A treatise of miscellany questions wherein many useful questions and cases of conscience are…A treatise of miscellany questions wherein many usefull questions and cases of conscience are…

Now behold him at a loss, all resolves into this issue, no assurance by the Testimony of the spirit and word of grace, unless this testimony be received by faith, no entry and possession, no clearing of the title to the soul, no resolution or satisfaction to the conscience till it believe. But then while the soul examines it self, whether it have a true lively faith, or only a dead faith, he dare not admit the trial of faith by the fruits of it, as if it were an indignity to the tree to be known by the fruit, or to the fire to be known by the heat. Faith purifieth the h•art, saith the Scripture. Faith works by love. Faith shows it self by works. This Antinomian durst not adventure upon this trial by the Scripture marks of faith: yea, to avoid this, he runs into a great and dangerous error, that the whole essence of faith is nothing else, but the Echo of the heart answering the voice of the spirit, and saying, my sins are forgiven me, as if there were no faith where there is no assurance of the forgiveness of sins, and as if faith were quite lost, as often and as long as the soul cannot say with assurance, my sins are forgiven me. Again, may there not be a false Echo in the heart: may not a temporary believer who receives the word of grace with joy, say within himself, my sins are forgiven me? Where is the clearing of the conscience now? Is it in that last word, where there is receiving or believing, there cannot be a dead faith? But how shall I know that there is indeed a receiving and believing? The essence of faith is the receiving of Christ in the word of grace, and a •esting upon him for righteousness and life. Now another Antinomian tells us, that to receive Christ and his benefits ¹truly, doth necessarily include in it these four particular points. 1, To know our lost state by the least sin, our misery without ⟨p. 265⟩Christ, and what need we have of him. 2. To see the excellency and worth of Christ and his benefits. 3. A taking and having of Christ and his benefits to ones own self in particular. 4. To be filled with great joy and thankful zeal. If these things be so, then I am sure, many do imagine they have received Christ and his benefits by faith, who have not truly and really received him: so that the (soul searching it self in this point, whether have I any more then a dead faith, or a counterfeit faith?)