A26951:232
The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…
The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb. 11, 1, formerly preached before His Majesty, and published by his command, with another added for the fuller application : the second is instructions for confirming believers in the Christian faith : the third is directions how to live by faith, or how to exercise it upon all occasions / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed by R.W. for Nevil Simmons, 1670
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The first is the greatest part of our task: for no man can use that faith which he hath not; nor can use more of it than he hath. And the commonest reason why we use but little, is because we have but little to use.
But on this subject (supposing it most weighty) I have written many Treatises already (The second part of the Saints Rest: The Unreasonableness of Infidelity: And last of all, The Reasons of the Christian Religion: Besides others which handle it on the by.) And somewhat is said in the beginning of this discourse. But yet because in so great a matter I am more afraid of doing too little than too much; I will here give you an Index of some of the chief Helps, to be close together before you for your memories, to be the constant fuel of your Faith.
In the work of Faith, it is first needful that you get all the prerequisite Helps of Natural Light, and be well acquainted with their Order and Evidence, and their Usefulness to befriend the supernatural revelations: For it is supposed that we are men before we are Christians: We were created before we were redeemed: And we must know that there is a God, before we can know that we have offended him, or that we need a Saviour to reconcile us to him: And we must know that we ⟨p. 82⟩have reasonable souls, before we can know that sin hath corrupted them, or that grace must sanctify them: And we must know, that whatsoever God saith is true, before we can believe that the Scripture is true, as being his revelation. Faith is an act of Reason; and Believing is a kind of knowing; even a knowing by the testimony of him whom we believe; because we have sufficient reason to believe him.
In the work of Faith, it is first needful that you get all the prerequisite Helps of Natural Light, and be well acquainted with their Order and Evidence, and their Ʋsefulness to befriend the supernatural revelations: For it is supposed that we are men before we are Christians: We were created before we were redeemed: And we must know that there is a God, before we can know that we have offended him, or that we need a Saviour to reconcile us to him: And we must know that we