Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

ne nature and .grormds ofTruft in God; Its Contraries a1ld Counterfeits. DIRECT. Xlt Truft God Jvith. that foul_ and body wl,ich thou haft. deli"Vtred ttp ami dedicated to Gr.Dir. 12 ; him; and qutet thy mmd m Jm Lolle and fattliftllne(s, whate-ver jhall appear to J.~I'"n'" thee, or befall thee i11 the Jvorld. §. 1 • I Shall here britAy O!Cw you; I• Wh•t is the Nature of tl)is Trull in God: 2. Wnll are the Ofth<noturi contra.ric_s to ~t: 3• What are _the Counttr!cit~ of it : 4• The Ufefulnefs ofit : And then ,.I Chall ~~:~~~h:e 1 g\ve you {omeDuethons. how to attam and excrc1fe Jt. hn·e wriuc-n mo~e fully in my Difpmarion with Dr. B'r/orv of savir.g Faith: I. To 1rujl in God is, upon the apprehenfion of the All-(uiliciency, GoodneG; and faithful!\eG; ofS 0 LA fide God to qui~t our hearts in the cxpedation Qf the fafcty or b.cnetits from him which w~ ddire, 1:eject- o~{i S0 ~ .1 ing checar~s., -an~ fears, a_n_d griefs that would dirquiet them, if. th~r ha~ not the refu&_c .of thefe hopes. h~~e:.nter a • It cont>itteth in 1t acred1tmg the Word or Natme of God, or Judgmg tt t9 be a fuffimrlt ground of A so LO. · our fecurity and exped-ation ; And then flcuri.iy and expellat~x, built upon that ground make up the cunCt:is ~ripi-: retl of the natu~e oftrutl. Looking for the benefit, and finding .a complacency an~ q~ietne.fs of,rni?d, ~t~tc;1:)15his in the grmmd d1fcovercd, and ceafing all other cares and fears.wh1ch would clfe d1fqu1et us. A qmnMDrfiich in hiS and othtr School-men often call A.ffiance, [pes roborata, a confirmed hope. There is a tw.ofold Z:ruft ten years im.: in God: One js for that which he hath not promi[td to do : but yet we thin\< that we find re~(op fitf- prifonmcm, .. fic:cnt ffOm his Nature it felf, and relations, to cxped: This rtlay be rnJre or lcfs~certain and flrong, Se~!~. curm. as our collctlion of the Will ofGod from his Natpre, is more or lefs fure 3nd clear. The other is,P· 22 ' when we have not only Gods Nature, but his fromi[t alfo to· truf! upon : And this givtth ps a ccrfainty (if we certainly underjland his prom&.) To the Jall{ort I may reduccthat uu(l jn God fur particular benefitl, when we have only a promife' in General, which maketh not the particJJl.trJ k._nown and certain to us : As the promifc that aU jhaU worl{ together. for our good, doth give us but a probability ot ~taltb or outward protel1ion and delivtranctJ, becaufe we are uncertain bow far they 3..re fot our good. All that is promifrd is fure : B.t1t whether this or that be good for us, mull beotlmwifo known. But (hole general promifes which conf'ain particwlar~ as furely known as the ptornife it felf, do make every one of the particular benefits as Cute by prot.llifc as the general : As t'hc promiCe of the pardon of aU our fins, afcertaineth us of the pardon of every fin in putiqllar. Where there is a promife, we 'Truft Gnds faithfulnefi as well as his Nature ; but where there is none, we 7'mft his Naturt only. As a Child doth quietly trull hisPar<nts, without a promile, that they wjll not ~ill, or torment, or forfake him. But becaufe man is apt to make falfe colk!Obons of Godt will from his Nature, lie bath given us fuch clear expre1fions of it in his word, as may bring us above uncertain probabilities, and are fufficient for f•ith to ground upon ( fuppofing Go.ds propenies) for our Govemment and peace. And it is certain that all CrJic[/ionr of Godt will which arccontrary to his Word are the errors ot the Collector. . ' 9· 2· In what I have faid in this Dir~!on, 1 defire you. chiefly to obfcrve thefe three things: I· That Godt NRturt, and Love arc the fuf!imnt,gentral fi:cur~ty to the fi>ul: 2• That hi$ Promije is the fuflicicnt particular fecurity : 3• And that our unfeigned filf-dedication 10 bim, js our {ufficient evidtnct of our intercfi in his Love and Covenant, which may warrant our fpecial Truft and ex~ pe/Jaliom. 9· 3• II. The contrariJJ to1rufl in God ar.e I. Privativt: nolttujling him : not fceing the ground of jufi fecurity in his L.oveand Promife: not crediting what is feen : not ceafing difquit.tnefs and diHruH– ful cares and fears, •· "Pofitivt dijlrujl : fuppofing the All-fufficitncy, G.oodn<fi anil Promi{tt of God are not fuffici~t groundsof our cxpelJation and fecurity: and thereupon di(q.1.1ic:ting our minds ~·irh finful fears, and griefs, and cares., and fhifting end.ea.vours for our fdves fame otb(r way : And this hath various degrees: In fame it is predominant; in others not. ,.oppofite or advcrfe: When we 7'ruft our felvcs, or friends, or wealth, ot fomething clfil infiead of God, either again}/ bim, n•itboui him, or in ca-ordl~t.Jtion with him. ~ ~· 4• Ill. The Cot<n,.rfeitt of this 'trHjf are.thcfe: .1: When htdecd we truft in our wit, or pow– er, or Oufts,. or fnends, or ~n fom~ mran.r «:r ~;eaturc~ OH{)', or Jn co-ordination. wirh God,.b'ut pre– tend and thmk that we do 1t bur m fubordinatron to hl[n, and that our prirnary trull is in hit.n .alon('~ The deted:.ion of tllis is by trying how we can ttuft. God alone; When he gi~ctb us a proJ>ii[t and 110 probable ttzeann 2· Prttendmg to truft .God aldnt m the n~gle[i of thofe q1t!l1tl- WhicH he bath ap– ~inted us to ufe; and in the neglect of .tho[eduties which he bath tnade the condition of hi.s pro– mtfes : And thts 1rHjl ts but a fdf-dece!VIn& cover for fm and floth. 3• Pretending to 'frujl God in the

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