576 The Life of Faith. fight, you live (fo far) but as byfight : Though Faith livenot uptis Saints properly, but on God, and our Redeemer ; yet it liveth and converfeth with the Saints: If it work aright, it will as it were fet you among them, and make you live on Earth, as if you heard their tongs of praife, and law their Thrones of GIory. r r. The prefent necefties of your condition in this world, do require you to look much to the Saints above (as is b,fore (hewed in the benefits recited :) We live here among fuch perlons and things as are obi ;dts of continual forrow to us : And have we not need of Come more comfortable company ? If you had nothing at home but chiding, and difco>atent and poverty, you will be willing i f fo much recreation, as to be invited to feall fometimes, where there is plenty, plcafure and content. If you lived among groaning, fick or melancholy perlons in an Hospital, you would be glad fometimes ofmerrycr company, a little to rcfre(h your minds. Alas, what a deal elfin do we daily fec or hear of ? andwhat a deal offorrow is round about us ? What are our News-books filled with, or the daily re- ports which come to our cars, bat fin, and forrow, vanity and vexation ? what is the employment of moli of the world ? what is it that Court and Country, City, and all Societies ring of, but vanity andvexation, fin and forrow ? And is not a walk in Heaven with better company, a pleafure defirable in fuch a cafe ? What grief mutt needs dwell on the minds of fober Ca- tholick Chriftians, to fee the Church on earth to torn, fo worryed ; fo reproached asit is throughout the earth ? fo torn in pieces by its zealous ignorant felt conceited Pafiors and Members ? fo worryed by its open and fecrct enemies ; even by the ufurping tyrannizing Wolves in Sheep cloathing, who (pare not the flick? Matth. 7. 15. & so. i6. As 20.29. to reproached by the world of Infidels and Heathens, who fly from it as from an infected City, and fay [Chriflians arc drunkards, and deceivers, and lyars; they are all in pieces among themfelves ; they revile and perfecute one another ; we will therefore be noChriflians.3How.tad is it to fee the one part ofthe world profeffrng Chriftianity, to make it odious by their wickedncfs,and their divifìons ; and thereft of the world abhorring it, becaufe theft have made it Petra odious to them ?
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