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…

§. 2. Of all creatures only Man is capable of saving or justifying faith:¹ not the blessed Angels who never sinned; nor the evil Angels, who are shut up in prison, and reserved in chains of darkness against the day of judgement. ⟨p. 141⟩The Saints in glory do enjoy immediate fellowship and communion with God by sight, and know most perfectly and most clearly: But the light of Justifying faith, which doth include and suppose imperfection, pertaineth to this life in which we are in the way moving to perfection, not yet attained unto perfect vision. So that faith is proper unto Man in this life, in his journey towards his perfect home and eternal habitation: but all men are not enriched with this precious gift of mercy, and rare jewel of grace. All men have not faith.² Many are not so much as outwardly called, the sound of the Gospel hath not reached unto them: many that hear, understand not, be not affected with the truth: and in some that be affected, the word takes not kind rooting, is not well planted. Those to whom faith is given are described to be the elect of God, the sheep of Christ, ³and to be given of the Father unto Christ. The subject of Justifying faith is man a sinner, called according to the purpose of God, acknowledging his offences, and hungering and thirsting after mercy. For none but a sinner can acknowledge Christ for his Saviour for he is the Saviour of sinners. Faith in Christ for remission of sins, is necessary for them only who have offended: but every sinner cannot believe, every one is not fit to receive the promise of mercy. The enemies of the Gospel of Christ, worldings, hypocrites, and all in whom sin reigneth, can have no true faith in Christ:⁴ he only is fit to embrace mercy, who knoweth that he is lost in himself, and unsatiably desires to be eased of the heavy burden of his sins. Faith is not a work natural, but supernatural, not of nature, but of grace, not of the power of our free-will, but of the efficacy of Gods Spirit, whereby we answer to the effectual call of God, and come unto him, that we might be partakers of life eternal.