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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27062	Two treatises tending to awaken secure sinners viz., 1. The terror of the day of judgment, from 2 Cor. 5. 10, 2. The danger of slighting Christ and his Gospel, from Matth. 22. 5 / by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. Terror of the day of judgment.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. Danger of slighting Christ and his gospel.	1696 (1696)	Wing B1443; ESTC R16419	109,733	266

time of Repentance for a Sermon of Mercy which once they slept under or made no account of How is the Case altered now with them Who would think that these are the same Men that made light of all this on Earth that so stoutly scorned the Reproofs of the Word that would be worldly and fleshly and drunk and proud let Preachers say what they would and perhaps hated those that did give them warning Now they are of another Mind but all too late O were there any Place for Resistance now would they draw back and lay hold of any thing before they would be dragged away into those Flames But there is no resisting Satan's Temptations might have been resisted but his Executions cannot God's Judgments might have been prevented by Faith and Prayer Repentance and a holy Life but they cannot be resisted when they are not prevented Glad would the miserable Sinner be if he might but turn to nothing and cease to be or that he might be any thing rather than a reasonable Creature but these Wishes are all in vain There is one Time and one Way of a Sinner's Deliverance if he fail in that one he perishth for ever all the World cannot help him after that 2 Cor. 6. 2. I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the Day of Salvation have I succoured thee Behold now is the accepted Time behold now is the Day of Salvation Now he saith Rev. 3. 20. Behold I stand at the Door and knock if any Man hear my Voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me But for the time to come hereafter hear what he saith Prov. 1. 24 25 26. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no Man regarded but ye have set at nought all my Counsels and would none of my Reproof I also will laugh at your Calamity I will mock when your fear cometh when your fear cometh as a Desolation and your D●struction comueth as a Whirlwind when Distress and Anguish cometh upon you then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me for that they hated Knowledg and did not choose the Fear of the Lord they would none of my Counsels they despised all my Reproofs therefore shall they eat of the Fruit of their own way and be filled with their own Devices for the turning away of the Simple shall slay them and the Prosperity of Fools shall destroy them but whoso hearkneth to me shall dwell safth and shall be quiet from fear of Evil. I have recited all these Words that you may see and consider whether I have spoke any other thing than God himself had plainly told you of Having said this much of the Certainty of the Execution I should next have spoke somewhat of the Manner and the Instruments and have shewed how God will be for ever the principal Cause and Satan and their own Consciences the Instruments in part and in what manner Conscience will do its part and how impossible it will be to quiet or resist it But having spoke so much of all this already elsewhere as is said before I will forbear here to repeat it leaving the Reader that desireth it there to peruse it The Vses Vse 1. Beloved Hearers it was not to fill your Fancies with News that God sent me hither this Day nor to tell you of Matters that nothing concern you nor by some terrible Words to bring you to an Hour's Amazement and no more But it is to tell you of things that your Eyes shall see and to foretel you of your Danger while it may be prevented that your precious Souls may be saved at the last and you may stand before God with Comfort at that Day But because this will not be every Man's Case no nor the Case of most I must in the Name of Christ desire you to make this day an Enquiry into your own Souls and as in the Presence of God let your Hearts make answer to these few Questions which I shall propound and de●te with you Qu. 1. Do you soundly believe this Doctrine which I have ●ached to you What say you Sirs Do you verily be●ve it as a most certain Truth that you and I and 〈◊〉 the World must stand at God's Bar and be judged to everlasting Joy or Torment I hope you do all in some 〈◊〉 believe this but blame me not if I be jealous whether you soundly believe it while we see in the World so little of the Effect of such a Belief I confess I am forced to think that there is more Infidelity than ●ith among us when I see more Ungodliness than God●ess among us And I can hardly believe that Man ●at will say or swear that he believeth these things ●d yet liveth as carelesly and carnally as an Infidel I ●ow that no Man can love to be damned yea I ●ow that every Man that hath a reasonable Soul hath ●turally some love to himself and a fear of a Danger ●hich he verily apprehendeth he therefore that liveth ●thout all fear I must think liveth without all appre●nsion of his Danger Custom hath taught Men to hold these things as the Opinion of the Country but if Men soundly believed them surely we should see strange● Effects of such a Faith than in the most we do see Doth the sleepy Soul that liveth in Security a● followeth this World as eagerly as if he had no greater Matters to mind that never once trembled at the Thoughts of this great Day nor once asked his own Soul in good Sadness My Soul How dost thou think then to escape I say doth this Man believe that he is going to this Judgment Well Sirs whether you believe it or not you will find it true and believe it you must before you can be safe For if you do not believe it you will never make ready Let me therefore perswade you in the Fear of God to consider that it is a Matter of undoubted Truth 1. Consider that it is the express Word of the God of Truth revealed in Scripture as plainly as you can desire So that you cannot be unbelieving without denying God's Word or giving him the Lie Mat. 13. 38 39 40 41 42 43 49 50. Mat. 25. throughout Rom. 2. 5 6 7 9 10 16. and 1. 32. John 5. 28 29. The Hour is coming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear his Voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation Heb. 9. 27. It is appointed to all Men once to die and after this the Judgment Rom. 14. 9 12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God Rev. 20. 12. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the Books were opened and another Book was opened which

3. The Parties Confession 4. Witness 5. Instruments and visible Effects of the Action All these Evidences will be at hand and any one of them sufficient for the Conviction of the guilty Person at that Day 1. As the Sins of all Men so the Impenitency and Rebellion of the Wicked was notorious or at least will be then For though some play the Hypocrites and hide the Matter from the World and themselves yet God shall open their Hearts and former Lives to themselves and to the view of all the World He shall set their Sins in Order before them so that it shall be utterly in vain to deny or excuse them If any Man will then think to make their Cause as good to God as they can now do to us that are not able to see their Hearts they will be foully mistaken Now they can say they have as good Hearts as the best then God will bring them out in the Light and shew them to themselves and all the World whether they were good or bad Now they will face us down that they do truly repent and they obey God as well as they can but God that knoweth the Deceivers will then undeceive them We cannot now make Men acquainted with their own unsanctified Hearts nor convince them that have not true Faith Repentance or Obedience but God will convince them of it they can find Shifts and false Answers to put off a Minister with but God will not so be shifted off Let us preach as plainly to them as we can and do all that ever we are able to acquaint them with the Impenitency and Unholiness of their own Heart and the Necessity of a new Heart and Life yet we cannot do it but they will believe whether we will or not that the old Heart will serve the turn But how easily will God make them know the contrary We plead with them in the dark for though we have the Candle of the Gospel in our hands when we come to shew them their Corruption yet they shut their Eyes and are wilfully blind but God will open their Eyes whether they will or not not by holy Illumination but by forced Conviction and then he will plead with them as in the open Light See here thy own unholy Soul canst thou now say thou didst love me above all canst thou deny but thou didst love this World before me and serve thy Flesh and Lusts though I told thee if thou ●idst so thou shouldst die Look upon thy own Heart now and see whether it be an holy or an unholy Heart a spiritual or a fleshly Heart a heavenly or an earthly Heart Look now upon all the Course of thy Life and see whether thou didst live to me or to the World and thy Flesh O how easily will God convince Men then of the very Sins of their Thoughts and in their secret Close●s when they thought that no Witness could have disclosed them Therefore it 's said that the Books shall be opened and the Dead judged out of the Books Rev. 20. 12. Dan. 7. 10. The second Evidence will be the Knowledg of the Judg. If the Sinner would not be convinced yet it is sufficient that the Judg knoweth the Cause God needeth no farther Witness he saw thee committing Adultery in secret Lying Stealing Forswearing in secret If thou do not know thine own Heart to be unholy 't is enough that God knoweth it If you have the Face to say Lord when did we see thee hungry c. Mat. 25. 44. yet God will make good the Charge against thee and there needeth no more Testimony than his own Can foolish Sinners think to lie hid or escape at that Day that will now sin wilfully before their Judg that know every Day that their Judg is looking on them while they forget him and give up themselves to the World and yet go on even under his Eye as if to his Face they dared him to punish them 3. The third Evidence will be the Sinners Confession God will force their own Consciences to witness against them and their own Tongues to confess the Accusation If they do at first excuse it he will leave them speechless yea and condemning themselves before they have done O what a difference between their Language now and then Now we cannot tell them of their Sin and Misery but they either tell us of our own Faults or bid us look to our selves or deny or excuse their Fault or make light of it but then their own Tongues shall confess them and cry out of the wilful Folly that they committed and lay a heavier Charge upon them than we can now do Now if we tell them that we are afraid they are unregenerate and lest their Hearts are not truly set upon God they will tell us they hope to be saved with such Hearts as they have But t●en O how they will confess the Folly and Falseness of their own Hearts You may see a little of their Case even in despairing Sinners on Earth how far they are from denying or excusing their Sins Judas cries out I have sinned in betraying innocent Blood Mat. 27. 4. out of their own Mouth shall they be judged That very Tongue that now excuseth their Sin will in their Torments be their great Accuser For God will have it so to be 4. The fourth Evidence will be the Witness of others O how many thousand Witnesses might there be produced were there need to convince the guilty Soul at that Day 1. All the Ministers of Christ that ever preached to them or warned them will be sufficient Witnesses against them we must needs testify that we preached to them the Truth of the Gospel and they would not believe it We preached to them the Goodness of God yet they set not their Hearts upon him we shewed them their Sin and they were not humbled we told them of the danger of an unregenerate State and they did not regard us we acquainted them with the absolute Necessity of Holiness but they made light of all we let them know the Deceitfulness of their Hearts and the need of a close and faithful Examination but they would not bestow an Hour in such a Work nor scarce once be afraid of being mistaken and miscarrying We let them know the Vanity of this World and yet they would not forsake it no not for Christ and the Hopes of Glory we told them of the everlasting Felicity they might attain but they would not set themselves to seek it What we shall think of it then the Lord knows but surely it seemeth now to us a matter of very sad Consideration that we must be brought in as Witnesses against the Souls of our Neighbours and Friends in the Flesh Those whom we now unfeignedly love and would do any thing that we were able to do for their good whose Welfare is dearer to us than all worldly Enjoyments Alas that we must be forced to testify to their Faces for

is the Book of Life and the Dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Books according to their Works Mat. 12. 36 37. But I say unto you that every idle Word that Men shall speak they shall give account thereof at the Day of Judgment For by thy Words thou shalt be justified and by thy Words thou shalt be condemned Many more most express Texts of Scripture do put the Truth of this Judgment out of all question to all that believe the Scripture and will understand it There is no place left for a Controversy in the Point It is made as sure to us as the Word of the living God can make it And he that will question that what will he believe What say you Sirs Dare you doubt of this which the God of Heaven hath so positively affirmed I hope you dare not 2. Consider it is a Master-part of your Faith if you are Christians and a fundamental Article of your Creed that Christ shall come again to judg the quick ●nd the dead So that you must believe it or renounce your Christianity and then you renounce Christ and all the Hopes of Mercy that you have in him It 's impossible that you should soundly believe in Christ and not believe his Judgment and Life everlasting because as he came to bring Life and Immortality to Light in the Gospel 2 Tim. 1. 10. so it was the End of his Incarnation Death and Resurrection to bring you thither and it 's part of his Honour and Office which he purchased with his Blood to be the Lord and Judg of all the World Rom. 14. 9. Joh. 5. 22. If therefore you believe not heartily this Judgment deal plainly and openly and say you are Infidels and cast away the hypocritical Vizor of Christianity and le● us know you and take you as you are 3. Consider that it is a Truth that is known by the very Light of Nature that there shall be a Happiness for the Righteous and a Misery for the Wicked after this Life which is evident 1. In that we have undeniable natural Reason for it 1. God is the Righteous Governour of the World and therefore must make a difference among his Subjcts according to the Nature of their Ways which ane see is not done here where the Wicked prosper and we Good are afflicted therefore it must be hereafter 2. We see there is a Necessity that God should make Promises and Threatnings of everlasting Happiness or Misery for the right Governing of the World for we certainly perceive that no lower things will keep Men from destroying all humane Society and living worse than brute Beasts and if there be a Necessity of making such Threats and Promises then there is certainly a Necessity of fulfilling them For God needeth no Lie or Means of deceiving to rule the World 2. And as we see it by Reason so by certain Expe●rience that this is discernable by the Light of Nature for all the World or almost all do believe it Ev● those Nations where the Gospel never came and have nothing but what they have by Nature even the most barbarous Indians acknowledg some Life after this and a Difference of Men according as they are here therefore you must believe thus much or renounc● your common Reason and Humanity as well as your Christianity Let me therefore perswade you al● in the Fear of God to confirm your Souls in the Belief of this as if you had heard Christ or an Angel from Heaven say to you O Man thou art hasting to Judgment Qu. 2. My next Question is Whether you do ever soberly consider of this great Day Sirs do you use when you are alone to think with your selves how certain and how dreadful it will be how fast it is coming on and what you shall do and what Answer you mean to make at that Day Are your Minds taken up with these Considerations Tell me is it so or not Alas Sirs Is this a Matter to be forgotten Is not that Man even worse than mad that is going to God's Judgment and never thinks of it when if they were to be tried for their Lives at the next Assize they would think of it and think again and cast 100 times which way to escape Methinks you should rather forget to go to Bed at Night or to eat your Meat or do your Work than forget so great a Matter as this Truly I have often in my serious Thoughts been ready to wonder that Men can think of almost any thing else when they have so great a thing to think of What forget that which you must remember for ever forget that which should force Remembrance yea and doth force it with some whether they will or not A poor despairing Soul cannot forget it He thinks which way ever he goes he is ready to be judged O therefore Beloved fix these Thoughts as deep in your Hearts as Thoughts can go O be like that holy Man that thought which way ever he went he heard the Trumpet sound and the Voice of the Angel calling to the World Arise ye Dead and come to Judgment You have warning of it from God and Man to cause you to remember it do not then forget it It will be a cold Excuse another Day Lord I forgat this Day or else I ●ight have been ready you dare not sure trust to such Excuses Qu. 3. My next Question to you is How are you ●ffected with the Consideration of this Day Barely to think of it will not serve to think of such a Day as this with a dull and sensless Heart is a Sign of fearful Stupidity Did the Knees of King Belshazzar knock together with trembling when he saw the Hand-writing on the Wall Dan. 5. 6. How then should thy Heart be afffected that seeth the Hand-writing of God as a Summons to his Bar When I began to preach of these things long ago confess the Matters seemed to me so terrible that I was afraid that People would have run out of their Wits with Fear but a little Experience shewed me that many are like a Dog that is bred up in a Forge or Furnace that being used to it can sleep though the Hmmers are beating and the Fire and hot Iron flaming about him when another that had never seen it would be amazed at the sight When Men have heard us 7 Years together yea 20 Years to talk of a Day of Judgment and they see it not nor feel any hurt they think it is but talk and begin to make nothing of it This is their Thanks to God for his Patience Because his Sentence is not executed speedily therefore their Hearts are set in them to do evil Eccles 8. 11. As if God were slack of his Promise as some Men accoun● Slackness 2 Pet. 3. 9. when one Day with him is as 〈◊〉 1000 Years and a 1000 Years as one Day What 〈◊〉 we tell you 20 Years together that you