When you say, you are not against any that have faith,1 whether infants or others, so that their faith appear by such effects as the Word approveth. I demand what if their faith appear not by the effects? is it not enough if it appear by divine testimony? Christ hath said, that of such is the kingdom. And that all that receive his kingdom, must receive it as little children do, as hath been shown above; and is not his testimony of their faith as good an evidence of their faith, as the effects of their faith can be? As for the 3 things which you would have to be minded as essential to union with Christ: The first of them (the revealing and tendering of Christ as the all-sufficient and only way of life) if you mean the revealing and tendering of him by the Ministry of the gospel, you know the Ministry of the gospel is but an outward instrumental cause of faith, and no outward instrumental cause is essential to the effect, whether we speak of natural or supernatural effects: certain it is that the spirit of God, who is the principal cause of faith, though he be wonted to work it by the Ministry of the Word, yet he can also work it without the Ministry, or else how came the Wise Men from the East to seek after ⟨p. 16⟩Christ; and to worship him by the sight of a star? If you say that was extraordinary, but you speak of ordinary means; that will not serve, for that which is essential to a thing, the thing cannot be without it, neither ordinarily, nor extraordinarily; a thing cannot be, and be without his essence, or that which is essential to it. Besides, Christ speaketh of it as no extraordinary thing for infants to receive the kingdom of God; and they cannot receive it without Christ, nor without faith in Christ; and yet they never received either Christ, or faith by their own immediate hearing of the Wo•d. And for the second thing which you make essential to union with Christ (an heart fitly disposed by faith to apprehend and apply Christ:) Be not unwilling to understand that which is the truth:) The heart is fitly disposed by faith to apprehend or apply Christ, when faith is begotten in the heart: for by this gift of faith begotten in us, Christ apprehendeth us;
When you say, you are not against any that have faith,1 whether infants or others, so that their faith appeare by such effects as the Word approveth. I demand what if their faith appeare not by the effects? is it not enough if it appeare by divine testimony? Christ hath said, that of such is the kingdom. And that all that receive his kingdom, must receive it as little children doe, as hath been shown above; and is not his testimony of their faith as good an evidence of their faith, as the effects of their faith can be? As for the 3 things which you would have to bee minded as essentiall to union with Christ: The first of them (the revealing and tendering of Christ as the al-sufficient and only way of life) if you meane the revealing and tendering of him by the Ministery of the gospel, you know the Ministery of the gospel is but an outward instrumentall cause of faith, and no outward instrumentall cause is essentiall to the effect, whether we speake of naturall or supernaturall effects: certaine it is that the spirit of God, who is the principall cause of faith, though he be wonted to work it by the Ministery of the Word, yet he can also work it without the Ministery, or else how came the Wisemen from the East to seeke after ⟨p. 16⟩Christ; and to worship him by the sight of a starre? If you say that was extraordinary, but you speake of ordinary meanes; that will not serve, for that which is essentiall to a thing, the thing cannot be without it, neither ordinarily, nor extraordinarily; a thing cannot be, and be without his essence, or that which is essentiall to it. Besides, Christ speaketh of it as no extraordinary thing for infants to receive the kingdom of God; and they cannot receive it without Christ, nor without faith in Christ; and yet they never received either Christ, or faith by their own immediate hearing of the Wo•d. And for the second thing which you make essentiall to union with Christ (an heart fitly disposed by faith to apprehend and apply Christ:) Be not unwilling to understand that which is the truth:) The heart is fitly disposed by faith to apprehend or apply Christ, when faith is begotten in the heart: for by this gift of faith begotten in us, Christ apprehendeth us;
- 1Silvanus.
