The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…

7. Note also, that the Gospel proposeth to the Soul of man both Truth and Goodness: and the Truth is in order to the Good, and subservient to it: That Christ is indeed the Saviour, and his Word infallibly true, is believed, that we may be made partakers of his Salvation, and of the Grace and Glory promised. And when the Spirit by the Gospel hath regenerated and renewed any Soul, he hath given him part of that grace in possession, and hath procreated in him the habitual love of God, and of holiness, with a love to that Saviour and holy Word which brought him to it. So that this Love is now become as a new Nature to the Soul: and this being done, the Soul cleaveth now as fast to Christ and the Gospel by Love, as by Belief: not that love becometh an irrational causeless love, nor continueth without the continuance of Belief, or Belief without the Reasons and Evidence of Verity and Credibility: But Love now by concurrence greatly assisteth Faith it self, and is the faster hold of the two: so that the Soul that is very weak in its Reasoning faculty, and may oft lose the sight of these Evidences of truth, which it did once perceive, may still hold fast by this holy Love. As the man that by reasoning hath been convinced that honey is sweet, will easilier change his mind than he that hath tasted it; so Love is the Souls taste, which causeth its fastest adherence to God and to the Gospel. If a caviller dispute with a loving child, or parent, or friend, to alienate their hearts from one another, and would persuade them ⟨p. 296⟩that it is but dissembled love that is professed to them by their relations and friends; Love will do more here to hinder the belief of such a slander, than Reason alone can do: and where Reason is not strong enough to answer all that the caviller can say, yet Love may be strong enough to reject it.

7. Note also, that the Gospel proposeth to the Soul of man both Truth and Goodness: and the Truth is in order to the Good, and subservient to it: That Christ is indeed the Saviour, and his Word infallibly true, is believed, that we may be made partakers of his Salvation, and of the Grace and Glory promised. And when the Spirit by the Gospel hath regenerated and renewed any Soul, he hath given him part of that grace in possession, and hath procreated in him the habitual love of God, and of holiness, with a love to that Saviour and holy Word which brought him to it. So that this Love is now become as a new Nature to the Soul: and this being done, the Soul cleaveth now as fast to Christ and the Gospel by Love, as by Belief: not that love becometh an irrational causless love, nor continueth without the continuance of Belief, or Belief without the Reasons and Evidence of Verity and Credibility: But Love now by concurrence greatly assisteth Faith it self, and is the faster hold of the two: so that the Soul that is very weak in its Reasoning faculty, and may oft lose the sight of these Evidences of truth, which it did once perceive, may still hold fast by this holy Love. As the man that by reasoning hath been convinced that hony is sweet, will easilier change his mind than he that hath tasted it; so Love is the Souls taste, which causeth its fastest adherence to God and to the Gospel. If a caviller dispute with a loving child, or parent, or friend, to alienate their hearts from one another, and would perswade them