Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

.A form of '&hortation to tbt Sick. But on tht othtr fde, aU thofe_ that God ,.;a fave, do hear1ily believe in Jefm Chrift, who is [tnt of God to bt theSavtour of{o11ls ' and he m•l<!th them ftnon> (by hiJ "''"d and[pirit ) their grit fin and miflry in their fiatt of corrHpted Hllture ; and be hJJmbltth them for it, and bringetb tbe~o7 trHe Repentance, and ma~tb them l~t~th themfilvu f.n- their iniq~titiu ; •nd {teing how they have caft '!way,4ntl undone thtmfolves, anel.Art no better t~an tbt.Jlllves of Sata~, tJHd the heirs of beD, they JoyfuLy accept of tht rtmedy that u offered them m Cht~fi : 'Ihey heartzly tal<! him for their Savioz tlnd King, and give up tbemfelvu in Covenant ta him, to be jujlified and fanliified by him ; wher:~ upon he.pmkntth aU theirjtn, and furthtr enlightentth and fonaijieth them byhis f}irit: He fhewttb them by faith, the infinitt Love of God, and the Jure evtrl•fting Holy ]oyes, JPbich they may have in Hea– ven with him: and ho"' blcffed a life tb~y may there obtain ( through his purchafe and gift) with aU the blrjJrtl Saint! and Angtls: He mak,ph them deliberatelj to compau this offer of Eternal H:ppint[J with aU the p!ea{urn and feeming commoditieJ of fin, and ail thst thi1 decfitful world can do fo; them : llnd having confidered of h9th, they fee tb&t there i1 no compari{o1t to be made, and are sfh,.mcd that ever they were fo mad as to prefer Earth before Heaven, and an inch 1 of 1ime before Ettr~ nit), and a dream (Jf pleafure h£fore the Everlafting JoytJ, and M love the pleafurts of a tranfit 9ry world, above the prcfonce 6J~td favour and Glory of Gcd! Andfor the time to eome, they are firmly Re– folved what to do, Evm ta 111"-e Heaven for their only Happine[s, and there tolllJ up their Hope 1 and Trea{ure, and tolive to God, tJJ they have done to thef/ejh; and te mak! [urt of their falvatUm what.. ~vtr become of their worldly inttreft. And thlH the {pirit dotb drceV. tJnd work., in them, andrem~ their RellrtJ, and give them a hatred to every fin; and aLove to every l1ol;y thing, even to the holy word, and worjhip and wayu and fervants of the Lord: and in a JVIJ'fd, be ma~etb them New Crraturu and tboitgh thev have flill their finf#l imperfe{iionJ, yet t_h~ bent of their Heart~ and Livu iJ Ha/; and Heavenly, and thty long tu be perfef1, and are labour11t1, afier tt, and feck hrll tl1e Kingdom of God and his righteouf~efs, and live ab~ve the world and J!'lh ; And fhort~y Chrift wiU ma~e them per[e/1, ~md Juflifie them an the day of thezr p•dgement, and gtve them the GlorJoiU endsfaU their faith, obedienct and patiencr. Theft are the perfons, andnone but thefe ( among ur, that have the ufe of Reafon ) that jhaU live with God. 11 J. Now this being the infoUible tr"uth nf tbP Gofpel, 11HJ tl,is hPiHg tT,r ime difference hetween the Righteous and the wickJd, the Jujlifie~ and Condemned {oHls, 0 hoff' neerly doth it now concern yo 11 to try which of theft i1 your own condition ? Certainly it may be k,_11own : J!~ar God will judge the world in rightc9u{nefi, by the fame Lllw or Covenant by which he Governeth them. Know but whom the Law of Chrifi condemnetb or juftifitth, and you may foon );.now whom the Judge wiU condemn and juftifie. For be will preceed according to this LtJw. If you (hould die i_n an unrenewu.l ftate, in your fim, your Hopes of Heaven would aU Jie "'itb you : And i( you jhould thinft nevtr fa JPeU of your [elf tiU Mat. 1 &. J• death, tJ;zd pretend neJJer fo conftdeHtly to tr~tf on Chrijt aud the Mercy of God, one ho1tr will convince Heb.J2.14you foyour everlajling W/Jt,tbatGodsmercyandChrillsmeritsdid ne11er hring toHe•ven an unfoneJi... )oh. l• 3,1,6. fled foul. Stlfflatlt'} is gOBd for nothing, b"t to l<!ep you from Repmti>tg tiO time be P•ft, and to quiet you in S.ltaJJJ jnaru tiV. there he no remtdy: 'therefore pre{ently, P$ you love your foul, examine your [elf, and try which of theft is the condition tb., you are in, and accordingly judge your [elf be– fore God judge you. May you not l{.~<~ow if yos wiU, whether you have mojl minded Earth or Heavtn, and which you have preferrtd and fought "'ith the highrft rftum, a11d Refolution, and n>hethtr your worldly or Heavenly inttrefl have bQrn {way; and which of 1hem it is that gave pl6Jce Hnto the otherl Cannot a m•n tell if be wiU, fiJhat it is which his very foul b6Jth pral1icaUy tak.,m for his chief con– cernmeut? and what it i1 that bath btJd moft fJf his Love anrl Care ? and what hatb heen ne:ct hi! heart, and which he bath prrftrred when they came to the parting) and one wM /et againft the other l Can– not you teU n>hether you have lived prineip•Yy to the flejh,for the pro[perity of this world, ar.dthe plea– forts of fin, or whether the JPirit of Chrijl by his rPord bath enlightned you, and ]hewed youyo:Jr ji 10 and miftry and bumbled you for it, and ]hewed you the Glory of the life to come, and the happine[s ofJiving in the Love of God, and hereupon bath Hnited your He11rt unto him{elf, and turned it {tom fin to Holine[s, from the world to God, and from Et~rtb to Heaven, and made you a Hew creature, to live for Heaven as y ou did f or earth: Surely thit i1 not {o [mall and indifcernablt a worl(. or change, b:tt he that hath felt it on himftlf may ftnoJP it. It is a great ,..,~;. to bring a finner to feel ltis unrighte– oufnefs and mi{<ry, and to apply himfelfto Chrifrfor Righteozt[•efs and life : It is • grw "'"it to taftt off the heart from aU the felicity of this world, and to [et it tmfeignedly upon God,_ and to ca•fo him to plate and feel;. hit happintfs in anothtr world, what tver become of all the pro[pmty or ple•fure of the Jlefh. It is thus wi1h t11ery trut Believer, for t~ll the remn::~nt of hi1 fins and Wi'-'ftncffn : And m:~y yoH not k._norc J'f'~tthtr it be lhM, or not, .~ithy9ul Onenf thtfi i_s Y.our cafe: And _it 1 J now time~~ #{now which of 1hem it i1 ; when Gotl tJ ready to tell yQu by hz~ Judgement. If wdeed you are zn Chrift, and hi1 Spirit ht in you, and bath renewed you, and fan{iijied you, and t~rned y;~ur /J.eart and lift to God, I have then nothing more thanPellctandComfgrt to [peak,.. to you ( a1 m the fuJlowmg Ex– hortation:) But if it be otherwifo, and )0'11 art yet in a CtJrnal }late, .md were mvtr" renewed by the fpirit ofChrift, Will you give me leave to deal faithfully with J'IU 1 as iJ neccffary rvitb one in your co~dition, and to fit before you at once your fin andyour Remedy, and u telt yuu what yet yvu mujt do if you will be faved. . I V. And firft, JPi/1 y•u bert lay to ht8rt your folly, aNd ttnfeignedly lan1tnt yonr Jinful life, befo;• the Lord! Not Qnly this or that particular fin ; but principally your flt01ly heart and lrfe: that m tb•

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