is a three-fold certentie the first is certentie of reason or of generall faith when a man by force of argument is conuicted of the certentie of the doctrine of the Bible This may be in the wicked and vngodly without faith in Christ. After this in the elect by a more speciall worke of Gods spirit followes a faith in Christ and the certentie of iustifying or speciall faith expressed in the conclusion of the former syllogisme Thirdly after this certentie of speciall faith followes an other experimental certentie of the truth of the Bible which also faith concludes on this manner That doctrine which assures vs to be Gods children is certenly of God But the doctrine of the Gospell beleeued or mingled with our faith assures vs to be Gods children Therefore it is of God The major is graunted of all the minor is in effect the conclusion of the former syllogisme and it is knowne by an experience of that spirituall comfort which the godly feele in their hearts The conclusion sets downe the certentie of the Bible vpon a further ground then any wit or learning of man can attaine vnto without the spirit of grace namely vpon an inward assurance of our reconciliation with God Of this certentie our Sauiour Christ speakes notably If any man will doe my fathers will that is beleeue it and subiect himselfe to it he shall know namely by that comfort which he shall feele vpon his subiection of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speake of my selfe And Paul saith that the spirituall man that is one regenerate by the spirit of God iudgeth all things Hence it followes that such as desire to be setled for their religion and such as desire to be good and profitable students in Diuinitie must first of all humble thēselues and indeauour in their hearts truly to beleeue in Christ. Because hence flowes the best experience of the certentie and consequently of the vnspeakable excellencie of the Bible Thus then we see how we are to receiue hold and inioy our Reconciliation with god in Christ by no other thing within vs but by meanes of our faith alone And therefore we must haue speciall care that we may by the vse of Gods meanes attaine to a liuely faith And for this cause we must do two things first we are to labour to be conuicted in conscience of the certentie of the word This done we must thē subiect our wils to the commandement of God that biddes vs beleeue in Christ we must bewaile our vnbeleefe we must striue against the same and pray vnto God to confirme and increase our faith by establishing our hearts in his loue The second part of spirituall life is Peace of conscience which is nothing else but a cōstant stable tranquilitie of minde when the cōscience doth not accuse but excuse and when neither hell death condemnation nor any danger is feared ouermuch This peace was in Dauid when he said I laid me down slept and rose againe in the middest of manifold daungers This peace is of great excellencie for it is the peace of God it is one part of the kingdome of God it passeth all vnderstanding it is in stead of a guard to keepe our hearts minds in Christ. Now this excellent peace springs out of our faith whereby we beleeue our reconciliation with god Rom. 5.1 Beeing iustified by faith we haue peace with God 1. Chron. 20.20 Trust in the Lord and ye shall be secure Yea as our faith is so is our peace no faith no peace liuely faith liuely peace constant faith constant peace faith in life peace in life faith in death peace in death so as we may say with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace The third part of spirituall life is the ioy of the Holy Ghost and that is to reioyce in God because he is our God and in Christ because he is our Christ. And this kind of ioy is not taken from vs or abated in afflictions but rather increased Rom. 5.3 We reioyce in tribulatiōs And Hebr. 10.34 Ye endured the spoyling of your goods with ioy Now our faith in the promise of life is the mother and breeder of this ioy which ariseth of that happie and blessed conclusion that faith frames in the mind I beleeue therfore the blessings of God promised in the Gospel are mine Thus saith Saint Peter Beleeuing ye reioyce with ioy vnspeakable and glorious Again the continuance and increase of our faith is the increase of this ioy The last part of spirituall life is newnesse of life and conuersation whereby we are borne anew and made new creatures not because the substance of bodie and soule is changed but because the image of God is restored Now this change both for the whole and for the parts thereof is by faith Touching the whole Men as they are new creatures haue their beginning from the word of promise or from Christ crucified who is propounded in the promise and that as the said word or Christ is apprehended by faith Act. 15.9 Your hearts beeing purified by faith 1. Ioh. 3.3 He which hath this hope purifieth himselfe 1. Pet. 1.22 Your soules are purified in obeying the truth And again Being borne anew of the immortall seede of the word The parts of newnesse of life are specially three True wisedome good affections good workes True wisdome is to aduise of good things and to vse good meanes for the execution thereof This wisdome ariseth of our faith in the word of God Dauid saith he vvas vviser then his teachers and vviser then the auncient and he renders the cause therof from the worke of his faith For thy testimonies are euer with me and they are my meditation Out of the same fountaine spring all good affections The loue wherby we loue God comes of our faith beleeuing the loue wherewith God loueth vs. The perswasion of the forgiuenesse of many sinnes in the woman that washed Christs feete with her teares caused her to shewe much loue to Christ. Godly sorrow when the heart is grieued properly for the offence of God ariseth of faith apprehending and beleeuing the mercie of God in Christ. And in euery good worke there is a threefold action of faith required First there is required an acte of generall faith which is to beleeue that the worke to be done in his kind pleaseth god Rom. 14.23 VVhatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne The second is an acte of iustifying faith which is to purge the heart and to cause it to bring foorth the good worke to be done Psal. 116.10 I beleeued therefore I spake The third is also an act of iustifying faith and that is when the worke is done to apprehend Christ who by his merit is to couer the defect of the worke because no work of ours can please God without
remission of sinne Thus newnes of life with all the parts thereof hath his offspring of our faith Yea after that a man is once made a new creature faith giues him his life and sense faith is the eye of the minde whereby we behold Christ in the word and sacraments By this faith Abraham saw the day of Christ and reioyced With this eye we may sufficiently beholde Christ and bodily sight in this case is not necessarie for the time of this life therefore Christ saith Blessed are they which haue not seene and haue beleeued Againe faith is the hand of the soule whereby we lay holde on Christ and receiue him with all his benefits It is the mouth of the heart whereby we feed on Christ eating his bodie and drinking his blood to eternall life It is the feete of the soule that makes vs walke with God Lastly it is a means to bring vs into familiaritie with God For it is an eare whereby we heare God speak to vs in his word and it is as it were the tongue of the soule whereby we speake to God by Inuocation of his holy name To goe yet further Spirituall life is most of all manifest in afflictions and temptations in the bearing whereof faith raignes and that by a threefold action First of all it makes vs to depend on gods promises and to trust God without limitation For it doth not limit God to any set time of deliuerance but leaues all to God He that beleeues doth not make hast Daniel waited 70 yeares for deliuerance out of captiuitie in Babylon and then finding the time of deliuerance to be at hand he praied to God for the same Againe faith doth not limit God to any meanes of deliuerance God made promise to Abraham of a blessed seede For the verifying of this promise he gaue him Isaac in his old age This don he commands him to offer his onely sonne in sacrifice A grieuous crosse for by this meanes all hope is cut off touching the promised seede Yet by faith Abraham still beleeuees the promise and that in the very offering of his sonne Lastly faith doth not limit God for the measure of affliction Iob saith He will trust in God though he kill him It was a grieuous affliction for Dauid to be driuen out of his kingdome by his owne son yet marke what he saith in the flight If he say I haue no delight in thee behold here I am let him doe vnto me as shall seeme good in his eyes The second action of faith is to make vs beleeue the promises of God when we feele the contrarie and in one contrarie to beleeue an other Whē we feele our owne sinnes it makes vs beleeue our iustification when we feele our wretchednesse and miserie it makes vs beleeue our happinesse when we feele nothing but death it makes vs beleeue our eternall saluation when we apprehend Gods anger and feele him to be our enemie it makes vs to apprehende his mercie and to beleeue his fatherly kindnesse When Christ was forsaken of God he euen then by his faith beleeues God to be his God The third action of faith in afflictions is to assure vs of Gods presence and to beholde him with the eyes of faith Thus Dauid saith I haue set the Lord alwaies before me for he is at my right hand Moses left Egypt and feared not the wrath of the king because he saw him that was inuisible When the seruant of Elisha feared ouer much the host of the king of Syria that compassed the towne of Dothan the Prophet praies to God for him that his eyes might be opened to see the fierie charets of the Angels of God protecting him and we likewise are to pray to God that the eyes of our minds may be opened to beleeue and to acknowledge the same or the like protection And thus are men to liue by faith in the midst of their afflictions By this which hath beene said we are admonished first of all to acquaint our selues with the promises of God as they are recorded in the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles secondly at all times to build vpon them by our faith and not to suffer our selues to be drawne from them though all temporall blessings of God faile vs yea health and life it selfe This is to arme our selues with a shield against all the fierie darts of the deuill and to put on a breast-plate that will saue the heart and life though otherwise in temptations we be grieuously maimed and foyled Thus much of spirituall life That our temporall life is lead by faith I make it thus manifest Temporall life is preserued and maintained by an honest calling euery calling hath his labour work and the labour of all callings hath miserie and trouble for his companion and fellow and in all these faith raignes and beares the sway in them that beleeue For the first that is for the choosing and holding of our callings with good conscience there is required a double vse of faith For we must haue a faith wherby we must be assured that our callings are good lawfull in themselues as Paul saith VVhat soeuer is not of faith is sinne For the setling of this faith this rule must be remembered That offices and callings which serue to preserue the good estate of any familie Church or commonwealth are lawfull and of God because these are estates ordained of God and established in the commaundements of the morall law specially in the first fifth and sixth commandements Againe faith is required wherby euery man must beleeue that the calling in which he is is the particular calling in which God will be serued of him For vnlesse the conscience be setled in this no good worke can be done in any calling And for the better establishing of the conscience an other rule must be remēbred That they which are furnished with gifts for their callings namely aptnesse and willingnes and are thereunto called or set apart by men whome it concernes to call are indeede called of God Thus the Elders of Ephesus hauing gifts to feede and being not called of God immediatly but by men are said to be made ouerseers by the holy Ghost And Paul saith that God committed not onely to himselfe but also to Timothie the ministerie of reconciliation and yet was Timothie not called immediatly of God but by men And thus in all other offices and conditions of life he that hath gifts sit for his place and is in good manner called thereto by them whose dutie it is to call may assure himselfe that he is called of God And from this double faith perswasion that our calling is lawfull in it selfe and lawfull or pleasing God in respect of vs ariseth an assurance of the presence of God and of his protection whē we walke in the duties of our callings In the labour and worke of our calling there is
highest degree of profession that can be when they come to the Lords table and yet afterward take to themselues libertie to liue and doe as they list The fifth fruit is carnall securitie when men vpon cōtempt of the iudgements of God and threatnings of his word goe on still in their sinnes flattering and soothing themselues Thus the sonnes in law of Lot when they heard of the destruction of Sodome esteemed it but as a mockerie Thus did the Iewes make a league with hell and death and saide with themselues that the scourges of God should not come at them And in this last age of the world men shall wholly addict themselues to pleasures and profits thinking nothing of any iudgement of God till vengeance befall them The sixth is wilfull ignorance of the will and word of God For the deuill blinds the mindes of vnbeleeuers that the light of the Gospel shine not vnto them This is the fault of our common people who commonly hold an opinion that it belongs not to thē to know the word of God because they are not learned as they say or because they haue other businesse to thinke on The last fruit is worldlines and that is when men mind nothing but worldly matters And this comes of the want of faith in the prouidence of God These are the principal fruits of vnbeleefe whereby it may easily be discerned and discried where it is And if any man thinke himselfe to haue a fulnesse and perfection of faith as many doe euen this one thing is a sufficient argument of his vnbeleefe For it is the first stepp to faith to see in our selues the wāt of faith The second maine aberration in the liues of men is that they set vp false Rules to order their liues by and they are foure The first is the light of naturall reason For many are of opinion that it is sufficient to the pleasing of God if they liue ciuilly that is doe iustice to euery man and liue peaceably hurting none This is the blinde Diuinitie of the world that if they carrie themselues thus and thus whatsoeuer their sinnes be God will hold them excused But they are farre wide for in a life acceptable to God faith is required the light of reason will not serue the turne Paul saith The wisdome of the naturall man is enmitie to God and he can not discerne the things of God The Pharisies had ciuil iustice and goodnes yet saith Christ except your iustice exceede theirs ye cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen The second false Rule is Sense that is seeing and feeling by this men commonly liue If we enioy the good blessings of God health wealth libertie peace honour good report then we can trust God but if he withdraw his blessings and present himselfe to vs with an emptie hand we trust him no longer nay we murmure and despaire and without feare of God vse any vnlawful means to releeue our selues Thogh we haue his pretious word yet doe we not trust him vpon on his bare and naked word vnlesse withall he lay downe vnto vs some good pawne and make vs to feele and enioy his good blessings Againe if any man that is our friend make promise of helpe or deliuerance in any danger we rest content and finde our selues much eased thereby and yet the promises made by God in his word of helpe and deliuerance though they be often read vnto vs and often vrged breede not the like contentation He that on his death-bedde hath commended his children to some trustie friend departs more quieted in minde then if he had commended them without helpe of friend to God their best father A man vpon good securitie lendes to an other an 100. pounds hoping for the principall with the increase at the yeares ende yet dare he not skarse deliuer an 100. pence to the poore members of Christ vpon the promise and bond of God himselfe who saith He that giues to the poore lends to the Lord and he will returne the said gifts with a blessing Now all this comes to passe because men rather trust them whome they see then God whom they neuer saw Moreouer it is a propertie of them that doe indeede beleeue to iudge their estate by feeling but herein they deceiue themselues For we must liue by faith and not by feeling and feeling is often deceitfull Because such as finally fall away from God may haue a feeling or tast of the good word of God and of the powers of the life to come The 3. false Rule is False faith which is without or against the word Thus the Turke liues by his false faith the Iew by his the Papist by his For he beleeues as wel the Traditions of men as the word of God and he puts his trust not onely in God but also in the creatures namely Saints and Angels Thus also do Magitians sorcerers witches inchaunters whatsoeuer they doe by a satanicall faith in that couenant which they haue made with the deuill And such persons as aske counsell of witches and wizzards called cunning men and women help themselues onely by their false faith For when they vse charmes or spells or like Satanicall ceremonies they cōmonly finde successe and are helped of the euills that betide them And that comes to passe on this manner In the vse of the foresaide ceremonies prescribed and deliuered by witches they haue a blind and erronious faith vpon their faith followes a Satanicall operation in effecting of the care desired For charmes or spells beeing but wordes haue no vertue in them to ease or help man or beast either by creation or by any ordinance of God in his word and therfore the effect they haue is by the power of the deuill vpon mans faith Let our common people thinke on this who though they much boast of their faith in Christ yet when they are in any extremitie or danger very commonly practise this Satanicall faith The last false rule is the lust of the heart and by this rule doe most men square their liues The lust that cōmonly rules is threefold lust concerning bodily pleasure lust of worldly wealth lust of honour as S. Iohn saith Whatsoeuer is in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life Thus much of the examination now followes the change That we may change our liues in respect of vnbeleefe foure things are required The first is that we must acknowledge and bewaile our vnbeleefe with the manifold fruits thereof And we haue good cause to doe so For by vnbeleefe the deuill erects his kingdome in mens hearts and workes his pleasure in vs and vpon vs. Secondly vnbeleefe corrupts defiles all our actions whatsoeuer though otherwise they be good and lawfull in themselues Paul saith that to vnbeleeuers all things are vncleane yea their minds and consciences are defiled Thirdly vnbeleefe depriues vs of the good blessings
of god which otherwise we might enioy If ye beleeue not ye shall not be established saith the Prophet In Capernaum Christ could doe no great wonders by reason of their vnbeleefe Lastly vnbeleefe plucks downe vpon men the plagues iudgements of God Moses and Aaron were barred the land of Canaan for their vnbeleefe A certaine prince was troden to death in the gates of Samaria because he would not beleeue the word of the Lord by the mouth of Elisha Zacharie was dumbe for a time because he would not beleeue the message of the angel Many at this day when the iudgements of God lie heauie on them say presently they are fore spoken and they crie out on this or that suspected witch But such persons are often deceiued For the great witch that doth them all the hurt is the vnbeleefe of their hearts whereby they distrust God in his word and this sinne alone if there were no witches in the world is sufficient alone to prouoke God to plague and punish vs sundrie waies and that grieuously Therfore let vs with bitternes of heart bewaile our vnbeleefe and the rather because it is a steppe to faith to acknowledge the want of faith The second thing to be done is to make examination whether we be in conscience conuicted of the certentie of the word or no. If we be not we must labour to be cōuinced Because that naturall atheisme whereby we doubt whether the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles be the word of God or no hinders the certentie of faith For the setling of the conscience in this point these arguments may be vsed The first it is a principle in nature that there is a God if there be a God nature can say he is to be worshipped if he be to be worshipped he hath reuealed himselfe and his will to man for otherwise he cannot be worshipped And this reuelation is to be found in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and in no other writings of men because we finde the doctrine of Scriptures to be agreeable to the very nature and maiestie of God and so is no other doctrine or learning whatsoeuer For it is the most auncient and all other religions come far short of it It is one and the same euermore consenting with it selfe without chaunge or alteration The Apostles agree with the prophets the Prophets with Moses and all with the first reuelation made at the creation Againe it discouers and reueales the secret thoughts of men that no art or learning can discouer and this argues that it was penned by him who is the searcher of all hearts The second argument is a wonderfull Euidence of the truth not to be found in any other writings in the world This euidence stands specially in eight things The first is that the writers of Scriptures fully and plainely set downe their owne faults yea their chiefest faults not sparing to shame themselues in mans reason and this argues that in writing they were guided by the spirit of trueth The second is that the books of Scriptures containe many mysteries aboue the reach of mans reason yet not against reason because we may discerne a truth in them and that by grounds principles of reason The third that the speeches of Scripture aime not at by-respects but simply and absolutely giue and ascribe all glorie to God alone The fourth is that the Scriptures containe full and perfect doctrine for the pacifying setling and directing of the conscience in all things The fifth is the holinesse and puritie of the law of Moses in that it accuseth and condemneth all men of sinne and prescribeth perfect righteousnes Herein it surpasseth the laws of all countries common-wealths kingdomes whatsoeuer The sixth is the wisdome that appeares in the pollicie or gouernment of the common-wealth of the Iewes set downe by Moses The seuenth is a reconciliation of iustice and mercie propounded in the Gospel For in Christ iustice and mercie meete and iustice after a sort giues place to mercie The eight thing wherein this euidence of trueth appeares is the consent of Scripture with it selfe for doctrine agrees with historie and euery part with euery part This manifold euidence of truth shewes that scripture is from the god of truth If any say that they finde no such euidence in Scripture I answer it is their owne fault for if they would seriously read the Scriptures with praier to God it would appeare The third argument is the Efficacie of the word which appeares on this manner Gods word is flat contrarie to the nature and corrupt disposition of man and yet for all this when being preached it conuinceth and condemneth men of sinne it turneth and conuerteth them to it selfe and causeth them to liue and die in the loue and obedience therof This could it neuer doe vnlesse it were of diuine operation The fourth argument is that the Prophets and Apostles wrought miracles for the ratifying and confirming of their doctrine Now these miracles surpasse the strēgth of nature and were immediately from God and therefore the doctrine thereby confirmed was also of God The fifth and last is that the writings of the prophets and Apostles containe many prophecies or predictions of things to come that none could foresee or foretell but God The name of Iosias his doings are foretold 330. yeares before he was borne Cyrus his doings are mentioned more then an 100. yeares before his birth now these and the like prophecies argue that the whole doctrine is of God By these and like arguments are all that inwardly doubt of the word of God to settle and stablish their consciences This done then followes the third point and that is that we must search and inquire what is the substance and scope of the worde of god The scope of the whole Bible is Christ with his benefits and he is reuealed propounded and offered vnto vs in the maine promise of the word the tenour whereof is That God will giue remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to such as will beleeue in Christ. To this main promise God hath added a maine commaundement which biddes vs to beleeue the said promise or to applie Christ with his benefits vnto our selues Now then our third dutie is to subiect our hearts and wills to this commaundement that biddes vs beleeue in Christ. This is the subiection of faith of which two things must be obserued One is that this is the first subiection that we can giue to God to trust him vpon his promise for the pardon of our sinnes and for life eternall And from this subiection of faith ariseth our subiection to the whole word In Christ are all the promises of God yea and amen the law and the obedience of all the commaundements thereof is established by faith without Christ no good thing can be done The second point is that this subiection is easie in respect of that subiection