THE

LIFE of FAITH:

OR, A

TREATISE

Of the holy and happy Life of

SINCERE BELIEVERS;
Beginning with a SERMON preached before
King CHARLES II. and first published by his
Command.

Written by the Reverend, Learned and Holy
MR. RICHARD BAXTER.

ABRIDGED

By BENJAMIN FAWCETT, A. M.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect Peace, whose Mind is flayed on thee, because
be truffeth in theo. Truft ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord
Jehovah is everlasting Strength. Ifai. xxvi. 3, 4.
The Fuft fhall live by bis Faith. Hab. ii. 4.

The Life which I now live in the Flefo I live by the Faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Gal. ii, 20

SALO r:

Printed by J. COTTON, and J. EDDO WES;

And fold by J. BUCKLAND, at the Buck, in Pater-nofter-Row
T. FIELD, at the Wheat-Sheaf, the Corner of Pater-nofter-Row,
Cheapfide; and E. DILLY, at the Rofe and Croton, in the Poultry,
LONDON. 1764.

[Price bound 1 s. 6d.]

THE

PREFACE.

By the Compiler of this Abridgment.

THE HE Treatife entitled The Life of Faith was at first a Sermon preached before King Charles II. and published by his Command, while the Author was one of his Chaplains in ordinary. It afterward became by large Additions a Volume of more than 60 Quarto Pages, The two first Chapters of this Abridgment contain the Sermon before the King.

Faith is here recommended, as a divine Principle, uniting the Soul of Man to God, and Chrift, and Heaven, producing univerfal Holiness, and fitting the Believer for

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the Duties of every Relation, and for all the Trials in Life or Death. The Dangers of a prefumptuous Faith, and the InJufficiency of that which is merely fpeculative, are here faithfully discovered, and earnestly cautioned against.

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They that believe to the faving of the Sout not only affent to divine Truths, but defire and expect divine Bleffings, depend on divine Perfections and Promifes, and fubject themselves to divine Authority and Precepts. Noah fo credited the Warning of God' to the old World, that be alone prepared an Ark for the faving of bis Houfe. Abraham, when called," forfook his Country and Friends, · not knowi ing whither be went;' and afterward offered up his only begotten Son. Mofes chofe rather to fuffer Affliction with the People of God, than to enjoy the Pleafures of Sin' in the Court of Egypt. 'Andall' the Patriarchs, confeffing that they were Strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth, fought and defired a better Country, that is, an heavenly, being firmly • perfuaded of the Promifes, and embracing

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• them with the most ardent Affection, tho' the Accomplishment in the Meffiah was a• far off.

Where-ever Scripture defcribes faving Faith in Chrift, we difcern fomething infinitely more precious than the prefumptuous Confidence of the Impenitent, or any mere Affent to the Truths of the Gospel. And bow happily do fuch Defcriptions correfpond to the various Circumftances of Sin and Mifery, of Weakness, Want, and Danger, to which the Minds of Men are confcious, as well as to their different Attainments in the divine Life! Believers, for Inftance, look to fefus' for Salvation, as the perishing Ifraelites did to the brazen Serpent. They flee for Refuge to lay hold upon him,' as the Man-flayer fled to the City of Refuge from the Avenger of Blood. They come to Chrift, to ease them of their Burthens of Guilt and Pollution. They receive bim,' as offered in the Gospel for a compleat Saviour. They ftrive, to win Chrift, and be found in him,' that they may poffefs an inestimable Prize. They trust in him, as able to fave them to the utterA 3

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