How to Do Good to Many, Title page – Dedication
How to do Good to Many: OR, THE PUBLICK GOOD IS THE Chriſtians Life.
DIRECTIONS and MOTIVES to it.
Intended for an AUDITORY of London Citizens, AND Publiſhed for them, for want of leave to preach them.
By RICHARD BAXTER.
Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himſelf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purifie to himſelf, a People zealous of good Works.
LONDON, Printed for Rob. Gibs at the Ball in Chancery Lane, 1682.
The Contents.
GAL. 6. 10. Doct. To do Good to all men is all mens duty, to which every Chriſtian eſpecially muſt apply himſelf.
I. Who this All meaneth, and in what order, p. 4.
II. What is the Good that we muſt do, p. 5.
III. The Rules for judging and doing good, p. 5.
IV. What qualifications are neceſſary hereto? 1. To know good from evil, p. 6. 2. To love all men, p. 8. 3. To love many and the Common good above himſelf, p. 9. 4. To be good himſelf, p. 10. 5. Suitable abilities. 6. A large proſpect of the world, and of time to come. 7. Chriſtian fortitude againſt diſcouragement. 8. To look to God for his reward, p. 11. And finally believe the life to come.
The Impediments of doing good, p. 12.
V. Particular good works, or directions for publick good.
I. Do as much good as you can to mens bodies, in order to the good of Souls, p. 15.
II. Promote knowledge of neceſſary truth. 1. Set up Reading Schools. 2. Give Bibles and good Books, p. 16.
III. Order Families aright, and Educate Children for Chriſt, p. 18.
IV. Promote a faithfull Miniſtry. 1. Devote not your Children to the Miniſtry, that are unqualified, p. 18. 2. Let honeſt Rich men buy Preſentations. The difference between good and bad Paſtors, p. 19.
V. Keep order and Diſcipline in particular Churches, p. 20.
VI. Promote Love and Concord with all that deſerve to be called Chriſtians, p. 21. Who thoſe are, p. 22.
VII. Do your beſt to keep up ſound Religion in the Pariſh Churches, and do nothing to deprave or loſe it there, p. 24.
VIII. See that no injuries tempt you into Sedition or unlawful Wars: What is lawful: Patiently truſt God; and cut not the Infant of deliverance out of the Womb, before his time of birth, p. 25.
IX. Do your beſt to procure faithful and juſt Rulers? What private men may do: The great difference between good Rulers and bad, p. 30.
X. Know publick ſins and dangers to oppoſe them, p. 31.
XI. Know your duty to your Neighbours, and be not ſtrange to them.
XII. Be ſuch as you would make others, p. 31.
Uſe of exhortation to do good: Cavils refuted: Motives to do good to many, p. 33.
Specially to Magiſtrates and Miniſters, p. 35.
Conſectaries. 1. A ſelfiſh fleſhly life is the ſtate of Hypocrites, p. 38.
2. How carefully ſhould we take heed of doing hurt, p. 39.
3. Its not enough to leave others to do good by our laſt Wills.
4. Yet dying men ſhould do what good they can by their Wills, p. 39.
Leaving great Eſtates to Children who are like to do hurt with them, or no good, but live in idleneſs and fulneſs, proved a great ſin, and the objections anſwered, p. 40.
5. Humbly propoſed to Merchants and Rich men, 1. Whether our Factories might not be made more uſeful to promote the Goſpel, by Chaplains and Factors? 2. Whether Armenians, Greeks, and Mofcovites might not be helpt? and how? 3. Might not more be dove for the Natives in our Plantations? 4. Or at laſt for the Blacks that are their ſlaves, p. 45.
6. The great oppoſition to good in all the World by Satan and his Servants, the more obligeth all Chriſts Servants to ſeek to over do them, and to be zealous of good works, p. 46.
ERRATA.
Page 1. blot out [1] before Gal. 6. pa. 26. 1. 15 for [Cold] read [Gold] pa. 23. 1. 31. for [with] read [within]
TO THE TRULY CHRISTIAN Merchants and other Citizens OF LONDON.
AS my Diſeaſe and the Reſtraint of Rulers ſeem to tell me that my Pulpit work is at an end, ſo alſo my abode among you, or in this World cannot be long. What Work I have lived for, I have given the World more durable notice than tranſient words: It hath been ſuch as Men in Power were againſt, and it ſeems will no longer indure. What Doctrine it was that I laſt prepared for you, I thought meet to deſire the Preſs thus to tell you, not to vindicate my ſelf, nor to characterize them, who think, that it deſerves ſix months impriſonment; but to be in your hands a Provocation and Direction for that great Work of a Chriſtian Life, which ſincerely, done, will prepare you for that ſafety, joy, and glory, which London, England, or Earth will not afford; and which men or Devils cannot take from you. When through the meritorious righteouſneſs of Chriſt, your holy Love and good Works to him in his Brethren ſhall make you the joyful Objects of that Sentence, Come ye bleſſed inherit the Kingdom, &c. This is the life that need not be repented of, as ſpent in vain.
Dear Friends, in this Farewel, I return you my moſt hearty thanks, for your extraordinary love and kindneſs to my ſelf, and much more for your love to Chriſt; and to his Servants, who have more needed your releif. God is not unjuſt to forget your work and labour of Love: You have viſited thoſe that others impriſoned, and fed thoſe that others brought into want; and when ſome ceaſed not to preach for our affliction, it quenched not your impartial Charity. It hath been an unſpeakable Mercy unto me almoſt all my dayes, (when I received nothing from them) to have known ſo great a number as I have done of ſerious, humble, holy, charitable Chriſtians: In whom I ſaw that Chriſt hath an Elect peculiar People, quite different from the brutiſh, proud, hypocritical, malignant, unbeleiving World! O how ſweet hath the familiarity of ſuch been to me, whom the ignorant World hath hated! moſt of them are gone to Chriſt: I am following: We leave you here to longer tryal: Its like you have a bitter Cup to drink: But be faithful to the death, and Chriſt will give you the Crown of Life. The Word of God is not bound; and the Jeruſalem above is free, where is the general Aſſembly of the firſt Born, an innumerable company of Angels, the Spirits of the juſt made perfect, with Chriſt their glorified Head. The Lord guide, bleſs, and preſerve you.