The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

I know tis a question of some difficulty among some, viz. Whether an absolute testimony of actual favour and justification be not the first ground of Faith? They that make Faith to be an absolute assurance of Gods favour, must of necessity maintain this assertion, and then these things will follow.

I know tis a question of some difficulty among some, viz. Whether an absolute testimony of actuall favour and justification be not the first ground of Faith? They that make Faith to be an absolute assurance of Gods favour, must of necessity maintain this assertion, and then these things will follow.

1. That a Christian must be justified before he believe; for the cause of Faith must go before Faith. This proposition, Thou art justified, reconciled, is according to this assertion the cause of faith; for no proposition can therefore be true, because we are persuaded that it is true; but it must be first true, ⟨p. 228⟩before I am persuaded of it; the wall is not white, because my eye sees it so, but it must first be white, and then I see it so. Now to make actual justification before faith, is cross to the whole current of Scripture. We believe that we might be justified, Gal. 2.16. we are not justified that we might believe. We pass from death to life by faith, John 5.24. we are not in a state of life before faith. When the Lord Jesus saw their faith, Mat. 9.2. he then said, Be of good comfort, thy sins are forgiven thee. The Word saith, He that believeth not, is condemned already, John 3.18. and therefore (unless the Spirits witness be cross to the Word) it doth not say to one that believeth not, that he is absolved already. To be justified by faith, and to be justified by Christs righteousness is all one in the Scriptures phrase and meaning,