A26951:489
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
Part 2 › Chapter 8: The rest of the Directions for strengthening our Faith.
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.
You may ask perhaps, what is all this to our faith? why, the life of faith is exercised upon things that are not seen: And if you live upon the things that are seen, and imprison your soul in the fetters of your concupiscence, and fill your fancies with things of another nature, how can you be acquainted with the life of faith? Can a bird fly that hath a stone tied to her foot? Can you have a mind full of lust, and of God at once? Or can that mind that is used to these inordinate sensualities, be fit to relish the things that are spiritual? And can it be a lover of earth, and fleshly pleasures, and also a Believer and lover of Heaven?
You may ask perhaps, what is all this to our faith? why, the life of faith is exercised upon things that are not seen: And if you live upon the things that are seen, and imprison your soul in the fetters of your concupiscence, and fill your fancies with things of another nature, how can you be acquainted with the life of faith? Can a bird flye that hath a stone tyed to her foot? Can you have a mind full of lust, and of God at once? Or can that mind that is used to these inordinate sensualities, be fit to rellish the things that are spiritual? And can it be a lover of earth, and fleshly pleasures, and also a Believer and lover of Heaven?
Direct. 9. Use your selves much to think and speak of Heaven, and the invisible things of Faith?
Direct. 9. Ʋse your selves much to think and speak of Heaven, and the invisible things of Faith?
Speaking of Heaven is needful both to express your thoughts, and to actuate and preserve them. And the often thoughts of ⟨p. 145⟩Heaven, will make the mind familiar there: And familiarity will assist and encourage faith: For it will much acquaint us with those reasons and inducements of faith, which a few strange and distant thoughts will never reach to. As he that converseth much with a learned, wise, or godly man, will easilier believe that he is learned, wise, or godly, than he that is a stranger to him, and only now and then seeth him afar off: So he that thinketh so frequently of God and Heaven, till his mind hath contracted a humble acquaintance and familiarity, must needs believe the truth of all that excellency which before he doubted of. For doubting is the effect of ignorance: And he that knoweth most here, believeth best. Falsehood and evil cannot bear the light; but the more you think of them, and know them, the more they are detected and ashamed: But truth and goodness love the light; and the better you are acquainted with them, the more will your belief and love be increased.