A Treatise of Faith, Title page – Preface
A TREATISE OF FAITH, Diuided into two Parts. The firſt ſhewing the NATVRE, The ſecond, The life of FAITH.
Both tending to direct the weake Chriſtian how he may poſſeſſe the whole Word of God as his owne, ouercome temptations, better his obedience, and liue comfortably in all estates.
BY IOHN BALL.
HAB. 2.4.
The Iuſt ſhall liue by his faith.
LONDON, Printed for Edward Brewſter, and are to be ſold at the ſigne of the Bible, at the North doore of Pauls 1631.
THE PREFACE TO THE READER.
GLorious thinges are ſpoken of the grace of graces Faith in the Scriptures, God ſetting himſelfe to honour that grace that yeelds vp all the honour vntounto him in Chriſt; who indeed is the life of our life, and the ſoule of our ſoule. Faith only as the bond of vnion bringeth Chriſt and the ſoule together, and is as an arterie that conueyes the ſpirit from him as the heart; and as the ſinnewes which conuey the ſpirit to mooue to all dutie from him as head, whence Saint Paul maketh Chriſts liuing in vsus, and our liuing by faith all one, Gal. 2.20. Now that which giueth boldneſſe and libertie to faith, is not only Gods aſſignement of this office to it in the couenant of grace to come vntounto Chriſt, and vntounto him in Chriſt to receiue grace, but likewiſe the gracious promiſes whereby the great God hath ingaged himſelfe as a debtour to his poore creature, for all things needfull to life and godlineſſe, vntill that bleſſed time when we ſhall be put into full poſſeſſion of all things wee hauehave now only in promiſe; when faith ſhall end in fruition, and promiſes in performance. Faith firſt lookes …o this word of promiſe, and in the promiſe to Chriſt, in whom and for whom, they are yea and Amen, both made and performed. And in Chriſt it eyeth God in whom it laſt reſteth, is its proper center and foundation, otherwiſe how ſhould wee weake ſinfull creatures dare to hauehave any intercourſe with God that dwelleth in that light that none can attaine vntounto, if hee had not come forth and diſcouered his good pleaſure in Chriſt the ſubſtantiall Word, and in the word inſpired by the Holy Ghoſt for the good of thoſe whom God meant for to make heires of ſaluation. Now theſe promiſes whereon all our preſent comfort and future hope dependeth, lie hid in the Scriptures, as veines of gold and ſiluer in the bowels of the earth, and had need bee laid open, that Gods people may know what vponupon good grounds to lay claime vntounto. Thoſe therefore that ſearch theſe mynes to bring to light theſe treaſures deſerue well of Gods Church. We commend, (and not without cauſe) the wittie induſtrie of thoſe that from Springs remote bring Riuers to Cities, and by Pipes from thoſe Riuers deriue water to eueryevery mans houſe for all domeſticall ſeruices: much more ſhould we eſteeme of the religious paines of men that bring theſe waters of life home for eueryevery man his particular vſe, in all the paſſages and turnings of this life. In which regard, I doe not doubt, but the paines of this godly, painfull, and learned man will find good entertainment of all children of the promiſes that hope to inherit them, who hath with great paines, and with good euidence of ſpirituall vnderſtanding, endeauoured to cleare moſt matters concerning faith; and likewiſe diſcouered the varietie and vſe of the promiſes with teaching Chriſtians how to improue their riches in Chriſt heere ſpread before them, how to vſe the ſhield of Faith, and the ſword of the Spirit vponupon all occaſions, that ſo they might not only be belieuing but skilfull Chriſtians, knowing how to mannage and make the beſt aduantage of their faith, and the word of faith. Which if they could doe, there would another manner of power and beautie ſhine in their liues then doth. Hee is a man that hath formerly deſerued well of the Church, but in a more ſpeciall manner fitted for a Treatiſe of this nature, as hauing beene put to it, to know by experience what it is to liue by faith, hauing in ſight for matters of this life very little whereupon to depend. Thoſe that are driuen to exerciſe their faith, cannot but find God faithfull, as neuer failing thoſe that truſt in him, they ſee more of God then others doe. If it be obiected that others of late time hauehave digged in the ſame mine, and laboured in the ſame field, and to good purpoſe and ſucceſſe: I anſwer, it is true, the more this age is bound to God that directs the ſpirits of men to ſo vſefull, ſo neceſſarie an argument, ſeeing without faith wee hauehave no communion with the fountaine of life, nothing in this world that can yeeld ſetled comfort to ground the ſoule vponupon, ſeeing without it the faireſt carriage is but emptie and dead moralitie, neither finding acceptance with God, nor yeelding comfort to vsus in our greateſt extremities, and by it God himſelfe, and Chriſt with all that he hath done, ſuffered, conquered, becommeth ours and for our vſe. Beſides none that I know hauehave written in our Language ſo largely of this argument, and ſuch is the extent and ſpiritualneſſe of this heauenly point, that many men & of the greateſt graces & parts may with great benefit to the Church, diue and digge ſtill into this myſterie. Neither let any except againſt the multitude of quotations of Scriptures, they are brought vnderunder their proper head, and ſet in their proper place, and the matter it ſelfe is cut out into varietie of parts. Store (as wee vſe to ſpeake) is no ſore, we count it a delight to take out of a full heape, the more light, the conuiction is the ſtronger, what ſutes not at one time will ſute our ſpirits and occaſions at another, and what taketh not with one, may take with another. But the full and well handling of matters in this Treatiſe carries ſuch ſatisfaction with it, that it frees mee from neceſſitie of further diſcourſe, and mine owne preſent weakneſſe of bodie taketh mee off. Only I was willing to yeeld that teſtimonie to the fruitfull paines of a faithfull labourer in Gods Vineyard, that I iudge it deſeruedly. Receiue it therefore, Chriſtian Reader, with thankes to God that ſtirreth vp ſuch helpers of that faith by which wee liue, ſtand, conquer, and in which we muſt die, if we looke to receiue the end of our faith, the ſaluation of our ſoules.
Richard Sibbes.