A41355:284
The Marrow of Modern Divinity
The marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the Old Testament, and in the time of the New : wherein every one may clearly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserveth the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of Antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by Jesus Christ leadeth to eternal life : in a dialogue, betwixt Evangelista, a minister of the Gospel, Nomista, a legalist, Antinomista, an Antinomian, and Neophytus, a young Christian / by the author, E.F. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the city of London ; whereunto is also added, the substance of aThe marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the Old Testament, and in the time of the New : wherein every one may cleerly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserverh the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of Antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by Iesus Christ leadeth to eternall life : in a dialogue, betwixt Evangelista, a minister of the Gospel, Nomista, a legalist, Antinomista, an Antinomian, and Neophytus, a young Christian / by the author, E.F. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the citie of London ; whereunto is also added, the substance of a
London: printed by R. Leybourn for Giles Calvert, 1646
THE MARROW OF Modern Divinity.THE MARROVV OF Modern Divinity.
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.
Evan. Yea, indeed, I think it is possible, for doth not our Saviour tell us, that those hearers whom he resembles to the stony ground, 1immediately received the word with joy, and yet had no root in themselves, and so indeed were not true believers. And doth not the Apostle give us to understand, that as there is a form of godliness without the power of godliness: 2so there is a form of faith without the power of faith. And therefore he prays that God would grant unto the Thessalonians the work of faith with power. 3And as the same Apostle gives us to understand, there is a faith that is not feigned, 4so doubtless, there is a faith that is feigned: And surely, when our Saviour saith; Mark 4.26, 27, 28. The kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and ⟨p. 110⟩should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow he knoweth not how, first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear, he giveth us to understand that true faith is produced by the secret power of God by little and little,5 so that sometimes a true believer himself, neither knows the time when, nor the manner how it was wrought, so that we may perceive that true faith is not ordinarily begun, increased and finished all in a moment, as, it seems, yours was, but groweth by degrees according to that of the Apostle Rom. 1.17. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, 6that is, from one degree of faith to another, from a weak faith to a strong faith, from faith beginning to faith increasing towards perfection, or from faith of adherence, to faith of assurance, but so was not yours, and again, true faith according to the measure of it, produceth holiness of life, but it seems yours doth not so, and therefore though, you have had, and have still much peace and joy, yet that is no infallible sign that your faith is true,