that rendered grappling with him exceedingly dangerous to the assailant. Conscious of his own integrity and safety, and not unconscious of his giant strength, he hurled fearless defiance at all adversaries, and quietly waited the onset.

Meanwhile that cause which he had so much at heart, lost rather than gained, from these means of promoting it. Error was not overthrown or dislodged; the chief difficulties attaching to certain truths, remained where they had ever been; for the obscurity hanging over the divine purposes and administration, continued as profound as ever. In all this we are taught the imbecility of man, and how little he is capable of achieving, even with the best intentions, without the special blessing of God. Man's apparent intelligence and wisdom have often been considered as of vast importance to the interests of truth and of heaven; but have nearly as often as they have been thus regarded, occasioned disappointment and regret. It is thus God enforces his own injunction; "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom; but let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord."

While a portion of evil, probably resulted from Baxter's mode of conducting controversy, and no great light was thrown by him on some of the dark and difficult subjects which he so keenly discussed, I have no doubt he contributed considerably to produce a more moderate spirit towards each other, between Calvinists and Arminians, than had long prevailed. Though he satisfied neither party, he must have convinced both, that great difficulties exist on the subjects in debate, if pursued beyond a certain length; that allowance ought to be made by each, for the weakness or prejudices of the other; and that genuine religion is compatible with some diversity of opinion respecting one or all of the five points. In as far as such an effect has arisen from his doctrinal writings, the church of Christ has derived benefit from them. If my opinion may be expressed at the end of this long chapter in a single sentence, I would say, Baxter was probably such an Arminian as Richard Watson; and as much a Calvinist as the late Dr. Edward Williams.

Introductory Remarks-Treatise of Conversion '- Call to the Unconverted'' Now or Never '-' Directions for a Sound Conversion '-' Directions to the Converted'-' Character of a Sound Christian '-' Mischiefs of Self-ignorance-The Countess of Balcarras-Controversy with Bishop Morley-' A Saint or a Brute'-Various smaller Treatises-Concluding Observations.

THE class of books to which this chapter is devoted, must ever rank high, perhaps I should say highest, among the works of Baxter. As they treat of the most important subject which can occupy the attention of mankind in its degenerate state; so they discuss that subject with a power which is probably unequalled in human writings. While Baxter's talents were adequate to any subject to which they might be directed, the conversion of men was the grand object to which he devoted them, in the fullest extent in which they could be exercised. Other things he might resort to as recreation, or submit to as duty; this employment constituted his sacred delight. His whole soul was here eminently at home; he revels and luxuriates in it, exulting in the privilege of calling sinners to repentance, and thus promoting the glory of his Lord and Master.

In this department of writing, I am not aware that he had properly any predecessor in the English language. Among the works both of the episcopal and puritan divines, many excellent discourses on most branches of Christian faith and duty had previously appeared. The Puritans excelled especially in the expository and didactic departments of instruction; while many Conformists produced very able treatises on the several branches of theological and moral truth. But by no one nor all of them was produced such a mass of pungent and powerful addresses to the consciences of ignorant, ungodly, and thoughtless

men, as by Baxter. Conversion in all its important aspects, and unutterably important claims, had not before been discussed, at least in our language; nor had any man previously employed so boundless a range of topics, in conjunction with such an energetic and awakening style of addressing sinners.

To excel in this mode of preaching, requires talents and properties of no ordinary kind. There must be a combination of scriptural knowledge and ardent piety, with a correctness of thinking, as well as a fervency of imagination and manner, which are rarely found in one individual. Incorrect notions of the boundless grace and mercy of the Gospel, led some of Baxter's predecessors in the awakening style of preaching, to deal out the unmitigated thunders of the Law. These, however, will roll in the ears of sinners in vain, unless mellowed with the meek and persuasive allurements of the Gospel. Baxter knew how to connect them, so as to alarm and convince, without driving to despair. Taylor could describe the loathsomeness and guilt of the sinner, and the certainty as well as awfulness of his danger, with an exhaustless and withering power of illustration. He could inculcate penance and mortification with great force of argument. But his manner partook more of monkish severity, -of the gloom and austerity of the cloister-than of the faithfulness and tenderness of Jesus and his apostles. Baxter's severity never partakes of the nature of misanthropy. He never seems to take pleasure in wounding. He employs the knife with an unsparing hand; but that hand always appears to be guided by a tender, sympathising heart. He denounces sin in language of tremendous energy, and exposes its hideous nature by the light of the flames of hell itself; but it is to urge the sinner to flee from the wrath to come, and to lay hold on the hope set before him. He never appears as the minister of divine vengeance, come to execute wrath, and to make men miserable before the time; but as an angel of mercy, brandishing a flaming sword to drive men to the tree of life.

In the writings of Owen and Howe, and the preachers of the same school, doctrinal discussion, and elaborate argument in support and illustration of Gospel truths, are more prominent than their addresses to sinners. This, perhaps, may be accounted for, by the different circumstances of the people whom they addressed. Their congregations consisted chiefly of a select company of believers, or of those who made a credible profession of the Gospel. Hence their discourses were chiefly em

ployed in instructing and building up. Baxter's hearers in Kidderminster, where most of his works of this class were produced, were of a different description; a large mass of ignorant, wicked persons, chiefly in the lower walks of life. When he entered on his labours among them, there was scarcely a vestige of religion in the place. He studied the best methods of gaining their attention, and of rousing them to repentance and reformation. How admirably he succeeded is evident, both from the discourses which he produced, and the effects which resulted from them. The character of his early preaching remained, as is generally the case, to the last. The Christian minister who has this kind of work to do (and what Christian minister has it not to do more or less?) would therefore do well, to study this portion of Baxter's writings.

To excel in this kind of preaching, he was eminently qualified. He possessed an untiring capability of application; an uncom mon degree of acuteness and nicety of discernment; a profound knowledge of the depths of iniquity belonging to the human heart; a fearless fidelity in the discharge of his duty; a constant sense of the divine presence on his mind, along with an impression, which seems never to have left him, that death was just at hand.

“He preach'd, as never sure to preach again,
And as a dying man to dying men!"'e

He was gifted with exhaustless powers of expression, and an exuberance of imagination which supplied unfailing stores of language and illustration. He had also a soft, flexible, melodious voice; a tenderness, pathos, and solemnity of manner, which clothed all he said with dignity and love.

With such qualifications, presenting themselves even on the very surface of those discourses by which his popularity is still maintained, it is not surprising that, like some distinguished men in other professions, he carried those labours in which he had no prototype, to a perfection which has never been excelled. It might be easy to produce specimens, both from Baxter's time and since, of greater profundity of thought, and greater originality of conception; of more refinement of language,— though his language is often peculiarly happy; of more accuracy of argument and statement; of detached passages more

• Baster's Poetical Fragments,' p. 30.

tremendous or more touching, than any occurring in Baxter's writings on Conversion: but we have nothing that will admit of comparison with them as a whole-nothing so pointed-so awful-and yet so full of tenderness and compassion.

It is to this preaching we must chiefly look as the means of those amazing effects which, under divine influence, were produced at Kidderminster, while Baxter laboured there. We have no account of any remarkable outpouring of the Spirit,—of any thing corresponding with what is called, in America, a revival,— during the period of Baxter's residence in that town. But the effects produced by his ministry are perfectly intelligible to all who look at the means employed, and attend to the promised blessing of God in connexion with them. Baxter was a man of faith and prayer; he was also a man of unwearied labour. He preached in season, and out of season. He was an instrument fit for the work, and diligently, employed all the means which God had put in his power. While he did so, he found, what every faithful labourer will also find, that he did not labour for nought, or spend his strength in vain.

These general observations will supersede the necessity of repeating the same things, on noticing the successive publications relative to Conversion, which he produced; and to which we shall now proceed.

The first work of this class is a Treatise of Conversion; preached and now published for the use of those that are strangers to a true conversion, especially the grossly ignorant and ungodly.' 1657.4to. "It was the substance," he says, "of some plain sermons on conversion, which Mr. Baldwin, who lived in my house, and learned the short-hand character in which I wrote my pulpit notes, had transcribed. Though I had no leisure for this or other writings, to take much care of the style, or to add any ornaments, or citations of authors, I thought it might better pass as it was than not at all; and that if the author missed the applause of the learned, the book might yet be profitable to the ignorant, as it proved, through the great mercy of God.”

He dedicates the volume, in a most affectionate and faithful manner, to the inhabitants of the borough and foreign of Kidderminster. A few sentences of this address deserve to be Life, part i. p. 114.

Works, vol. vii.