More reasons for the Christian religion and no reason against it, or, A second…

Thirdly, A holy life hath a great many of cavilling Objections raised against it by corrupted nature. And shall I there begin to make my trial of it? No: I am first sure that a Rational free Agent and Subject of God, is bound to obey him, and that the Greatest Good should be Greatliest loved, and that we are totally our Creators own, and should be totally devoted to him: I am sure I cannot love the infinite Good too much, nor be too Good, nor do too much Good to others in the world, nor make too sure of my own felicity, nor ⟨p. 73⟩too much seek my ultimate end. And shall not this assurance hold me fast against all the snarlings and pratlings of the doting drunken world?

Thirdly, A holy life hath a great many of cavilling Objections raised against it by corrupted nature. And shall I there begin to make my trial of it? No: I am first sure that a Rational free Agent and Subject of God, is bound to obey him, and that the Greatest Good should be Greatliest loved, and that we are totally our Creators own, and should be totally devoted to him: I am sure I cannot love the infinite Good too much, nor be too Good, nor do too much Good to others in the world, nor make too sure of my own felicity, nor ⟨p. 73⟩too much seek my ultimate end. And shall not this assurance hold me fast against all the snarlings and pratlings of the doating drunken world?

So here, I have in the Treatise opened those grounds on which we may be certain of the necessity of this holiness, of the life to come; and of the truth of the Christian Faith and hopes. And because God in mercy hath not put off the world with the skeleton of a bare Creed, but also given them the complete body of sacred Scriptures, to be a full perpetual Record of this truth, shall I turn his mercy to a snare and sin, and question all, even the Articles of the Faith, because in the Scriptures there are some things accidental to Religion, and some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unskilful wrest to their destruction? This is but to be Devils to our selves, and foolish enemies of our own peace and comfort: As Cicero speaks against them that pleaded for the souls mortality, as if it were a desirable thing.