A Golden Chain

The difference.

The pillars of the Romish Church lays down this ground: that faith in his own nature, is not a knowledge of things to be believed; but a reverent assent unto them whether they be known or unknown. Hereupon they build: that if a man know some necessary points of religion, as the doctrine of the Godhead, of the Trinity, of Christs incarnation, and of our redemption, &c. it is needless to know the rest by a particular or distinct knowledge, and it sufficeth to give his consent to the Church, and to believe as the pastors believe. Behold a ruinous building upon a rotten foundation: for faith contains a knowledge of things to be believed, and knowledge is of the nature of faith: & nothing is believed that is not known. Isai 53.11. The knowledge of my righteous servant, shall justify many. and Joh. 17.2. This is eternal life, to know the eternal God, and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ. In these places, by knowledge is meant faith grounded upon knowledge, whereby we know and are assured that Christ and his benefits belong unto us. Secondly this kind of assent is the mother of ignorance. For when men shall be taught, that for sundry points of religion they may believe as the Church believes: ^athat the study of the Scriptures is not to be required of them: yea that to their good they may be barred the reading of them, so be it they know some principal things contained in the articles of faith; that ^bcommon believers are not bound expressly to believe all the articles of the Apostles Creed: ^cthat it sufficeth them to believe the articles by an implicit faith: by believing as the Church believeth, few or none will have care to profit in knowledge. And yet Gods commandment is that we should grow in knowledge, and that his word should dwell plenteously in us,