Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

:DireEliom for a wtll grottllded Faith. tven as Lazar;u his r~/lored feul, though fopernaturally rrjfored, ~vas the mofi Jl!ltrtral affociate of his bod)•; or as bread, or milk, or wine) though it 01ould t3.ll from Heliven, is in it folf rhe mofi ;:atu· r.1L food for man. 9• The f.zmc thingJ b: Divinity which are revealed NaturaUy to aU, llTC again revealed jiJpern.JI1lrally i;, the Gojprl : axd rJ,o·efore may and muft be the matter both of n.;turtJL k...n~wledge and11[ faith. zo. J?ben thi mu.iiciottJ 'Tempter c;jfnb in tkubtJ of a Deity, or otber pomtJ of natural Certainty, it fo much di{c'ffditrtb hi1fu~gcjlioni, as nwy·help u1 mJtch to rrjell them when withal he tempteth uJ to doubt of the t,n:b of the G.[pt!. 1 I. 'there arc many needful appurtenance I to the objel:lr of a Divine faith, whicb are the matter of tJ humam j3itb: ( Of which more anon.) 12· Chr~jf as Medi.1tar is the Way, or ptincip.sl meam to God; M coming to rejfore m:zn to hir Mak.,tr. And fo fJitb in Cbtij! is but the Means to bring us to the Love ofGod ( though m 'bme they are connrx d.) ' I 3. Knowledge and Faith are the iJe of the new creature, and Love if the Heart : There is no more fpiritU3\ ~Vifcl(Jm, than there is Faith: and there is no more life or ~tcceptable q~talification, or ami– ableneP~ than there is Lrrue to God. If• A~' ti'mhs in Di11i12ity are revealed in (JTder to aholy life: Both Faith and Love are the Principles and Spring• of practice. 15. Pratiicc afforduh fuch experience to a believing foul, as may confirm him greatly in' the beliefof tbo[t Jupernatttral revelations, ·which he before received without that help. r6. "'[be evcrlafiing [t·uition of God in Glory being the end of allReligion, muft be next the heart, and mr{l in u_ur eye, and muft objemvely animate our whole Religion, and aauate IH in every duty. 71 r7. Tbe pleafing ofGod bei11g alfo '"'End, altd both of theft, ( Enioying ~im and PleajiNg him ) be– ina in {omt-- finali foretaftes attainable i;t thi-f life,the endeavour nf our fou!J an,J, lives muJl be by FA17'H to~ exercife LOVE and OBEDIENCE; f" thur God i1 Pleafid and Enjoyed. 18. All things in Religion are fitted to the good ofman, and nathing to hiJ hurt: God doth not com- Co~jungi vult mand_u:, to ~onourhim by anything whichwoulJ make us miferable; but by doling with and ~;s~~tc;o~~s, magmfymg h1s Love and Grace. n~i per mu~ tua beneficia Ch:uitatis: Adeo unot.1 jufJicia &: prxceptum hoc Dei, communis fit utilius hominum. 0 miram demrnti:tm Domini! 0 inef– f.:lbilem Dei benignit:J.tem! Pr~mium nobis po!licetu~, ~nos inviccm. dilig~mus ~ id ~H, fi }lOS ea pr.r~emus invicet~l, quorum viciffi111 indigemus: & nos fitperbo&m~r:no2n1mo, e;usrentttlDlur volunt;lu, CUJUS euarn 1mpeuum hendie1um cfl:. Hltrlll.adcrlant. See– my l~ook of tb:.,R~afons D{ tbt Cbrijlian Rttit,iolt. 19· But ytt it is his o~»n revelation by which JVe muft judge what ir fina1ly for our g11od or h~trt; and we may not imagine that our lhallow <?r deceivable wit is fufficient to difcern wirhout his Word, what is beft or W(Jrft for us; Nor can we ratmnally argue from any prefent temporal adverfity or un.. pleafing bittcrnefs in the means, that [This is worft for us, and therefore it is not from theGood.. nefs of God : J But we mull argue in fuch cafes [This is from the Goodnef• and Love of God and therefore it is Belt. ] , 2 o. 7'he /!rand impediment to all Religion anti our Salvation, which hindertth both our Belie1.1ing Loving an4Obeying, is the inordinate fen[ual inclin~t~ion to Carnal ftlf and pre[ent tranfitory things: cunningly propojid by the Tempter to tn{nart u<, and dnJtrt, andfteal away our htartt from God and the life to come. The underfianding of thefi: Propolitions wa.much help you in dif<erning thr Nature and Reafon ofReligion. L DIR :BCT.

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