A92854:485
The humbled sinner resolved what he should do to be saved. Or Faith in…
The humbled sinner resolved what he should do to be saved. Or Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the only way of salvation for sensible sinners. Discovering the quality, object, acts, seat, subject, inseparable concomitants and degrees of justifying faith. The agreement and difference of a strong and weak faith; the difficulty of believing, the facility of mistake about it, and the misery of unbelief. The nature of living by faith, and the improvement of it to a full assurance. Wherein several cases are resolved, and objections answered. / By Obadiah Sedgwick, Bachelor in Divinity and late minister of the Gospel in Covent Garden.The humbled sinner resolved what he should do to be saved. Or Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the only way of salvation for sensible sinners. Discovering the quality, object, acts, seat, subject, inseparable concomitants and degrees of justifying faith. The agreement and difference of a strong and weak faith; the difficulty of beleeving, the facility of mistake about it, and the misery of unbelief. The nature of living by faith, and the improvement of it to a full assurance. Wherein several cases are resolved, and objections answered. / By Obadiah Sedgwick, Batchelour in Divinity and late minister of the Gospel in Covent Garden.
London: printed by T.R. & E.M. for Adoniram Byfield, 1657
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
First, there is no natural principle of justifying faith now in man. An act, or motion, or quality, which hath a rise and ⟨p. 80⟩bottom within the subject, may spring forth with some ease: a stone having a natural propension and impetus to descend, 1if you do but quit the hand of it, it will down; but now to make a mighty stone to mount the hill, to get up into the air, there being no natural aptness to this, it is a hard and difficult attempt.
First, there is no natural principle of justifying faith now in man. An act, or motion, or quality, which hath a rise and ⟨p. 80⟩bottom within the subject, may spring forth with some ease: a stone having a natural propension and impetus to descend, 1if you do but quit the hand of it, it will down; but now to make a mighty stone to mount the hill, to get up into the air, there being no natural aptnesse to this, it is a hard and difficult attempt.
- 1Simile.
'Tis true, that a man hath an understanding and will, but the Obj. Mystery of Jesus Christ is a riddle to the natural understanding Sol. the faculties naturally considered, have no elevation to this object, unless the Lord by his Almighty power begets and works faith in the soul. The soul thinks not on him, neither can it draw it self to him. Like the needle, until it be 1touched, it will not start up towards the pole; so unless the Lord doth touch our hearts by his blessed Spirit, we shall never close with Christ.