CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

1. It's wrought in us by the Grace of God; It's the power of God that works even this common faith: No man could know and give assent to such divine truths, unless enabled by the Spirit of God, and therefore it's said to believers, That to them it's given to believe, Phil. 1.29.¹ which takes in the whole nature of faith; So some are said to believe through the grace of God, No man can say, Jesus is the Lord, but by the Spirit, Acts 18.27. Some have thought that we may by humane strength come to believe divine truths, as we may by our industry attain to philosophical knowledge; but this is to be ignorant of mans weakness and Gods power. It's true, men may in an humane way comprehend the sense and meaning of the Scripture, but to give a divine assent to it, that is the gift of God, For every good and perfect gift, whereof this faith is a principal one, cometh from the Father of lights, James 1. Did not many learned Heathens Porphyrius Celsus, Julian, and others, know what was asserted in the Scripture, yet they did not believe, but contemn it: And certainly we are bound to acknowledge it a great mercy of God to have dogmatical faith: For why are so many Heretics left to themselves? Some deny the Natures one, or the other of Christ, some his Person, some his Offices, and shouldst not thou do thus, if left to thy self? Nay, Is not a godly man sometimes sadly tempted about his dogmatical faith, that he doubteth of a God, or about the truths of the Scripture? Certainly, it's a special mercy thus to be enabled to believe; and it is good to be observed, one reason why faith must needs be of God, which is, because the nature of it lieth more in the firmness of the act, then in the certainty of the subject: It's not so much the object without, as something within, makes a man believe. Gods Spirit doth more work in corroborating the heart, then revealing the object; Hence though the Doctrine be revealed to some, yet they do not believe, when at another time, though they have but the same measure of light, and the same argument propounded, they do believe; and why is all this? but because Gods work in the believer is more ex parte subjecti, then objecti. Therefore it's horrible debasing of Gods grace in working faith, to make it no more then the revealing of the object, for then man by his own power doth believe;