sign of a justified, regenerate soul. But this whole hath many parts, and it is abundance of particulars materially in which this sincerity is to be found. Even all the sixty characters which I have here nained, are animated by that one, and contained in it. And I think to the most the full description of a Christian in his essential and integral parts (yet showing which are indeed essential) is the best way to acquaint them with the nature of Christianity, and to help them in the trial of themselves. And as it were an abuse of human nature, for a painter to draw the picture of a man without arms, or legs, or nose, or eyes, because he may be a man without them; so would it have been in me to draw only a maimed picture of a Christian, because a maimed Christian is a Christian. Yet, because there are so many maimed Christians in the world, I have also showed you their lamentable defects; not in a manner which tendeth to encourage them in their sins and wants, under pretense of comforting them, but in that manner which may best excite them to their duty, in order to their recovery, without destroying their necessary supporting comforts.

O happy church, and state, and family, which are composed of such confirmed Christians! where the predominant temperature is such as I have here described! Yea, happy is the place where magistrates and ministers are such; who are the vital parts of state and church, and the instruments appointed to communicate these perfections to the rest. But how much more happy is the New Jerusalem, the city of the living God, where the perfected spirits of the just, in perfect life, and light, and love, are perfectly beholding, and admiring, and praising, and pleasing the eternal God, their Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier forever! where the least and meanest is greater and more perfect than the confirmed Christian here described; and where hypocrisy is utterly excluded, and imperfection ceaseth, with scandal, censures, uncharitableness, divisions, and all its other sad effects; and where the souls that thirsted after righteousness shall be fully satisfied, and love God more than they can now desire, and never grieve themselves or others with their wants, or weaknesses, or misdoings, any more. And, O blessed day, when our blessed Head shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, and shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that now believe; whose weakness here occasioned his dishonor and their own contempt! When the seed of grace is grown up into glory, and all the world, whether they will or not, shall discern between the righteous and the wicked; between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not; be. tween the clean and the unclean; and between him that sweareth and him that feareth an oath. And though now "our life is hid

with Christ in God," and it yet "appeareth not (to the sight of ourselves or others) what we shall be; yet then, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we also shall appear with him in glory;' Heb. xii. 22, 23. Rev. xxii. 3-5. 14, 15. xxi. 3, 4. 8. 2 Thess. i. 9, 10. Matt. v. 4. 6. Mal. iii. 18. Eccles. ix. 2. 1 John iii. 2, 3. Col. iii. 3, 4. Away, then, my soul, from this dark, deceitful, and vexatious world! Love not thy diseases, thy fetters and calamities. Groan daily to thy Lord, and earnestly groan to be clothed upon with thy house that is from heaven, (2 Cor. v. 2. 4.) that mortality may be swallowed up of life! Join in the harmonious desires of the creatures, who groan to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God; Rom. viii. 20-22. "Abide in him, and walk in righteousness, that, when he shall appear, thou mayest have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming;" 1 John üi. 28, 29. Join not with the evil servants, who say in their hearts, "Our Lord delayeth his coming, and begin to smite their fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; whose Lord shall come in a day when they look not for him, and in an hour that they are not aware of, and shall cut them asunder, and appoint them their portion with the hypocrites, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth;" Matt. xxiv. 38–51. O watch and pray that thou enter not into temptation! and be patient, for the Judge is at the door! Lift up thy head with earnest expectation, O my soul, for thy redemption draweth near! Rejoice in hope before thy Lord, for he cometh; he cometh to judge the world in righteousness and truth, Behold he cometh quickly, though faith be failing, and iniquity abound, and love waxeth cold, and scorners say, Where is the promise of his coming! Make haste, O thou whom my soul desireth, and come in glory as thou first camest in humility, and conform them to thyself in glory, whom thou madest conformable to thy sufferings and humility! Let the holy city New Jerusalem be prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and let God's tabernacle be with men, that he may dwell with them, and be their God, and wipe away their tears, and death, and sorrow, and crying; and pain may be no more, but former things may pass away! Keep up our faith, our hope, our love! and daily vouchsafe us some beams of thy directing, consolatory light in this our darkness! and be not as a stranger to thy scattered flock, in this desolate wilderness! But let them hear thy voice, and find thy presence, and have such conversation with thee in heaven, in the exercise of faith, and hope, and love, which is agreeable to their low and distant state. Testify to their souls that thou art their Savior and Head, and that they abide in thee by the Spirit which thou hast

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given them, abiding and overcoming in them, and as thy agent pre paring them for eternal life. O let not our darkness, nor any strangeness, feed our odious unbelief! O show thyself more clearly to thy redeemed ones! and come and dwell in our hearts by faith! And by holy love let us dwell in God, and God in us, that we grope not after him, as those that worship an unknown God. O save us from temptation! And if the messenger of Satan be sent to buffet us, let thy strength be manifested in our weakness, and thy grace appear sufficient for us. And give us the patience which thou tellest us we need, that, having done thy will, we may inherit the promise, And bring us to the sight and fruition of our Creator, of whom, and through whom, and to whom are all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen.

MAKING LIGHT OF CHRIST

AND

SALVATION,

TOO OFT THE ISSUE OF GOSPEL INVITATIONS:

MANIFESTED IN

A SERMON PREACHED AT LAURENCE JURY

IN LONDON

TO THE READER.

READER,

BEING called on in London to preach, when I had no time to study, I was fain to preach some sermons that I had preached in the country a little before. This was one, which I preached at St. Laurence, in the church where my reverend and faithful brother in Christ, Mr. Richard Vines, is pastor. When I came home, I was followed by such importunities, by letters, to print the sermon, that I have yielded thereunto, though I know not fully the ground of their desires. Seeing it must abroad, will the Lord but bless it to the cure of thy contempt of Christ and grace, how comfortable may the occasion prove to thee and me! It is the slighting of Christ and salvation that undoes the world. O, happy man, if thou escape but this sin! Thousands do split their souls on this rock which they should build them on. Look into the world, among rich and poor, high and low, young and old, and see whether it appear not by the whole scope of their conversations that they set more by something else than Christ? And for all the proclamations of his grace in the gospel, and our common professing ourselves to be his disciples, and to believe the glorious things that he hath promised us in another world, whether it yet appear not by the deceitfulness of our service, by our heartless endeavors to obtain his kingdom, and by our busy and delightful following of the world, that the most who are called Christians do yet in their hearts make light of Christ; and if so, what wonder if they perish by their contempt! Wilt thou but soberly peruse this short discourse, and consider well as thou readest of its truth and weight, till thy heart be sensible what a sin it is to make light of Christ and thy own salvation, and till the Lord that bought thee be advanced in the estimation and affections of thy soul, thou shalt hereby rejoice, and fulfill the desires of

Thy servant in the faith,

RICHARD BAXTER.