Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Fourthly, By virtue of its union with Christ, Precious faith bears many excellent fruits, it ushers in a spiritual life into the soul; that of the Prophet, the just shall live by his faith, thrice quoted by St. Paul in the New Testament, is exemplified in every believer; but he that hath but a naked assent, though with a goodly structure of Evangelical truths standing upon it, is but a dead man, and his notions, like the Egyptian Pyramids, are but monuments for the dead. Again, it brings down pardon of sin into the soul. whosoever believeth in him (that is, in Christ) shall receive remission of sins, Acts 10.43. but a naked assent leaves a man as fast in the […] of guilt as ever before. Moreover, it purifies, the heart, and quenches the fiery darts of Satan, it carries ⟨p. 136⟩out the dust and rubbish out of the heart, and makes it a sanctuary or holy place for God, and if Satan come and let fly his temptations, it beats them off from the soul. Thus Bucer when in his sickness he was admonished to arm himself against Satan, answered, in Christo sum, nihil habeo cum diabolo commune, I am in Christ, and have nothing in common with Satan; but where there is only a naked assent, the holy truths going no further then the Understanding, the Will is left in the mire and pollution of its lusts, and is ready, as soon as the tempter comes, to join with his seducing proffers.

Fourthly, By virtue of its union with Christ, Precious faith bears many excellent fruits, it ushers in a spiritual life into the soul; that of the Prophet, the just shall live by his faith, thrice quoted by St. Paul in the New Testament, is exemplisied in every believer; but he that hath but a naked assent, though with a goodly structure of Evangclical truths standing upon it, is but a dead man, and his notions, like the Egyptian Pyramides, are but monuments for the dead. Again, it brings down pardon of sin into the soul. whosoever believeth in him (that is, in Christ) shall receive remission of sins, Acts 10.43. but a naked assent leaves a man as fast in the 〈…〉 of guilt as ever before. Moreover, it purifies, the heart, and quenches the fiery darts of Satan, it carries ⟨p. 136⟩