To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
WHo are partakers of true sauing faith, * 1.1 hath beene declared: The next thing to bee considered in the treatise of Faith, which is in order the sixt, is the necessi∣ty of faith.
Great is the necessity of true sauing Faith. For, First, true sauing faith, is the very true life of the soule: * 1.2 without which, a man is dead, being aliue: Hence it is,
that St Paul speaking of the state of the Ephesians before their conuersion, and before they did beleeue, saith of them, that they were a 1.3 dead in trespasses and sinnes. And againe, speaking of their spirituall state by grace, after that they beleeued, saith of them, that they were quick∣ned. b 1.4 God who is rich in mercie, through his great loue wherewith he hath loued vs, euen when we were dead in sins, hath quickned vs together with Christ. And speaking of himselfe now conuerted, and turned vnto God, now be∣leeuing in Iesus Christ, he saith, c 1.5 I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God. Giuing vs hereby to vnderstand, that who∣soeuer hath not true faith in Iesus Christ, is dead in tres∣passes and sinnes. And though, concerning the outward man, he may liue, and moue, yea, haue health & strength of bodie; yet notwithstanding, as long as he remaines in his naturall state, whiles he is not truly conuerted, and turned to God, from his former sinfull life, and as long as he wants true, sauing faith, he is, concerning his spiri∣tuall state, as a dead man, hauing no true life of grace in him. But on the other side, whosoeuer is conuerted and turned to God, whosoeuer is crucified to the world, dead to sinne, and hath true, sauing faith, beleeuing in Iesus Christ to saluation; such a one, is quickned by the Spi∣rit, he is now raised from the death of sin to the life of righteousnesse, and now, he is no more dead, but aliue: he liues by the faith of the Sonne of God, so that faith is the verie true life of the soule, as it were the soule of the soule: for as the soule giues life to the bodie, so Faith giues life to the soule: and as the bodie without the soule is dead, so the soule without faith is dead also.
Secondly, without faith, nothing that we doe, can * 1.6 please God. Wherefore it is, that the Apostle saith d 1.7 With∣out faith it is impossible to please him. Whether therefore we fast, or pray, or giue almes, whatsoeuer spirituall sa∣crifice we offer vnto God, or whatsoeuer good thing we doe, if we would haue the Lord to accept our sacrifice and seruice, and to be wel pleased with our good workes
we must looke that we haue faith; that our prayers, and thankesgiuings, almsdeeds, and whatsoeuer good thing we doe, proceede from a heart purified by Faith. Faith is as necessarie in our spirituall sacrifices, & good works, that they may please God; as salt was in the sacriffces in the Leuiticall law; Where it was commaunded, that e 1.8 euery oblation of their meat offering, they should season with salt: as salt seasoned their sacrifices, so faith seasoneth our sacrifices: and therefore as our Sauiour saith to his Dis∣ciples, f 1.9 haue salt in your selues: so I say to all, haue faith in your selues. For through Faith, our workes are accep∣table to God, and please God; but without faith it is im∣possible to please him.
Thirdly, without faith, we cannot be saued. True * 1.10 faith is so necessary, that if a man haue the true faith, he is saued, he cannot perish: but if he want the true faith, he is damned, he cannot be saued. The Scripture wit∣nesseth the truth of this. Our Sauiour Christ saith g 1.11 he that beleeueth, and is baptized, shall be saued, but he that beleeueth not shall be damned. Againe, he saith, h 1.12 he that beleeueth on him, is not condemned: but he that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie, because he hath not beleeued in the Name of the onely begotten Sonne of God. So great is the necessitie of true, sauing Faith.
The consideration of this great necessitie of Faith, is [Ʋse.] profitable for instruction; it teacheth vs, to be carefull, * 1.13 by all meanes to get faith into our hearts. If we would haue any true assurance, that we are not still dead in sin, but are quickned by the Spirit, and liue in Christ: if we would haue our workes, our seruice, and sacrifices to be acceptable to God; or if we would escape condemnation and come to life euerlasting; then its necessarie that we labour to haue true, sauing Faith: for without faith, (as I haue proued) we are but dead in sinnes and trespasses, and haue no true life of grace in vs: without faith, no∣thing that we doe can please God: and without faith we cannot be saued. Seeing then that faith is so necessarie,
how doth it stand euery one in hand, to labour for true, sauing faith? The Apostle to the Hebrews saith, i 1.14 to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that beleeued not? So we see that they could not enter in be∣cause of vnbeliefe. And hereupon he exhorteth to labour for true faith; lest wanting faith, we k 1.15 come short of that euerlasting rest of our soules.
When Martha had receiued Christ into her house, and was diligent in prouiding for him; and her Sister Marie in the meane time, was sitting at Christs feete, hearing his word; Martha was offended, that her Sister should sit downe, and not put to her helping hand; whereupon, Martha comes to Christ, and saith, l 1.16 Lord, doest thou not care, that my sister hath left me to serue alone? bid her therefore that shee helpe me. And Iesus answered, and said vnto her, Martha, Martha, thou art carefull, and troubled about many things; but one thing is needfull, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken a∣way from her. There are many, both men and women, like Martha, ver••e busie, yea, cumbred, and troubled a¦bout many things; the world ouercomes them, and the cares of the world carrie away their minds, that (for the most part) they neglect that which is most needfull. That one needfull thing, is, with Mary to heare the word of Christ, to get true faith, that by true faith in Iesus Christ, our soules may be saued, and we may come to life euerlasting. This one thing is needfull: and who∣soeuer they are, that haue set their hearts to seeke the Lord, to heare the word of Christ, and to get true faith, whereby they may saue their soules, they haue made a good choice, they haue with Mary, chosen the better part, euen that good part which shall not be taken away from them.
6 The necessity of hauing the true faith, which is great. For
1 Faith is the life of the soule.
Ephe. 2. 1.
Verse 4. 5.
Gal. 2. 20.
2 Without faith nothing plea∣seth God.
Heb. 11. 6.
Leuit. 2. 13.
Mark. 9. 50.
3 Without faith we cannot be saued.
Mark. 16. 16.
Joh. 3. 18.
To get faith into our hearts
Heb. 3. 18. 19.
Heb. 4. 1. 2. 3.
Luk. 10. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.