Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Secondly, That faith consists in resignation, will appear from the way which God uses in the working of faith. God works it in a way of persuasion, God shall persuade Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, Gen. 9.27. that is, in the Church of God, where the true Shem, the name of Godis. When God comes with his Almighty Oratory and speaks to the heart, persuading, dwell not O man any longer at home, in thy will or righteousness, ⟨p. 151⟩come into Shem, into my Name, into my mercy by a true recumbence, into my holiness by a cordial obedientialness, and by the sweet strains of free-grace the man is charmed into a surrender of himself unto the Divine call, then there is saith indeed. Hence believers in Scripture are called persuaded ones; And some of them believed, Act. 17.4. in the Original it is,¹ And some of them were persuaded; and on the contrary, unbelievers are called the unpersuadable ones, ver. 5.² such as will not suffer themselves to be persuaded. Faith is called persuasion, ³a yielding to the true Suada, the spirit and wisdom of God, none ever spake or taught like him; and unbelief is called an unperswadethleness or contumacy,⁴ it contradicts and blasphemes at the sweet compellations of free-grace, if not outwardly, as those wretches, Act. 18. 6. yet inwardly, for it gives God the lye, 1 Joh. 5.10. Again, God works it in the evidence and demonstration of the spirit; thus the Apostle saith, His preaching was in the demonstration of the spirit and power, 1 Cor. 2.4. and then, as a sweet fruit thereof, follows faith standing in the power of God in the very next verse; when the spirit comes in its divine Logic, and demonstratively points out, this is the true Jesus, that is the very Gospel, and here is the only way of salvation, and the pure light and evidence presses in so far upon the man, that, like one under a clear demonstration, he is out-reasoned,