R.om.s, Mr. Richard Baxter's Funeral Sermon. ver be furprized by a fudden ':'ew Ev~nt, that may cauf~ a change in his Mind and Will. He forefaw all the Sms of his People, With their provoking Aogravations. Now if the forefight of them did not hinder his electing Love In its"rife can they frufl:rate its end, · the bringing of them to Glory ? ' Befides, we may argue from what his Love has done for his Children to w!Jat he will do : He has given his Son and Spirit to them, the furefl: Signs of'his Love if we confider the unvaluable Excellence of the Gifts, and the Defign of th~ G1ver. The Son of God is the mofi excellent Gift of l1is Love, as undeferved, as he was undefired: ~nd fro_m hc;nce. the Apofl:l~ argues, He that gave hi< So~ for os aU, horp ""''"h more w•U he w•th htm g•ve "" aU thmgs? Bleffed God ! What ncher Evidence and more convincing Demonfl:ration can there be of thy Love ? WiU he not with hi;. give"' aU thi"gs? The Inference is direct and conclufive, with refpect to temporal and eternal Things. He will give to his Children in the prefent World, whatever his Wifdom, in conjunction with his Love, fees good for them. To illufl:rate this by a low and familiar Infl:ance; If a Mother befl:ows upon her Daughter rich Jewels for her Marriage Orna~ents, _ will fne d:ny_ her Pins to drefs her ~ And we may as firongly argue, that With hts Son he Will gtvc us ~ternal Blefiings. Will he oive us the Tre.e of Life, and not permit us to eat of the Fruit of it? What was the 0defign ~[d~:e~~~fh~s a;'!o~~~~~0XpoiDe ~~to~s~:o~~;,0 ~j!h~~c~~~e!.0E::;,i~~t: n>ere reconciled to God by the Death ofhis Son, ,.J nrore being reconciled, we jhaU he faved by hisLifi. He has paid our Ranfom, and revers'd the Sentence of Condemnation againfl: us; and it invincibly follows; he can more cafily accompli!hour Happinefs in Heaven. If Love jufl:ify a Sinner, it will glorify a Saint. And as the Gift of the Son, fo the mofi precious Gift ·of the Spirit to God's Children, to make them holy and beavenly, istbe mofl: certain fign of his Love to them. !~: ~~~1e~!~l~~fas~~:~~nJ.~a!~e~f~! ;,.C:,:dd;:; ;~ 1::.:" /"!/&?;/",; ;;~ gether with Chrijl: ~y Grace we are faved. . Sanl:tification is th~ effect of rich Mercy, great Love, and favmg G;ace. The Chtl~r~n o~ God are feal d by the Holy Spirit ~V~~eP~o~~.~~~~f:ifi~ 't~~~a:o~~~;~~~ng~~~e~sn~l'~~ffrt~~h~:. 0~~;~~t~irftn~ fiiled tbe Earnei1 of the l~theritance. His dwelling in the Saints by his fanctifying and comforting Operations is an Earnefl: of their dwelling with God in his Sanctuary above. From bence the Apofl:le propounds a firong Argument to aiTure the Saints, upon their leaving this World, oftheir reception into Heaven; Now he that i~~ ~'::t~a":l[r:;£~{-f,.ant,',.':;;;;;/:r~~; ~P~~~- th~~J~~fs~~Yth~~~~n?:~~~~;r~f the great Day; Grace is the Preparative and Affurance of Glory : For altlio the Saints are in themfelves mutable, and while there remains Corruption witbin, and a tempting World without, are liable to falling away, yet the free and powerful Love of God that revived them wben dead, will preferve them living ; that which raifed them from the Grave, will prevent their relapfing into it. The Gifts ofGod are without Repentance. How triumphantly does the Apofl:le exprefs his Confidence, WhofbaUfepe~·aratet~<fi"ontthe Love ofGod? ShaUTrib~tlatioff, orDijlreji, orPerfec•- tion, or Famine, or Nakedneji, or Peril, or Sword? Thefe are the moll: powerful Terrors that !he perverfe World, in combination with the Devil, can make ufe of to :n.~~a,;~r~st~~nd~~;.~~r;,er~l~~.~~~: ;h~~}!~J,;r~ R,~nl .!:;.;}:.'J~J:eJJ::~[;~ ther Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, 110r Powers, nor Thi11gs prefent, mr Thing I to co111e, nor Height, nor Depth, nor any other Creatm·e, fotiU be able to feparate '"from the Love ofGod, that i< in Chrijl]efu• o11r Lord. T)1is bleffed Affurance ofthe Apofl:le, is not rais'd from his extraordinary Vriviledges, nor from the apparition of Angels to him, nor bis rapture to Paradife, nor fpecial Revelations, but from the Love of God in Chrifl: Jcfus our Lord, that everlafl:ingly embraces all his Children. Briefl y, in that God has given l1is Son to die for us, and his Spirit to Jive in us, his Son to purchafe and prepare Heaven for us, his Spirit to prepare us for Heaven, a dying Saint may with bleiTed Tranquility commend his Soul into God's Hands. I have more particularly confidered the Fatherly Love of God, what a fl:rong Security it affords to his Children, th~t he will n_ever leave them, in that "? Point requires and deferves more ConfirmatiOn, and weJght of Argumept to prefs Jt down into our difl:rufl:ful Hearts. 2. The
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=