shalt be able to doe. Therefore Christ saith, Be it according to thy faith: that is, not accor∣ding to the habit of thy faith, that lyes dead, as a Talent wrapped vp there; but, be it vnto thee according to the vse of thy faith. If thou set faith on worke, it will be able to doe great things, it will be able to doe wonders, it will be able to ouercome the world, it is able to worke righteousnesse, it is able to preuaile with GOD and men, it is able to goe thorow the greatest matters.
But, you will say, How shall I vse it?
That is the thing indeed which I purposed now to haue shewed, how faith must be vsed, how we must liue by faith: I should haue shewed how you should vse it.
First, in comforting of our selues; for that is one vse of Faith, thou shouldst set it aworke to fill thy heart with ioy, out of the assurance of the forgiuenesse of sinne, and of the priui¦ledges which thou hast by CHRIST. When a man hath faith, and finds his heart no more affected then other mens, he findes no reioy∣cing there more then ordinary; Now set faith on work, learn to beleeue, and that throughly.
First set faith on worke to beleeue, to trust perfectly, as the Apostle speakes, Gal. 3. In the grace reuealed by Iesus Christ: trust perfectly; that is, thou shouldst beleeue the full forgiue∣nesse of thy sinnes, thou must not beleeue it by halues, so that there should be a distance, as it were, betweene GOD and thee, some