THE CHARACTER OF A believing Christian.  
Set forth in Paradoxes, and seeming Contradictions.  

Imprimatur,  
Joseph Caryl.   
LONDON, Printed, for Richard Wodenothe, at the Star, under Peter's Church in Cornhill 1645.   

THE CHARACTER OF A believing Christian.  
A Christian is one that believeth things his reason cannot comprehend, he hopes for that which neither he nor any man alive ever saw, he laboureth for that he knoweth he shall never obtain; yet in the issue his belief appears not to be false, his hopes make him not ashamed, his labour is not in vain.  
He believeth three to be one, and one to be three, a Father not to be elder than his Son, a Son to be equal with his Father and one proceeding from both to be equal with both: he believing three persons in one nature, and two natures in one person.  
He believeth a Virgin to be a mother of a Son, and that very Son of hers to be her maker: He believeth him to be shut up in a narrow room, whom heaven and earth could not contain: He believeth him to be borne in time, who was and is from everlasting: He believeth him to be a weak child carried in arms, who is the Almighty; and him once to have died, who only hath life and immortality in himself.  
He believeth the God of Grace to have been angry with one, that never offended him, and that God that hates sin, to be reconciled to him though sinning continually, and never making, or being able to make him satisfaction: he believeth a most just God to have punished a most just person, & to have justified himself, though a most ungodly sinner: he doth believe himself freely pardoned; and yet, sufficient satisfaction was made for him.  
He believeth himself to be precious in God's sight, and yet loathes himself in his own, he dares not justify himself (even in those things wherein he can find no fault with himself) and yet believeth God accepts him in those services, wherein he is able to find many faults.  
He praiseth God for his justice and yet fears him for his mercy: he is so ashamed, that he dares not open his mouth before God, and yet he comes with boldness to God and asks any thing he needs, he is so humble as to acknowledge himself to deserve nothing but evil; and yet believeth God meaneth him all good: he is one that feareth always, and yet is as bold as a lion: he is often sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; many times complaining, yet always giving of thanks: he is the most lowly minded, yet the greatest aspirer, most contented yet ever craving.  
He beareth a lofty spirit in a mean condition, when he is ablest he thinks meanest of himself: he is rich in poverty, and poor in the midst of riches: he believeth all the world to be his, yet he dares take nothing without leave from God: he covenants with God for nothing, yet looks for a great reward.  
He loseth his life and gains by it, and while he loseth it he saveth it: he liveth not to himself, yet of all others he is most wise for himself: he denyeth himself often, yet no man loves himself so well as he: he is most reproached, yet most honoured: he hath most afflictions, and most comforts, the more injury his enemies do him, the more advantages he gains by them: the more he forsakes worldly things, the more he enjoyeth them.  
He is the most temperate of all men, yet fairs most deliciously, he lends and gives most freely, yet is the greatest usurer: he is meek towards all men, and yet is inexorable by men, he is the best child, husband, friend, and yet he hates father and mother, brother and sister, he loves all men as himself, yet hates men so with a perfect hatred.  
He desireth to have more grace than any one hath in the world, yet is truly sorrowful, when he seethe any have less than himself: he knoweth no man after the flesh, yet he giveth all men their due respect: he knoweth if he please man, he cannot be a servant of Christ's, yet for Christ's sake he pleaseth all men in all things: he is a peacemaker, yet is continually a fighter.  
He believeth him to be worse than an infidel that provides not for his family, yet himself liveth and dyeth without care: he counts all his superiors, yet stands stiffly on no authority: he is severe to his children because he loveth them, and by being favourable to his enemies, he avengeth himself upon them.  
He believeth the Angels to be more excellent creatures than himself, and yet counteth them his servants: he believeth he receiveth many good things by their means, and yet neither prayeth for their assistance nor offers them thanks, which he doth not disdain to do to the meanest Christian.  
He believeth himself to be a King, how mean soever he be; and how great soever he be, yet he thinketh himself not too good to be a servant to the poorest Saint.  
He is often in prison yet always at liberty, he is a free man though a servant: he loveth not honour among men, yet highly prizeth a good name.  
He believeth that God hath bidden every man that doth him good to do so, he yet of any man is the most thankful, to them that do aught for him, he would lay down his life to save the soul of his enemy, yet will not venture on one sin, to save the life of him that saved his; he sweareth to his own hindrance, and changeth not, he knoweth his oath cannot tie him to sin.  
He believeth Christ to have no need of any thing he doth, yet makes account that he doth relieve Christ in all the acts of charity: he knoweth he can do nothing of himself, yet laboureth to work out his own salvation: he professeth he can do nothing, yet as truly professeth he can do all things: he knoweth that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, yet believeth he shall go to heaven, both body and soul.  
He trembleth at God's word, and yet counts it sweeter to him then the honey and the honey comb, and dearer than thousands of gold and silver: he believeth that God will never damn him, and yet feareth God for being able to cast him into hell: he knoweth he shall not be saved by nor for his good works, yet doth all the good works he can.  
He knoweth God's providence in all things, yet is he diligent in his calling and business, as if he were to cut out the thread of his hap, he believeth before hand that God purposed what he shall be, and that nothing can alter his purpose, and yet prayeth and endeavoureth, as if he would force God to save him for ever.  
He prayeth and laboureth for that which he is confident God meaneth to give, and the more assured he is the more earnest he prayeth for that which he knoweth he never shall obtain, and yet gives not over, he prayeth and laboureth for that, which he knoweth he shall not be less happy without: he prayeth with all his heart not to be lead into temptation, yet rejoiceth when he is fallen into it, he believeth his prayers are heard, even when they are denied, and giveth thanks for that, which he prayeth against.  
He hath within both flesh and spirit, and yet he is not a double-minded man, he is often led captive by the law of sin, yet it never gets dominion over him, he cannot sin, yet can do nothing without sin, he doth nothing against his will, yet maintains: he doth what he would not, he wavereth, and doubteth, yet obtaineth.  
He is often tossed and shaken, yet is as mount Zion, he is a Serpent, and a Dove; a Lamb, and a Lion, a Reed, and a Cedar: he is sometimes so troubled that he thinketh nothing to be true in Religion, yet if he did think so, he could not at all be troubled: he thinks sometimes that God hath no mercy for him, yet resolveth to die in the pursuit of it. He believeth like Abraham against hope, and though he cannot answer God's Logic, yet with the woman of Canaan, he hopes to prevail with the Rhetoric of importunity.  
He wrestleth & yet prevaileth, & though yielding himself unworthy of the least blessing he enjoyeth, yet Jacob like he will not let him go without a new blessing.  
He sometimes thinketh himself to have no grace at all, and yet how poor and afflicted soever he be besides: he would not change conditions, with the most prosperous man under heaven, that is a manifest worldling.  
He thinketh sometimes the Ordinances of God do him no good, yet he would rather part with his life, then be deprived of them, he was borne dead: yet so as it had been murder for any to have taken his life away. After he began to live he was a dying, and though he hath an eternal life begun in him, yet he maketh account he hath a death to pass through.  
He counts self-murder a hainons' sin, yet is ever busied in crucifying the flesh: and in putting to death his earthly members.  
He believeth his soul and body to be as full of glory, as them that have more, and no more full than theirs that have less.  
He liveth invisible to those that see him, and those that know him best, do but guess at him, yet those many times, judge more truly of him then he doth of himself, the world will sometimes count him a Saint, when God accounted him an Hypocrite, and afterwards when the world branded him for an Hypocrite, than God owned him for a Saint.  
His death maketh not an end of him, his soul which was put into his body; is not to be perfected without his body, yet his soul is more happy when it is separated from his body: then when his body was joined to it, and his body though torn in pieces, burnt in ashes, ground to powder, turned to rottenness shall be no loser.  
His Advocate, his Surety shall be his Judge, his mortal shall become immortal, and what was sown in corruption, and defilement, shall be raised in incorruption and glory, and a finite creature, shall possess an infinite happiness, glory be to God.  
FINIS.