A27016:933
A saint or a brute the certain necessity and excellency of holiness, &c. ...…
A saint or a brute the certain necessity and excellency of holiness, &c. ... / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed by R.W. for Francis Tyton, 1662
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
It is far pleasanter to be among the singing birds, the bleating ⟨p. 300⟩sheep, yea the chattering daws, then these idle, prating, foolish companions. For with the former you shall have some natural good, without any mixture of sinful evil: But in foolish, prating company, what shall you perceive, but how Nature is depraved, how sinners are beside themselves, how Satan doth befool them, and how God is forgotten while he is present with them, and they are laughing in the Devils chains, and at the very brink of death and hell! And can a man be merry to hear such mirth as this? It is a sad spectacle to see men laugh in Bedlam: but much more to see them merry in the fetters of their sin, and under the threatenings and wrath of God. Were you but men of right composed minds, I durst refer it to your selves, whether holy company and discourse be not like to be be much pleasanter then yours.
It is far pleasanter to be among the singing birds, the bleating ⟨p. 300⟩sheep, yea the chattering daws, then these idle, prating, foolish companions. For with the former you shall have some natural good, without any mixture of sinful evil: But in foolsh, prating company, what shall you perceive, but how Nature is depraved, how sinners are beside themselves, how Satan doth befool them, and how God is forgotten while he is present with them, and they are laughing in the Devils chains, and at the very brink of death and hell! And can a man be merry to hear such mirth as this? It is a sad spectacle to see men laugh in Bedlam: but much more to see them merry in the fetters of their sin, and under the threatnings and wrath of God. Were you but men of right composed minds, I durst referre it to your selves, whether holy company and discourse be not like to be be much pleasanter then yours.
Do you think that the discourse of Learned men, about Arts and Sciences, History and the like, is not more pleasant then your idle talk? Much more is the holy discourse of Saints about the things of their salvation. Whether do you think the company and discourse of Christ, and his Prophets and Apostles, or of your merry companions, should be the more delightful? Can you fo shame say, that the later were the best? Why, you know that Christ, and his Prophets and Apostles, had no such idle talk as yours. It was holy things that they discoursed of.