A09466:146
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.
XXII.
Thus much concerning faith it self: now follow the fruits and benefits of faith. By means of this special faith, the elect are truly ajoined unto Christ, and have an heavenly communion and fellowship with him, and therefore do bin some measure inwardly feel his holy spirit moving and stirring in them, as Rebecca felt the Twins to stir in her womb. Christ is as cthe head in the body: every believer as a ⟨p. 56⟩member of the same body: now as the head4 giveth sense and motion to the members, and the members feel themselves to have sense, and to move by means of the head, so doth Christ Jesus receive and quicken every true believer, and by his heavenly power maketh him to do the good which he doth. dAnd as from the stock sap is derived to the graft, that it may live and grow, and bring forth fruit in his kind: so do all the faithful that are grafted into Christ the true Vine. And as the graft loseth his wild nature, and is changed into the nature of the stock, and bringeth forth good fruit, so in like manner it is with them that are in Christ, who by little and little are wholly renewed efrom evil to good.