Rutherford - HP BS2575 .4 R975 1743

SEtt." t Triumph of Faith; 28 I the Creature: 'Tis true, Faith clippeth nothing from the utmoft and moll: fuperlative Pitch of the Love of God, of Defire, Fear, Sorrow, 'Joy, . • as they aB: upon pod; but addeth Wind to the Sails in that Flux of the Soul's Way toward God. But Faith moderateth and le!feneth all thefe in Relation to the Creature ; fo the Faith, which hath its diretl A fpetl toward Eternity, and looketh on the Shortnefs of fliding away Time, and. the tranfient wheeling away of the poor Figure of this World, I Cor. vii. v. 19, 31. turneth all thefe Acrs into but half a Face on the Creature, and into leifurely and leaden Motions, or to half NonaB:,s as if made up of heavenly Contradictions, v. 29, 30, 31. Jlaving Wives, having not Wives; Weeping, not Weeping, Rejoicinp_;, not R~joicing; Yiuying, not Po.fle(Ji'ng ; Uflng t he World, not ufing the U0rtd When the Saints .· threng through the ,Preafe and Croud ofthe C~eat ures (for the World is a bufhie and rank Wood) Thorns take hold of their Garments, and retard therrt in . their Way : Faith 'loofet.h their Gar• rnents, and riddeth them of iuch thorny! riends, as are too kind to them in their Journey : Who diggeth for Iron and Tin in the Earth with Matrocks of Gold ? What wife Man would make a ·web of Cloth of Gdd a net to catchFifM Expences n1ould overgrow Gains : There's much of the Me tal ' of Heaven in the Soul : Faith would forbid us to \Vear out the Threads of this immortal ~pirit, fuch a~ are Loye, Joy, Fear, Sorrow, upon Pieces of corruptibleClay ? Al as. is i t Faith's Light that fetteth Men a work to make the Soul a golden Needle, and the precious Powers and ·Petfr etions thereof, Threads of Silver to few to~ g~

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=