Baxter - BT767 B28 1662

wife account of the Principles ofReligion conta ined in a Cllte– r.hi[m, they will prove t:hemfelves wi fe bydefp ijing -n;ifdom, and railing at the Wife . They prove thernfelves Learned by re– proaching rhe learned : They prove themfel vcs godly enough w be faved, hy ha tingan.d [co-ning themrba t arcGodly; and prove t hemfelves tbe frrvants of Chrift by fp..:al;;ing againil bis f er– vice ; They prove tbemfelves wife enough to Te ach or qua1-ret wit h their Teachers, by refujing to L earn, and to be any wife r, and by babling out their finfull folly. And when they have done, they prove that their hearts for all this are as good a-s the precifeft, by prating againfl: that Holinefs which is the only health ~nd goodnefs of the heart, and by fuewing us to our grief that: they neither know what Goodnefs is, nor what is in their heart,;-. They prove to us that they have Hopes for all this, of being faved and feeing the f:tce of God, by hating them that are Pure inheart, that have the promife of feeing huface, ltfat. 5•8. and by reviling or forfaking the way of falvation, and by{hew– ing us on their fouls the open Marks of the wrath of God, and of a fl:ate of condemnation. This is the Devils Logick. And thisis the wifdom, ~f the wicked. They may next go fmther.. and prove that they are chP~jle by reviling chaftity ; and prove tha.t tt:cy ar~ fo~er. by fpeaking againfl: fobriety , and by wallowmg m thetr vomtt : or prove that they k.,now all arts and trades , and fciences by reviling them : And as they now , , prove that they are the freemewof Chrifi, by fuewing us the Do-.'i- , -viis fetterSl:lpon them' ro if rhey hold out,they will fhortly have ~ ' - nothing to prove tllemfelvu in Heaven, but by fuewing us the ,, · fl ames of Hell which they endure. If ~herefore all the Hotieft and wiftfo·menon earth maybe ad-· mi.w::d to be-witneffes, then Hulinefs mufl: be your Beft; andall thmgs elfe be nothing w-orth in compa-rifon of ir. s-. Moreover, if yet you would have more witnefs, !hall thofc .· heheard that hPlve tryed 6oth ftaiu; the Ll:ate of Sin, an.d the fiate of Holinefs? and that have g@ne bothwayes; and therefor_e.– are able ro fpeak to us by experie~ce? · If youwere to take advice about any worldly bufinefs, ,•you·· . woutd choofe-a man of Expmence tor yo1:1r Counfell6r; ' an c.-:c· . ~pcrienced Phyficion for your bodies : and an expe-denced Tradef· man for your work. Yo·n will foom~r believe a Travdler -that ~a~h fee~ ~he plac~~ ~~~; ~-e fpe~~~ ~f, (if ~~ ~~ ~2n~~) ·chen " ~no,.- .--~- 0.:.- · - l . --#

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=