A03064:117
A treatise of faith divided into two parts. The first showing the nature, the…A treatise of faith diuided into two parts. The first shewing the nature, the…
A treatise of faith divided into two parts. The first showing the nature, the second, the life of faith. ... By John Ball.A treatise of faith diuided into two parts. The first shewing the nature, the second, the life of faith. ... By Iohn Ball.
London: printed by William Stansby for Edward Brewster, 1631
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Love is not the soul of faith, yet Justifying Faith cannot be without Love.
Loue is not the soule of faith, yet Iustifying Faith cannot be without Loue.
§. 1. From that which hath been spoken of the nature of faith,1 these two things do plainly follow: First, That love is not the life and soul of faith. Secondly, That Justifying faith cannot be without love. As light and heat in the Sun be inseparable, so is faith and love, being knit together in a sure band by the Holy Ghost: but love cannot be the form or soul of faith. Livelihood is the qualification, Love the companion, Works the fruits or effects of that faith that justifieth: but faith receiveth not it virtue, life or efficacy from Charity or any other virtue, but from the Spirit of whom it is breathed into us, from whom also it receiveth that it may give force to all other virtues and good works, whereby they are virtues and good works. It is faith and not Charity that gives influence to all other graces, even to Charity it self; as faith increaseth, so other graces increase; as faith decreaseth so other graces ⟨p. 41⟩decrease: the l fe of faith is our life, the strength of faith is our strength: if our faith be we•ke, there is nothing else whereby we can be strong. It is the essential form or act of faith to accept of the promises of mercy,2 whereby we obtain them also; God having appointed that as a condition, that the promise might be sure to all the seed, to exclude boasting, and to set forth his free grace and favour. But Charity cannot serve for that use: because I cannot presume of that that is another's, upon any conscience of my love towards him, but upon confidence only of his love towards me. Be it that all things are common amongst friends, before we can build the cup on, we must have it resolved unto us, that God takes us for his friends, which can be no otherwise but by faith only. Faith must first receive, embrace,