life long no good be done yet you may take that Comfort your Master did Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the Eyes of the Lord. And in the Verse before I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength in naught in vain Yet surely my Judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God God knoweth with what uprightness I have done his work and therefore I know he will Crown me with Glory though my labour hath been lost as to the most part of the People THE SIXTH SERMON THe next sort of Persons in reference to whom Duty lies upon you are Christian Societies Assemblies that profess the Christian Religion and joyn together in the worship of the true God These are called Churches and of these there are two sorts false and true and your duty is to separate from those and hold fellowship with these Three things are required to the constituting of true Churches 1. That the Word of God and Doctrine of Salvation be truly taught in them ye are of the houshold of God and are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets upon this Rock this truth confessed by thee I will build my Church the Church is God's Register that keeps his Records faithfully the Pillar and ground of Truth where the Doctrine of the Law and Gospel is truly taught God dwells with that People and Salvation may be there had 2. That there be Pastors and Ministers lawfully called How shall they preach except they be sent pray the Lord of the Harvest that he will send sorth Labourers into his Harvest Christ hath given his Ministry to his own Church 3. That the People receive and embrace the Doctrine and Religion of Christ and submit to and joyn together in the Worship of God Then they that gladly received the Word were Baptized and they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship in breaking of Bread and Prayers Hereby may be discerned which are false Churches and which true The Roman Political Church as the Constitution of it is false and of Man's Invention Obj. They have the Apostles Creed the Books of Canonical Scripture and Baptisme Answ They acknowledge the Creed in profession and word but overthrow much of the sense by their superadded Articles and false expositions They retain the words of Scripture though in much not the sense of the Holy Ghost nor can Baptism though for substance according to the first Institution prove them a true Church more than Circumcision could Samaria to be so or a Seal pulled from the Writing and set to the bare paper A Thief may shew a true Man's Purse but that proves him not to be a true Man and they overthrow inward Baptisme the life of that Sacrament imputed righteousness and holiness which in Gods Church must go together with the outward Element 2dly As Papists they have no true Ministers the Romish Priest as such is no Minister of Christ not only because of the Anti-Christian Doctrines which he teacheth overthrowing the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles but also in that he offereth Christ a real Sacrifice for quick and dead wherein chiefly stands his Office and because as a Papist-Priest he receives his very Power from the Pope whose Office is not of Christ Qu. Why then should not one Baptized by a Mass Priest be Rebaptized Answ Because the action of a lawful Calling done by one that is not lawfully called is not a nullity the Ministry is lawful though as corrupted by them is bad 3dly Their People oppose God's true Worship and live in palpable Idolatry and profess themselves the Members of a usurping trayterous head the Pope Obj. Anti-Christ sitteth in the Temple of God therefore the Church of Rome is God's Church Answ In the Popish Church there is the hidden Church of God mingled as a little Wheat with much Chaff as a little Gold with much Dross So that though the Church of God be where Anti-Christ sitteth yet the Church whereof he is Head is no Church of God for there are no means there to beget or preserve spiritual life whether we regard Doctrine or Worship To speak plainly it is a part of the Universal Visible Church of Christians so far as they profess Christianity acknowledge Christ their Head but it is the Visible Society of Trayterous Usurpers so far as they profess the Pope to be their Head just as if a Traytor should make himself Deputy of Ireland against the King's will and all the People believe he is so and so profess themselves Subjects to the King as their Soveraign and to him as his Deputy Here it is a true Kingdome as it is still under the King and yet a Kingdom of Traytors or Rebels Secundum quid or so far as they adhere to the Usurping Deputy against the King's command From this Church therefore which is spiritual Babylon the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the Earth no Spouse of Christ but a Strumpet no House of God but an Habitation of Devils once indeed a famous Church but now dead and buryed and as is the Mother so is the Daughters God's People are bound to separate Come out of her my people and yet not from such therein who mean well in the general and secretly discent from her damnable Corruptions is this Obligation of Separation upon you Rom. 18. 4. Much less ought you to separate from Churches which have made separation from Rome as the reformed Protestant Churches in France Germany and other Countreys and these of Great Britain and Ireland have done in whose Congregations is found truth of Doctrine a lawful Ministry and a People professing the true Religion submitting to and joyning together in the true Worship of God I am not ignorant that many of you whose Habitation I question not but the Lord is who have your Habitations in all the several Countries of this Kingdom have drunkin a deep prejudice against all the Parochical Congregations whereof you are legal Members and where all you were baptized and thereby were made the Members of Christ the Children of God and Heires of his Kingdome I fear some of you will startle at these expressions found in the Common-Prayer-Book But if you consult the Holy Scripture you will finde them warranted in a Sacramental sense and your prejudice hath so far wrought upon you that you have forsaken the assembling of your selves together with your Neighbours in the publick Meeting Places I know with whom I am dealing Persons that have a comfortable assurance that they dwell in God and therefore are willing to hear any thing that may tend to the increase of their comfort and unwilling to retain any errour in their judgments or practice that may defile and dishonour their dwelling place or cause it to be evil spoken of by them that are without whose mouthes you know your absenting your selves from all the Solemn Assemblies open wide to cast a scandal upon your
Sin and misery is that which this Treatise doth instruct thee in even to dwell continually with GOD who is the Original Life and Light and Love and in whom all wise and holy Souls are united and employed in delightful Harmony And are no further divided discordant contentious uncharitable than they depart from GOD And to retire more in mind from this dark perverse confused World which to the best is a Wilderness though the way to Rest and to the Worldlings is a place of snares and sin a Babel and a Bedlam Habitation where the Prince of the Powers of the Aire who ruleth in the Children of disobedience is busily and successfully fitting Souls for a sadder state Watch and pray that thou maist be saved from this present evil World but especially and above all thine Enemies from thy Self Happy is the Man whose Selfishness Pride and Lust do not subvert his Soul and whose own Opinion Will and Way is not his Ruine I Rest An unworthy Servant of Christ for his Church Rich. Baxter Acton June 4. 1669. THE CONTENTS The Contents of the first Sermon THe Doctrine is proved by the properties of this Habitation and the conveniences and priviledges belonging to it and the proof in the Text explained The Contents of the second Sermon Two Questions are Answered 1. What it is to make the Lord our Habitation Viz. To make choice of him to close with him and to cleave unto him as our resting place 2. How we may know that we dwell in God Viz. By 4. Characters of such Inhabitants Entrance upon Application in reference to 3. sorts of Men. 1. Such as are or may be sure they have not yet made the Lord their Habitation 7. sorts of these Advice to them and instruction how to make the Lord their Habitation 7. means in order to this end The Contents of the third Sermon Addition of another means viz. to dwell in God to this end get an honest and good heart what such a heart is What power there is in natural Men with Exhortation to exert it 2. Such whose Habitation the Lord is sure enough but they have no sensible comfortable assurance that he is so what the Reasons are of their doubts and fears and how to repell them The Contents of the fourth Sermon 3. Such as have sensible comfortable assurance that the Lord is their Habitation Exhortation to prize this blessing to hold fast and increase their assurance and how 1. Generally to walk worthy of the Lord. 2. Particular Duties in reference to things and Persons 1. To things Viz. Earthly Habitations 1. What their duty is that have no Habitation of their own 2. What their 's that have Houses of their own but may not live in them 3. What their 's that have convenient Dwellings and competent means to live upon 4. What their 's that have stately Houses and abundance of all Earthly things 5. What their 's that have had their Houses burnt and are rebuilding or finished a Word of Caution to all these The Contents of the fifth Sermon Second sort of spiritual Duties viz. In reference to Persons 1. The principal efficient causes of their happiness The Three Sacred Persons of the Deity and the Instrumental Causes 2. In reference to such Persons as are yet without God in the World and how to draw them in The Contents of the sixth Sermon Duties in reference 1. To visible Chuches God's Habitations false Popish to separate from them but Protestant not to separate 2. To Fellow-members of the same Family Live in unity with them though differing in judgment The Contents of the seventh Sermon Other Duties upon the account of the properties of this House Some of the Lawes and Ordinances of this House The General Lawes partly natural partly supernatural The Law of Faith How to manage Faith so as to maintain Life The Contents of the eighth Sermon How faith maintains life against all Instruments of death Nine acts of faith to free the Heart from all discouragement and disquiet some other Laws of the House concerning watching rejoycing praying thanksgiving readiness to remove out of lower into higher rooms By reason of the Author's absence these Errors have escapt the Press with several false pointings which the courteous Reader is desired to amend PAge 4. Line 8. after hereafter add to make use p. 5. l. 20 r. heights or high places p. 8. l. 24. r. pent p. 11. l. 16. r. theirs p. 13. l. 11. your r. their l. 14. such r. which p. 16. l. 10. r. goods p 25. l. 7. r. effected l. 22. rejoyce r. noise p. 35. l. 18. r. felt l. 23. r. persisted p 42. l. 5. twines r. turns p. 44. l. 19. for will r. glory p. 50. l. 21. r. sensualists p. 52. l. 9. r. this p. 61. l. 12. r. both thâ—se themselves p. 78. l. 9. r. was p 79. l 7. r. against them p 82. l 24. each r. which p 83. 18 leave out that to him p 86. l 15. a place r. a feast p 87. l 12. his r. this p 96. acquisition r this of p 97. l 23. r. whence p 101. l 4. r. any real rest p 102. l 7. r sought p 103. l 12. r. nor in the latter p 105 l 6. first r. true p 106. l 4. her r his p 107. l 21 r. prelation p 108. l 14. natural r. mutual p 110. l 16. this r. that p 116. l 5 leave our once p 117. l 21. is r. as p 118. l 14. belike r. because life p 120 l 11. fixed r. first p 125 l 26. persons r. profess p 129. l 6 after Religion add with piety and reason p 132 l 21. r. Against whom p 141. l 7. r. do you likewise p 142. l 3. your r. their l 7. have r know p 145. l 4 these r. your selves l 8. these r. your selves p 148. l 12 turnes to r. workes for p 165 l 3. r. pace l 4 r. when there is solid and true Grace in it l 16 r. generally p 170 l 26. esteem'd r shewed p 175 l 6 so r. to p 178 l 17 the r your p 180 l 8 alone r. a one p 207 l 19 exquisite r. extinct p 208 l 3 r. handsel p 210 l 18 r. premisses p 218 l 3 r. to praise God p 256 l 4 leave out Only p 265 l 18. Even r. Ezekiel p 287. l 6 after Church r. is of the former sort for as l 8 after Invention add So 2dly in it is wanting truth of Doctrine Fundamental Errors Doctrines of Devils in very great number are obstinately maintained there l 23 after so r it being without true preaching but a Seal p 297 l 18 r. the Church of England p â—80 l 12 truth r. touch p 386 l 8 r. prove p 388 l 15 r. emptying p 391 l 7 a desiring r an adhering p 393 l 8 which r such p 397 l 3 scarce r secure p 412 l 10 r. a dedication THE FIRST SERMON Psal 91.
noted and taxed and threatned in many new builders of old and which it is to be feared will be found in too many of your fellow builders whose Houses will be contiguous with your selves what those crimes are may be gathered from such Scriptures as these Woe unto him that buildeth his House by unrighteousness and his Chambers by wrong that saith I will build me a wide House and large Chambers and cutteth him out Windowes and it is ceited with Cedar and painted with Vermilion Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his House that he may set his Nest on High Thou hast consulted shame to thy House for the Stone shall cry out of the Wall and the Beam out of the Timber shall answer it That shall say I was laid here by biting Usury and this shall answer I lye here by cheating and violence extortion and oppression All the people shall know that say in the pride and stoutness of Heart the Bricks are fallen down but we will build with hewen Stone The Sycomores are cut down but we will change them into Cedars We will raise up our Houses in greater splendour and Glory than ever they were Their Goods shall become a booty and their Houses a desolation they shall build Houses but not inhabit them Whereas Edom saith we are impoverished but we will return and build the desolated places Thus saith the Lord of Hosts they shall build but I will throw down For as much as their treading is upon the Poor and ye take from him burdens of Wheat ye shall build Houses of Hewen Stone but ye shall not dwell in them Ye planted pleasant Vineyards but ye shall not drink Wine of them For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins They afflict the just they take a bribe and turn aside the Poor in the Gate from their sight They build up Zion with blood and Hierusalem with iniquity the Heads thereof judge for a reward and the Priests teach for hire and the Prophets thereof Divine for money Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us no evil shall befall us Therefore shall Zion for their sakes be plowed as a Field and Hierusalem shall become heaps I will smite the Winter Houses with the Summer House and the House of Ivory shall perish and the great Houses shall have an end saith the Lord. For behold the Lord commandeth and he will smite the great Houses with breaches and the little House with clefts Woe unto them that joyn House to House He will destroy the House of evil doers Whoso rewardeth evil for good evil shall not depart from his House Though you with whom I am dealing are not of the number of these wicked Men that are building with you yet it is your part and duty to take good notice of the Lord 's just punishments which he hath threatned to inflict upon them and take warning thereby not to follow their foot-steps nor to tread in one of them The righteous Man wisely considereth the House of the wicked which being wholly built and filled with Goods gotten by evil means shall bring them to fall into ruine so far shall it be from being any stay unto them Take heed of partaking of their sins that ye receive not of their Plagues See that terrible and flaming place I will bring the curse forth and it shall enter into the House of the Thief legal as well as illegal and into the House of him that sweareth falsly by my Name and of him that sweareth vainly as well as falsly that sweareth by the inch as well as by the Ell by his faith and troth as well as by his Maker Petty as well as bloody Oaths and it shall remain in the midst of his House and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the Stones thereof 3. If you have not yet begun to build take the wise Man's advice 't is the loving advice of your living House Prepare thy work without and make it fit for thy self in the Field and afterwards build thine House Regulate your self and your Building according to thy Purse Cast the cost before-hand Which of you intending to build a Tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost whether he have sufficient to finish it lest happily after he hath laid the Foundation and is not able to finish it all that behold it begin to mock him They will do as much and worse if you finish with other Mens Money which you owing are unable to repay By no means run in debt take thine own measure Owe no Man any thing but love 4. In carrying on this work as in all others of your particular calling approve your selves to God and Men to be good Men by doing all things according to the rule and guidance of well instructed natural reason A good Man will guide his affaires with judgment Through wisdom is an House builded and by knowledge shall the Chambers be filled with all precious pleasant riches I need not tell you what is the prime means in order to this end namely prayer For the Lord giveth wisdome out of his Mouth cometh knowledge and understanding He is the Author of reason in Men and in the guiding of their actions even in all manual matters If any of you lack wisdome let him ask it of God Your God will direct you to order your Buildings that there may be a prevention of deadly mishaps as he directed his People of old in theirs When thou buildest a new House thou shalt make a Battlement for thy Roof that thou bring not Blood upon thine House if any Man fall from thence In all other points of prudence and fore-sight you shall finde him your Instructer 5. When then the work is done and your Houses fit for Habitation remember and imitate God's people in ancient times in dedication of their new-built Houses solemnly blessing the first enjoying of them by Prayers and holy Hymns consecrating them to God to be Houses of Prayer and little Churches wherein Duties of Religion should be performed every Day and all things done therein even natural actions to the glory of God by Governours and governed according to that of the Apostle Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God This was Josuas religious resolution I and my House we will serve the Lord. Now because all these Five Divine Domesticks are apt to have their mindes too much upon the things of the World they that are Housless and Landless to be solicitous how to get a House and livelihood they that have Houses of their own but are prohibited to live in them to have a hankring desire after Liberty they that have their Houses free to live in and sufficiency how they may add house to house increase their substance
wills the reformation whereof is the absolute and adaequate end of all punishments and of the exercise of all Political Power but punishments were never ordained for the information of the understanding To return to satisfie the Objection It is not necessarily nor generally true of all Members of the Visible Church that they be called by the word if this be granted which cannot be denyed that as among the Jewes Men were incorporated into the Church by Circumcision so they are under the Gospel by Baptisme Col. 2. 11 12. and that as in those times many for by-ends and through fear joyned themselves to the Church Est 8. 17. so it may be and hath been under the Gospel Obj. But the greatest part of our people are ignorant and unsanctified yea prophane Persons Answ Ignorant and prophane Persons have alway been in the Church It was so in the Church's Infancy and so in her perpetual growth and so shall be to the end of the World at least till Christ come the second time but these are not of the Church which hath its denomination of the better part Obj. But open and prophane Persons are not cast out Answ The Law takes Order they shall be The fault is in the Governors We are not no Church or a false one because such are suffered 1 Cor. 5. Rev. 2. Obj. But we want the Form of a true Church Viz. a Covenant Answ It appeares not in the Apostles times any thing more was required to make Church-members of the Church-Universal than assenting to Evangelical truths embracing and professing Christian Religion and receiving Baptisme wherein all in our Church enter into a Solemn Covenant and confirm it when they come to years of understanding And moreover to settle them in particular Church-order the Apostle made Bishops or Elders over them in every Church Acts 14. 23. and required the People to obey them hear and honour them 1 Thes 5. 12 13. Heb. 13. 7. 17. 24. 1 Tim. 5. 17. And those that consented to this and did so were Members of that particular Church so that we confess as a Man cannot be a Member of the Universal Church if at age without his own consent so neither can he be of a particular Church however he may be antecedently obliged to consent But that this consent was wont to be signified by any express Covenant between the Pastors and the Flocks no Scripture mentioneth It is consent signified only which God requireth But whether this consent be signified 1. By the Peoples Election of the Pastors 2. Or by a Covenant 3. Or by lifting up the hands or any such sign 4. Or only by constant attendance with the Church on all God's Ordinances there God hath no where determined save only as circumstances may make one of these more fit than another and so oblige us to it in prudence And he which maketh Duties which God hath not made is a maker of superstition and a false Teacher or Speaker of God and his Lawes and addeth to them As to that you say you cannot joyn with our Congregations because they stand under a Devilish Anti-christian Government and the Worship in them by a number of Common-prayers is a devised Worship All that I desire of you is only this that laying aside passion you will but pause and ponder what is alledged to give satisfaction to this Objection which may cool at least the fierceness of your Spirits and abate that desperate prejudice you have conceived against the Government and Worship established in these Churches Touching the exercise of Ecclesiastical Government in general you know it is not of absolute necessity to the Constitution of a Church and as to the Government of the Churches by Bishops speaking of it only as they are Superiour to Presbyters without medling with the extent of their Diocesses c. when you finde so much written with so much confidence that Episcopacy is the true ancient Apostolical Government of the Christian Church That it was received in profession and practice in all Ages and is so far Divine that Bishops were in the very time of the Apostles that they were ordained and appointed by the Apostles themselves That there was an approved succession of them in the Apostolical Churches That in all the following Ages all the Churches in the World were governed by them for more than Fifteen Hundred Yeares without any opposition save by the Arrian Aerius who was therefore cryed down as an Heretick by the ancient Fathers That the first reformed Protestant Churches cast not off Episcopacy with any aversness to the Order as appeares by the History of the Augustane confession to which Calvin himself signed That some of those Churches are governed by Superintendents the same with Bishops That there was long since a challenge made to them that have aversness to the degree or order in these words We require you to finde out but one Church upon the Face of the Earth that hath not been ordered by Episcopal Regiment which to this Day as they say is not answered These allegations may me-thinks so far allay your heat as to restrain your thoughts and Tongues from passing so sore a censure upon the Government that it is Devilish and Antichristian till you can solidly absolve all these Arguments though notwithstanding all that hath been said you are perswaded that another Church Government may be better And that there is no cause why you should refuse communion with these Churches upon this account because Bishops are chief Rulers there Touching the devised Worship objected do but ruminate upon what you have frequently heard and read and you will see little reason to condemn stinted Prayers because invented and devised by Men. For how many inventions of Men are there of the same nature in God's worship which you approve of namely set-formes of Catechising studyed Sermons Interpretations of Scripture division of it into Chapters and Verses Contents of Chapters Marginal references putting Psalms into Meeter with a multitude more True it is invented or devised worship is unlawful yet it is lawful to serve God in a Form of words devised For the Form is not worship but the Prayer tendered in that Form And therefore they do not well that say a stinted Form of Prayer is a means of Divine Worship not ordained of God and that there is no warrant for it in the Word of God For God's Word warrants things not only by special Institution as all substantial means of Worship and by necessary consequence so the Translation of the Scripture is warranted because it must be read to edification and edifie it cannot unless it be understood but also by the Light of Nature and Reason according to the general Rules of Scripture And thus accidental means of Gods Worship which are only circumstances of the Celebration as time places order method phrase and sorme of words in the administration of holy things of God yea Pulpit to preach in and Bells to call