Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT770 .B39 1670

The Life of Faith. By how much the better any man is, by fomuch the more regardful is he of the life to come, and the hopes and fears of another life, are fo much the more prevalent with him : And is it poflìble that God thould make seen good, to make them the moti deceived, and moli miferable? Hathhe commanded all thefe cares to be our needlrfs torments, which brines, and fools, and fottifh finners do all leapt ? Is the grcateft obe- dience to God, become a fign of the greaten folly, or the way to the greatefi lofs or difappointment ? We are all fure that this life is short and vain : No Infidel can fay that he is Pure that there is no other life for us : And if this be fo, reafon commandeth us to prefer the plibilities offuch a life to come, before the certain vanities of this life : So that even the Infidels uncertainty will unavoidably infer, that the preferring ofthe world to come is our duty : And ifit be our duty, then the thing in it fell is true: for God will not make it all mens duties in the frame of their nature, to reek anVtopia, and purfue a thadow ; and to fpend their dales andchiefefi cares for that which, is not ; Godlinefs is not fuch a dreaming night-walk. Confcience will not fuller dying men to believe that they have more caufe to repent of their Godlinefs, than of theirfin, and of their feeking Heaven, than of wallowing in their tufts. Nay then, thefe heavenly deftreswould be themfelves our fins, as being the following of a lye, the afpiring after a (late which is above us, and the abufe and lofs of our faculties and time : And fenfuality would be likcr to be our virtue, asbeing natural tous, and a feeking of our moil realfelicity. The common confcience of mankind cloth juftifie the wile dom and virtue of a; temperate,,holy, heavenly perlon ; and acknowiedgeth that our heavenly 'defies are of God land doth God give men both natural faculties, which Ihall never come to the perfelion which is their End ? and allo gracious defares, which (hall but deceive us, and never be fatistied ? If Godhad made us for theenjoyments of brutes, he would have given; us but the knowledge and defires of brutes. Every King and mortal Judge can punith faults againft Man withdeath : And bath God no greater or further punifh- M 3 ment,

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