How to live, and that well in all estates and times, specially when helps…How to liue, and that well in all estates and times, specially when helps…

Touching the first, faith apprehends and receives reconciliation on this manner. First of all the spirit of God works in men a general faith of the law and the threatenings thereof,¹ and it is called the spirit of bondage to fear. Because it causeth in us a sight of our sins, an apprehension of Gods anger, fear of due and deserved condemnation, despair of our selves in respect of our selves. This being done, the same spirit worketh in us an other faith called saving or justifying faith, and it apprehendeth or receiveth ⟨p. 23⟩Christ with his benefits, by certain steppes and degrees, and they are specially three. For first of all upon a thorough touch and lively sense of our misery, there ariseth in the mind an earnest and serious meditation of the promise of mercy and the benefits therein offered: and it is called the opening or piercing of the ear. ²Then in the second place there follows a purpose, will, desire, and endeavour to believe upon consideration of the commandment of God that bids us to believe and apply the promise to our selves.³ And further this will and desire shows it self by instant and serious invocation, which is nothing else but ⟨p. 24⟩a flying from the condemning sentence of the law to the throne of grace for mercy.⁴ Thirdly after this, there follows in process of time, a settling and quieting of the mind touching Christ and his benefits upon some assurance thereof, wrought and conceived in the mind by the spirit of God.⁵ And this third degree is called a stablished thought. On this manner come we by degrees to receive Christ for our full reconciliation with God. For, when upon the commandment to believe, we do in any measure believe Christ to be our Christ, he is our Christ indeed according to the tenor of the Evangelical covenant. Thus faith apprehending ⟨p. 25⟩