The Right Method for a Settled Peace of Conscience, Title page – Dedication
The Right METHOD For a ſettled PEACE Of Conſcience, and Spiritual COMFORT.
In 32 DIRECTIONS.
Written for the uſe of a troubled friend: and now publiſhed
By Richard Baxter, Teacher of the Church at Kederminſter in Worceſterſhire.
1 John 4.16.
God is Love.
Luke 14.17. Mat. 22.4.
Come, for all things are now Ready.
London, Printed for T. Ʋnderhil, F. Tyton, and W. R…ybould, and are to be ſold at the Anchor, and at the Unicorn in Pauls Church-yard, and at the three Daggers in Fleetſtreet. 1653.
MAT. 11.28.
COme unto me all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you Reſt: Take my Yoke upon you, and Learn of me: for I am meek and Lowly in heart, and ye ſhall finde Reſt unto your ſouls: For my Yoke is eaſie, and my burthen is light.
GAL. 5.17.
For the fleſh luſteth againſt the Spirit, and the Spirit againſt the fleſh; and theſe are contrary the one to the other, ſo that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
ROM. 6.16.
Know ye not that to whom ye Yield your ſelves ſervants to obey, his ſervants ye are to whom ye obey? whether of ſin unto Death, or of Obedience unto Righteouſneſs?
ROM. 13.14.
Make not proviſion for the fleſh, to fulfil the luſts thereof.
ROM. 8.13.
For if ye Live after the fleſh, ye ſhall dye▪ But if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the Body, ye ſhall live.
2 PET. 2.19.
While they promiſe them Liberty, they themſelves are the Servants of Corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the ſame is he brought in bondage.
EZEK. 33.10, 11.
Thus you ſpeak, ſaying, If our tranſgreſſions and our ſins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how ſhould we then live? Say unto them, As I live, ſaith the Lord God, I have no pleaſure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye dye, O houſe of Iſrael?
2 COR. 2.20.
Now then, we are Ambaſſadors for Chriſt, as though God did beſeech you by us: we pray you in Chriſts ſtead, be reconciled to God.
PSAL. 37.3, 4.
Truſt in the Lord, and do good, &c. Delight thy ſelf alſo in the Lord, and he ſhall give thee the Deſires of thine heart.
Sound Doctrine makes a ſound Judgement, a ſound Heart, a ſound Converſation, and a ſound Conſcience.
To my much valued, beloved, and honored friends, Col. John Bridges, with Mrs Margaret Bridges his Wife, and Mr. Thomas Foley, with Mrs Anne Foley his Wife.
THough in publiſhing our Writings, we intend them for the good of all; yet cuſtom (not without reaſon) doth teach us, ſometimes to direct them more eſpecially to ſome. Though one only had the original intereſt in theſe papers, yet do I now direct them to you all, as not knowing how in this to ſeparate you. You dwell together in my Eſtimation and Affection: One of you a Member of the Church, which I muſt Teach; and legally the Patron of its Maintenance and Miniſter: The other, a ſpecial branch of that family, which I was firſt indebted to in this County. You lately joyned in preſenting to the Parliament, the Petition of this County for the Goſpel and a faithful Miniſtry: When I only told you of my intention, of ſending ſome poor Scholars to the Univerſity, you freely and joyntly offered your conſiderable Annual allowance thereto, and that for the continuance of my life, or their neceſſities there. I will tell the world of this, whether you will or no: not for your applauſe, but for their imitation; and the ſhame of many of far greater eſtates, that will not be drawn to do the like. The ſeaſon ſomewhat aggravates the Goodneſs of your Works. When Satan hath a deſign to burn up thoſe Nurſeries, you are watering Gods plants: when the greedy mouth of Sacriledge is gaping for their Maintenance, you are voluntarily adding for the ſupply of its defect. Who knows how many ſouls they may win to Chriſt (if God ſhall ſend them forth into his harveſt) whom you have thus aſſiſted? and what an addition to your comfort this may be? When the Goſpel is ſo undermined, and the Miniſtry ſo maligned, and their maintenance ſo envied, you have, as the mouth of this County, appeared for them all. What God will yet do with us, we cannot tell; but if he will continue his Goſpel to us, you may have the greater comfort in it; If he will remove it, and forſake a proud unworthy falſe hearted People; yet may you have the comfort of your ſincere endeavors: you (with the reſt that ſincerely furthered it) may eſcape the gnawings of Conſcience, and the publique curſe and reproach, which the Hiſtorie of this age may faſten upon them, who after all their Engagements in blood and Covenants, would either in ignorant fury, or malicious ſubtilty, or baſe temporizing cowardize, oppugn or undermine the Goſpel, or in perfidious ſilence, look on, whilſt its deſtroyed. But becauſe it is not the work of a flatterer, that I am doing, but of a friend; I muſt ſecond theſe commendations with ſome caution and counſel; and tell your ſelves of your danger and duty, as I tell others of your exemplary Deeds. Truly the ſad experiences of theſe times, have much abaſed my confidence in man, and cauſed me to have lower thoughts of the beſt, then ſometime I have had. I confeſs I look on man, as ſuch a diſtempered, ſlippery and unconſtant thing, and of ſuch a natural mutability of Apprehenſions and Affections, that as I ſhall never more call any man on earth, My friend, but with a ſuppoſition that he may poſſibly become mine enemie; So I ſhall never be ſo confident of any mans Fidelity to Chriſt, as not withal to ſuſpect that he may poſſibly forſake him: nor ſhall I boaſt of any mans ſervice for the Goſpel, but with a jealouſie that he may be drawn to do as much againſt it (though God who knows the heart, and knows his own decrees, may know his ſincerity, and foreknow his perſeverance.) Let me therefore remember you, that had you expended your whole eſtates, and the blood of your hearts for Chriſt and his Goſpel, he will not take himſelf beholden to you. He oweth you no Thanks for your deepeſt engagements, higheſt adventures, greateſt coſt, or utmoſt endeavours. You are ſure beforehand that you ſhall be no loſers by him: your ſeeming hazards increaſe your ſecurity: Your loſſes are your gain; your giving is your receiving; your expences are your revenues: Chriſt returns the largeſt uſury. The more you do and ſuffer for him, the more you are beholden to him. I muſt alſo remember you, that you may poſſibly live to ſee the day, when it will coſt you dearer to ſhew your ſelves faithful …o the Goſpel, Ordinances and Miniſters of Chriſt, then now it doth: and that many have ſhrunk in greater tryals, that paſt through leſſer with reſolution and honor. Your defection at the laſt, would be the loſs of all your works and hopes. If any man draw back, Chriſt ſaith, his ſoul ſhall have no pleaſure in him. Even thoſe that have endured the great fight of Affliction, being reproached and made a gazing-ſtock, and that have taken joyfully the ſpoiling of their goods, in aſſurance of a better and enduring ſubſtance, have yet need to be warned that they caſt not away their confidence, and draw not back to perdition, and loſe not the Reward for want of Patience and Perſeverance, Heb. 10.22. to the end. That you may eſcape this danger, and be happy for ever, take this advice. 1. Look carefully to the ſincerity of your hearts, in their Covenant-cloſure with Chriſt. See that you take him with the happineſs he hath promiſed for your All. Take heed of looking after another felicity; … cheriſhing other Hopes; or eſteeming too highly any thing below. Be jealous, and very jealous, leſt your hearts ſhould cloſe deceitfully with Chriſt, maintaining any ſecret Reſerve for your bodily ſafety: either reſolving not to follow him, or not reſolving to follow him through the moſt deſolate diſtreſſed condition that he ſhall lead you in. Count what it may coſt you to get the Crown; ſtudy well his precepts of Mortification and Self-denyal. There is no true hopes of the Glory to come, if you cannot caſt overboard all worldly hopes, when the ſtorm is ſuch that you muſt hazard the one. O how many have thought that Chriſt was moſt dear to them, and that the hopes of heaven were their chiefeſt hopes, who have left Chriſt, though with ſorrow, when he bid them let go all? 2. Every day renew your apprehenſions of the Truth and Worth of the Promiſed Felicity; and of the Deluſory Vanity of all things here below: Let not Heaven loſe with you its Attractive force, through your forgetfulneſs or unbelief. He is the beſt Chriſtian, that knows beſt why he is a Chriſtian; and he will moſt faithfully ſeek and ſuffer, that beſt knows for what he doth it. Value not Wealth and Honor above that rate which the wiſeſt and beſt experienced have put upon them: and allow them no more of your affections then they deſerve. A mean wit may eaſily diſcover their emptineſs. Look on all preſent actions and conditions with a remembrance of their end. Deſire not a ſhare in their proſperity, who muſt pay as dear for it as the loſs of their ſouls: Be not ambitious of that honor which muſt end in Confuſion; nor of the Favor of thoſe that God will call enemies. How ſpeedily will they come down, and be levelled in the duſt, and be laid in the chains of darkneſs, that now ſeem ſo happy to the pur-blinde world, that cannot ſee the things to come? Fear not that man that muſt ſhortly tremble before that God whom all muſt fear. 3. Be more ſolicitous for the ſecuring of your Conſciences and Salvation, then of your honors or eſtates: In every thing that you are put upon, conſult firſt with God and Conſcience; and not with fleſh and blood. It is your daily and moſt ſerious care and watchfulneſs that is requiſite to maintain your integrity; and not a few careleſs thoughts or purpoſes, conjunct with a minding of earthly things. 4 Deal faithfully with every truth which you receive. Take heed of ſubjecting it to carnal intereſts: If once you have affections that can maſter your Underſtandings, you are loſt, and know it not. For when you have a Reſolution to caſt off any d…ty, you will firſt Believe it is no duty: and when you muſt change your judgement for carnal advantages, you will make the change ſeem reaſonable and right: and evil ſhall be proved good when you have a minde to follow it. 5. Make Goſpel-Truths your own, by daily humble ſtudies, ariſing to ſuch a ſoundneſs of Judgement, that you may not need to take too much upon truſt; leſt if your guides ſhould miſcarry, you miſcarry with them. Deliver not up your underſtanding in Captivity to any. 6. Yet do not overvalue your own Underſtandings. This Pride hath done that in Church and State, which all diſcerning men are lamenting. They that know but little, ſee not what they want, as well as what they have; nor that imperfection in their knowledge which ſhould humble them, nor that difficulty in things, which ſhould make them diligent and modeſt. 7. Apprehend the neceſſity and Uſefulneſs of Chriſts Officers, Order and Ordinances for the proſperity of his Church: Paſtors muſt guide you, though not ſeduce you, or lead you blindefold. But chooſe (if you may) ſuch as are judicious, and not ignorant, not raſh but ſober, not formal but ſerious and ſpiritual, not of carnal but heavenly converſations; eſpecially avoid them that divide and follow par…es, and ſeek to draw Diſciples to themſelves, & can ſacrifice the Churches Unity and Peace to their proud humors or carnal intereſts. Watch carefully that no weakneſſes of the Miniſter do draw you to a diſ-eſteem of the Ordinances of God: nor any of the ſad miſcarriages of Profeſſors ſhould cauſe you to ſet leſs by Truth or Godlineſs. Wrong not Chriſt more, becauſe other men have ſo wronged him. Quarrel more with your own unfitneſs and unworthineſs in Ordinances, then with other mens. It is the frame of your own heart that doth more to help or hinder your Comforts, then the quality of thoſe you joyn with. To theſe few Directions added to the reſt in this Book, I ſhall ſubjoyn my hearty Prayers, that you may receive from that Goſpel and Miniſtry which you have owned, ſuch ſtability in the faith, ſuch victory over the fleſh and the world, ſuch apprehenſions of the Love of God in Chriſt, ſuch direction in every ſtrait and duty, that you Live uprightly, Dye peaceably, and Raign Gloriouſly. Amen.
May 9. 1653. Your ſervant in the Faith and Goſpel of Chriſt. Rich. Baxter.