The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

Of the Nature of Faith in general, of the especial Nature of justifying Faith, of its Characteristical Distinctions from that which is called Faith, but is not justifying, so many Discourses (divers of them the effects of sound Judgment and good Experience) are already extant, as it is altogether ⟨p. 93⟩needless to engage at large into a farther discussion of them. However something must be spoken to declare in what sense we understand these things; what is that Faith which we ascribe our Justification unto, and what is its Use therein.

Of the Nature of Faith in general, of the especial Nature of justifying Faith, of its Characteristical Distinctions from that which is called Faith, but is not justifying, so many Discourses (divers of them the effects of sound Judgment and good Experience) are already extant, as it is altogether ⟨p. 93⟩needless to engage at large into a farther discussion of them. However something must be spoken to declare in what sense we understand these things; what is that Faith which we ascribe our Justification unto, and what is its Ʋse therein.

The Distinctions that are usually made concerning Faith, (as it is a word of various significations) I shall wholly pretermit; not only as obvious and known, but as not belonging unto our present Argument. That which we are concerned in is, That in the Scripture there is mention made plainly of a twofold Faith whereby men believe the Gospel. For there is a Faith whereby we are justified, which he who hath shall be assuredly saved, which purifieth the heart, and worketh by Love. And there is a Faith or Believing which doth nothing of all this; which who hath, and hath no more, is not justified, nor can be saved. Wherefore every Faith, whereby men are said to believe, is not justifying. Thus it is said of Simon the Magician that he believed, Act. 8.13. When he was in the Gall of Bitterness and bond of Iniquity, and therefore did not believe with that Faith which purifieth the Heart,