to Christ Jesus that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God Rom. 15.5 6. And I beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you And esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and be at peace among your selves 1. Thes 5.12 13. And mark those that cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them Rom. 16.17 And if there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye our joy that ye may be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better then themselves Look not every man on his own things his own gifts and graces but every man also on the things the graces and gifts of others Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equall with God but made himself of no reputation or emptied himself of all worldly glory as Isa 53.2 3 4. as if he had had no form or comeliness and no beauty to the eye for which we should desire him but was despised and rejected of men and not esteemed Phil. 2.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. It is not as you imagine your extraordinary Knowledge Zeal and Holiness that inclineth you to divisions and to censuring of your brethren but it is Pride and Ignorance and want of Love and if you grow to any ripeness in Knowledge Humility Self-denyall and Charity you will bewail your dividing inclinations and courses and reckon them among the greater and grievous of your sins and cry out against them as much as your more charitable and experienced brethren do 3. To the third sort the Papist I shall say nothing here because I cannot expect they should read it and consider it and because we are so far disagreed in our Principles that we cannot treat with them on those rationall terms as we may do with the rest of the inhabitants of the world whether Christians Infidels or Heathens As long as they build their faith and salvation on the supposition that the eyes and taste and feeling of all the sound men in the world are deceived in judging of Bread and Wine and as long as they deny the certain experience of true believers telling us that we are void of Charity and unjustified because we are not of their Church and as long as they fly from the judgement and Tradition of the ancient and the present Church unless their small part may be taken for the whole or the major Vote and as long as they reject our appeal to the holy Scriptures I know not well what we can say to them which we can expect they should regard any more then musick is regarded by the deaf or light by the blind or argument by the distracted If they had the moderation and charity impartially to peruse our writings I durst confidently promise the recovery of multitudes of them by the three writings which I have already published and the more that others have said against them 4. And for the fourth sort the Hiders and the Quakers I have said enough to them already in my Book against Infidelity and those against Popery and Quakers but in vain to those that have sinned unto death 5. It is the fifth sort therefore that I shall chiefly address my speech to who I fear are not the smallest part It is an astonishing consideration to men that are awake to observe the unreasonableness and stupidity of the ignorant careless sensual part of men How little they Love or Fear the God whom their tongues confess How little they value or mind or seek the everlasting glory which they take on them to believe How little they fear and shun those flames which must feed for ever on the impenitent and unholy How little they care or labour for their immortall souls as if they were of the Religion of their beasts How bitterly many of them hate the holy wayes commanded by the Lord while yet they pretend to be themselves his Servants and to take the Scriptures to be his word How sottishly and contemptuously they neglect and slight the Holiness without which there is no salvation Heb. 12.14 How eagerly they desire and seek the pleasing of their flesh and the matters of this transitory life while they call them vanity and vexation How madly they will fall out with their own salvation and from the errors and sins of hypocrites or others will pick quarrels against the Doctrine and Ordinances and wayes of God as if other mens faults should be exceeded by you while you pretend to loath them If it be a sin to crack our faith by some particular error what is it to dash it all to pieces If it be odious in your eyes to deny some particular Ordinance of God what is it to neglect or prophane them all If it be their sin that quarrel in the way to heaven and walk not in company as love requireth them what is it in you to run towards hell and turn your backs on the holy Laws and wayes of God If it be so lamentable to the Nation and themselves that so many have faln into schism and disorder what is it then that so many are ungodly sensual and worldly and have no true Religion at all in sincerity life and power Ungodliness is all Heresie transcendently in the lump and that in practice A man that is so foolish as to plead that Arsenick is better then bread may yet live himself if he do not take it but so cannot he that eateth it instead of bread Hereticks only in speculation may be saved but practicall hereticks cannot You think it haynous to deny with the mouth that there is a God who made us and is our only Lord and Happiness and so it is And is it not haynous then to deny him with the heart and life and to deny him the love and obedience that is properly due to God It is odious Idolatry to bow to a creature as to God and is it not odious to love and honour and obey a creature before him and to seek it more eagerly and mind it more seriously then God If it be damnable Infidelity to deny Christ to be the Redeemer it is not much less to turn away from him and make light of him and refuse his grace while you seem to honour him If it be damnable blasphemy to deny the Holy Ghost what is it to resist and refuse him when he would â—anctifie you and perhaps to make a scorn of holiness If â—t be Heresie to deny the holy Catholick Church and the Communion of Saints what is it to hate the Holy members of the Church and to avoid if not deride the Communion of Saints
would see examples of iniquity may look abroad in the world and find enough I need not be the accuser of the Saints to furnish them And I think if they enquire here of any thing â—etable they will be hard put to it to find enoâ—gh to cover the accâ—sers shame 6. It is the honour of Christ and grace in his members more theâ— the honour of his servant that I seek 7. And I would not speak that in commendation of the living which I do of the dead who are out of the reach of all temptations of being lifted up with pride thereby Vnless it be such whose reputation the interest of Christ and the Gospel commandeth me to vindicate 8. Lastly I am so far from lifting up one above the rest of the members of Christ by these commendations and from abasing others whose names I mention not that I intend the honour of all in One and think that in the substance I describe all Saints in describing one I am not about a Popish work of making a wonder of a Saint as of a Phaenix or some rare unusual thing Saints with them must bâ— Canonized and their names put in the Calendar and yet their blind malice tells the world that there are no such things as Saints among us But I rejoyce in the many that I have communion with and the many that have lately stept before me into Heaven and are safe there out of the reach of malice and of sin and all the enemies of their peace and have left me mourning and yet rejoycing fearing and yet hoping and with some desires looking after them here behind And the faster Christ calls away his chosen ones whose graces were amiable in mine eyes the more willing he maketh me to follow them and to leave this world of darkness confusion wickedness danger vanity and vexation and to meet these precious souls in Life where we shall rejoyce that we are past this howling wilderness and shall for ever be with the Lord. FINIS Baxters Treatise of DEATH A Catalogue of Books written and published by the same Author These next following are to be sold by Nevil Simmons Bookseller in Kederminster 1 True Christiantiy or Christs Absolute dominion and mans necessary self-resignation and Subjection in two Assize Sermons preacht at Worcester in 12o. 2 A Sermon of Judgement preached at Pauls before the Honorable Lord Major and Aldermen of the City of London Decem. 17. 1654. and now enlarged in 12o. 3 Making light of Christ and Salvation too oft the Issue of Gospel Invitations manifest in a Sermon preached at Lawrence Jury in London in 8o. 4 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 8o. 5 Guildas Salvianus The Reformed Pastor shewing the nature of the Pastoral work especially in private instruction and Catechizing in 8o. 6 Certain Disputations of Right to Sacraments and the True Nature of Visible Christianity in 4o. 7 Of Justification four Disputations clearing and amicably defending the Truth against the unnecessary Oppositions of divers Learned and Reverend Brethren in 4o. 8 A Treatise of Conversion preached and now published for the use of those that are strangers to a true Conversion especially the grosly Ignorant and Ungodly in 4o. 9 One sheet for the Ministry against the Malignants of all sorts 10 A Winding-sheet for Popery 11 One sheet against the Quakers 12 A second sheet for the Ministry Justifying our Calling against Quakers Seekers and Papists and all that deny us to be tâ—e Ministers of Christ 13 Dâ—rections to Justices of Peace especially in Corporations to the discharge of their duty to God written at the request of a Magistrate and Published for the use of others â—hat need it An open street 14 The Crucifying of the world by the Cross of Christ With a Preface to the Nobles Gentlemen and all the Rich directing them how they may be Richer in 4o. 15 A Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live and accept of mercy while mercy may be had as ever they would find mercy in the day of their extremity From the Living God To be read in Families where any are unconverted in 12o. 16 Of Saving Faith That it is not only gradually but specifically distinct from all Common Faith The Agreement of Richard Baxter with that very Learned consenting Adversary that hath maintained his Assertion by a pretended Confutation in the end of Serjeant Shepherds Book of Sincerity and Hypocrisie With the Reasons of his Dissent in some passages that came in on the by in 4o. 17 Directions and Perswasions to a sound conversion For Prevention of that Deceit and Damnation of Souls and of those Scandals Heresies and desperate Apostasies that are the Consequents of a Counterfeit or Superficial Change in 8o. 18 The Grotian Religion Discovered At the invitation of Mr. Thomas Pierce in his Vindication With a Preface vindicating the Synod of Dort from the calumnies of the new Tilenus and David Peter c. and the Puritans and Sequestrations c. from the censures of Mr. Pierce in 8o. Confirmation and Restauration the necessary means of Reformation and Reconcilâ—ation for the Healing of the Corruptions and Divisions of the Churches Submissively but earnestly tendered tâ— the Consideration of the Soverâ—ign Powers Magistrates Ministers and People that they may awake and be up and doing in the Execution of so much as appeareth to be necessary as they are true to Christ his Church and Gospel and to their own and others Souls and to the Peace and Welfare of â—he Nations and as they will answer the neglect to Christ at their Peril in 8o. 19 Five Disputations of Church-Government in 4o. 20 A Key for Caâ—holicks To open the Jugling of the Jesuites and satisfie all that are but truly willing to understand whether the Cause of the Roman or Reformed Churches be of God and to leave the Reader utterly unexcusable that after this will be a Papist The first Part Containing some Arguments by which the meanest may see the Vanity of Popery and 40. Detections of their Fraud with Directions and Materials sufficient for the Confutation of their Voluminous Deceits particularly refelling Bâ—verius Richlieu H. T. Manual some Manuscripts c. with some Proposals for a hopeless Peace The Second Part sheweth especially against the French and Grotians that the Catholick Church is not United in any meerly Humane Head either Pope or Council in 4o. 21 A Treatise of Self-deniaâ— in 4o. These Books following are to be sold by Thomas Underhill at the Bible and Anchor in Pauls Church-yard and by Francis Tyton at the three Daggers in Fleetstreet 22 THe Saints Everlasting Rest Or A Treatise of the blâ—ssed State of the Saints in their enjoyment of God in Glory in 4o. 23 His Apology against the Exceptions of Mr. Blake And the digression of Mr. Kendall Animadversions on a late dissertation of Ludiomaeus Colvinus alias Ludovicus Molinaâ—us An admonition to Mr. Eyres with Mr. Crandâ—ns Anatomy in 4o. 24 The unreasonableness of Infidelity in four parts 1. The Spirits intrinsick witness to the truth of Christianity with a determination of this question Whether the miracles of Christ and his Apostles do oblige those to believe who never saw them 2. The Spirits internal Witness of the truth of Christianity 3. A Treatise of the sin against the Holy Ghost 4. The Arrogancy of Reason against divine Revelation repressed in 8o. 25 The Worcestershire Petition to the Parliament for the Ministry of England defended c. in 4o. 26 His Holy Common-wealth Or Political Aphorisms opening the true Principles of Government c. in 8o. 27 The right Method for a setled Peace of Conscience and Spiritual comfort in thirty two Directions in 8o. 28 His Confession of Faith Especially concerning the Interest of Repentance and siâ—cere Obedience to Christ in our Justification and Salvation in 4o. 29 Christian Concord or the Agreement of the Associated Pastors and Churches of Worcestershire with his Explication and desence of it and his Exhortation to Unity in 4o. 30 His humble advice Or the heads of those things which were offered to many Honourable members of Parliament in 4o. 31 The Quakers Catechism or the Quakers questioned Their questions answered and both published for the sake of those of them that have not sinned unto death And of those ungrounded Novices that are most in danger of their seduction in 4o. 32 An account of his present Thoughts concerning the Controversies about the perseverance of the Saints in 4o. 33 His Letter to Mr. Drury for Pacification in 4o. 34 Plain Scripture proof of Infant Church-membership and Baptism being the Arguments prepared for and partly managed in the publike dispute with Mr. Tombes at Bewdly Jan. 1. 1649 c. in 4o. 35 The Saâ—e Religion or three Disputations for the Reformed Catholick Religion against Popery Proving that Popery is against the Holy Scriptures the Unity of the Catholick Church the consent of the ancient Doctors the plainest Reason and common judgement of sense it self in 8o. 36 Catholick Unity Or the only way to bring us all to be of one Religion To be read by such as are offended at the differences in Religion and are willing to do their part to heal them in 12o. 37 The true Catholick and Catholick Church described And the vanity of the Papists and all other Schismaticks that confine the Catholick Church to their Sect discovered and shamed With an Apologetical Postcript against the factious Principles and Writings of Mr. T. Malpas Mr. T. Pierce Philo-Tilenus and such others in 12o. Besides his Aphorisms of Justifitation suspended
Catholick Church is One and containeth all that heartily and practically believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost the Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier and live a holy heavenly life Leave off your siding and keep this blessed simple Unity and you will then be wiser then in a passion to cast your selves into Hell because some fall out in the way to Heaven Nor will it serve your turn at the bar of God to talk of the miscarriages or scandalls of some that took on them to be godly no more then to run out of the Ark for the sake of Cham or out of Christs family for the sake of Judas What ever men are God is just and will do you no wrong and you are called to believe in God and to serve him and not to believe in men Nothing but wickedness could so far blind men as to make them think they may cast off their love and service to the Lord because some others have dishonoured him Or that they may cast away their souls by carelesness because some others have wounded their souls by particular sins Do you dislike the sins of the Professors af Godliness So much the better We desire you not to agree with them in sinning Joyn with them in a Holy life and imitate them so far as they obey the Lord and go as far beyond them in avoiding the sins that you are offended at as you can and this is it that we desire Suppose they were Covetous or Lyars or Schismaticall Imitate them in holy duties and fly as far from Covetousness Lying and Schism as you will You have had Learned and Godly Bishops of this City Search the writings of those of them that have left any of their labours to posterity and see whether they speak not for the same substantials of faith and godliness which are now preacht to you by those that you set so light by Bishop Latimer Parrey Babington c. while they were Bishops and Rob. Abbot Hall c. â—efore they were Bishops all Excellent Learned Godly â—en have here been Preachers â—o your Ancestors Read their â—ooks and you will find that â—hey call men to that strictness â—nd holiness of life which you cannot abide Read your Biâ—hop Babington on the Commandments and see there how zealously he condemneth the Prophaners of the Lords day and those that make it a day of idleness or sports And what if one man think that one Bishop should have hundreds of Churches under his sole jurisdiction and another man think that every full Parish Church should have a Bishop of their own and that one Parish will find him work enough be he what he will be which is the difference now among us is this so heinous a disagreement as should frighten you from a holy life which all agree for To conclude remember this is the day of your salvation Ministers are your Helpers Christ and Holiness are your way Scripture is your Rule the Godly must be your company and the Communion of Saints must be your desire If now any scandals divisions displeasures or any seducements of secret or open adversaries of the truth or temptations of Satan the world or flesh whatsoever shall prevail with you to lose your day to refuse your mercies and to neglect Christ and your immortal souls you are conquered and undone and your enemy hath his will and the more confidently and fearlesly you brave it out the more is your misery for the harder are your hearts and the harder is your cure and the sureâ— and sorer will be your damnation I have purposely avoided the enticing words of worldly wisdom and a stile that tends to claw your ears and gain applause with aery wits and have chosen these familiar words and dealt thus plainly and freely with you because the greatness of the cause perswaded me I could not be too serious Whether many of you will read it or how those that read it will take it and what success it shall have upon them I cannot tell but I know that I intended it for your good and that whether you will hear or whether you will forbear the Ministers of Christ must not forbear to do their duty nor be rebellious themselves but our Labours shall be acceptable with our Lord and you shall know that his Ministers were among you Ezek. 2.3 4 5 6 7 8. Yet a little while is the Light with you Walk while ye have the Light lest darkness come upon you for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth John 12.35 O take this warning from Christ and from An earnest desirer of your everlasting Peace Rich. Baxter The Contents THE Introduction p. 1 What is meant by an Enemy and how death is an Enemy to Nature p. 6 7 How Death is an Enemy to Grace and to our salvation discovered in ten particulars p. 15 How Christ conquereth this Enemy p. 35 Four Antidotes given us against the Enmity of Death at our Conversion p. 39. How Death is made a destruction of it self p. 56 The full destruction at the Resurrection p. 60 The first Use to resolve the doubt Whether Death be a punisâ—ment to believers p. 63 Use 2. To shew us the malignity of sin and how we should esteem and use it p. 66 Use 3. To teach us that man hath now a need of Grace for difficulties which were not before him in his state of innocency p. 72 Use 4. To inform us of the Reasons of the sufferings and death of Christ p. 77 Use 5. To rectifie the mistakes of some true believers that think they have no saving grace because the fears of death deter them from desiring to be with Christ p. 83 â—se 6. To teach us to study and magnifiâ— our Redeemers conquering grace that overcometh death and makes it our advantage p. 96 Use 7. To direct us how to prepare for Death and overcome the enâ—ity and fear of it p. 110 Direct 1. Make sure that conversion be sound p. 115 Direct 2. Live by faith on Christ the Conquerour p. 116 Direct 3. Live also by faith on the Heavenly Glory p. 120 Direct 4. Labour to encrease and exercise Divine Love p. 124 Direct 5. Keep conscience clear or if it be wounded preseâ—tly seek the cure p. 127 Direct 6. Redeem and improve your pretious time p. 130 Direct 7. Crucifie the flesh and die to the world p. 132 Direct 8. A conformity to God in the hatred of sin and love of holiness and especially in the point of justice p. 134 Direct 9. The due consideration of the restlesness and troubles of this life and of the manifold â—vils that end at death p. 13 Direct 10. Resign your wills entirely to the will of God and acquiesce in it as your safety felicity and Rest p. 159 Use 8. Great comfort to believers that they have no enemy bâ—t what they are sure shall be conquered at last p. 165 Object But what comfort is all this to me that