170 THE SAINT'S EVERLASTING rest. commands of the Gospel; show them what is commanded and forbidden, in the first table and in the second, towards God and men, in regard of the inward and the outward man; and here show them, 1. The authority commanding; that is, the Almighty God, by Christ the Redeemer. They are not now to look at the command as coming from God immediately, merely as God, or the Creator, but as coming from God by Christ the Mediator, who is now the Lord of all, and only lawgiver; seeing the Father now judgeth no man, but hath committed all judg ment to the Son. (John v. 21-24.) 2. Show them the terms on which duty is required, and the ends of it. 3. And the nature of duties, and the way to perform them aright. 4. And the right order; that they first love God above all, and then their neighbour: first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. 5. Show them the excellences and delights of God's service. 6. And the flat necessity. 7. Especially labour to get all to their hearts, and teach them not only to speak the words. And for sin, show them its evil and danger, and watch over them against it. Especially, 1. The sins that youth is commonly addicted to. 2. And which their nature and constitution most lead them to. 3. And which the time and place do most strongly tempt to. 4. But especially be sure to kill their killing sins; those that all are prone to, and are of all most deadly as, pride, worldliness, ignorance, profaneness, and flesh-pleasing. And for the manner, you must do all this: 1. Betimes, before sin get rooting. 2. Frequently. 3. Seasonably. 4. Seriously and diligently. 5. Affectionately and tenderly. 6. And with authority; compelling where commanding will not serve, and adding correction where instruction is frustrate. And thus I have done with the use of exhortation to do our útmost for the salvation of others. The Lord give men compassionate hearts that it may be practised and then, I doubt not, but he will succeed it to the increase of his church. THE SAINT'S EVERLASTING REST. THE FOURTH PART. CONTAINING A DIRECTORY FOR THE GETTING AND KEEPING OF THE HEART IN HEAVEN, By the Diligent Practice of that excellent unknown Duty of Heavenly Meditation. Being the main thing intended by the Author in the writing of this Book, and to which all the rest is but subservient. ΤΟ MY DEARLY BELOVED FRIENDS IN THE LORD, THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWN OF SHREWSBURY, BOTH MAGISTRATES, MINISTERS, AND PEOPLE, As also of the neighbouring Parts, RICHARD BAXTER devoteth this part of this Treatise as a testimony of his love to his native soil, and to his many godly and faithful friends there living; HEARTILY praying the Lord and Head of the Church to keep them in unity, peace, humility, vigilancy, and steadfastness in the truth; and to cause them to contribute their utmost endeavours for the setting up of able, faithful teachers, and building up the House of God, which hath so long been neglected, and which hath now so many hands employed to divide and demolish it: and that the Lord would save them in this hour of temptation, that they may be approved in this trial, and not be found light when God shall weigh them and that he would acquaint them with the daily serious exercise of this most precious, spiritual, soul-exalting work of heavenly meditation, and that when the Lord shall come, he may find them so doing. THE INTRODUCTION. In the former part, I have chiefly pressed those duties which must be used for the attainment of this everlasting rest. In this I shall chiefly handle those which are necessary to raise the heart to God, and to a heavenly and comfortable life on earth. It is a truth too evident, which an inconsiderate zealot reprehended in Master Culverwell as an error, that many of God's children do not enjoy that sweet life and blessed estate in this world, which God their Father hath provided for them; that is, which he offereth them in his promises, and chargeth upon them as their duty in his precepts, and bringeth even to their hands in all his means and mercies. God hath set open heaven to us in his word, and told every humble, sincere Christian that they shall shortly there live with himself in inconceivable glory; and yet, where is the person that is affected with this promise; whose heart leaps for joy at the hearing of the news; or that is willing, in hopes of heaven, to leave this world? But even the godly have as strange unsavoury thoughts of it, as if God did but delude us, and there were no such glory; and are almost as loth to die as men without hope. The consideration of this strange disagreement between our professions and affections, caused me to suspect that there was some secret, lurking un- ̈ belief in all our hearts; and therefore I wrote those arguments in the second part, for the divine authority of the Scripture: and because I find another cause to be, the carelessness, forgetfulness, and idleness of the soul, and not keeping in action that faith which we have, I have here attempted the removal of that cause, by prescribing a course for the daily acting of those graces which must fetch in the celestial delights into the heart, |
