Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT770 .B39 1670

55a The Life of Faith. of goodnefs, but it is fnful ((peaking of Rational Love.) Z. That all Love to out neighbour is not fincere : There is a real Love to them, which bad men may have, which is not the fincerc love which God rcquireth, 3. Everyman that lovethanother for his goodnefs and god- lislefs, loveth himnot ftneerely: For he may have a love to goodnefs it felf, which is not fincere : As ifhe love his lugs and pleafures more. 4. Every man that dotbgood to another in Love, loth not thereforefincerely leve him. A Dives may give Lazarus his (craps : And the veryell fenfuali(l may give another tome of the leavings of his flelbly lulls. And though the giving of a cup ofcold water to aDifciple, when wehave no better to give, doth thew fncerity, and Ihall have its reward (becaufe God accepteth it, according to mens will, and to what they bave, and nor according to what they havenot ; ) yet it is certain that anunhappy worldling may give much more.Aud ifChritt had bid him Luke 18.23. fell part, intlead offellingall, it'sl:ke he might not have gone awayforrowful. g. It is not therefore the value or proportion "of the gift, which is it that mull try our love to others, in it telfconfider- ed; for it may oft fall out that a Widdows mite may lignifie truer charity, than thefublt anceof forne others. But it is the prevalency of the Love of God in man, and ofman for the fake ofGod, againfl our ftnfrelfc1 f love, andcarnal intereft. And now I will add a little more evidence, to theprincipal thing in quc(lion, viz. that ;.i the very degree the Rational elk: petiteor Will (hould love another equal withour felves. And r. The forementioned reafon is undenyable, that the Will "thould love that bell which is heft , and mutt meafure that by the rcfpeél which things have to God, and not to our own commodity in theworld. 2. No man candeny this principle but by fitting up natu- ralPelf-love or appetite, and making the rational (loop to that, which would infer as well, that we may love our felves better thanGod himfelf; and that our fenfe is nobler thanour reafon, and mull rule it. 3. We find our own realm tell us much more of our duty in this, than our corrupted wills do follow. The bell way there- fore

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