A26951:781
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 3 › Chapter 4: Directions how to exercise Faith upon Gods Commandments, for Duty.
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.
They are much mistaken, who know no use for Faith but to comfort them, and save them from Hell; the great work of Faith is to bring up the soul to Obedience, Thankfulness and Love. Therefore i• hath to do with the Precepts, as well as with the Promises; and with the Promises to sweeten the Precepts to us. Believers are not called to the obedience of slaves; nor to be acted only by the fear of pain; but to the obedience of redeemed ones and Sons; that Faith may cause them to obey in Love; and the essential act of Love is complacency: Therefore it is the work of Faith, to cause us to obey God with pleasure and delight. Forced motives endure not long: They are accompanied with unwillingness and weariness, which at last will sit down, when the fears do by distance, delay or dullness, abate. Love is our Nature; but Fear is only a servant to watch for us while we do the work of Love. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, are the Sons of God (and therefore ⟨p. 236⟩will obey as Sons.) For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but we have received the Spirit of Adoption▪ whereby we cry Abba Father, Rom. 8.14, 15. Christ suffered death to overcome the Devil that had the power of death, and to deliver us from the fears of it, which was the bondage of our lives, Heb. 2.14, 15. That we might serve God without f•ar, in holiness and righteousness, all the days of our lives, Luke 1.74. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment, 1 John 4.18. The meaning is, not only that the Love of God casteth out the fear of men, and persecution; but also that it maketh the fear of tormenting punishment, to become unnecessary to drive us to obedience, so far as the Love of God and of obedience doth prevail: He that loveth more to feast, than to fare hardly, to be rich, than to be poor, (and so to be obedient and holy, than to be unholy) need not (so far) any fear of punishment to drive him to it. Even as the Love of the world, as adverse to the Love of God, is overcome by Faith,