A27004:1367
The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…
The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural evidence the being of God ... : the second part, of Christianity, proving by evidence supernatural and natural, the certain truth of the Christian belief ... / by Richard Baxter ... ; also an appendix defending the soul's immortality against the Somatists or Epicureans and other pseudo-philosophers.
London: printed by R. White for Fran. Titon, 1667
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.
And if any good Angel, or other Cause, should do it, all reason will confess, that they do it but as the Messengers or ⟨p. 293⟩Instruments of God, and as second causes, and not as the first Cause: for otherwise we should make them gods. For my own part, my Soul perceiveth, that it is God himself that hath imprinted this his Image on me, and hath hereby, as it were, written upon me his Name and Mark, even HOLINESS TO THE LORD; and I bear about me continually a Witness of Himself, his Son, and holy Spirit; a Witness within me, which is the Seal of God, and the pledge of his love, and the earnest of my heavenly inheritance.
And if our Sanctification be thus of GOD, it is certainly his attestation to the truth of Christ, and to his Gospel: for, 1. No man that knoweth the perfections of God, will ever believe, that he would bless a deceiver, and a lie, to be the means of the most holy and excellent work that ever was done in the world. If Christ were a Deceiver, his crime would be so execrable, as would engage the Justice of God against him, as he is the righteous Governor of the world: And therefore he would not so highly honour him, to be his chiefest instrument for the worlds Renovation. He is not impotent to need such instruments; he is not ignorant, that he should so mistake in the choice of instruments; he is not bad, that he should love and use such Instruments, and comply with their deceits. These things are all so clear and sure, that I cannot doubt of them.
And if our Sanctification be thus of GOD, it is certainly his attestation to the truth of Christ, and to his Gospel: for, 1. No man that knoweth the perfections of God, will ever believe, that he would bless a deceiver, and a lie, to be the means of the most holy and excellent work that ever was done in the world. If Christ were a Deceiver, his crime would be so execrable, as would engage the Justice of God against him, as he is the righteous Governour of the world: And therefore he would not so highly honour him, to be his chiefest instrument for the worlds Renovation. He is not impotent to need such instruments; he is not ignorant, that he should so mistake in the choice of instruments; he is not bad, that he should love and use such Instruments, and comply with their deceits. These things are all so clear and sure, that I cannot doubt of them.