it be caused by the love of God; and as you deny yourself so you entirely and unreservedly devote yourself to him To this end I crave your observation of these few unquestionable precepts.

1. Take heed of unbelief, and dread all temptations tending to it, and live by that faith which maketh absent things to be to you as present, and things unseen, as if they were When heaven once loseth its interest in the soul, the world may play 'rex,' and delude and destroy us at its plea

seen.

sure.

2. Take heed of all intrusions of selfishness: especially overvalue not your own understanding in the things of God. Draw not a great picture of a little man. Be not easily drawn to contemn the judgments of those that have searched the holy Scriptures, with equal diligence and humility, and with much more advantages of retiredness, and time, and helps, than you.

3. Take heed of engaging your hand, or tongue, or secret thoughts, against the faithful ministers of Christ; but further the work of Christ in their hands with all your power. I am no prophet, but yet presume to say, that if the reproaches of a faithful ministry in England be purged away without some dreadful judgment of God on the apostate reproachers, or else a desertion of the nation, by a removal of our glory, I shall wonder at the patience and forbearance of the Lord. It is a dreadful observation, to see so much of the spirit of malignity possessing those that once said they fought against malignants. And that the ministers and servants of the Lord, are railed at by many of them, as formerly they were by the worst of those that their hands destroyed; and with this dreadful aggravation, that then it was but some that were reviled, and now with many it is all: then it was under the name of Puritans and Roundheads, and now it is openly as ministers, under the name of priests, and blackcoats, and presbyters, and pulpiteers. What have these souls done, that they are so far forsaken by the Lord? The Judge of all the world is at the door, that will plead his servants' cause in righteousness. It is hard kicking against the pricks. He that despiseth, despiseth not men, but God. Persecution under pretence of liberty, is heightened with hypocrisy, and is one of the greatest sins in the world. But men are not catched in spiders' webs, though flies are: our

Lord will make us a way to escape. Persecution never conquered Christ; and because he lives, we shall live also. Here is the faith and patience of the saints.

I know that malice wants not words to cloak their iniquity: he that hath will and power to do hurt, hath so much wit as to pretend some reason for it: though I think that malice did never walk more nakedly, since the primitive persecutions, than it doth in England at this day. Their principles and profound contrivances they can hide, but their malignity goes stark naked, and is almost grown past shame. They talk against mercenary ministers as if they had never read 1 Cor. ix., Mal. iii., and such other Scriptures; or as if they envied food and raiment to them that watch and labour for their souls, to whom they are commanded to give double honour (1 Tim. v. 17.), when they envy not provender to their horses, nor fodder to their labouring ox, nor the crumbs to their very dogs. But the matter is, that their wit is too scant and narrow for their malice; and therefore the Popish and malignant enemies have no fairer pretence to cast out the ministry, than by this engaging the covetousness of the ignorant and ungodly sort against them. They talk of our want of a just call; but what is it in point of calling that is wanting? Abilities say some, succession say others, miracles say others; and indeed it is what the interest of selfish men doth dictate to the accusers. O that they would tell us what is the due call; and where is the ministry on earth that hath it, if we have it not? If they would have all laid by that work not miracles, we may see what they would have done to the church. If we are not what they would have us be, and do not what they would have us do, why do they not come in charity and meekness, and shew us the course that we should take? If we are fools, or beside ourselves, it is for them. The God whom we serve, that will shortly judge us, is our witness, that we have chosen the calling that we are in, for their salvation and for his glory; and that we labour in it in season and out of season to please Christ, and to profit them, rather than to please or accommodate our flesh. You brought me into the ministry; I am confident you know to what ends, and with what intentions I desired it: I was then very ignorant, young and raw : The Quakers and other self-esteemers are never the more reconciled to us, now we have been eleven years turned out of all.

though my weakness be yet such as I must lament, I must say, to the praise of the great Shepherd of the flock, that he hath since then afforded me precious opportunities, much assistance, and as much encouragement as to any man that I know alive. You know my education and initial weakness was such, as forbiddeth me to glory in the flesh: but I will not rob God of his glory, to avoid the appearance of ostentation, lest I be proud of seeming not to be proud. I doubt not but many thousand souls will thank you, when they have read that you were the man that led me into the ministry. And shall I entertain a suspicion that you will ever hearken to those men that would rob you of the reward of many such works, and engage you against the King of saints? Is it gain, or ease, or worldly advantages that continueth me in the work? Let me speak as a fool, seeing it is for the Lord, in imitation of Paul, that was no fool. Was I not capable of secular and military advancement as well as others that are grown great? Did I ever solicit you so much as for my arrears (which is many hundred pounds)? You could scarce do the thing that would gratify my flesh more, than to silence and depose me from the ministry. Might I consult with the flesh, I should be more against my own employment than many of my enemies are. Did I but turn physician I could get more worldly wealth, and my patients would not be so froward, and quarrelsome, and unthankful as most ministers find their carnal auditors to be. When men come to me for physic for their bodies how submissive are they : and how they entreat, and what thanks after will they return! But when we would help their souls, what cavils, and quarrels, and unthankful obstinacy do we meet with! We must be much beholden to them to accept our help, and all will not serve turn. My patients that have bodily diseases will pay me if I would take it; but if by giving them twice as much as I receive, I could satisfy and further the case of diseased souls, how joyful should I be! And must we deny ourselves and all things in the world for our peoples' sake, and after all be reproached, as if we were a mercenary generation and sought ourselves? O how will God confound this ingratitude when he comes to judge!

Something they might say if the ministers of England had the provision of the French and other Popish clergy. (I will not presume to compare now our calling, fidelity and

maintenance with magistrates, judges and men of other professions). Should I suppose the magistracy epitomized in you, and the ministry in me, I should give you an undue advantage; for I suppose there are far more ministers better than me than there are magistrates better than you; and yet I think you would not judge of me as the ministers are judged of. As there are no such commissioners for ejection of scandalous, insufficient, negligent magistrates as are for the ejection of such ministers, so if there were, I should not doubt but you would quickly see which part were liable to more exceptions. But when I look on the faithful ministers round about me, how many of them could I name, with whom my conscience tells me I am not worthy to be compared in holiness, I am then amazed at the ingratitude of the apostates of this age. How constantly and zealously do they preach in public, at home and abroad, some of them many times a week; how diligently do they instruct the ignorant in private, from house to house; how unblamably, and meekly, and self-denyingly do they behave themselves; and are men that once made profession of religion become the enemies of such a ministry? "O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united:" Gen. xlix. 6. I had rather be in the case of Turks, yea, of cannibals, than of those men.

I know that many think our very ignorant dividers to have more illumination, and that the pastors of the flocks are carnal, ignorant men; (as the blind man that rushed against another, and asked him whether he were blind, that he could not go out of his way ?) But I have long tried the spirits, and I have found that these camelions have nothing within but lungs and that straw and little sticks may make the quickest and the lightest blaze, but will not make a durable fire as the bigger fuel doth. A bittern hath a louder voice than a swan or eagle; and in some one thing a bungler may excel a better workman; and what if one minister excel in one gift, and another in another, and few in all; is not this like the primitive administration? You be not angry with your apple-tree that it bears not plums, nor with your peartree that it bears not figs.

But I have been too tedious. I beseech you interpret not any of these words as intended for accusation or unjust suspicion of yourself: God forbid you should ever fall from

that integrity that I am persuaded you once had. But my eye is on the times with grief, and on my ancient, dearest friend with love: and in an age of iniquity and temptation my conscience and the world shall never say that I was unfaithful to my friend and forbore to tell him of the common dangers.

Dear friend, take heed of a glittering, flattering world. Remember that greatness makes few bad men good, and few good men better. As Seneca saith, 'The carcase is as truly dead that is embalmed, as that which is dragged to the grave with hooks.'

And this I say, "The time is short: it remaineth that they that weep, be as if they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not: and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as they that use it not; for the fashion of this world passeth away;" 1 Cor. vii. 29–31. And when the soul of the worldly fool is required of him, then whose shall all their dignities, and honours, and riches be? In the meantime, God judgeth not by outward appearance as man judgeth, nor honoureth any for being honoured of men.

'Solus honor merito qui datur, ille datur.'-Juvenal.

These truths (well known to you) I thought meet to set before your eyes, not knowing whether I shall ever more converse with you in the flesh; and also to desire you seriously to read over these popular sermons (persuaded to the press by the importunity of some faithful brethren that love a mean discourse on so necessary a subject). "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." I rest, Your Friend,

RICHARD BAXTER.

September 12, 1659.