Baxter - BV4831 84 F3 1830

Chap. S.] THE SAINTS' REST. 127 it comes to the trial, that thou must forsake Christ or thy worldly happiness, then thou wilt venture heaven rather than earth, and so wilfully deny thy obedience to God. And certainly, if God would but give thee leave to live in health and wealth for on earth, thou wouldst think it a better state than rest. Let them seek for heaven that would, thou wouldst think this thy chief happiness. This is thy case, if thou art yet an unregenerate person, and hast no title to the saints' rest. And as thou takest God for thy chief good, so thou dost heartily accept of Christ for thy only Savior and Lord, to bring thee to this rest. The former mark was the sum of the first and great command of the law, " Thou shalt love the Lord thyGod with all thy heart." The second mark is the sum of the command of the Gospel, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." And the per- formance of these two is the whole of godliness andChris- tianity. This mark is but the definition of faith. Dost thoù heartily consent that Christ alone shall be thy Savior; and no further trust to thy duties and works, than as means ap- pointed in súbordination to him; not looking at them as in the least measúre able to satisfy the curse of the law, or as a legal righteousness, or any part of it; but consent to trust thy salvation on the redemption madeby Christ? Art thou also content to take him for thy only Lord and King, to govern and guide thee by his laws and Spirit, and to obey him, even when he co.mmandeth the hardest duties, and those which most cross the desires of the flesh ? Is it thy sorrowwhen thou breakest thy resolutionherein; and thy joy when thou keepest closest in obedience to him ? Wouldst thou not change thy Lord and Master for all the world ? Thus is it with every true Christian. But if thou be a hypocrite, it is far otherwise. Thou mayst call Christ thy Lord and thy Savior, but thou never foundest thyself so lost without him as to drive thee to seek him, and trust him, and lay thy salvation on him alone; at least, thou didst never heartily consent that he should govern thee as thy Lord, nor resign up thy soul and life to be ruled by him, nor take his word for the law of thy thoughts and ac- tions. It is likely thou art content to be saved from hell by Christ when thou diest; but, in the mean time, he shall command thee no further than will stand with thy credit,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=