The Right Method for a Settled Peace of Conscience, To the reader
To the Poor in Spirit.
MY dearly Beloved Fellow-Chriſtians, whoſe ſouls are taken up with the careful thoughts of attaining and maintaining Peace with God: who are vile in your own eyes, and value the Blood and Spirit and Word of your Redeemer, and the Hope of the Saints in their approaching Bleſſedneſs, before all the Pomp and Vanities of this world, and Reſolve to give up your ſelves to his Conduct, who is become the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him: For You do I Publiſh theſe following Directions: and to You it is that I direct this Preface. The onelyonly Glorious and Infinite God, who made the Worlds, and upholdeth them by his Word, who is attended with Millions of his Glorious Angels, and Praiſed continually by his Heavenly hoſts: who pulleth down the Mighty from their ſeats, and ſcattereth the Proud in the Imaginations of their hearts, and maketh his Enemies lick the duſt: to whom the Kings and Conquerors of the Earth are as the ſillieſt worms, and the whole world is Nothing, and lighter then Vanity, which he will ſhortly turn into flames before your eyes: This God hath ſent me to you, with that Joyful Meſſage, which needs no more but your believing entertainment, to make it ſufficient to raiſe you from the duſt, and baniſh thoſe terrours and troubles from your hearts, and help you to live like the Sons of God. He commandeth me to tell you, that he takes notice of your ſorrows: he ſtands by when you ſee him not and ſay He hath forſaken you: he minds you with greateſt tenderneſs when you ſay He hath forgotten you: He numbreth your ſighs: he bottles up your tears: the groans of your hearts do reach his own. He takes it unkindly, that you are ſo ſuſpicious of him: and that all that he hath done for you in the work of Redemption, and all the gracious workings of his Spirit on your ſouls, and all your own peculiar experiences of his Goodneſs, can raiſe you to no higher apprehenſions of his Love! Shall not Love be acknowledged to be Love, when its grown to a Miracle? when it ſurpaſſeth Comprehenſion! Muſt the Lord ſet up Love and Mercy in the work of Redemption, to be equally admired with his Omnipotency manifeſted in the Creation? and call forth the World to this ſweet imployment, that in Secret and in Publick it might be the buſineſs of our lives? and yet ſhall it be ſo overlookt or queſtioned, as if you lived without Love and Mercy in the World? Providence doth its part, by heaping up Mountains of daily Mercies, and theſe it ſets before your eyes: The Goſpel hath eminently done its part by clear deſcribing them, and fully aſſuring them: and this is proclaimed frequently in your ears: And yet is there ſo little in your hearts and mouths? Do you ſee, and hear, and feel, and taſte Mercy and Love? do you Live wholly on it? and yet do you ſtill doubt of it? and think ſo meanly of it, and ſo hardly acknowledge it? God takes not this well: but yet he conſidereth your frailty, and takes you not at the worſt. He knows that fleſh will play its part, and the Remnants of Corruption will not be idle: and the Serpent will be ſuggeſting falſe thoughts of God, and will be ſtill ſtriving moſt to obſcure that part of his Glory which is deareſt to him, and eſpecially which is moſt conjoyned with the Happineſs of Man. He knows alſo, that ſin will breed ſorrows and fears: and that mans Underſtanding is ſhallow, and all his Conceivings of God are exceeding low: and that we are ſo far from God as Creatures, and ſo much further as ſinners, and eſpecially as Conſcious of the abuſe of his Grace, that there muſt needs follow ſuch a ſtrangeneſs, as will damp and dull our apprehenſions of his Love: and ſuch an abatement of our Confidence, as will make us draw back, and look at God afar off. Seeing therefore that at this diſtance no full apprehenſions of Love can be expected: It is the Pleaſure of our Redeemer ſhortly to Return, with ten thouſands of his Saints, with the noble Army of his Martyrs, and the attendance of his Angels: and to give you ſuch a Convincing Demonſtration of his Love, as ſhall leave no room for one more Doubt. Your Comforts are now but a Taſt, they ſhall be then a Feaſt: They are now but Intermittent, they ſhall be then Continual▪ How ſoon now do your Conquered fears return? and what an unconſtancy and unevenneſs is there in our Peace? But then our Peace muſt needs be Perfect and Permanent, when we ſhall pleaſe God and Enjoy him in Perfection to Perpetuity. Certainly, Chriſtians, your Comforts ſhould be now more abundant, but that they are not ripe: It is that, and not this, that is your harveſt: I have told you in another Book the miſtake and danger of expecting too much here, and the Neceſsity of Looking and Longing for that Reſt, if we will have Peace indeed! But, alas, how hard is this leſſon learned? Unbelievers would have Happineſs: but how fain would they have it in the Creature, rather then in God! Believers would rather have their Happineſs in God then in the Creature: But how fain would they have it without Dying? And no wonder: for when Sin brought in Death, even Grace it ſelf cannot Love it, though it may ſubmit to it: But though Churliſh Death do ſtand in our way, why look we not at the Souls admittance into Reſt! and the Bodies Reſurrection that muſt ſhortly follow? Doubtleſs that Faith by which we are Juſtified and Saved, as it ſits down on the word of Truth as the preſent ground of its confident repoſe, ſo doth it thence look with one eye backward on the Croſs, and with the other forward on the Crown: And if we well obſerve the Scripture Deſcriptions of that Faith, we ſhall find them as frequently magnifying it, and deſcribing it from the latter as from the former. As it is the duty and glory of faith to look back with Thankful Acknowledgement to a Crucified Chriſt, and his payment of our Ranſome: ſo is it the Duty and Glory of that ſame Juſtifying Saving Faith to Look forward with Deſire and Hope to the Return of King Jeſus, and the Glorious Celebration of the Marriage of the Lamb, and the Sentencial Juſtification, and the Glorification of his Saints: To Believe theſe things unfeignedly which we never ſaw, (nor ever ſpoke with man that did ſee) and to Hope for them ſo Really as to let go all preſent forbidden pleaſures, and all worldly hopes and ſeeming happineſs, rather then to hazard the loſs of them: this is an eminent part of that Faith by which the Juſt do live, and which the Scripture doth own as Juſtifying and Saving: (For it never diſtinguiſheth between Juſtifying Faith and Saving Faith, as to their nature.) It is therefore a great miſtake of ſome to look onelyonly at that one eye of Juſtifying Faith which looks back upon the Croſs, and a great miſtake of them on the other hand that look onelyonly at that eye of it which beholds the Crown: Both Chriſt Crucified, and Chriſt Interceding, and Chriſt Returning to Juſtifie and Glorifie, are the objects even of Juſtifying Saving Faith, moſt ſtrictly ſo called. The Scripture oft expreſſeth the one onelyonly: but then it ſtill implyeth the other. The Socinians erroniouſly therefore from Heb. 11. (where the Examples and Elogies of Faith are ſet forth) do exclude Chriſt Crucified, or the reſpect to his Satisfaction, from Juſtifying Faith, and place it in a meer Expectation of Glory: and others do as ungroundedly affirm, that it is not the Juſtifying Act of Faith which Heb. 11. deſcribeth, becauſe they find not the Croſs of Chriſt there mentioned. For as Believing in Chriſts Blood Comprehendeth the End, even the Expectation of Remiſsion and Glory merited by that blood: ſo the Believing of that Glory doth always imply that we Believe and Expect it as the fruit of Chriſts Ranſome. It is for health and life that we Accept and Truſt upon our Phyſician: And it is for Juſtification and Salvation that we Accept and Truſt on Chriſt. The Salvation of our Souls is the End of our Faith. They that queſtion whether we may Believe and Obey for our own Salvation, do queſtion whether we may go to the Phyſician, and follow his advice for Health and Life. Why then do you that are Believers, ſo much forget the End of your Faith? and that for which it is that you Believe? Believing in Chriſt for preſent Mercies onelyonly, be they temporal or ſpiritual, is not the true Believing. They are dangerouſly miſtaken that think the thoughts of Heaven to be ſo accidental to the nature and work of Faith, as that they tend onelyonly to our Comfort, and are not neceſſary to Salvation it ſelf. It is upon your apprehenſions and expectations of that unſeen felicity that both your Peace and Safety do depend. How contrary therefore is it to the nature of a Believer, to forget the Place of his Reſt and Conſolation! and to Look for ſo much of theſe from Creatures, in this our preſent Pilgrimage and Priſon, as, alas, too commonly we do! Thus do we kill our Comforts, and then complain for want of them. How ſhould you have any Life or Conſtancy of Conſolations, that are ſo ſeldom, ſo ſlight, ſo unbelieving and ſo heartleſs in your thoughts of Heaven! You know what a folly it is to expect any Peace, which ſhall not come from Chriſt as the Fountain: And you muſt learn as well to underſtand what a folly it is to expect any ſolid Joys, or ſtable Peace, which is not fetcht from Heaven, as from the End. O that Chriſtians were careful to live with one eye ſtill on Chriſt Crucified, and with the other on Chriſt coming in Glory! If the Everlaſting Joys were more in your believing thoughts, Spiritual Joys would more abound at preſent in your hearts. It's no more wonder that you are Comfortleſs when Heaven is forgotten, or doubtingly remembred, then that you are faint when you eat not, or cold when you ſtir not, or when you have not fire or clothes.
But when Chriſtians do not onelyonly let fall their expectations of the things Unſeen, but alſo heighten their expectations from the Creature: then do they moſt infallibly prepare for their fears, and troubles, and eſtrangedneſs from God, and with both hands draw calamities on their ſouls. Who ever meets with a diſtreſſed complaining ſoul, where one or both of theſe is not apparent? their Low expectations from God hereafter, or their high expectations from the Creature now? What doth keep us under ſuch trouble and diſquietneſs, but that we will not Expect what God hath Promiſed, or we will needs Expect what he Promiſed not? And then we complain when we miſs of thoſe Expectations which we fooliſhly and ungroundedly raiſed to our ſelves! We are grieved for Croſſes, for Loſſes, for wrongs from our Enemies, for unkind or unfaithful dealings of our Friends, for ſickneſs, for contempt and diſ-eſteem in the World! But who bid you look for any better? Was it Proſperity, and Riches, and Credit, and Friends, that God called you to Believe for? or that you became Chriſtians for, or that you had an abſolute promiſe of in the Word? If you will make Promiſes to your ſelf, and then your own Promiſes deceive you, whom ſhould you blame for that? Nay do we not, as it were, necessitate God hereby, to embitter all our Comforts below, and to make every Creature as a Scorpion to us, becauſe we will needs make them our petty Deities? We have leſs Comfort in them then elſe we might have, becauſe we muſt needs have more then we ſhould have. You might have more faithfulneſs from your Friends, more Reputation in the World, more ſweetneſs in all your preſent enjoyments, if you lookt for Leſs. Why is it that you can ſcarce name a Creature near you, that is not a ſcourge to you, but becauſe you can ſcarce name one that is not your Idol? or, at leaſt, which you do not expect more from, then you ought? Nay (which is one of the ſaddeſt Conſiderations of this kind that can be imagined) God is fain to ſcourge us moſt even by the higheſt Profeſſors of Religion, becauſe we have moſt Idolized them, and had ſuch exceſsive… … pectations from them. One wo… … thought it next to an impoſsibili… … ſuch men, and ſo many of they, … ever have been drawn to do that againſt the Church, againſt that Goſpel-Miniſtry, and Ordinances of God (which once ſeemed dearer to them then their lives) which hath ſince been done, and which yet we fear! But a believing eye can diſcern the reaſon of this ſad providence (in part:) Never men were more Idolized: and therefore no wonder if we were never ſo afflicted by any. Alas, when will we learn by Scripture and Providence ſo to know God and the Creature, as to look for More from him, and leſs from them! We have looked for Wonders from Scotland, and what is come of it? We looked that War ſhould have even ſatisfied our deſires, and when it had removed all viſible Impediments, we thought we ſhould have had ſuch a glorious Reformation as the World never knew! And now behold, a Babel, and a mangled Deformation! What high Expectations had we from an Aſſembly! what Expectations from a Parliament! and where are they now! O hear the Word of the Lord, ye low-ſpirited People! [Ceaſe ye from man, whoſe breath is in his noſtrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? Iſa. 2.22.] [Curſed be the man that truſteth in man, and maketh fleſh his arm, and whoſe heart departeth from the Lord: For he ſhall be like the Heath in the Deſart, and ſhall not ſee when Good cometh. Bleſſed is the man that truſteth in the Lord, and whoſe Hope the Lord is: For he ſhall be as a Tree planted by the Waters, &c. Jer. 17.5, 6, 7, 8.] [Surely men of Low degree are Vanity, and men of High degree are a Lye: to be laid in the ballance they are altogether lighter then Vanity, Pſal. 62.9.] Let me warn you all, Chriſtians, for the time to come, Take the Creature as a Creature: remember its frailty: look for no more from it then its part: If you have the neareſt, deareſt, godly friends, expect to feel the ſting of their Corruptions, as well as to taſt the ſweetneſs of their Grace: And they muſt expect the like from you.
If you ask me why I ſpeak ſo much of theſe things here? It is, 1. Becauſe I find that much of the trouble of ordinary Chriſtians comes from their Croſſes in the Creature, and the fruſtration of theſe their ſinful Expectations. 2. And becauſe I have ſaid ſo little of it in the following Directions, they being intended for the cure of another kind of Trouble: therefore I have ſaid this much here of this.
Having premiſed this advice, I take my ſelf bound to adde one thing more: that is, An Apologie for the Publication of this Imperfect Piece: whether juſt or inſufficient, other men muſt judge. I confeſs I am ſo apprehenſive of the Luxuriant Fertility, or Licenciouſneſs of the Preſs of late, as being a deſign of the Enemy to bury and overwhelm in a croud thoſe Judicious, Pious, Excellent Writings that before were ſo commonly read by the People, that I think few men ſhould now print without an Apologie: much leſs ſuch as I; who hath more lamented this inundation of impertinencies! or more accuſed the Ignorance and Pride of others …hat muſt needs diſgorge themſelves of all …heir Crudities, as if they were ſuch pre…ious Conceptions, proceeding from the Holy Ghoſt, that the World might not, without very great injury, be deprived of: and it were pity that all men ſhould not be made partakers of them? And how come I to go on in the ſame fault my ſelf? Truly I have no Excuſe or Argument but thoſe of the Times, Neceſſity and Providence: which how far they may Juſtifie me, I muſt leave to the Judge. Being in company with a troubled complaining Friend, I perceived that it muſt be ſome ſtanding Counſel which might be frequently peruſed, that muſt ſatisfactorily anſwer the Complaints that I heard, and not a tranſient Speech, which would quickly ſlip away: Being therefore obliged as a Paſtor, and as a Friend, and as a Chriſtian, to tender my beſt aſsiſtance for relief, I was ſuddenly (in the moment of ſpeaking) moved to promiſe one ſheet of Paper, which might be uſeful to that End. Which promiſe when I attempted to perform, the one ſheet lengthened to thirty, and my one daies (intended) work was drawn out to a juſt month, I went on far before I had the leaſt thought to let any eye behold it, except the Party for whom I wrote it: But at laſt I perceived an impoſsibility of contracting, and I was preſently poſſeſſed with confident apprehenſions, that a Copy of thoſe Directions might be uſeful to many other of my poor Neighbours and Friends that needed them …s much: Upon which apprehenſion I preſently permitted my Pen to run more at large, and to deviate from the caſe of the Party that I wrote for: and to take in the common caſe of moſt troubled doubting ſouls. By that time I had finiſhed it, I received Letters from ſeveral parts, from Learned and Judicious Divines, importuning me to print more (having underſtood my Intentions to deſiſt, as having done too much already, even at firſt:) I confeſs I was not much moved by their Importunity, till they ſeconded it with their Arguments: whereof one was, The Experience of the ſucceſs of former Writings, which might aſſure me it was not diſpleaſing to God. I had many that urged me: I had no one but my ſelf to draw me back. I apprehended that a writing of this nature might be uſeful to the many weak perplexed Chriſtians through the Land. Two reaſons did at firſt come in againſt it. The firſt was, That if there were no more written on this Subject then Doctor Sibs's Bruiſed Reed, and Souls Conflict, and Mr Joſ. Symonds Deſerted Souls Caſe and Cure, there need no more: Eſpecially there being alſo Doctor Preſtons Works, and many of Perkins, to this uſe: and Mr. Ball and Mr. Culverwel of Faith, and divers the like. To this my own Judgement anſwered, That yet theſe brief Directions might adde ſomewhat that might be uſeful to the weak, as to the Method of their proceedings, if not to the matter: And my Brethren ſtopt my mouth by telling me, that others had written before me of Heaven and Baptiſm: and yet my labours were not loſt. Next this, I thought the Crudity and weakneſs of the Writing was ſuch, as ſhould prohibit the publication, it being unfit to thruſt upon the World, the haſty undigeſted lines that were written for the uſe of one perſon. To this my thoughts replied, That 1. For all that, it might be uſeful to poor Women, and Country people, who moſt commonly prove the troubled ſpirits for whoſe ſakes I wrote it. Had I writ for the uſe of Learned men, I would have tried to make it fitter for their uſe: and if I could not, I would have ſuppreſſed it. 2. It was my Pride that nouriſhed this ſcruple, which moved me not to appear ſo homely to the World, and therefore I caſt it by. One thing more I confeſs did much prevail with me to make theſe Papers publick: and that is, the Antinomians common, confident obtruſion of their Anti-Evangelical doctrines and methods for comforting troubled ſouls. They are the moſt notorious Mountebanks in this Art, the higheſt pretenders, and unhappieſt performers, that moſt of the Reformed Churches ever knew. And none uſually are readier to receive their doctrines, then ſuch weak women or unskilful people, that being in Trouble, are like a ſick man in great pain, who is glad to hear what all can ſay, and to make trial of every thing by which he hath any hope of eaſe. And then there is ſo much Opium in theſe Mountebanks Nepenthes, or Antidote of Reſt: ſo many principles of carnal ſecurity and preſumption, which tend to the preſent caſe of the Patient, (whatever follow) that it is no wonder if ſome well-meaning Chriſtians do quickly ſwallow the bait, and proclaim the rare effects of this Medicament, and the admirable skil of this unskilful Sect, to the enſnaring of others, eſpecially that are in the like diſtreſs. Eſpecially when they meet with ſome Divines of our own, who do deliver to them ſome Maſter-points of this Syſteme of Miſtakes, which are ſo neceſſarily concatenated to the reſt, that they may eaſily ſee, if they have one, they muſt have all, unleſs they will hold Contradictions. As to inſtance in the Doctrine of Juſtification before Faith: or the diſſolving the Obligation to Puniſhment (which is nothing but Remiſsion of ſin) before Faith: So that nothing remains ſince Chriſts death (as ſome) or ſince Gods Decree (as others) but onelyonly to have our Pardon manifeſted, or to be Juſtified in Conſcience, or (as ſome phraſe it) to have that Juſtification which is terminated in Conſcience. There is a very Judicious man, Mr. Benjamin Woodbridge of Newbury hath written ſo excellent well againſt this Errour, and in ſo ſmall room, being but one Sermon, that I would adviſe all private Chriſtians to get one of them, and peruſe it, as one of the beſt, eaſieſt, cheapeſt Preſervatives againſt the contagion of this part of Antinomianiſm.
I had not troubled the Reader with this Apologie, had I thought ſo well of this Writing as to be a ſufficient Apologie for it ſelf: or had I not taken it for a hainous Crime to ſpeak Idly in Print.
For the Doctrine here contained, it is of a Middle ſtrain, between (I think) the Extreams of ſome others. I have laboured ſo to build up Peace, as not thereby to fortifie Preſumption. And perhaps in ſome Points you may ſee my meaning more plainly, which through the obſcurity of former Writings I was miſ-underſtood in. As for the Manner of this Writing, I muſt deſire them that expect Learning or Exactneſs, to turn away their eyes: and know, that I wrote it not for ſuch as they. I uſe not to ſpeak any thing b… plain Engliſh to that Sex, or to that Uſ… and End for which I wrote theſe Lines I wrote to the utmoſt verge of my Paper before I thought to make it publick, an… ſo had no room for Marginal Quotations▪ (nor time to tranſcribe that Copy that might have room) nor indeed much min… of them, if I had had both room and time.
As in all the Removes of my Life … have been ſtill led to that place or ſtate which was furtheſt from my own thoughts, and never deſigned or contrived by my ſelf: ſo all the Writings that yet I have publiſhed are ſuch as have been by ſome ſudden unexpected occaſion extorted from me, while thoſe that I moſt affected have been ſtifled in the Conception: and thoſe that I have moſt laboured in, muſt lie buried in the duſt: that I may know it's God that is the Diſpoſer of all. Experience perſwadeth me to think, that God, who hath compelled me hereto, intendeth to make this haſty writing a means for the calming of ſome Troubled Souls: Which if he do, I have my End. If I can do nothing to the …hurches publick Peace, either through my own unskilfulneſs and unworthineſs, or through the prevalency of the Malady: yet will it be my comfort to further the Peace of the pooreſt Chriſtian. (Though to the former alſo I ſhall contribute my beſt endeavours: and am with this ſending to the Preſs ſome few ſheets to that end, with our Worceſterſhire Agreement.) The full accompliſhment of both: the ſubduing of the Prince of Darkneſs, Confuſion and Contention: the deſtroying of that Pride, ſelf-eſteem, ſelf-ſeeking, and carnal-mindedneſs, which remaining even in the beſt, are the diſturbers of all Peace: the fuller diſcovery of the ſinfulneſs of impeaceable Principles, Diſpoſitions and Practices: the nearer cloſure of all true Believers, and the haſtning of the Churches Everlaſting Peace: Theſe are his daily Prayers, who is
May 7. 1653. A zealous deſirer of the Peace of the Church, and of every faithful ſoul, RICHARD BAXTER▪