Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

In intellectual humiliations, faith makes reason, though a Queen in her own dominions, come down and sit at the foot of revelation. In inward mortifications, faith makes the regnant lust come off from the throne of the heart, and bids the believer, as Joshua his Captains, put his feet on the neck of his lust. In outward martyrdoms, faith hath empowered men to kiss the stake, and embrace the flames, and cry out, as the blessed Martyr did, welcome sweet cross of Christ; and which is the crown of all the rest, in all these resignations faith ⟨p. 163⟩ventures all upon the bare word of God, and desires no better security then that for all its expectations.

In intellectual humiliations, faith makes reason, though a Queen in her own dominions, come down and sit at the foot of revelation. In inward mortifications, faith makes the regnant lust come off from the throne of the heart, and bids the believer, as Joshua his Captains, put his feet on the neck of his lust. In outward martyrdomes, faith hath empowred men to kiss the stake, and embrace the flames, and cry out, as the blessed Martyr did, welcome sweet cross of Christ; and which is the crown of all the rest, in all these resignations faith ⟨p. 163⟩ventures all upon the bare word of God, and desires no better security then that for all its expectations.

Sixthly, That faith stands in resignation, may appear from the scope of Religion. It is the very centre of all Divinity, and grand axiom therein, that the creature is to be abased and God exalted, no flesh must glory in it self, but in the Lord, all pride must be stained, and boasting cut off, that God may be all in all, and the creature nothing. Now nothing is, nor can be more accommodate to this Central Divinity, then faith, considered under the notion of resignation; which I shall show in the following particulars.

Sixthly, That faith stands in resignation, may appear from the scope of Religion. It is the very center of all Divinity, and grand axiom therein, that the creature is to be abased and God exalted, no flesh must glory in it self, but in the Lord, all pride must be stained, and boasting cut off, that God may be all in all, and the creature nothing. Now nothing is, nor can be more accommodate to this Central Divinity, then faith, considered under the notion of resignation; which I shall shew in the following particulars.