Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

THUS far of the first thing in Faith, supernatural illumination. I now proceed to the second, A belief of the testimony of God in the Scriptures: and here I need use no words to prove this belief an ingredient in Faith, for faith in the Grammatical notion of it, is nothing else but a belief of a Testimony; and, being applied to God, it is a belief of his Testimony in Scripture. Only I shall open two things; first, what manner of belief of the divine testimony in Scriptures this is: and then, what the consequents of it are in order to resignation.

First, What manner of belief this is. And this I shall explain in these particulars.

First, This belief is divine, and congruous to the divine testimony. Such as the testimony is, such must be the ratio credendi: the Scriptures being a divine testimony, must be believed for themselves, because of the divine authority stamped upon them. Thus the Thessalonians received the word, not as the word of man, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, 1 Thess. 2.13. they lodged the divine truth in a divine faith, which ⟨p. 38⟩was a suitable entertainment. Humana omnia dicta testibus egent, Dei autem sermo ipse sibi test is est, saith Salvian, humane words want witness, but divine carry their own testimony in themselves. To believe the Scriptures because God speaks in them, is a divine faith, but to believe them upon any other account, is below their divine authority, and but an humane faith. For example, to believe the Scriptures for the saying of the woman, for the Churches testimony, is but an humane faith, for it stands on no higher fulciment then an humane testimony, and therefore can be but an humane faith. Here the subtle Jesuit would help out the Papist at a dead lift: that faith (saith he) which is resolved into the Churches authority is neque purè divina, neque purè humana, sed quasi media inferioris cujusdam ordinis; but what saith the learned Pemble to him, Just so men use to speak when they cannot tell what to say; It is Quasi, and Aliquomodo, and Alicujus generis, it is somewhat, if they could tell what, thus he. 'Tis undoubtedly clear, that that faith which calls any man Master on earth, and centres on an humane testimony, such as that of the Church, made up of men, must needs be, can be no other then humane. Indeed the Churches testimony may be inter motiva fidei, but (if the faith be divine) it cannot be inter formals rations sidei. A man in the dark labyrinth of nature may be led out by the Churches lamp, but when he is out, he sees the Sun by its own light, he believes the Scriptures for their own divinity, though per ministerium