is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Luke 22. 29. I appoint unto you a Kingdome mark the promise is pregnant with a Kingdome 'T is no less then a Crown a Kingdome that is here delivered to you Luke 19. 12. A certain noble man went into a far Country to receive to himself a Kingdome and to return This is the business you are come for hither to receive to your selves a Kingdome and so to return Oh methinks you should forget what ground you go upon as you are going home to think what you have received here methinks you should go forth as Haman from the Banquet joyful and with a glad heart Sirs do you know what you are doing why the Lord doth by these signs give you the Kingdome as a man by the delivering to you a Turf or a Key gives possession of an House or Land Brethren have you ever read of the Kingdome of joy of the Crown of life of the Robes of Righteousness of the Thrones of Glory Why all this God here makes over to you I tell you Sirs these are not big words nor cunningly devised fables God All-mighty is here come to certifie you of the reality of his promises As sure as you do now sit on your seats you shall shortly sit on your Thrones As sure as you are now cloathed with flesh so surely shall you be cloathed with Glory Are you sure that you are now on Earth so surely shall you be shortly in Heaven The Lord intendeth you but for a very little while in this lower Region you must dwell above where Christ is there you must be also As sure as you now see a Crucified Christ so sure shall you shortly see a Glorified Christ. The Lord Jesus doth anticipate his sentence here and calls to you Guests Come ye Blessed inherit the Kingdome Take the writing behold the Seals here are the Conveyances of the Kingdome The donation is sure and full unalterable irrevocable Christians do you believe If you do methinks you should be ravished methinks you should be filled with joy unspeakable and full of Glory But do you stagger at the promise through unbelief Do you sey oh it is too much and too great why how can that be What! too great for God to make good thou darest not think so But it is too great for me to count upon Why but man dost thou not bear upon thee the marks of the Lord Iesus Whose Image and Superscription is this Doth not your very heart prize Christ above all the world Hast thou not made a deliberate choice of him for thy Head and Husband Hast not thou entred into a solemn contract with him to be his for all times and conditions and to love honour and obey him before all others to the death And doth not thy heart stand to this choice Hast not thou taken him with his Yoke and with his Cross And dost not thou in thy practice first seek the Kingdome of God and the Righteousness thereof And hast not thou chosen the way of the Kingdome Art not thou in love with Holiness and desirest grace more then Gold Dost not thou prefer a holy and spiritual life before all the grandeur of the world and pleasure of the flesh And all this not only for a fit or a flash but in the setled frame and disposition of thy heart surely thou must wrong God and thy self if thou deniest it to be thus with thee Why these are the marks of the Lord Iesus upon thee the sure marks fear not these can not deceive thee They evidence that thou art born of God that thou art a Son and so an Heir and therefore mayest lay claim to the inheritance Come then Beloved Christians be of good comfort why shouldst thou doubt Thou hast the mark of the sheep And therefore thy portion shall be at the Right hand and thy Sentence among the Blessed Well then receive this Holy Sacrament as the pledg of all this Go home and look over all these blessed Promises and count them thine Do not read them as too often heretofore as if they did not concern thee Remember what God hath here promised under hand and Seal to thee and let not all be left behind thee when thou goest hence but let the remembrance the fruit and sweet of this abide upon thee whilst thou hast a day to live Never forget what the Lord hath here spoken to thy Soul make more of the Promises then ever in thy life before Bless thy self in them Remember how the Lord delivered thee the Promises how he Sealed to the several Articles how he sprinkled the bloud upon the Book of the Covenant and gave it to thee and said This is the New Testament in my Bloud Oh live henceforth a life of joy and Faith as a man that is elevated above the world Do not live at thy old dull and slothful rate carry it like a Believer and in a word walk as one that doth indeed take all for Truth that the Lord hath spoken to thee this day Let that of the Apostle be a close to all 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having therefore these Promises dearly beloved let us Cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God FINIS These Books following are Published by Mr. Richard Baxter and Printed for Nevil Simmons at the Princes-Armes in St. Pauls Church-yard 1. THE Aphorisms 2. The Saints everlasting rest in quarto 3. Plain Scripture proof of Infant Church-membership and Baptism in quarto 4. The right Method for a setled Peace of Conscience and Spiritual Comforts in thirty two Directions in octave 5. Chistian Concord or the Agreement of the Associated Pastors and Churches of Worcester shire in quarto 6. True Christianity or Christs Absolute Dominion c. In two Assize Sermons Preacht at Worcester in twelves 7. A Sermon of Judgment preacht at Pauls London Decemb. 17. 1654. and now enlarged in twelves 8. Making light of Christ and salvation too oft the issue of Gospel-Invitations manifested in a Sermon Preached at Laurence Iury in London in octave 9. The Agreement of divers Ministers of Christ in the County of Worcester for Catechizing or Personal Instructing all in their several Parishes that will consent thereunto containing 1. The Articles of our Agreement 2. An Exhortation to the People to submit to this necessary work 3. The Profession of Faith and Catechism in octavo 10. Guildas Salvianus The Reformed Pastor shewing the nature of the Pastoral work especially in private Instruction and Catechizing in octavo 11. Certain Disputations of Right to Sacraments and the true nature of visible Christianity in quarto 12. Of Justification four Disputations clearing and amicably defending the Truth against the unnecessary oppositions of divers Learned and Reverend Brethren in quarto 13. A Treatise of Conversion preached and now published for the use of those that are strangers to a true Conversion c. in quarto 14. One
that knows he is shortly to be removed into another Country be careful to transport all that he can that he may enjoy it at his coming Beloved if you do believe indeed that you must be for ever in another world will it not be your best course to be doing that the fruit whereof you shall enjoy for ever Were not he a mad man that having but a very short term upon a Living should yet go to building and planting there when he had Land of Inheritance to build upon Infinite is the mischief that comes of self-seeking and self-pleasing You are eternal losers by it God will say you have your reward Matth. 6. 5. Something you may have in hand but the eternal reward is lost Brethren I am ambitious for you that what you do you should do for ever that all you do should meet you in the other world and that there you should reap the everlasting fruit of what you are a doing now A wise Builder will build for ever and not only that which shall last for a day or for a year O that you would be wise Builders Do all for God and you shall have eternal advantage Learn but this Lesson to set your selves in all things to please God and you will be promoting and advancing your selves in all that ever you do always laying up a treasure in heaven still adding to the heap And O what riches will you come to when by every day and every hour and every action you are gainers For God will not let the least thing that is done for him no not a cup of cold water go without an everlasting reward Matth. 10. 42. not your labour be in vain 1 Cor. 15. 58. Pr. 3. That when you have done all if God be not pleased you have done nothing Settle it upon your hearts That all is in vain that is not done for God when you do not please God you do not profit your selves When men offer never so richly and freely if not in such a manner as is pleasing to God all is but a vain oblation Isa. 1. 13. If men will do more then ever God required and be zealous in things that God hath not commanded it is but in vain that they worship him Matth. 15. 9. Beloved so much time as you have lived to your selves you have lived in vain because it was quite besides your end O it is a heart-cutting consideration to a tender Christian to think of this that when his life is so short and time so little in all yet he must be fain to cut off so much why man so many hours must thou cut off from thy dayes and so many years from thy life as thou hast lived not to God but to thy self They are all lost as to the ends of life and time If on repentance thou be forgiven thou art not rewarded for them Beloved You must count that you have lived no longer then you have lived unto God Phil. 1. 21. To me to live is Christ. I should account I did not live if I did not live to him 'T is the only employment of my life to serve him I should not tell what to do with my life unless it were to spend it for him Christian Thus thou must reckon so much time as I have lived to Christ so much have I lived and so much as I have lived to my self so much I have lost 'T is not the Man but the Beast that lives while we live below our reason which distinguishes the humane life from that of Bruits Now while we live not to God we live utterly below our reason it self which is sufficiently discovered in that God is the Author and End of Man Doth not reason dictate that God should have the glory of his own work and the Vessel should be to the Potters use Doth any plant a Vineyard or keep a Flock and not expect the Fruit or the Milk 1 Cor. 9. 7. God hath made thee O man for himself Prov. 16. 4. And hast thou the face of a man and dost not blush at this to think that God should make and maintain thee in vain If thou hast one grain of ingenuity thou wilt abhor the thought of this that thou shouldst be in vain Why so much as thou art for thy self thou art for nothing It may be thou livest a very busie life but if thou actest not for God thou art all this while but busily doing nothing Thou mayst sit down in the evening and say I have been all this day doing nothing Thou wilt find a blank in Gods Book for that day nothing upon thine account on this sad record such a day spent and nothing done God hath his Day-book and takes notice of all your carriages how you rise and how you go forth to your labours how you speak how you eat and whether you eye him and his glory in all or look no higher then your selves Luke 5. 5. We have been toyling all night and caught nothing May not this be the sad complaint of many a man I have been toyling all my life and yet I have done nothing because what I did was not done unto the Lord. How would you take it of your servants if coming home in the evening you should find every one of them minding their own business and pleasure and your work left undone Is it not sad sirs that so many hours and days should pass over us and we no nearer our end then ever we were before Your little Children are busie from morning to night and yet all the while have been doing nothing And so are you when you are but seeking your carnal selves and not serving and pleasing God in what you undertake Pr. 4. That the favour all of the world can nothing stead you if God be not pleased with you and by you If there were any that could save you from his wrath you need not be so solicitous to please him but if he be not pleased we are all undone Thou even thou art to be feared and who shall stand when once thou art angry Psal. 76. 7. Isa. 43. 13. When men have slight thoughts of Gods anger and the fear and dread of him is not upon their hearts no wonder if they be not careful to please him you must be convinced that the displeasure of God is the most formidable thing in the world or else you will never learn this great Lesson Beloved if you should please men and all the world should be on your side what would this avail while God is your enemy If all men should bless you and speak well of you what would this profit when God should rise up in judgment against you and condemn you It is not at mans Bar but Gods that you must stand It is not at mens Votes that you must be cast or quitted It will not go by most voices but God himself is the Judge Psal. 75. 7. In his Breast it is whether you
one of another 1 Pet. 3. 8. Say not It is not my nature What doth grace serve for but to correct the evils of your temper Is not ours a Religion of self-denyal Do not the Rules of our Religion enjoyn us to be followers of whatsoever is lovely and of good report and may render Religion amiable to the world Phil. 4. 8. Rule 2 Vse a wise forecast that every duty may fall in in its time and order and every work may have its room It is not enough to do Gods work but it must be done in his order That which in it self is good and necessary may be so ill timed as to become a sin It is a duty to tell your Brother of his sin but to rip it up in your passion or to be retorting upon him when he is christianly admonishing you is a sin Your wordly business must not shut out Religion nor religious Duties take you so up as to neglect your callings But every duty must have its place But for the doing all in Gods order Take these Five Directions Direct 1. Begin at home in provoking to good Why should God plead with you Thou that teachest another teachest thou not thy self Rom. 2. 21. Be an example of thine own rule else the hypocrites charge will come in against thee Mat. 23. 4. They bind heavy burdens but will not touch them with one of their fingers Observe Gods order Deut. 6. 6 7. These words which I command thee shall be in thine heart That must be our first care And then having got our Lesson well our selves we must then Teach it to others And thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children and tell of them when thou c. At least if thou hast not already attained it be sure to learn with the first and when thou pressest a duty intend thy self first and speak most to thine own heart 2. In reproving evil Otherwise thou wilt be branded for an hypocrite Matth. 7. 5. First cast the beam out of thine own eye We may not think as many do mistakingly that we must not reprove another when we are guilty of the same sin But we must in such a case be sure to cast the first stone at our selves Be soonest angry with thy self and more severe to thine own sins then any others 'T is strange to see the great censoriousness of Professours to others and how tender they are of their own corruptions and impatient of reproof Reader fear and avoid this sin Direct 2. Let God be first served Let God have the first of thy thoughts the first of the day the first of thy strength How heavily is God displeased with the prophane Priests because they will serve themselves first with the Sacrifices before him 1 Sam. 2. 15 16. And it is the holy Counsel that one gives Hold the door of thy heart fast against the world in the morning till thy heart hath been first in Heaven and seasoned and fortified from thence against the Temptations that thou art like to meet with assoon as thou comest down below Indeed all must be done as Gods service but so as that his immediate service must be done first It is the counsel of several Heathens That all our undertakeings should be begun with prayer Saith Aratus Let us begin with God And the very Mahumetans begin their Books alwayes as men do use to do their Wills In the Name of God Direct 3. First cleanse the inside Matth. 23. 26. Cleanse first that which is within the Cup. Though they are much out that live as if all their work did lie within door yet remember that it lies chiefly here It s a most preposterous course in religion to begin first with the out-side Jer. 4. 14. O Ierusalem wash thine heart when once this is done reformation will soon follow in the life but not otherwise Many are careful that all that appears to men should be beautiful but their hearts are neglected These carry upon them the marks of the hypocrite Matth. 23. 27 28. And what will it profit thee O vain man to have all kept secret from men since God knows and detests thee And hath appointed a day when he will rip open all thy pack and anatomize thy heart before the world 1 Cor. 4. 5. Eccles. 12. 14. Rom. 2. 16. Direct 4. Eye those duties most that are of most importance Matth. 23. 23. The hypocrite is very punctual in lesser matters but neglects the weightiest things of the Law Judgment and Mercy and Faith He is for a religion that will cost him little and therefore words being good cheap he will be as forward in talk as any mighty zealous in the circumstantials of Religion and marvellous censorious of others that come not up to this mind as men of wide principles and large consciences But in the mean time he is very negligent is secret duties a great stranger to self-denyal and walking humbly with God He strains wonderfully at a Ceremony but it may be he can swallow the gains of unrighteousness or the baits of intemperance fast enough It may be he will decry Superstition and never wants a stone to fling at a prophane Church-man But in the mean time walks loosly in his Family makes little conscience of his dealings or will take up his Cups as freely as another so he be not drunk Or if he will not take a penny of his neighbours estate he is most unmerciful to his good name and will take up any report that is going Brethren you must make conscience of the least sin and of the least duty But it is a fearful sign when men are zealous against lesser sins and yet connive at greater as these are Matth. 23. 24. Direct 5. Take the first opportunity when God gives a fit season for any duty Let not Satan beguile you by telling you of another or a better time It may be thou hast a purpose to reprove thy brother for his sin but how long wilt thou be a purposing Now God gives thee an opportuity it may be thy backward heart saith not now but another time And so it is put off till he or thy self are removed or he is hardned or at least thou art guilty of the sin that he commits in the mean while because thou hast not done thy duty to prevent it It is in thine heart to deal with thine unconverted friend or neighbour about his spiritual estate but it may be while thou art delaying death comes and snatches him away in his sins or takes thee off and so farewel for ever to any opportunity for doing the soul of thy Brother any good How often are our closet-duties hindred or miserably disturbed for want of care to lay hold on the first opportunity we think another hour in the day may do as well but then one thing or another unexpectedly falls in that nothing in done or nothing to purpose Therefore beware of this cheat A man can scarce peep into the