Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A03064
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A treatise of faith diuided into two parts. The first shewing the nature, the second, the life of faith. ... By Iohn Ball.
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Ball, John, 1585-1640.
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1631
(1631)
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STC 1319; ESTC S100833
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364,072
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489
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of faith because it is immediately reuealed and expressely written But I belieue this is certaine by the testimonie of the renued conscience to him that hath proued himselfe to be in the faith The conclusion therefore I shall be saued is certaine by faith because it is inferred of one thing belieued and another that is euident And although the holy Ghost not tying himselfe to termes 1. Ioh. 4.13 and 3.14 and 5.13 Rom. 6.8 doe somtime call it knowledge yet calling it againe belieuing alone or belieuing and knowing it is manifest such a knowledge is intended as not only flowes from the principles of faith but also is reduced to the same habite For with what other eyes can the soule behold the heauenly light of the Gospell How shall that confidence assâ—rance or certainetie which is created by the mixture of the light of the Scripture with the light of a good conscience renued by the holy Ghost belong to any humane knowledge when the Scripture saith expressely The promise of the Spirit is receiued by faith and wheâ—esoeuer in all the Byble Gal. 3.14 the Gospell is reuealed men are called vpon to belieue And if there be granted a certainetie of a mans owne speciall standing which certainetie arises from the Scriptures one ground thereof being a proposition or sentence immediately diuine the other inferred and concluded from that which is diuine it must bee granted also that it is a worke or effect of faith The Scripture reports how many of the children of God were tried by mocking and scourging Heb. 11.36 by bands and imprisonment they were stoned hewen asundder tempted they wandered vp and downe destitute and afflicted All which the Apostle saith They did by faith and confidence of the promises and yet their assurance was no other nor otherwise begotten then the ordinarie assurance of all Gods children which is concluded by ioyning the light of their conscience kindled by the holy Ghost and ruled by the Scriptures to the immediate light of the conditions reuealed in the Scriptures Faith which is belieued or the doctrine of faith is written in the word of God the holy Scriptures but faith whereby wee belieue or of the heart is written engrauen rooted in the heart out of the word of God by the holy Ghost and knowne not belieued by the testimonie of the renued conscience enlighned by the Spirit and directed by the word for the rule by which a man discerneth himselfe to belieue is the doctrine of Gods word declaring the qualitie of Faith And the certainetie or assurance which a iust person hath of his particular Iustification depends vpon the right application of two propositions one immediately diuine and ertainely belieued Whosoeuer belieueth in Iesus Christ shall bee saued the other inferred and concluded from hat which is diuine certainely knowne according to the direction of the word But I belieue § 2. This assurance is not such §. 2. What maner of assurance is obtained as whereby a man is made absolutely out of all doubt but such as many times is assaulted and shaken with many difficulties feares and doubts which notwithstanding aâ—ise from the the nature of faith as if it ought to bee but from the frailtie and corruption of our euill nature by reason whereof faith is not such as it ought to be It is not the office of faith to cherish and maintaine such feares and doubts but to resist them to fight against them and so much as is possible to expell them and drâ—ne them out But yet by reason of the strength of our naturall corruption and the weakenesse of our faith wee attaine not to this and how much the weaker our faith is so much are wee the further from it Againe the dayes of faith are as the seasons of the yeare sâ—me faire some foule one while a Sun-shine summer another while a long and tedious winter sometimes no more but a storme and away Our eyes are not alwayes alike intent to the word of God we doe not alwayes alike conceiue the promises of God nay temptations sometimes hide them out of our sight The effects of grace doe not alwayes appeare the same yea sometimes they seeme to bee quite ouerwhelmed which containe effects And in nature it selfe there is a voluntarie shrinking and relinquishing of the comfort of faith through the seeds of vnbeliefe that originally are sowen in vs. §. 3. § 3. The particular certainetie of remission of sinnes and eternall saluation which Iust persons attaine vnto vpon their Repentance Faith and Obedience is not equall in certaintie and firmenesse of assent to that assurance which they haue about the common obiect of faith to wit concerning the articles of Creation Incarnation Resurrection or the like because these articles are totally and immediately reuealed in holy Scripture but that his sinnes in particular are remitted depends vpon an Argument whereof onely one part is immediately the word of God and the other a collection arising vpon reflection and obseruation of a Man 's owne qualities and actions and the conclusion is more or lesse certaine according to the condition of the second proposition It is a thing more certaine and euident to faith that God gaue Christ to die for sinners that whosoeuer belieueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting then it is to my conscience that I belieue with well-rooted and al-seasoning confidence I haue greater assurance that God is faithfull and true then that my heart is vpright Therfore I haue greater assurance that the true belieuer shall bee saued then that I my selfe am receiued vnto mercy Albeit faith doe sometimes stagger and wander as touching the very principles themselues and immediate word of God yet because the truth and certainetie thereof is more easily and better conceiued they are for the most part more familiarly and readily belieued But the conclusions because of themselues they are vnknowne and haue their light only from the principles are not so firmely apprehended as the principles themselues whilest doubts haply may bee cast least there bee any error committed in the application and vse thereof It is a principle deliuered for assurance of saluation Belieue in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt bee saued Hereupon the faithfull man inferreth to himselfe I belieue in the Lord Iesus Christ therefore I shall bee saued In this either confusedly or expressely inferred he comforteh himselfe and reioyceth in God and in hope thereof chearefully serueth God calleth vpon his name in patience expecteth the reuealing of his saluation And yet oftentimes it falleth out that hee questioneth his faith and not seeing such effects thereof as he supposeth there ought to be maketh doubt lest haply he be deceiued and though the principle be true by which he first belieued yet hee is iealous lest he haue misapplied it to himselfe § 4. This will appeare in the seuerall states or sorts of true Belieuers §. 4. The seuerall states of Belieuers Esay
10. it hath this proposition concerning the present or time past To me belieuing in Christ my sinnes are forgâ—ued And thus the horned argument of the Iesuite Bellar. de Iustif lib. 1. cap 10. Sect. ratio secunda Idem de Eccl. lib. 4. cap. 11. §. Sectary nostri whereby he would proue the speciall mercie of God not to be the obiect of faith Iustifying and our doctrine in that point to b e grosse and absurd is easily vntied For thus he reasoneth Iustifying faith goeth before Iustification But faith in the speciall mercie of God followeth Iustification For hee that belieueth the pardon of his sinnes is either iust before or not iust if iust before then faith iustifyeâ—h not if vniust then belieuing that his sinnes bee pardoned he belieueth a lie Our answere is that speciall faith hath the sundrie acts but to this purpose specially two The first heartily to desire earnestly to thirst after D. Field of the Ch lib. 3. cap. 44 Bolton of walking with God pag. 321. 322. To belieue that my sinne is now forgiuen in Christ is rather an act of experience in a Belieuer now iustified then that beliefe which is required to Iustification P. Bayn Helpe to true Happines part 2. qu. 9. humbly to intreate for acceptation and confidently to rest vpon the promise of free remission The other comfortably to assure and perswade that that is granted which was desired and receiued in promise Faith by her first act obtaineth and receiueth pardon and doth not finde vs iust when wee begin to belieue by her second act shee doth not actually iustifie but finding the thing done certifyeth and assureth vs of it So then speciall faith in her first act is before Iustification and procureth obtaineth and receiueth pardon but then shee hath not the perswasion of it as alreadie done in her second act shee presupposeth the thing done and alreadie obtained and so truely perswadeth the belieuer of it but procureth not the doing of it Before Iustification faith seeketh and receiueth the promise of forgiuenesse after Iustification it comfortably assureth of the blessing obtained in both it hath for it obiect the speciall mercie of God in Christ Faith receiueth Christ offered in the Gospell and it perswadeth and assureth of pardon in Christ receiued both these bee the acts of faith sometimes expressed a Iustifiing faith hath some acts as a cause disposing preparing and fittiâ—g vs to the receit of that gracious sauour whereby God doth iustifie vs and other as a susceptiue cause receiuing embracing and enioying the same In the former respect faith consists not in a perswasion that wee are the sons of God but in the latter Feild appendex to the fifth Booke second part in the definition of Iustifying faith but if we speake of faith as it iustifyeth it peculiarly embraceth Christ with his benefits as he is profered in the word and Sacrament For faith which is required to Iustification is not a perswasion or knowledge of things alreadie possessed but a confidâ—nce of things promised and vpon belieuing to bee obtained which in the order of causes not in time doth goe before remission of sinnes Who knoweth not that we must belieue that we might be iustified Iustified I say and not certified of Iustification by the benefite of faith The Scripture is cleare Belieue and thou shalt be saued God iustifieth the circumcision by faith and the vncircumcision through faith Doe not these and many the like passages shew that Iustification and not onely the sense and manifestation of Iustification alreadie obtained doth depend on faith § 4. It may bee said we are iustified before in Gods decree Indeed whom God doth iustifie them he decreed to iustifie from all eternitie but whereas election is manifested by faith as by its effect iustification doth depend vpon faith as its cause and wee are iustified by faith as the instrument thereof For election is an act immanent and eternall §. 3. Act. 16.31 Rom. 3.30 but iustification transient and in time inferring some change in the person iustified not physiciall but morall in respect of state §. 4. whereby it comes to passe that the person is in another condition and account then he was before In briefe the act of faith preswading of the pardon of sinne alreadie obtained by belieuing and glorying in the sense of Gods mercie must bee distinguished from that act of faith which iustifieth and is a leauing or staying vpon Christ to obtaine remission the priuiledge of grace and comfort which comes to the soule by belieuing must be distinguished from the condition of the couenant which is required on our parts before wee can obtaine pardon This is the rather to be noted Fishers answere to certaine articles because the maine cauils of the papists against our doctrine touchâ—ng particular confidence in Gods mercie and certainetie of saluation are grounded vpon this surmise that wee make that faith which is an assured and certaine perswasion of our particular election iustificâ—tion and saluation to be the sole cause to wit on Mans part of Iustification whereas Iustification it selfe must goe before the assurance of it and such persons onely can haue true assurance and certaintie of their Iust fication election and Saluation who doe vnfainedly belieue and know assuredly that they belieue as they ought And it makes much for the comfort of many faithfull people who commit their soules vnto Christ Iesus and depend vpon him and no other for saluation who yet are much perplexed as if they had no faith nor could doe ought pleasing vnto God because they want this certaine assurance of the remission of their sinnes whereas if they had learned what it is to belieue vnto Iustification and trust vnto the promise for pardon they might for the present take comfort in this that notwithstanding their feare they relie vpon Christ â—nd commit their soules vnto God as to their faithfull Redeemer and might with more ease and speed grow vp vnto the desired comfort and assurance when they should distinctly perceiue and discerne the groundâ— of faith and assurance by what steps and degrees they must clime from the one vnto the other CHAP. VIII By faith a true belieuer may bee certaine and infallibly assuredly of the remission of his sinnes and eternall saluation §. 1. How Faith assureth of saluation § 1. IT is a Principle common amongst our Aduersaries that eueâ—y conclusion issuâ—ng from one proposition reuealed expressely in Scripture another clearely and certainely knowne otherwise and by euident and good consequent added vnto it b longs to faith and is belieued by no other habit then of faith As for example All the dead shall rise Peter is dead therefore Peter shall rise The conclusion is Theologicall and belongs to faith though it be not expressely written that Peter is dead or that he shall rise againe So it is in this present matter All that belieue shâ—ll bee saued this proposition is