A09466:107
A treatise tending unto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of…A treatise tending vnto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of…
A treatise tending unto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of damnation or in the estate of grace and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he may discern it, and persevere in the same to the end. The points that are handled are set down in the page following.A treatise tending vnto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of damnation or in the estate of grace and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he maie discerne it, and perseuere in the same to the end. The points that are handled are set downe in the page following.
London: printed by R. Robinson for T. Gubbin, 1590
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.
VI.
The manner that God useth in the begetting1 of faith is this. First he prepareth the heart that it may be capable of faith. Secondly he causeth faith by little and little to spring and to breed in the heart. The preparation of the heart is by humbling and softening of it: and to the doing of this there are four things requisite. The first of them2 is the knowledge of the word of God, both of the law and of the Gospel, without the which there can be no faith; according to that saying of Isaiah. sBy his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many. And that of John, tThis is eternal life that they know thee to be the only very God, and whom thou haste sent Jesus Christ. The uonly ordinary means to attain faith by, is the word preached: which must be heard, remembered, practised, and continually hid in the heart. The least measure of knowledge, without ⟨p. 34⟩which a man cannot have faith, is the knowledge of Elements or the fundamental doctrines of a Christian religion. A fundamental doctrine is that, which being once denied, all religion, and all obtaining of salvation is overthrown. This knowledge hath a general faith going with it, which is an assent of the heart to the known truth of Gods word: This faith when it is grown up to some great measure, it is called [Greek or Hebrew] the