Ye received the Spirit by the hearing of faith; then of necessity our hearing and lending attention to Christ, by the outer entry the ear, must go before faith as the mean before the end, whereas faith comes by hearing: as vital heat is stirred up by running, so it is true, some inward burnings and flamings of spirit begin like smoking before flaming, Psal. 39. 1. Psal. 45. 1. Acts 17. and then follows spiritual acting of praising, preaching, praying, in which case there is, as it were, in the soul a fever, and an inward boiling of a pot that must run over, or new wine that must break the vessel, and force vent, so that silence or no acting must torment and pain the poor man: but that is not ordinary; for the ⟨p. 359⟩set way is that we set to acting, and the spirit strikes in as he thinks fit, and the believer is to blow and stir the fire under the ashes, as if he were seeking the wind, and must stir and dig some fire and warmness out of the letter, and let the spirit blow and flame as he will. If any say a preparing of the heart goes well before acting, that is true also; if any say God commands not simple hearing, but hearing mixed with faith, what ever truth were in that, as hearing without faith is sinful formality, yet he commands in a divine order, that we should hear to the end we may believe; and the Lord commands not that we may believe, that we may hear, as nature ordains not growing and nourishing, that the living creature may eat, and sleep; but by the contrary, nature appointeth eating and sleeping that we may grow, and be nourished. If any say the Lord commands not hearing as to the substance of the act, but saving,1 spiritual, and humble trembling at the Word, and hearing in faith; and this he commands to be done in believing and trembling at the Word, in the same act, in which he commands hearing. It shall be denied that in the order of begetting faith, this is necessary, that they ever be on and the same act: the Lord preached to Adam, Gen. 3. 15. the seed of the woman shall break the head of the serpent: Adam by the Law of God, of nature, was first to hear and consider this first Gospel-truth, and then to believe it, and receive it in faith:
Ye received the Spirit by the hearing of faith; then of necessity our hearing and lending attention to Christ, by the outer entry the ear, must go before faith as the mean before the end, whereas faith comes by hearing: as vital heat is stirred up by running, so it is true, some inward burnings and flamings of spirit begin like smoking before flaming, Psal. 39. 1. Psal. 45. 1. Acts 17. and then follows spiritual acting of praising, preaching, praying, in which case there is, as it were, in the soul a fever, and an inward boyling of a pot that must run over, or new wine that must break the vessel, and force vent, so that silence or no acting must torment and pain the poor man: but that is not ordinary; for the ⟨p. 359⟩set way is that we set to acting, and the spirit strikes in as he thinks fit, and the believer is to blow and stir the fire under the ashes, as if he were seeking the wind, and must stir and dig some fire and warmnesse out of the letter, and let the spirit blow and flame as he will. If any say a preparing of the heart goes well before acting, that is true also; if any say God commands not simple hearing, but hearing mixt with faith, what ever truth were in that, as hearing without faith is sinful formality, yet he commands in a divine order, that we should hear to the end we may believe; and the Lord commands not that we may believe, that we may hear, as nature ordains not growing and nourishing, that the living creature may eat, and sleep; but by the contrary, nature appointeth eating and sleeping that we may grow, and be nourished. If any say the Lord commands not hearing as to the substance of the act, but saving,1 spiritual, and humble trembling at the Word, and hearing in faith; and this he commands to be done in believing and trembling at the Word, in the same act, in which he commands hearing. It shall be denyed that in the order of begetting faith, this is necessary, that they ever be on and the same act: the Lord preached to Adam, Gen. 3. 15. the seed of the woman shall break the head of the serpent: Adam by the Law of God, of nature, was first to hear and consider this first Gospel-truth, and then to believe it, and receive it in faith:
- 1Some truth we must first physically hear and consider before we believe.
