tain minds. The life of the highest unsanctified monarch would then appear to us as children's games, or dreams; and as a sordid, base, unprofitable drudgery, in comparison of the life of the poorest saint; who is daily taken up with attendance upon God, and is, by faith, a courtier and family servant of the infinite Sovereign of heaven and earth; whose heart is employed in loving him, his tongue in praising him, and his life in serving him; while he remaineth on earth hath his conversation in heaven; and walketh and converseth with God in the spirit, while he walketh and converseth with men in the flesh; having surer interest in the love of God than the highest favourites in their prince's love; that hath access to him on every just occasion; and hath his ear in every just request; that liveth here upon his grace, and groundedly expecteth to be shortly in his glory; where they that followed Christ in the regeneration, denied themselves, forsook all for him, and suffered with him, shall reign with him, and behold the glory that is given him; and they that lived here in contemned obscurity, whose happiness was not known to the unbelieving world, shall then shine as the stars, and be as the angels of God. O were this blessedness but well believed and considered, how could it be so neglected; so coldly desired, mentioned, and sought after, as commonly it is; and so many thousands lose it, by such sottish laziness, and ungrateful contempt? Certainly no cold or dull affections, no half or halting resolutions, no mean, reserved, slight endeavours, beseem that man that calls himself a Christian: for to be a Christian is to be soundly persuaded of all the fore-mentioned felicity of the church and the necessary means by which it must be obtained, through the purchase of our Redeemer. And it is no middle things (nothing but highest affections, resolutions, and attempts, with invincible patience, and unwearied diligence) that beseem that man who professeth to seek so high a blessedness. as to live eternally with angels in the glorious presence of God. Either it is true that there is such a state to be obtained by believers, or it is not true. If it be true, and truly believed, away, then, with all the pleasures of sin! away with the flattering glory of the world! away with these deceitful nominal riches! Let these be their portion who believe no better; we must use inferior things, indeed, for God, if he put them in our keeping but we have higher matters to mind, and to enjoy. No matter how dear it cost us, nor what we suffer, nor how much we cross this murmuring flesh; we are sure we shall be no

losers, nor repent the bargain when we come to heaven. What palpable self-contradiction is it, for a man to live a carnal or careless life, or to be but coldly, superficially, and reservedly religious, who professeth to believe the resurrection of the body, the life everlasting, with the rest of the articles of the christian faith! But if they take these things for fables, why do they not speak out, and say so, but dissemblingly seem to be Christians, when they are none? As for such, I shall speak to them in that which followeth, and through the whole book.

My Lord, I had not poured out all these words to you, but on supposition that your name will entice hither the eyes of some that need them more than you. And yet I will not so injuriously flatter you as to say I imagine you need them not at all. It is impossible that an imperfect soul in flesh, in the midst of the honours and employments of the world, should have no need to be remembered of the things invisible, or to be quickened in the prosecution of that which he doth remember. Wise men have been overreached by the subtle tempter, to fall in love with vanity and vexation: the sensual object doth powerfully, though unreasonably, beguile, because of the natural eagerness of the flesh; which is so greedy of the bait that it will scarce, forbear, even when we see the hook. He that standeth over the graves of his ancestors, and looketh upon his father's skull, and asketh, Where is now their worldly honours, and what good have their pleasures and prosperity done them?" is yet prone to embrace the same deceits, and neglect the certain, durable felicity. It is hard so long to restrain the senses, while faith and reason have leave to speak. Those that were no babes have lost their eyes in the dust of riches, and the smoke of honours. A strong head may turn round on the pinnacle of a steeple. I had rather stand on the ground, and look up at them with pity and admiration, than stand with them and look down with fear; it hath made some men wheel sick but to gaze upon their vain glory. You know, I doubt not, better than I, that these mountain tops are tempestuous habitations, where men are still in the storms of envy and jealousies; where it is hard pleasing men; and where there are the greatest hinderances to the pleasing of God; and where few find that pleasure which they expected to themselves. Like the philosopher's storm at sea, Ubi ventus neque manere sinit, nec navigare. A tottering state, and quickly overturned. We need not go to such as Belisarius for our proof; the end of all the

living proveth it. If envy and ingratitude let them alone, death ́ will not. The most shining glory will be quickly burnt to a snuff, though no churlish blast should sooner extinguish it. It hath cost many a man full dear to mount into the saddle, that hath quickly been unhorsed; but he that rideth longest must come down at last. When they have cast away their salvation to attain their wills, some of them have proved like Servilius's consules diales; or like Vatinius, on whom Cicero broke the jest, that ejus anno magnum ostentum fuit, quod eo consule nec bruma, nec ver, nec astas, nec autumnus fuisset: if not like Bishop Fisher, whose head was cut off when the cardinal's hat should have been set on. Kings and parliaments, honour and nobility, are things, we see, that cannot perpetuate themselves. Not that all dignities are therefore to be refused; but less desired, more feared, and more cautelously used. That they may be received as Emilius did his consulship, Qui negavit se illis habere gratiam; non enim ob id tum designatum imperatorem, quod ipse desiderat imperium, sed quod ipsi imperatorem. Not because they want honour and rule, but because the people want good rulers.' And they must be held as Seneca did his friends, who could say, Mihi amicorum defunctorum cogitatio, dulcis ac blanda est; habui enim illos tanquam amissurus, amėsi tanquam habeam. Self must be denied, and flesh must be resisted, yea, subdued and mortified, by all that will be saved. But to do this in the fulness of wealth, or height of honour, where self-denial will be so dear, and where the flesh hath so much to hold or lose, and therefore hath so much to plead, this is the great difficulty which maketh the salvation of such so It is a hard, but most necessary lesson for great men, to live to God, and not to themselves; to devote themselves wholly to the service of Christ, and to make it their daily study and business to do good, and to make themselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness. Those few that learn this holy wisdom, are doubly obliged to the love of God, and should be doubly thankful. Animosius enim à mercatore quam à vectore solvitur votum, &c. Sen. But because this grace is so exceeding rare, and the highest mountains are usually most unfruitful, and it is so hard to get that way to heaven, we have little reason to be in love with our temptations, nor to be too keenly set on that which so much endangereth our everlasting welfare, and which hurteth most where it is most beloved. If we lose it for the advantage of our souls. let it go; we have the consent of reason that optanda

rare.

est jactura, quæ lucro majore compensatur. If any step before us we have small cause to envy them; nunquam erit felix, quem torquebit felicior.-Sen. The fulfilling of aspiring desires, would be but the cutting off the ambitious man's delight for there is more pleasure in the expectation of such things than in the possession; it being the nature of terrestrials to promise more than they can perform, and to seem better at a distance than when you draw too near. In the hope and prosecution of them there is delight, such as accompanieth delusions and golden dreams; but when a man hath all he would have, his stomach is overset, and the pleasure is gone; which made the moralist thus comfort men of the lower rank: Age potius gratias pro his quæ accepisti; reliqua expecta, et nondum plenum te esse gaude. Inter voluptates est superesse quod speres. What pleasure is then in the sure grounded hopes of the saints! But I must stop.

My Lord, as I was unwilling to direct to you a mere complimentary empty epistle, so am I encouraged to use this freedom with you, because I am very confident you can discern a faithful monitor, both from an accuser on the one side, and from a flatterer on the other. That the God of peace may establish you, sanctify you throughout, and keep you blameless and undefiled, is the hearty prayer of,

Your much obliged servant,

Kidderminster, August 20, 1655.

In the faith of Christ,

RICHARD BAXTER.

AN

ADVERTISEMENT EXPLICATORY,

Especially about the necessity of God's execution of his threatenings, or of Christ's satisfaction: to prevent misunderstanding. LEST any understand what I have said a few pages hence, as if I wholly denied common innate principles, observe, that it is only actual connate knowledge that I deny, and in respect to which I say that the soul is rasa tabula; but I confess a natural passive power for the knowing of them, and a greater disposition, { or aptitude in the intellect to understand them, than conclusions drawn from them; and so that an infant also may have a sanctified intellect, by such aptitude and disposition. But I think not that ever these would be acted, in an ordinary natural way, without the help of some sense.

Also, that I may not be misunderstood in that great controverted point, about the necessity of the execution of vindictive justice in man's suffering, or Christ's satisfaction, I shall briefly declare my thoughts about it, in these few propositions.

Prop. 1. It is not a mere necessitas consequentiæ, or logical necessity of the verity of an enunciation that we inquire after; for it is on all hands confessed, that Christ's death was thus ne1. Necessitate immutabilitatis, ex suppositione decreti cessary. divini. 2. Necessitate infallibilitatis, ex suppositione præscientiæ divinæ. 3. Necessitate infallibilitatis et veracitatis divinæ, ex suppositione prædictionis. Because God decreed it, foreknew it, and foretold it.

2. We do not mean a simple necessity in existing, as God is ens necessarium. For all creatures are confessed to be contingent beings.

3. Nor yet do we mean an hypothetical necessity, existentiæ qua res quando est, necessario est. For this is but logical, and is undoubted among us.

4. No man among us doth affirm that God doth necessarily punish sinners by such a natural necessity as inanimates, or brutes, act by, that do it quantum in se, &c. Ut ignis urit. ·