Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

Dire[/;iom to the Unrenewed. Deliwr up tlry jelf i11 [olmzant unto God. --------------------------------------------------~------- Dire[f. u. Diredion l2o wl-Jen you have thW! crmfidtred of the condition you arc in, confider alfo wb I. it be 4 c[ndition tu be rejfid "i;t one dJ)'· et ;;er ~ieous. cfl:a ?· r. Ifyou die unconverted, you are pan a11 hope ; for out of Hell there ls no redemption: A d ttde Ju1 3 J certain you are to dye ere long; and uncertain wh~ther it will be this night, LuJte 12. 20 , You n n ~ft::!;~~tr ... lay down with affurance that you {hould rife again: You never went out of doors with affiuanc~v;~ tem~us cxp~- return: .You never heard a Sermon with aifuraiKC that you fhould hea~ another: ~~u ~ever drew one 6~deneet.utJs. breath With a!furance that you{~wuld draw anoth~r: A tl~oufand acc~denrs and d!i_eales are ready ro J:};;e;:;~ ftop your breath, and :nd your tun.e, when God will have It fa: . An~ tf you dye th1s night in an un– i~t L~tc. 11 • rege~erat~ Hate, there 1s no more tll~e, or help, or.hope. And IS thts a Clfc then for a wile rnan ro Multos vitam contmue m a day, that can do any tht~;~g toward-s hts own recovery? Shouldyou deJay another day or dtller~ntes hour, before you fJII down at the feet of Chrifi, and cry for mercy, and rerum ro God, and refolve mors 1 ~certld upon a bener courfe? May I not well fay to th(ie ~s the Angels unro Lot, Gen. 19. 15) 17, 22 • Arift fb.~~~~~r .. J "lcjt thou be confomtd----Efc,.,pefor, ,/ry life: loo~ not bebindtbee---- ' Dirrl/. 13. Dir<Clion I3· wH•n tiNu art Rtfolved,p>jl thy wavtrings and delayes, give up thy{elf tntirrly and unrrfervtdly to God tbe Fat/m, Son aHd Holy Ghojl, as thy Happimft, thy Saviour and thy Sanllijier, in an hearty Con{tnt to the Covenant of Grace. rll• · ~· 1• 'Ibi> is thyChrijlianity; thy erpoufals with Chrifi : It is SacramemaVy done in 8Jptifm : But till it be perfon.zl!y owmd and betJrtily renewed by men at age, they have no rea{On to be numbered with adult believers, nor to dream of a part in the blcffings of the Covenanr. lr's pity it is not made a .more ferious folcrnn work, for men thus to renew their Covenant with God. (For which I have writte~n in.a 1re.atife ofCo;tjirmatiott, but hitherto in vain.) However do it feriouJly thy feLf: le is the grc,teij and weightiell action of thy life. . 9· 2· To this <nd perure w<il the Covenant of Grace which is offered thee in the Gorpel: Under– Han~ it well: In it God otfcreth, notw)thfianding t·hy fins, to be thy Reconciled Gcd a11d F•tlxr in Chrijt, and to accept thee as a Son, and an heir of Heav<;n ; TheSon oftCreth to be thy Saviour, to ju– fiitie thee by his bleed and grace, and teach thee, and govern thee as thy Head, in order to thy ever– la.fiing ha.ppinefs. The H qly Spirit olfereth to be t~y S.urt;ifier. Comforter and Guide, to ovexcome all the enmjty of the Devil, the World and theFltOl, m_order to the ful~ accomplithment of thy falvati– on; Nothing is expeCted of tf)ce, inord~rto thy T1tle to the benehrs o(rhis Covenant, bur delibe– rately unfeignedly, entirely to CoJJfl11t to it> and ro contimtc tbat co11[mt, andperfurm whu thou co 11 fem ... tjl to~erform, and thlt by the help of the grace which will be given thee. See therefore that thou well deliberate of the matrer ( but wttho~t delaycs) : ~nd count what thou fl11lt gain or lore by ir : ~nd if thou find tha.t (hou art hkt to be a lofer JJl the end., and knoweft of any better way, even take it, and boaJl of it, when thou hall tryed the end : But it thou art pal\ doubt) that there is no.way but this, defpatch it refoluttly and feriootly. 9· 3· And take heed of one thing; !ell thou fay, Wby, tbis is no more tb"n tvery body k,nowetb, and 'bin T have done a J:Hndred timet, to git•e up my felf ilt Covmant to God the Father, Son andHoly 'Ghof/. Dofi thou k.."'"' it, and yet hall thounot doneit l Or hafi thou done it witb tby lip;, and noc unfeignedly with thy heaJt? L.a!ll<nt it as one of thy great<fi fins, rhat thou hafi thus provokingly dallied wirll God:and admire his mercy,th~t-he will yet V()uchfafc: tQ enter into Covenant with one,that hath hypocritically prophaned his Covenant. If thou hadll ever ferioutly thus Covenantl!d and given up thy felf to God, thou wouldfi not have neglected.him by an ungodly life, nor lived after to the Devil, the·world and the flell1, which were renounced. I tell you the making of this Chrillian vow 'and Covenant with God in Chrifi, is the ac,l of greatefl confequence of any in ali thy life, and to be done with the grcarofl ,)udgement, and reverence, an<l,linceriry, and for~fight, and tirm re(olurion, of any thing that ever thou dofi: And if it were done fincmly by all that do it ignorantly, for fajhioJt, only with rhe lips, then all profdfed Chrifiians would be raw!: whereas now the abufers of thac holy Name and Covenant will have the deepefi place itJ Hell. Write it out on thy beart,and put thyheart and hand 'to it rt{olvtdly, and ftand to thyConfwt, and all is thine own : Converfion is wrought when this is done. Direl/. , 4 • Direction •4· JN prefent ptrfotma~ce of th) Covtna•t with Gpd, away witb tby for'"." finfullife; ~nd fie tb4t thor~ fin wzlfuUy no more; bxt as far as tbo(' tlrt able> avozd the temptatJont whicb havt dtceived..tber. 9· 1 , God will never be reconcjl~d to thy fins: If he be rccQqciled to thy perfpn, it is as thou art .jullified by Chrifi, and fanClilie<l by the Spirit: He entertaineth thee, as one thar curnerh with repen· tance from lin to him: lftholt wilfully or negligently go on in thy former •ourfe of fin, thou ihcwell that thou wall not finccrely refolved in th,f Covenant with God. · ·- 1 ~· 2· I

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