Eighteen sermons preached in Oxford 1640 of conversion, unto God. Of redemption, & justification,…

Concerning the first of these I told you that it was not every faith that justifieth, not every kind of faith that a man can live by. There is a dead faith, and a man cannot live by a dead thing: And there is a living faith, and that is called a faith unfeigned. And though it be in Scripture called the common faith, yet it is with some restriction; it is the faith of Gods elect. There is a faith also which is but temporary; that being touched with the sense of sin, and seeing there is no deliverance from the curse due to sin, but by Christ; and that there is no part to be had in Christ, but by renouncing all corruptions; the consideration of the desperateness of his case without Christ, makes him long after him; and since he cannot have Christ without leaving sin, he will resolve on that too; he will make towards Christ, and perhaps he comes to taste of the sweetness of Christ, and feels the power of the world to come; he forsakes sin, and thereby comes so near the true believer, that a man must as it were, cut a hair to divide between them. And this is a thing very necessary to be considered of.

Concerning the first of these I told you that it was not every faith that justifieth, not every kinde of faith that a man can live by. There is a dead faith, and a man cannot live by a dead thing: And there is a living faith, and that is called a faith unfeigned. And though it be in Scripture called the common faith, yet it is with some restriction; it is the faith of Gods elect. There is a faith also which is but temporary; that being touch't with the sense of sinne, and seeing there is no deliverance from the curse due to sinne, but by Christ; and that there is no part to be had in Christ, but by renouncing all corruptions; the consideration of the desperatenesse of his case without Christ, makes him long after him; and since he cannot have Christ without leaving sinne, he will resolve on that too; he will make towards Christ, and perhaps he comes to taste of the sweetnesse of Christ, and feels the power of the world to come; he forsakes sinne, and thereby comes so near the true believer, that a man must as it were, cut a haire to divide between them. And this is a thing very necessary to be considered of.

And I showed unto you also that these are not moral things; not a faith that is wrought by the power of men, but by a work of Gods Spirit; for it humbles a man for sin, and makes him make toward Christ, and seek him above all things, and having laid some hold on him, he escapes the pollutions of the world, and yet this faith is but temporary; a thing supernatural it is, yet it is without root. Now as I noted unto you, this is not different in the circumstance of time; for time alters not the thing. A child that liveth but half an hour, doth as properly and truly live, as one