necessarily included in saving Faith This Scripture-Account distinguishes between that substantial Faith that is proper to the elect Children of God and the Shadow of it in the Unregenerate the one is the intimate and active Principle of Obedience the other is a dead Assent without Efficacy a mere Carcass and Counterfeit of Faith A sincere Believer as fervently desires to be saved from the Dominion and Pollution of his Sins as from the Guilt and deadly Malignity a carnal Man desires an Interest in Christ as a Saviour that he may securely enjoy his Lusts. The crafty and cursed Serpent deceives Men to their ruine by citing Scripture and misapplying it The Promise is sure Whoever believes shall be saved and he easily perswades them they are Believers 'T is strange to astonishment that Men who have Reason and Understanding should presume in a high degree of the present Favour of God and their future Happiness as if they were his dear Children when their Enmity against his holy Name and Will is evident in their Actions We can never have too firm a dependance on God's Promise when we are qualified for that Dependance Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and will be a Father to you saith the Lord Almighty Faith that purifies the Heart and Conversation invests us with this blessed Privilege and all the saving Mercies annex'd to it 2. From the spiritual Relation between God and Believers there naturally and necessarily results a sincere dutiful child-like Love to him correspondent to his beneficent and fatherly Love to them This God indispensably requires and specially delights in Thou lovest Truth in the inward Parts Filial Obedience is inseparable from filial Love in its Reality For this is the Love of God that we keep his Commandments Our Saviour distinguishes between sincere Lovers of him and pretended that they who love him keep his Commandments but they who love him not keep not his Commandments The Obedience that springs from Love to God is uniform respects all his Commands for the two filial Affections an ardent Desire to please God in all things and an ingenuous Fear of displeasing him in any thing are inseparably joined with our Love to him The Obedience that proceeds from Love is free and voluntary from Inclination as well as Duty How passionately does the holy Psalmist express his Affection O how I love thy Law In the Covenant of Grace God promises to write his Law in the Hearts of his Children not only in their Minds and Memories but to endear it to their Affections There is much difference between servile and constrain'd Obedience and filial chosen Obedience as between the Motion of a living Man from the Soul the inward Spring of Life and the Motion of an Image or Statue from forcible Weights and Wheels From filial Love proceeds godly Sorrow if at any time by Carelesness and Surprize or an over powering Temptation on his Children do what is offensive and odious in his sight When they consider their unkind and unthankful Returns for his Mercies they look to their Heavenly Father with Grief and Shame and down upon themselves with Abhorrence and Indignation They are wounded with the sting of that Expostulation Do ye thus requite the Lord O foolish People and unwise Is he not thy Father who bought thee From filial Love proceeds a Zeal for his Glory If I be a Father where is my Honour A Child of God is dearly concerned that his Name be reverenced and magnified his Laws be observed his Worship maintained that his Interest be advanced in the World He has a burning Zeal against Sin and presumptuous Sinners The Prophet Elijah says I have been jealous for the Lord of Hosts for the Children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant and thrown down thine Altars Those who with an indifferent Eye see the Cause the Truth the Interest of God depress'd in the World do renounce the Title of his Children From the Relation to God as his Sons proceeds a sincere fervent Love to all the Saints St. John infers Every one that loveth him that begat loves him that is begotten Grace is not less powerful in producing cordial mutual Affections between the Children of the same Heavenly Father than the subordinate Endearments of Nature Notwithstanding the civil Distinction between them some high and rich others mean and poor yet there is a spiritual Equality the lowest Saints are Princes of the Blood-Royal of Heaven To him that has washed us from our Sins in his Blood and made us Kings and Priests to God be Glory for ever The filial Relation to God inclines and encourages all sincere Christians to resign themselves even in their most afflicted Condition to the Wisdom and Will of God Our Saviour meekly yielded up himself to his cruel Enemies upon this Consideration The Cup which my Father has given me shall I not drink it The Saints in imitation of Christ and upon the same Ground entirely resign themselves to the Divine Disposal for their Heavenly Father loves them better than they can love themselves Finally The filial Relation to God is productive as of lively Hopes so of ardent Desires to be with him Love makes them to esteem Communion with him here in his holy Ordinances as the Joy of their Lives The Psalmist when banish'd from the Tabernacle breaks forth in his impatient Desires When shall I come and appear before God that is in the Place where he communicates his Grace to those that worship him But our Father is in Heaven as his Throne and most gloriously exhibits himself to his Saints there The Earth is the Element and Residence of carnal Men of their Souls as well as their Bodies They desire their Inheritance may be on this side Jordan and are content to leave the Heavenly Canaan to those who like it But those who are born from above desire to be dissolved that they may be in their Father's House and his reviving Presence for ever 3. Let us be perswaded to prepare for the reception of our Souls in the next World The present Life is a Passage to Eternity and 't is so short and fading so uncertain and hazardous that 't is our principal Wisdom without delay to secure our Souls in the future State Our Saviour says I must work the Work of him that sent me while it is Day the Night cometh when no Man can work Now is the accepted Time now is the Day of Salvation 'T is our indispensable Duty and main Interest now to work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling In the state of Death there is an Incapacity to do any thing in order to Salvation There is no Work nor Wisdom in the Grave and all the Offers of Salvation cease for ever The Sufferings of the Son of God are not a Ransom for Sinners in that
things to your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father to those that ask him The Inference is strong not only from the Divine Authority of the Speaker but from the native Perspicuity of the Things for the Love of an earthly Father is but an Infusion into his Breast from the heavenly Father and but a faint resemblance of his Love The Love of a Mother is more tender and endearing than of a Father Even a fearful Hen will fly upon Death to preserve its tender Brood from the Devourer Yet the Love of God to his Children far excels it Can a Woman forget her sucking Child What Heart what Marble is in her Breast so incompassionate and unrelenting as to neglect her helpless Infant She may but saith God I will never forget thee The Seraphims those bright and unperishing Flames are but faint and cold in comparison of God's Love to his Children 'T is observable how the Love of God to them expresses it self in all the Notions of Propriety and Preciousness to make it more sensible to us They are stiled his Treasure his Jewels the most precious part of his Treasure the Jewels of his Crown that are the richest Jewels Now will he throw away his Treasure or suffer the cruel Enemy to rob him of his Jewels Will he not take them into his safe Custody 'T is to be observed that the Esteem and Affection of God principally respects the Souls of his Children Their Souls have an original Affinity with him in their Substance as Spirits and being born again of the Spirit they are Spirit in their Divine Qualities Endowments and more endear'd to him than by their first Alliance His tender Care to preserve them will be correspondent to his Valuation and Love Moreover the Condition of departing Souls affords another Argument of reliance upon his Love for they leave this visible World with all their Supports and Comforts they are stripp'd of all sensible Securities And will he leave them fatherless in such a forlorn and desolate State His Love is express'd by Mercy Compassion Pity melting Affections that are most tenderly moved when the beloved Object is in Distress Our Saviour propounds an Argument for dependance upon the delivering Love of God from the Exigence of his People Shall not God deliver his own Elect the Designation of Love who cry day and night to him He will do it speedily Love is never more ardent and active than in times of Distress Therefore when his dying Children are deprived of all their Hopes and dependance upon Creatures and fly to him for Protection and Relief will he not hear their mournful Requests and grant their fainting Desires When their earthly Tabernacles are so ruinous that they are forc'd to dislodg will the Love of a Heavenly Father suffer their naked Souls to wander in the vast Regions of the other World seeking Rest and finding none Certainly he will bring them into his reviving Presence If Divine Love be so condescending that the high and lofty One that inhabits Eternity dwells with the humble and contrite Spirit to revive the Spirit of the Humble when they are confin'd to our lowly Earth we may be assur'd when that Spirit shall be devested of Flesh he will bring it to Heaven the Temple of his Glory to be with him for ever 'T is greater Love for a King to lay aside his State and dwell in a mean Cottage with his Favourite than to receive him into his Palace and communicate to him of his rich Abundance 'T is another most comfortable Consideration that the Love of God is unvariable towards his Children His Love is the sole moving Cause of our filial Relation to him Of his own Will he begat us by the Word of Truth His Soveraign free Love was the Principle of his electing any to the Dignity of being his Children This Love is as unchangeable as free and Election that proceeds from it is as unchangeable as his Love What can induce him to alter his Affection towards them For such is the perfection of his Knowledg that he can never be surprized by a sudden new Event that may cause a change in his Mind and Will He foresaw all the Sins of his People with their provoking Aggravations Now if the foresight of them did not hinder his electing Love in its rise can they frustrate its end the bringing of them to Glory Besides we may argue from what his Love has done for his Children to what he will do He has given his Son and Spirit to them the surest Signs of his Love if we consider the unvaluable Excellence of the Gifts and the Design of the Giver The Son of God is the most excellent Gift of his Love as undeserved as he was undesired And from hence the Apostle argues He that gave his Son for us all how much more will he with him give us all things Blessed God! What richer Evidence and more convincing Demonstration can there be of thy Love Will he not with him give us all things The Inference is direct and conclusive with respect to temporal and eternal Things He will give to his Children in the present World whatever his Wisdom in conjunction with his Love sees good for them To illustrate this by a low and familiar Instance If a Mother bestows upon her Daughter rich Jewels for her Marriage-Ornaments will she deny her Pins to dress her And we may as strongly argue that with his Son he will give us eternal Blessings Will he give us the Tree of Life and not permit us to eat of the Fruit of it What was the design of his Counsel and Compassion in giving his Son to be a Sacrifice for us but to restore us to his Favour The Apostle reasons strongly If when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life He has paid our Ransom and revers'd the Sentence of Condemnation against us and it invincibly follows he can more easily accomplish our Happiness in Heaven If Love justify a Sinner it will glorify a Saint And as the Gift of the Son so the most precious Gift of the Spirit to God's Children to make them holy and heavenly is the most certain sign of his Love to them The Apostle in the fullest expression speaks of it God who is rich in Mercy for his great Love wherewith he has loved us even when we were dead in Sins quickned us together with Christ By Grace ye are saved Sanctification is the effect of rich Mercy great Love and saving Grace The Children of God are seal'd by the Holy Spirit to the Day of Redemption that Seal distinguishes them from the obstinate and polluted World and ratifies the conveyance of eternal Life to them The Spirit is stiled the Earnest of the Inheritance His dwelling in the Saints by his sanctifying and comforting Operations is an Earnest of their dwelling with
A Funeral-Sermon FOR THE Reverend Holy and Excellent DIVINE Mr. Richard Baxter Who deceased Decemb. 8. 1691. WITH An Account of His LIFE By WILLIAM BATES D. D. LONDON Printed for Brab Aylmer at the Three Pigeons against the Royal Exchange in Cornhill 1692. To the Right Worshipfull and his much Honoured Friend Sr Henry Ashurst Baronet SIR YOur Noble and Constant Kindness to Mr. Baxter Living and your Honourable Respect to him Dead have induced me to inscribe the following Memorial of him to your Name He was most worthy of your highest Esteem and Love for the first Impressions of Heaven upon your Soul were in Reading his unvalued Book of the Saints Everlasting Rest. This kindled a mutual Affection in your Breasts his Love was Directing Counselling and Exciting you to secure your Future Happiness your Love was Observant Gratefull and Beneficent to him The Sincerity and Generosity of your Friendship was very evident in your appearing and standing by him when he was so roughly and unrighteously handled by one who was the dishonour of this Ages Law whose Deportment in a high place of Judicature was so contrary to Wisdom Humanity and Justice that there need no foul words to make his Name odious Of this and your other Favours Mr. Baxter retain'd a dear and lasting Sense and in his dying hours declared that you had been the best friend he ever had He has finished his Course and received his Crown His Name will shine longer than his Enemies shall bark I cannot omit the mentioning that Mr. Boyle and Mr. Baxter those incomparable Persons in their several Studies and dear Friends died within a short space of one another Mr. Boyle was engaged in the Contemplation of the Design and Architecture of the visible World and made rare discoveries in the system of Nature not for Curiosity and barren Speculation but to admire and adore the Perfections of the Deity in the Variety Order Beauty and marvellous Artifice of the Creatures that compose this great Universe Mr. Baxter was conversant in the invisible World his Mind was constantly applied to understand the harmonious Agreement of the Divine Attributes in the Oeconomy of our Salvation and to restore Men to the Favour and Image of God They are now admitted into the inlightned and purified Society above where the immense Volumes of the Divine Wisdom are laid open and by one glance of an eye they discover more perfectly the Causes Effects and Concatenation of all things in Heaven and Earth than the most diligent Inquirers can do here in a thousand years Study though they had the Sagacity of Solomon By the Light of Glory they see the face of God and are satisfied with his likeness for ever 'T is a high honour to you that Mr. Boyle and Mr. Baxter should by their Last Will nominate you amongst their Executors It was the Saying of a Wise Roman Malo divi Augusti judicium quam beneficium I had rather have the Esteem of the Emperour Augustus than his Gifts for he was an understanding Prince and his Esteem was very Honourable to a Person That two who so excell'd in Wisdom and Goodness should commit to your Trust the disposal of their Estates for the Uses of Piety and Charity is a more noble Testimony of their Esteem of your Prudence and inviolable Integrity than if they had bequeathed to you rich Legacies It is a satisfaction to me that I have complied with Mr. Baxter's desire in Preaching his Funeral-Sermon and with yours in Publishing it I shall unfeignedly recommend Your self your excellent Lady and vertuous Children to the Divine Mercies and remain with great Respect SIR Your humble and faithfull Servant William Bates A SERMON On the DEATH of Mr. Richard Baxter Luke 23.46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud Voice he said Father into thy Hands I commend my Spirit THE Words are the Prayer of our Blessed Saviour in the Extremity of his Passion His unrighteous and implacable Enemies had nail'd his Body to the Cross but they had no power over his Spirit that was ready to take its flight to the Sanctuary of Life and Immortality This dying Prayer of Christ is a Pattern for sincere Christians He has invested them with the Relation of Children of God and authorises them by his Example to commend their departing Spirits to his powerful Love The Observation I shall unfold and apply is this 'T is the Priviledg of dying Saints to commend their Spirits into the Hands of their Heavenly Father In discoursing of this I shall I. Consider the Foundation of this Priviledg II. Shew what a blessed Priviledg this is III. Apply it I. The Foundation of this Priviledg is to be consider'd This is built upon two things 1. The Relation of God to the Saints 2. His Perfections joined with that Relation 1. The Relation of God to the Saints The Title of Father is upon several Accounts attributed to God 1. He is a Father by Creation O Lord thou art our Father we are the Clay thou art the Potter we are the Work of thine Hands He formed Man's Body into a Majestick Figure becoming his original State being Lord of the lower World But in a peculiar manner he is stiled the Father of Spirits they have a near Alliance and Resemblance of the Father of Lights in their intellectual Powers and their immortal Nature From hence it is the Angels are called the Sons of God They are the eldest Off-spring of his Power Adam has the Title of the Son of God And since the Fall Men are called God's Offspring There is an indelible Character of Dignity engraven in the reasonable Nature by the Hand of God But since Man turn'd Rebel to his Creator and Father this endearing obliging Relation aggravates his Rebellion but gives him no Interest in the Paternal Love of God of which he has made a deadly Forfeiture 'T is threatned against ignorant perverse Sinners He that made them will not save them 2. Upon the account of external Calling and Profession there is an intercurrent Relation of Father and Sons between God and his People Thus the Posterity of Seth are called the Sons of God and the entire Nation of the Jews are so stiled When Israel was young I called my Son out of Egypt And all that have received Baptism the Seal of the holy Covenant and profess Christianity in this general Sense may be called the Children of God But 't is not the outward Dedication that entitles Men to a saving Interest in God unless they live according to that Dedication There are baptized Infidels as well as unbaptized How many every day fall as deep as Hell whose hopes were high on the account of their external Christianity 3. God is our Father upon a more excellent Account by Renovation and Adoption The natural Man is what St. Paul saith of the voluptuous Widow dead while he lives There is not only a cessation of spiritual Acts but an utter
incapacity to perform them he cannot obey nor enjoy God Now the renewing of Man is called a Regeneration Our Saviour tells Nicodemus Verily I say unto you Vnless a Man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven The reason of the Expression is because there is a new Nature spiritual holy and heavenly communicated different from the carnal polluted and earthly Nature derived from the first Adam And as the Relation of a Father results from the communicating a vital active Principle to another in that kind of Life like his own so God by making us Partakers of a Divine Nature of his Life and Image is stiled our Father Of his own Will beg at he us with the Word of Truth And we are said to be born again not of corruptible Seed but incorruptible by the Word of God which liveth and abideth for ever By the Divine Influence the Word of God implants in them such Qualities and Dispositions whereby they resemble God are holy as he is holy in all manner of Conversation They are called godly as they are like him in their Minds Affections and Actions And to such God has the Heart and Eye of a Father to regard and relieve them in all their Exigencies Like as a Father pities his Children so the Lord pities them that serve him We are also the Children of God by Adoption This heavenly Privilege is obtained for us by the meritorious Sufferings of Christ and is founded in our Union with him God sent his Son that he might redeem them that were under the Law that they might receive the Adoption of Sons For his sake we are not only pardoned but preferr'd to this Heavenly Dignity 'T is worthy of Observation that the Degrees of our Redemption mentioned in Scripture have annex'd to them parallel degrees of our Adoption Thus when 't is said We are redeemed from the Curse of the Law 't is added That we might receive the Adoption of Sons When 't is said We are freed from the servile Spirit of the Law it follows We have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father And the Apostle tells us That the redemption of our Bodies from the bondage of Corruption into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God is our Adoption that is the manifestation of it before all the World Our Adoption is founded in our Union with Christ. A Member of Christ and a Son of God are the same 'T is therefore said As many as received him to them gave he Power or Privilege to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his Name And ye are all the Sons of God by Faith in Jesus Christ. This is the vital Band of our Union with Christ and invests us with his Relation to God When he was to leave the World he sends this comfortable Message to his Disciples Go tell my Brethren I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God His Relation has the precedence in Order Dignity and Causality He is God's own Son in a sense infinitely high and proper to himself To which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son to day have I begotten thee The sublimest Prophet breaks forth with Wonder Who shall declare his Generation 'T is above our Capacity and Conception It becomes us to acquiesce in what the Scripture reveals He is the eternal Word and Wisdom of God the Brightness of his Father's Glory This is the most fit Comparison for as Light is productive of Light without any diminution so the Eternal Father communicated his Essence to the Son In short God is Christ's Father by Nature and God by Dispensation he is our God as the Author of Nature and our Father by Adoption Before I proceed it is fit to observe the Excellence of the Evangelical Adoption above the Civil Adoption among Men. 1. Adoption is a legal Act in imitation of Nature for the Comfort of those who are without Children But God had a Son the Heir of his Love and Glory His adopting Love is heightned by considering our Meanness and Vileness we are but a little breathing Dust worthless Rebels The Apostle cries out in a rapture of Admiration and Joy Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God! If we consider the natural Distance between God and us as he is the Creator and we are the Works of his Hands 't is truly infinite but the moral Distance between the holy righteous God and the guilty polluted Creature is if it were possible more than infinite Love inconceivable That releases us from Bondage and adopts us into the Line of Heaven If we admire any thing of this World in comparison of it 't is a sign we have no share in this Privilege 2. Civil Adoption conveys no Praise-worthy Qualities into the Person that is adopted A King may adopt one to be his Son and the Heir of his Kingdom but cannot endow him with a Royalty of Spirit with ruling Wisdom with Justice and Equity Clemency and Bounty with Magnanimity and Fortitude that may qualify him to manage the Scepter The adopted Prince may be of a low sordid Disposition a Slave to his vile Lusts and designing to enslave others But all the adopted Sons of God are divinely renewed they are purified from defiling debasing Lusts and are adorn'd with all the Graces of the Spirit that God is not ashamed to be called their God and Father nor Christ ashamed to call them Brethren Now from this special Relation and Interest of God in the Saints there is a sure Foundation of their Trust in his saving Mercy David addresses himself to God for his preservation from imminent Danger I am thine save me As if his miscarrying would be a Loss to God who had so dear a Propriety in him I come now to the second thing that encourages the praying Faith of the Saints when they leave the World to commend their Souls to him His Perfections joined with his Relation His Love inclines his Truth engages and his Power enables him to bring them safely to Heaven 1. His Love This is the brightest Ray of the Deity the first and clearest Notion we have of God St. John tells us God is Love His Love cannot be fully express'd by the dearest Relations and Affections in Nature The Relation of Parents as 't is most deeply implanted in Nature so it implies the most cordial strong and tender Affection But as God is infinitely greater and better than earthly Parents so he equally excels them as in his Abilities so in his good Will to his Children Our Saviour directs us Call no Man Father upon Earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven The Title and Love of a Father is peculiar to him Our Saviour argues If you that are evil know how to give good
safely trust the worth of their Souls and the weight of Eternity with him who has said he will never leave them nor forsake them Besides the Promise of a Reward to the obedient Children of God is secur'd not only by his Fidelity but the declar'd Equity of his Proceedings in his final Judgment 'T is a Regality invested in the Crown of Heaven to dispense Rewards Whoever comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him His Being and rewarding Bounty are the Foundations of Religion 'T is true such is the Distance between God and the Creature and the eternal Obligations of it to God that it can challenge nothing from God as due to its Merit Justice unqualified with Bounty and Clemency owes nothing to the most excellent Obedience of the Creature tho innocent But since the Fall our best Works are defective and defiled and want Pardon and our heaviest Sufferings are but light in the Ballance against the exceeding Weight of Glory But the Apostle tells the Thessalonians It is a righteous thing with God to recompense Tribulation to them who trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us Consider them in the Comparison 'T is becoming his governing Justice to punish the unrighteous Persecutors and reward his faithful Servants who suffer for his Glory Now the present Life is the Day for our Work as our Saviour saith I must do the Work of him that sent me while 't is called to Day And at Death the Spirit returns to God that gave it in order to Judgment either fatal or favourable according to the tenor of Mens good Works and the desert of their bad The Promise is to them who by patient continuance in wel-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality they shall obtain eternal Life Our Saviour encourages his suffering Servants Be faithful to the Death and I will give you the Crown of Life The compleat Reward is reserved to the great Day of universal Recompences when the Sons of God by Regeneration shall be the Sons of a glorious Resurrection But the righteous Judg will give a present Reward at the end of the Day to all that with unfainting Perseverance have perform'd his Work Our Saviour tells us that all who wrought in the Vineyard receiv'd their Rewards in the last Hour of the Day The Parallel is instructive that when the Night of Death comes the Reward will be dispens'd There is a Law recorded concerning the paying Wages to those who were hir'd that it should be in the end of the Day that it should not be detain'd all Night with thee until the Morning The Allusion is very congruous that God will fulfil his own Law to his Sons that serve him The Reward shall not abide with him the long dark Interval the Night wherein their Bodies sleep in the Grave till the Morning of the Resurrection Our Saviour promised the dying Penitent To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise The End of our Faith is immediately attended with the Salvation of the Soul The Labour of Faith being finish'd is productive of the beatifick Vision in the State of Light and Glory The Sum is That the Children of God who have by constant Conversation sincerely endeavoured to please and glorify him may with an entire Resignation commit their Souls to his Hands as if an Angel were sent from Heaven to them in their dying Agonies with the comfortable Message that they should presently be with God 3. The Divine Power in conjunction with Love and Truth is the Foundation of our secure dependance upon God in our last Hours This Consideration is absolutely necessary for our sure Trust For Love without Power is ineffectual and Power without Love of no comfortable Advantage to us The Apostle gives this reason of his chearful and couragious Sufferings in the Service of God For I know in whom I have believed and am perswaded he is able to keep what I have committed to him till that Day His Faith respected the Promises of God concerning his Salvation which are infinitely sure the Divine Power being alsufficient to fulfil them The precious Depositum that is committed to his dear Care he can and will preserve inviolate The Father of sincere Believers is the Lord of Heaven and Earth who by his Word without the least strain of his Power made the World and preserves it from falling into Confusion 'T is the Essence of Faith to assure us of God's Almighty Mercy to all that have the true Characters of his Children that are qualified for his Salvation Our Redeemer joins the two Relations of our Father and our God the gracious and the glorious Relation are inseparable Now the Love of our heavenly Father engages the Power of our God that we shall want nothing to secure our Happiness that is within the object of Omnipotence I shall insist no further upon the Consideration of the Divine Power because it will return under some of the following Heads of Discourse II. The Blessedness of this Privilege is to be unfolded This will appear by considering First What is the Depositum the Thing that is intrusted in God's Hands Secondly What is implied in his receiving of it In answer to the first 'T is the Soul the more excellent and immortal Part of Man that is commended to God's keeping 1. ' T is our more excellent Part in its Nature and Capacity Man is a compounded Creature of a Body and a Soul the Body in its Original and Resolution is Earth the Soul is of a divine Descent a spiritual Substance and in the Nobility and Perfections of its Nature but a little lower than the Angels 't is the vile Body but the precious Soul In its Capacity it incomparably excels the Body for the Body lives moves in the low Region of the Senses that are common with the Worms of the Earth but the Soul in its Understanding and Desires is capable of Communion with the blessed God of Grace and Glory From hence it is that the whole World can't make one Man happy for the Ingredients of true and compleat Happiness are the Perfection and Satisfaction of the Soul The Apostle tells us The less is blessed of the greater Can the World bring Perfection to Man that is so incomparably short of his Imperfection Our Saviour assures us the Gain of the whole World cannot recompense the Loss of one Soul There is a vast Circuit in our Desires and all the Lines terminate in the Centre of Blessedness Can the World give sincere Satisfaction to them Solomon who was as rich and high as the World could make him has left an everlasting Testimony of the Vanity of transient Things from his experimental Observation and the Direction of the Holy Spirit So he begins and ends his Sermon Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity so vain and vexing that we shall not only be weary of them