Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

22. Dire[!. •7· DireEtiollS. [ome off enti1'€ly from the world and Jlejh. Direction 17• TH. at in all tbi.s you m~y befincere, and not deceived by an hypocritic.1l change, 'be JUre thpt Gcd be all your Confidence, and alJ yottr hapcs be placed in Heaven, and tbat there bt no fecret re[crve i11. your hcartJ, for the werld and Jle.fh; tUid th:Jt )'OU divide not your hearts be– tween Godand the tbingJ bei<JJP , nor tak._c not up with the Religion of an bypocrite, which giveth G('d what theJlejh ca1< [pa>·e. §· I. When the I?e~il cannot keep you from a c!Jange and reformation, he will f~ek to deceive you . with a Juperficial .:b-'itge, and /;alf reformation, which goeth not to the root, nor do.th not recover the he.zrt to God, nor ddiv.er it ~nti:rdy, tp him. l.f he can by a partial deceitful change, perfwade you that you arc.truly rcne~edand fand-itied, and flli: you there rha.t you go no .further, you are as furely hif,' as i_f.you had continued ~{1 you~ .grolTe-r lins•. And of all other this is the mofl common a1~d dangcrou~ cheat .~f fo~ls, when they thmk to halpe tt between Godand the world, and to fecure theu Jlefhly ime– refi of plca!ure and profpt:ricy_, and their Jalvulio;t too : and fo they will needs forve God and Mamtn?n. Th< full do- »· 2· This is the true Character of a fe)f-decciviqg hypocrite. He is neither fo fully perfwaded of fuiption offi a the certailt truth o( the Scriptur-eand theJife to come, nor yet fo mortified to the Jlefh and :world, as to :11fe:~~~n:~r~~ t.ake the joyes ofHca-um for his whole portion, .and to .fobjetl all his worldly profperiry and hopes there– Hnypocrite. wHo, and to part with <1ll things in this world, when it is neceffary to the ft:curing of his falvation: whcrea~ there ·And therBfore he will not lofe his hold ofprefent things, nor forfake his worldly intcrcft for Chrifi, as are two great long as he'can keep it. Nor will he be any further religious, than may fiand wirh his bodily welfare; ~~~~~f~r\~~~le !efolvin_g never robe tmdoue by his godline£5, but i~ the firjf pl3ce ro fave himfllf, and his profpcricy raifed, on:: in m the world, as.long as he can : And therefore he tS truly a carnal worldly minded man ; being deno– tbcChurche~ .minated from what is predominant in him; And yet becauft: he knowcth that he mujf dye, and for at th~ nyal of ought he knows, he1nay then find againft his will, .that there .is another life which he· muti cnrer up· ~~:~~~;rs,i~nd on, Jell the_ Gofpel ill?uld prove tllue, he mufi bav~ fome Religion : And therefore he will take up as mem Confci-..much as wtll11and Wtth hts temporal welfare;, hopmg \hat he may have both that and Heaven here– encesin trying after; and he will be as Religious as the _predominant interefi oftheflLlh will give him leave. He is thcirfl:n~s, refolved rather tovcmure his fOul, than to be bcre zmdone: and-that's his fir{i principle. Bnlhe is re-. abo~~t~s folved to be as godl,y as will ftand with a worldly firjhly life: tint'S his[eco11d principle. And he will ~\: t~ kt~ow hope for lrleaven as the end of fiJch a way as this; that's his third. Therefore he will place moft of bi-1 true Convc:- ReJigion in thofe th\t"lgS which arc moll confi~ellt'wi~b worldlimfs and carnality, and will not colt hls f:on'?r S~nthilefh too dear ; as in being as this or that opinion, G.lmrch 3 or party,.( whether Papifi, Protcfianr,or fome ~~~~~~Iit~em frnall~r party) in adhering t~J tha: party, and bo:int, z:.calouf ~I or thun.' in a~quiring and ufing ,ruchpart.r jn borh the:e and tifu, as mar mak~ h!m ,hlJ?hly cfice':l-fd by other:> ; and m. do!ng fuch good wonz.s as coft troubles plain- .him not too dear, and 1In forbea.rmg fuch fms as would ~rocLJre l11s d1fgrace and lbame, and cofi ly, chlt Chri· his ilefh clearer .to commit thc.m, than forb.ear them ; and tuch other as his flefl1 can fpare: This is flianir~ is b~t his fourth priJ!ciplt: And he i~ ;cfolvcd, whn tryal calh:th hi~ topart wich God a;td his co1t{cien~·r, fa~~:h;~g;1~ e or wi1h the .world; th~t he wJll rather t;t go Ged and Con[cunce, . and ve?tUJt! upon. the pains. Ages) which. is.,hcreafter wluch he think~ to be uHc.:rl!mt, t?an t~ run upo~ a ctrl.ll!t c.t.lamtty_ or un:lomg here; their Confem At leafi, he hath no Rt{olutzo1t1o the contrary, whiCh wtll carry h1m out m a day of tryal. This is his to the B.1pti~- ftflb principle: :A\.nd his fixtb principle is., T~atyet he ~ill not torment himfc:lf, or blot his name, with ma~Chvenan i confelfing himfeH ~ tempori:dng lPorldling? refofved ro turn any way ro fave himfelf. And rhcrefore :: fut,~r~v~~ he will be Cure eo believe ~o:hing to he. Truth and dttty that is?ange:·ous ; but will furniil1 himfelfwirh to refol\·e this Arguments to prove t'hat 1t JS not the wzll r;fGod; and rhat fin tS no Im : Yea perhaps c01t{cience andduty qu~!lion, Js to {hal~ be pleaded for bil fin : It {ha11 be ou.t of tenderne[t, and piety, and cbari0' to others, that he wiUfin; · ~"';f~~eor.!~~\he and will charg~ ibtrtf to be thefinners tf1at comJ:llY not. ;md ~o not wickedly as well as he. He will be Coven~nt of one that .tnall hrH mak:·a Controvcrfie ofevery fm 'wh1ch .lu~ Adh calls neceffary, a~d of every .Dttt,y Baptifm .in itl wh;ch h1s fllfh co~nts J.JI.tollerably d1•ar: And then when 1t JS a Controverfir, and many reputedWifi, Jlrope.r fcnft>, and fame r~pute.d Goud are on his fi.de, he thinks~e is ron equal terms with the mofl: honefl and fincere: :mJ t~·en aik .He hath got a bunow for his Confcieqce and his Credit : He wllf not bcticvt himfcJf tp be an H)•pocriu; ~c~~~h;~a;:s~ an"d no one elfc mu!hth.in~ hit~ ~ne, lf Hthey be _u.ncharit~bJe; . F~r then the ccnfurC mufi ~all ?n t~c 'unfeignedly t~:bol~_part)•, and then Jt IS fuffic1ent .ro defend b1srcputauon at ptc:ty to fay, Though we differ m opt· :md Jefolvnl!y nion, we mufi not differ in affiction, and mufi nOt condemn each other fOr fuch differences ( A vc:ry .:;:onfcntfi Hh .great Truth.whcre rightly appJyed ). Buc what is it 0 Hypocrite, that makp thee dilfer in cafes where ~~{y~c~s<~~- thy jlcjh is intereffcd rather than jn any other? And why wall thou never of that mi.nd till now that thy ''~r.tcd and Ju- ~orldly inrerefl req~ir~th it? And howcomet~ ir.to pafs, that thou art alwayes ?~ the: ft/ffavingopi– Ihtied; :~n~ he man ? And Whence rs H that thou confulteil w1th thofe only that are of the opm10n whtch thou de– ~ltl'ofe~et.h firefi {hould be true, and cirher not at all, or partially.and fiightly, with thofcrhat arc again!l it? Wall be01;ec~ti~.;~ to than ever confcious to thy felf, that thou haft accounted what it might cotl: thee fO be faved, ioto t.he and reckoned on 1he worfi, and refotved, in the Hrength of grace, ro go cnrough all ? Didfi thou t ver Ch.u~ch by . meddle wirh much of rhc felf-dcnying p:utofReligion, or any duties that would call thee dear? May ~p~fm, ( tf not thy Confcicnce tell thee, that thou never didft believe that thou illonldfi fuffer much for rhy Rcligi· c:1 4[c:;~1:~t not on; tlut is,_ thou hadH a f:cret purpofe to avoid ir ? . . bring him i.n 9· 3· 0 Strs~ take warnmg from the mouth ofChnfi, who hath fo oft and phmly warned you of bef?re, whtch this t~n andd::mgtr? and told you how neceffary [e(f-deny6Jl and a fuj[eringdifpofiti.m is ro all thar are his ~~:,i,~~~~ne- Difciplcs; and that the worldly ~cfl1ly principle pre~01:ninant in the. Hypo~rit~, is _manifetl b~ h!s felf– hil.:nfdfatage.JavWg courfc: He mutt tuk.! up im Croji 1 and f(JL1 ow bun m a Couformlty to htsjtiff(rlilgs tlu.t wtll mde~~

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