Baxter - BX5207 B3 A2 1696

PART Il. Rearm/ Mr. RichardBaxter. 293 Reverend awl mach efleemed in the Lord ' Owever black the Cloud is,and big theStorm,yet by all this theWOrkand De- ' H fign of Jefus Chrift goeth on, and profpereth, and in thefeClouds Chrift is coming tofet up his Kingdom. Yea, is he not corns, in Power and great Glo- ry ? When had the Truth a greater, or fo great and glorious a Cloud of Wit- ' neffes? Is not thisChrift, in Power and great Glory ? and if Chrift hath to much Glory in the (laughter of his Witneffes,whatwill his Glory be in their Refurreeti- r on ! Your Conftancy whoare in the heat of the Storm, and Numbers, minifters matter of humbling and quickning to us, who are at a diftance, and ready to r totter and complyat the noife of a probable approach of our Temptation. We r are not withoutour Snares, buthitherunto the Lords own Arm hath brought Sal- ' nation. Our Tents are at Ebenezer. However the trials and troublesbe,wemutt take care of the prefent Work, and not ceafe and tarry for a calm time to work in. And this Principle doth give me occafion to take the boldnefs to. trouble you ' with theft Lines at prefent. My Work about the Indian Bible being (bythe good ' hand of the Lord, though not without difficulties) finifhed,I am meditating what to do next for thefeSons of this our Morning: they having no Books for their ' private ale, of miniferial compofing. For their help, though the Word ofGod ` be the belt, of Books, yet Humane Infirmity is, you know, not a little helped,by ' reading the holy Labours of the Miniftersof Jeff's Chrift. I have therefore pur- ' pofed in my heart ( teeing the Lord is yet pleafed toprolong my life) to tranflate for them a little Book ofyours, imitated, [ .4 Call to the Unconverted] : Thekeen- `! nets of the Edge, and livelinefs of theSpirit of that Book, through the bleffing ` of God, may be ofgreat ufeunto them. But feeing you are yet in the Land of ` the Living,, ( and the good Lord prolongyour days) I would not prefume to do ' fuch a thing, withoutmaking mention thereof unto your felt, that fo I might ` have the help and bleffìngof your Counfel and Prayers. I believe it will not be. `. unacceptableto you, that the Call of Chrift by your holy Labours,fhall be made to fpeak in their Ears, in their own Language, that you may preach unto our- ` poor Indians. I have begun the, Work already, and find a great difference in the ` Work from my former Tranflations; I am forced fometime to alter the Phrafè, ', for the facilitatingand fitting it to our Language, in whichI am not fo Itritt as ' I was in the Scripture. Some things which are fitted for Englifh People, are not. fit for them, and in filchcafes, I make bold to fit it for them. But I do little that ` way, knowing how much beneath Wifdom itis, to fhew a Man's felf witty , in ' mending another Man'sWork. When thisWork is done, if theLord than pleafe ` to prolong my Life, I ammeditating of Tranflating fume other Book,whichmay ` prefcribe to them the way and manner of a Chriftian Life and Converfation, in ' their daily Courfe; and how to worfhip God on the Sabbath, falling, foaling ` Days, and in all Ads of Worfhip, publick, private, and ferret; and for this par- ' pole 1 have Thoughts of tranflating for them, thePratïice of Piety; or fume other ` fuch Book In whichCafe Irequeft your Advice tome; forif theLord giveop- ' portunity,l may hear from you(ifYou fee caufe fo far to takeNotice hereof)before ` I(ball be ready to begin a new work; efpecially becaufe the Pfalms of David in Metre in their Language, are going now to the Prefi, which will be fume ` verfron ofme, from a prefent Attentionupon thefe other propofed Works. ' Sir, I am very well fatisfied with your Explications of the Point of Free-will e in fallen Man, which I have read in a fmall Treatife of yours, which I once had e the happinefs to fee. I doubt not but you will give me leave to talk a little ac- cording to my weaknefs, Gen, t. z6. God made Man after bia own - Image, Likenefl. I have oft perplexed my mind to fee the differenceof thefe two Divine Stamps upon Man. That God's Image confifteth in Knowledge, Holinefs, and Rights oufnefs, is clear and agreed, expreffedin Scripture. But what our likenefs to God is, is the Queltion : Whymay it not admitthis Explication ? that one chief ' thing is, to ael like God, according to our light freely; by choice without corn- pulfion, to be Author of our own a&;to determine our own choice: this isfpon- ` taniety. The Nature of the Will lyeth In this. Between God's Image in Man, and the Likenefs of God in Man, are there two Differences : t. God's Image was, loft and changed, and in the room of 'it, Original Sin

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