Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

Vire8ionr to tlie Unrenewed." He m{ery ofa ftate of fin. I) ~ , 3 I Have now plainly 0Jewed you, and fully provod, from the :.Vord of God, by w~t jnfallible Atq; naud • ' ligns an ungodly manmay kno~ that he if 'Vngodiy if he ~ill: M~y you not know whether it ;~:c~fu;~~~= be thus with you if yol\ are willing to know? May you nor know 1f you Wtll, whether your defire and fub::u:i, fides ddign of life, be more for thjs world, or that to c~me? and whether Heaven or Eart? ?e.preferred e~iam, & fo- . znd fought fufl? alld whether your fl.e£hly pr.efpenty and •pleafure, or your fouls. be prmctpally cared c1eta~ htumm for and regarded ? May younot know if. youwill, whether you love or loath theferious wor!hippers. of ~:~;:i~:~tfm~: God ? and whether you had nthel' bedel1veled from your fins, or k:ep them·? and whether your wi11s virtus, Jufl:i·. be more againfi them, or for thorn? and whether you love a holy hfe .or _not? and whether you had. ti_;~, tol~atur •. rather be perfect in Holincfs a~d Obedience to God, or bo i:xcufed from 1t, and pleafe the flefh > and Cmro de Nat. whether yon had ra·iher befuch a one as Paul, or as C.efar l a perfecuted Saint in poverty and con· Dtor. pag. 4· tempt, or a pcrfecuting Conquerour or King? May you not know i~ you will, whether you love a ffarching Minifhy, that tellcth you of the worll, and would not decetve you? May you not know, whether you ne refolvedly devoted and given up to God, the father, Son and Holy Gholl, as )'t)Ur t'ather and·felicity, your Saviour 3nd your San6tifit.r, and whether the fcope, defign and ,bufine!S of y€lur lives is more for God, or for the Heih, for Heaven or Earth; .and which it is that bears the fwayl and which it is that comes behind, and hath but the leavings of the other,. or only fomuch a~t" it can fp:ue ? Certainly thefe are things fo near you, and fo remarkable in your hearts, that you tizay come to the knowledge of them if you will. But if you·wiU,tot, who can help it? 9. I 4· what a fotti(h cavill is it then of thofe ignorant men, that ask us, when we telt them of thefe things, whether ever we were in Heaven ? br ever faw the Book ofLife? and howwe can iell who (hall be faved, and who tl1all bo damned > If it wcte about a May-game this jetling were more feafo– nable ; but to talk thus difiradedly about the matters of falvation and damnation, and to makefuch a jeatl of the damning of fouls, is a kind of foolery that hath no excufe. What though wenever were in Heaven? an·d never faw the Book of Life? Doll thou think I never faw the Scriptures? Why wretched tinner? dofi thou nGt know, that Chrill-came down from Heaven, to tell us who they he that 0Jall come thither, and who they be that (hall be filut out' And did he not know what he f•id ~ Is God rhe Gcvcrnour of the world, and h<ith he not a Law bY' which he governeth them? And can l nottellcy the Lan>, who they be thattheJudge will condemn orfave? What clfe isrheLaw made !or, but to be the Rule ofLife, and the Rule •fJudgemtnt ?. Read Pfal. J , & '5· & Matth. 5· &7. e::.,-. 25. and all the Texrs which I even now cite , and fee in them whether God hath not told .rou who rhey be that fhall be fav~d, and who they be that illall be condemned? Nay, fee whether this be not the very bu{inefs of theWord. o[ God? And. do you think that he hath written it in vain ? But fame rilen have loved ignorance and ungodlinefs fo long, till the Spirit ot grace hath cafl: them off, .4nd Jefr rhem to the fottHhnefs of their carnal minds, fo that they have eyes and fee not, and eai-s and htar nor) and hearts and underR:and not. But ~hofc that are WiUing and Diligen~ to know their fin and duty in order to their recovery, God Wtll not let them fearch in vain, nor hide the re.. mcdy from their eyes. Direction 9· WH"' Y'" have found your ftlves in a ftate offin and d.ath, Vmlerftandand CoH- v· a fider what a ]fate that it. · . &re .,. §. 1 • It may be y_ou_ will think it a tolerabk condition, and linger in it, as if you werefafe,or dtlay · your Repentance, astf 1t were a matter of no great hafic;. unlcfs you open your eyes, and look round about you, and fee in how flippery a place you fiand. Let me name fame infl:ances of the rnifery of an unregenerate gracelefs llate, and th<.11 judge of it as the Word of God dired:s you. I.~~ long as ~ou are unr.onverted you mujf needJ ~e loatb{ome and ~b~minablt to God. His holy ria- .Miu. ci:tro»zl rure IS ~~reconCilable ~o fin, and would be u~reconctlable to finners, .If tt were not that he can cleanfe jiaioi 1 li. dt and punhe them. Dtd you knowwhat fin u, and know God1 holmefr, you wou1d underlhnd this ur~iutrflt.p.J58· m~eh better. Your own avtr{nefi toGod, and your diflik._e of the holinef$ of his Laws and flrvaHtJ, Atq; ille qui. m1ght tell you wha~ thou!?hr: he hath of you•. lie hatrth aU t_heW(WkJrs of iniquity, PCal. 5· 5· Indeed ~:&:u~i~~~~ he taketh you for buenemzu, a~d as fuch ~e will handle yqu, 1f you be not converted. I know many .fivcndi :i n:t· perfons that are moll deeply gmlty, efpec1a!iy men of honour and dleem in the world, would fLorn tura datum to have this title given to themfelves; But verily God is not fearful of offending them nor fo render ~onfccerit, :'ld of their ~etilcd ho~10ur, as they a~e of their own, or as they expect the Preacher fhou!d be. If thofe 11 :,~dcu~~:u:~ be the Kwgs cnemzesthat rcfuft h1s Government and fet up a1totber, then thofe arc theenemies ofGod and ~crir, rcre~~ of the B.edt·~mcr and. of the Holy ·Gbvjt, ~hat fer up the bafc ~oncupifcence of their Ae!h, and the hor.our temr. Qui and profpency of thts world, _and _rh~ WJ\l of man, and rdufe the Government of God their Creator :tu:em im_mo– and Rtdecmcr,and refufe the lanCbty1ng teachings and operations of the Holy Gholl.Read Lttl(t 19 • 27 , ~ec~:;;u~/nfccundm ottus in ~guram mu\iebrem tumferct & fi ne rum quiclcm _6ncm vi~iorum facict, gravius cti:lm jaB:abirur, & in fui 1 ::~~tL~S ~~~~lHn:ts ~~uras t ccuCum, & fo:-rarum tr:tn!fcrcmr: neg;_m:~lo1um tcr~11~um pnu~. alpicier, quJm ilbm fn 1111 c:Eperit cpnverfionem qu:tml:l.a·- bcbat m fe, &c. cum ad prm1au1 & optunam afle4wncm ammt pcrveJJern. ' , Somethink it Orange that any men fhould be called Hatm ofGod; And I believe you will find it h:ud ro mec:t with that man that will contefs it by himfe,lf, till 'onverting Graceor HeUconUrain him ; D And

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