Mr. Richard Baxter's Funeral Sermon. in his promifed Mercy. The weaknefs of their Faith cannot fru(hate God 's faithfulncfs. 'Tis the Sincerity,. not the Strength of Grace, that is requiGte to Salvation. If Fa1th be lhakwg at a br11ijed reed, and but kmdhng as the jiHoaking flax, it fhall be vJctonous. 0 that thefe powerfull Comforts may encourage dying Cbri(\ians to co~mneud thei r Soals with Ardency and Affurance to .God, their Father, and FeliCi ty. ofI /~~v~t g~~vS~bj~~, n:heD:~~~;~~J~~~ ~~~h;,d~a~~!, ~~{!,·~~~~~~~/•J;~~ut~~ 'Of Di vine Grace, to recover and reflore fomany revolted Souls to God, out of the Empire of his Enemy :or in the ApoflJes Language,to tra11j/ate them from the Ki,gdom ofDarkm[t, i11to tle Kingdom ofhit dear S01z. I am fenfibl e, that in [peaking of him !r~~~~ ~~~~~~~~·A~~~~~·, ~Y~~~n,'~~.' rf:~~ ~~'dred:f~~i~~:f~~1im~~~7ed'~'h;cl~:~ ~~ his refplendent Virtues : others who were unacquainted with his extraordinary Worth, will from Ignorance or Envy be inclin'd to think his jufl Praifes to be undue and exceffi ve. Indeed if Love could make me eloquent , I !hould u[e all the mofl: lively and graceful Colours of Language to adorn his Memory : but this Confideration relieves me in the Confcioufnefs of my Difability, t hat a plain Narrative ofwhat Mr. Baxter was, and did, will he a mofl noble Elogy : and that his fub(\antial Piety no more needs artificial Oratory to fet it off, than refined Gold wants Paint to add Luflre and Value to it. I !hall not fpeak of his Parentage, and his fir(\ Years: but I mufl not omit aTefl:imony I receiv'd concerning his early Piety. His Father [aid with Tears of Joy to a Friend, my Son Richard I hope was fanQified from the Womb : for when he was a little Boy in Coats, if he heard other Children in play fpeak profane Words, he would reprove them to the Wonder of thofe that heard him. He had not the Advantage of Academical Education : but by the Divine Bleffing upon h!s rare D exterity and Dili~ence, his facred Knowledge was in that Degree of Emmence, as few m the Umverfity ever arrive to. Not long after his Ent rance into the. M iniflry the Ci':il War began, and the Times rain'~ Blood fo long, till the langutlhmg State of the Kmgdom, was almofl defperate and mcurable. How far he was concern'd as a Chaplain in the Parliament's Army, he has publi!ht an Account, and the reafons of it. lnrt~~~:,h~v:';;f a1~::blefi~~~c;:edfh~"C:;~el;~f-~~~\~ ~~~i~~d~1:i':~if~~= ed. Before bis coming, the Plac.e was like a piece of dry and barren Earth, only l~norance and Profanenefs as Natives of the Soil were rife among them; but by the Bleffing of Heaven upon his Labour and Cultivating, the Face of Paradife appear'd ~~t~d ~.~~r!~Jet~~h~sfl~~~~~h6"r~~~n:rs~nd~~anlyw~~~.t~d~n:~~~ ~~~i~hee~"J~g~~ef~r Holinefs. The bad were chang'd to good, and the good to better. ConverGon is the Excellent Work of Divine Grace: the Efficacy of the Means is from the Supreme Mover. But God ufually makes thofe Minifl:ers fuccefsfull in that Bleffed Work, whofe principal DeGgn and Delight is to glorify him in the faving of Souls. This was the reil(ning Affection in his Heart; and he was extraordinarily qualified to obtain l1is End. His Prayers were an Effufion of the mt>fl lively melting Exprellions, and his intimate ardent Affell:ions to God ; from the abm1dance of the Heart hit Lipt flake. His Soul took Wing for Heaven, and rapt up the Souls of others with him. Never did I fee or hear a hol y Minifler addrefs himfelf to God with more Reverence and Humility, with refpell: to his glorious Greatnefs ; never with more Zeal and Fervency correfpondent to the infinite Moment of his requefls; nor with more Filial Alliance in the Divine Mercy. In his Sermons there was a rare Union of Argmeunts and Motives to convince the Mind and gain the Heart: All the Fountains of Reafon and PerfwaGon were open ~~n~\~~i~~~r~~ga~Xbivfn~efle~~~,?~n~eGW~F,a~h~ ~~~~~~~~~u~i}~~~~u;~~ 2~;~~~,f~ ~~~~lnn~en~~ff~o ~,~e~ffea:~ ~l~~~~~c~~r~~~ci~/!,.h~~P;i~·ci' ft;n~;~r~~~~~ ~~~~~ his Expreffions were dear and powerful, fo convincing the Underfl:anding, fo entring into the Soul, [o engaging the Affell:ions, th~t thofe >yere as deaf as Adders, who were not cbarm'd byfo wife aCharmer. He was ammated WJththeHolySpb::~:l~~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=