440 LIFE OF FAITH. rather let me live. in the midst of maliceand contempt, than pass through honor unto shame, through mirth to misery, and through a senseless to a, feeling death. Hate us when we are in heaven, and see whowill be the sufferer by it. If ever we should begin to nod and relapse towards your hypocritical formality and senseless indifferency, our lively sight of the world invisible, by a serious faith, would presently awake us, and force us confidently to con- clude, 'Aut sanctus, aut Brutus :'.there is practically and-predomi- nantly no mean. He will prove a brute that is not a saint. CHAPTER III. HAVING done with this general conviction and exhortation to unbelieving hypocrites, I proceed to acquaint believers with their duty, in several particulars. 1. Worship God as believers;'" serve him with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire ;" Heb. xii. 28, 29. A seeing faith, ifwell excited, would kindle love, desire, fear, and all praying graces. No man prays well that doth not well know what he prays for. When it comes to seeing, all 'men can cry loud, and pray when prayingwill do no good.. They will not then speak sleepily, or by rote, Fides intuendo, amorem recipit, amo- rem suscitat. Cor ,fiagrans amore desideria, gemitus, orations spirat' Faith is the burning-glass, which, beholding God, receiv- eth the beams of his communicated love, and infiameth the heart with lotte to him again ; which mounteth up bygroans and prayers, till it reach its original, and love forever rest in love. 2. Desire and use the creature as believers. Interpret all things as they receive their mean'ing.from the things unseen; un- derstand them in no other sense. It is only God and the life to come that can tell you what is good or bad for you in the world. And, therefore, the ungodly, that cannot go to heaven for counsel, are carried about by mere deceits. Take heed what you love; and take heed of that you love. . God is very jealous of our love he sheds abroadhis own love in our hearts, that our hearts may be fruitful in love to him, which is his chief delight. By love, he commandeth love ; that we may suitably move towards him, and centre in. him. ,He communicateth so much for the procuring of a little, that we should endeavor to give him all that little, and shed none of it inordinately upon the creature bytheway. Noth- ing is great, or greatly to be admired,'while the great God is in sight. And it is unsuitable for little things to have great affections ; andfor low matters to have a high esteem. It is the corruption
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