Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT770 .B39 1670

588 The Life of Faith. atfca$cd. Do not your forrows then inticad of joyes, tell all men that you believe that your friends arc gone to for- row, and not to joy ? Ifnot, you arc very felfith or incon- fidcrate. area. ro. Latily, Let not your avesfation to Popery, turn to a fadious partial forfakingof Gods Truth, and your own duty and confolation, in this point. Abundance ofChri- tiians have taken up opinions in Religion, upon the love and honourof the parties that they took themof; and being pof- fctfed with a jutl diflike of Popery in the main, they fufped andcart away, not a fewgreat truths and duties upon a folk information, that they are parts of Popery. It bath grieved me more than once tohear religious perlons come from hear- ing Come Minitiers withdifdarti and =lure, laying that they prayed for the dead ; and all their proof was that [Thank"- giving is a part ofprayer : but they gave God thanks for the glo- rification of thefpiritsofthe Duff ; therefore theyprayedfor them] And fohave they argued, becaufe they have read the r Cori 5 at the grave; or becaufe they have preached a Funeral Ser- mon while the.Corple was prefcnt, or becaufe they prayed then: for themfelves, or for the Church. Alas, for the childifh ignorance, and pievifhnefs, and foolith wranglings of many Chriflians, who think.they are better than thcir neighbours How much is Chrifis family difhonoured by his filly froward children ? And they will not be iiatiruc hd by theirfriends; and therefore they are polled up, and openly reproached by their enemies. Have Angels or heavenly Saints deferved fo ill of God or us, that we óhould be fo thy of their commu- nion ? Arc they nothing to us? Have we nothing, to do. with them? Have we mire to be afhamcd of them? Is their honour «tny difhonour to God or as ; if it be no more than what' is their due ? Can we give fomuch love, refpcc$ and honour to Magitlratcs, Minitiero, and Friends on earth (im- puted, Cnful, troublefome morta?s :) and (hall we think. that Oil Is idolatrous, or can away, which is given to them that fo far excel us ? Is ityour defrt,n to make Heaven either contemptibleor ffrange to men on earth ? Or would you per ('wade the world, that the fouls ofthe Saints are not immortal,; but perith as the bruits ? Or that there is no Mavenp Or `that

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