the keys of the kingdom which he hath put into their hands. Do you not perceive what a strait your teachers are in. The Lord Jesus requireth them to exercise his discipline faithfully and impartially. He giveth them not empty titles of rule, but lays upon them the burden of ruling. It is his work more than their honour that he intends; and if they will have the honour, it must be by the work. The work is, as to teach the ignorant, and convince the unbelieving and gainsaying, so to admonish the disorderly and scandalous, and to reject and cast out of the communion of the church the obstinate and impenitent, and to set by the leprous that they infect not the rest, and to separate thus the precious from the vile by Christ's discipline, that dividing separation and soul-destroying transgressions may be prevented or cured. This work Christ hath charged upon them, and will have it done whoever is against it. If they obey him, and do it, what a tumult, what clamours and discontents will they raise! How many will be ready to rise up against them with hatred and scorn! Though it be the undoubted work of Christ, which, even under persecution, was performed by the church guides. When they do but keep a scandalous, untractable sinner from the communion of the church in the Lord's supper, what repinings doth it raise! But, alas! this is a small part of the discipline. If all the apparently obstinate and impenitent were cast out, what a stir would they make; and if Christ be not obeyed, what a stir will conscience make: and it is not only between Christ and men, but between men and men that your guides are put upon straits. The separatists reproach them for suffering the impenitent to continue members of their churches, and make it the pretence of their separation from them, having little to say of any moment against the authorised way of government, but only against our slackness in the execution; and if we should set to the close exercise of it, as is meet, how would city and country ring of it; and what indignation should we raise in the multitude against us. O what need have your guides of your encouragement and best assistance in this strait! God hath set them on a work so ungrateful and displeasing to flesh and blood that they cannot be faithful in it, but twenty to one they will draw a world of hatred upon themselves, if not men's fists about their ears. Festered sores will not be lanced and searched with ease. Corrupted members are unwilling to be cut off and cast aside, especially any of the great ones fall under the censure, who are big in

if

the eyes of the world, and in their own; and yet our sovereign Lord must be obeyed, and his house must be swept, and the filth cast out, by what names or titles soever it be dignified with men. He must be pleased, if all be displeased by it. Withdraw not your help, then, from this needful work. It is by the word, Spirit, and ministry, that Christ, the King of his church, doth govern it; not separately, but jointly by all three. To disobey these is to disobey Christ; and subjection to Christ is essential to our Christianity. This, well thought on, might do much to recover the unruly that are recoverable. You may conjecture by the strange opposition that church government meets with from all sorts of carnal and corrupted minds, that there is somewhat in it that is eminently of God. I shall say no more but this, that it is an able, judicious, godly, faithful ministry; not barely heard and applauded, but humbly and piously submitted to, and obeyed in the Lord, that must be your truest present glory, and the means of your everlasting peace and joy.

So testifieth from the Lord your servant in the faith of Christ,

RICHARD BAXTER.

TO THE

IGNORANT OR CARELESS READER.

SEEING the Providence of God hath commanded forth this plain discourse, I shall hope, upon experience of his dealing in the like cases with me, that he hath some work for it to do in the world. Who knows but it was intended for the saving of thy soul, by opening thine eyes, and awaking thee from thy sin, who art now in reading of it! Be it known to thee, it is the certain truth of God, and of high concernment to thy soul, that it treateth of, and therefore requireth thy most sober considera. tion. Thou hast in it, (how weakly soever it is managed by me,) an advantage put into thy hand from God, to help thee in the greatest work in the world, even to prepare for the great approaching judgment. In the name of God, I require thee, cast not away this advantage; turn not away thine ears or heart from this warning that is sent to thee from the living God! Seeing all the world cannot keep thee from judgment, nor save thee in judgment, let not all the world be able to keep thee from a speedy and serious preparation for it. Do it presently, lest God come before thou art ready! Do it seriously, lest the tempter overreach thee, and thou shouldest be found among the foolish self-deceivers when it is too late to do it better. I entreat this of thee on the behalf of thy soul, and as thou tenderest thy everlasting peace with God, that thou wouldest afford these matters thy deepest consideration. Think on them, whether they are not true and weighty: think on them lying down and rising up and, seeing this small book is fallen into thy hands, all that I would beg of thee concerning it is, that thou wouldest bestow now and then an hour to read it, and read it to thy family or friends, as well as to thyself; and as you go, consider what you read, and pray the Lord to help it to thy heart, and

to assist thee in the practice, that it may not rise up in judgment against thee. If thou hast not leisure on the other, take now and then an hour on the Lord's days, or at night, to that purpose and if any passage, through brevity, especially near the beginning, seem dark to thee, read it again and again, and ask the help of an instructer, that thou mayest understand it. May it but help thee out of the snares of sin, and promote the saving of thy immortal soul, and thy comfortable appearance at the great day of Christ, I have the thing which I intended and desired. The Lord open thy heart, and accompany his truth with the blessing of his Spirit! Amen.

A

SERMON OF JUDGMENT,

&c. &c.

2 COR. v. 10, 11.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terrors of the Lord, we persuade

men.

It is not unlikely that some of those wits that are taken more with things new than with things necessary, will marvel that I chose so common a subject, and tell me that they all know this already; but I do it purposely upon these following considerations. 1. Because I well know, that it is these common truths that are the great and necessary things which men's everlasting happiness or misery doth most depend upon. You may be ignorant of many controversies and inferior points, without the danger of your souls, but so you cannot be of these fundamentals. 2. Because it is apparent by the lives of men that few know these common truths savingly, that think they know them. 3. Because there are several degrees of knowing the same truths, and the best are imperfect in degree, the principal growth in knowledge, that we should look after, is, not to know more matters than we knew before, but to know that better, and with a clearer light and firmer apprehension, which we darkly and slightly knew before. You may more safely be without any knowledge at all of many lower truths, than without some further degree of the knowledge of those which you already know. 4. Besides, it is known, by sad experience, that many perish who know the truth, for want of the consideration of it,