A26951:359
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.
13. So good is our Religion, that the great thing which it requireth of us, is to prefer the greatest good, before the lesser, and not to be like children who take it for their riches to fill their pin-box; or like foolish Merchants, who had rather trade for truth, th•n for gold. The great business of Christian precept• is, to make us know that we are capable of better things than ⟨p. 111⟩meat, and drink, and lust, and sports, and wealth, and worldly honours; that the Love of God, and the felicity of the soul, in Grace and Glory, may be preferred before the pleasure of a Swine. And is not that good, which calleth us up to the greatest good, and will not allow us to be such enemies to our selves, as to take up with the lesser?
13. So good is our Religion, that the great thing which it requireth of us, is to prefer the greatest good, before the lesser, and not to be like children who take it for their riches to fill their pin-box; or like foolish Merchants, who had rather trade for truth, th•n for gold. The great busines• of Christian precept• is, to make us know that we are capable of better things than ⟨p. 111⟩meat, and drink, and lust, and sports, and wealth, and worldly honours; that the Love of God, and the felicity of the soul, in Grace and Glory, may be preferred before the pleasure of a Swine. And is not that good, which calleth us up to the greatest good, and will not allow us to be such enemies to our selves, as to take up with the lesser?
14. Yea, when we have most, it still engageth us to seek more: And will not allow us to take up with a low degree of grace, or with a little measure of the greatest good: But to show that God would have us to be still better, and to have more, it is made our duty still to ask more, and still to press higher, and labour to be better. Asking in prayer is made our daily work; and Gods giving, and our receiving may be our daily blessedness.