Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .B352 1835 v1

278 DIRECTIONS FOR GETTING AND KEEPING never any came with fairer pretenses of exalting Christ, and main- taining the honor of his righteousness and free grace, and of deny- ing ourselves and our own righteousness. (2.) And yet few doc- trines more dishonor Christ, and destroy The very substance of religion. Even as if a man should cry down him that would praise and commend obedience to the king, and say, ' You must praise nothing but the king.' So do these cry down our looking at, and rejoicing in our love to Christ, and, our thankfulness to him, and our obedience, and all under pretense of honoring him. Nay, they will not have us rejoice in one part of Christ's salvation (his saving us from the power of sin, and his sanctifying us) under pretense that we dishonorthe other 'part of his salvation (his justifying us.) If ever Satan transformed himself into an angel of light, and his ministers into ministers of light, it is in the mistakes ofthe Antino- mians ; and no people in the,world (except carnal libertines, whom this doctrine fits to a hair) aurin 'more danger of them, than poor, doubting Christians, under trouble ofconscience ; especially if they be not judicious, and skilled, in the doctrine of Christ. For the very pretense of extolling Christ and free grace, will take much with such; and any new way will sometimes seem to give them comfort, upon the very novelty and sudden change. Having thus proved that you may, and must fetch your special comfort and assurance from evidences, and that your first evidence is your faith, I shall open this more fully under the next Direction. Direct. XI. In the trial of your state, ' Be sure that you make use of infallible signs of sincerity, and` táke not those for certain Which are not.' And to that end remember what I said before, that you must well understand wherein the nature of saving faith, and so of all saving grace, doth consist. And when you understand this, write it down in two: or three lines ; and both at your first trial, and after- ward, whenever any doubts do drive you to a review of your evi- dence, still have recourse only to those signs and try by them. What these signs are,,I have showed you so fully in the forecited place in myBook of Rest, that I shalt say but little stow. Re- member that infallible signs are very few ; and that whatsoever is made the condition of salvation, that is -the most infallible evidence of our salvation, and therefore the fittest mark to try by ; and there- fore faith. in God . the Father and the Redeemer, is the main evi- dence. But because I have elsewhere showed you, that this faith iscomprehensive of love, gratitude, resolution to obey, and repent- ance, let me more particularly open it to help you in the trial. To prove any grace to be saving, it is necessary that you prove that salvation is fully promised to him that hath it. Now, if you will know what it is that, bath this promise, I will tell you, 1. As to the

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