Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

answers as roundly as a man doth touching that which is obvious and before his senses,¹ perinde est (saith he) ac si quis roget, unde discemus lucem discernere à tenebris, the Scripture reveals it self as the light doth, and to the pure eye of faith it appears divine from its own innate excellency, and so establishes the heart in its holy truth. To conclude this point, faith is a stable and firm thing; but, by the estimates and lives of men, there seems to be but a very little of it in the world. Did men, as they profess, firmly believe the Scriptures, could they vilify the commands of the great God as they do? The injunctions of earthly Princes are not served so. Would they slight that wonderful charter of grace and glory in the Gospel? a Patent of petty dignities and possessions here below will be highly valued by them: durst they sin as they do, in the face of hell and wrath flashing ⟨p. 41⟩out of the divine threatenings? a Princes sword or Gibbet would cast them into a fit of trembling. O how soon would the things of God cast the balance in the heart, and outweigh all the world, if the Scriptures were indeed believed: but there being in men only levis opinatio, a light opinion rather then a solid faith touching the same, there necessarily ensues a monstrous disproportion between their faith and their life.

answers as roundly as a man doth touching that which is obvious and before his senses,¹ perinde est (saith he) ac si quis roget, unde discemus lucem discernere à tenebris, the Scripture reveals it self as the light doth, and to the pure eye of faith it appears divine from its own innate excellency, and so establishes the heart in its holy truth. To conclude this point, faith is a stable and firm thing; but, by the estimates and lives of men, there seems to be but a very little of it in the world. Did men, as they profess, firmly believe the Scriptures, could they vilifie the commands of the great God as they do? The injunctions of earthly Princes are not served so. Would they slight that wonderful charter of grace and glory in the Gospel? a Patent of petty dignities and possessions here below will be highly valued by them: durst they sin as they do, in the face of hell and wrath flashing ⟨p. 41⟩