Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT770 .B39 1670

?he Life of'Faith.' have reafonable fouls, before we can know that fin bath cor- r:sred them, or that grace muli fanF3ifie them : And we mug. know, that whatfocver God faith is true, before we can be- lieve that the Scripture is true, as being his revelation, Faith is an ad of Keafon, and Believing is a kind ofknowing ; even. a knowing by the teJtinaony of him whom we believe ; becaufe we have fuffictcnt reafon to believe him. 2. And next we muff be well acquainted with the evidence offupernatural Truth, which prefuppofeth the forefaid Natu- ral Verities. I Ihall jet both before you briefly in their order. a. Think well of thenature ofyour fouls ; of 'their faculties or powers; their excellency, and their proper ufe: And then you will find, that you are not ricer brutes, who know not their Creatour, nor live not by a Law ; nor think not of another world ; nor fear any fdfhcrings after death : But that you have reafon, free" will, and executive power to knowyour Maker, and to live by Rule, and to hope for a Reward in another life, and to fear a pundhment hereafter. And that as no wife Artifices, maketh any thing in vain; fo God is much lets to be thought tohave given you fuck foulr and faculties in vain. 2. Confider next how all the world declareth to you, that .there is a God, who is infinite!), powerful, wife and good. And thas it is not poffible that all things which we fec thould have no caufc; or that the derived Power, and Wijdonr, and Goodneß of the creature, thould not proceed from that which is more excellent in the firti and total caufc : Or that God fhould give more than he had to give. 3. Confider next, in what Relation fuch a creature muff needs"bud to fuels aCreatour : Ifhe made us of Nothing, it is not poffible, but that hemuff be our Owner, and we and all things abfolut'ely his Own And if he be our Maker andOwner, and be infinitely powerful, wifeand good; and we . be heafonable-free.agents, made to be guidedby Laws orMoral Meansunto our end; it is not poffible but that we amnia fiarsd related to him, as jubje&s to their rightful Governour. And if hebe our Creatour,.Owner and Ruler, and alfo,infinite- ly Goad, and the grand Benefaflor of the world; and if the nát$rs

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