long on so terrible a precipice The tears and sorrows of many years may perhaps not repair the loss which one hour or act may bring The case of David and many another are dreadful warnings Know what it is that you are most in danger of whether lust or idleness or excess in meat or drinks or play and there set the strongest watch for your preservation Make it your daily business to mortifie that lust and scorn that your brutish sense or appetite should conquer reason Yet trust not purposes alone but away from the temptation Touch not yea look not on the tempting bait Keep far enough off if you desire to be safe What miseries come from small beginnings Temptation leads to sin and small sins to greater and those to Hell And sin and Hell are not to be played with Open your sin or temptation to some friend that shame may save you from the danger IX Keep up a constant skilfull Government Iames 1.19 Iam 3.13.17 1 Pet. 3.4 Mat 5.5 Ephes 4.2 3. Col. 3.12 Iames 1.26 3.5 6. over your Passions and your Tongues To this end keep a lender Conscience which will smart when in any of these you sin Let Holy Passions be well ordered and selfish carnal passions be restrained Let your Tongues know their duties to God and man and labour to be skilful and resolute in performing them Know all the sins of the Tongue that you may avoid them for your innocency and peace do much depend on the prudent Government of your Tongues Psalm 34.13 Prov. 18.21 X. Govern your Thoughts with constant skilful diligence In this Deut. 15.9 2 Cor. 10.5 Gen 6.5 Psalm 10.4 Psalm 94.19 Psal 119.113 Prov 12.5 15.26 right Habâts and Affections will do most by eâclining them unto Good It s easie to Think on that which we Love Be not unfurnished of matter for your Thoughts to work upon And often retire your selves for serious meditation Be not so solitary and deep in musings as to over-stretch your thoughts and confound your minds or tâke you off from necessary converse with others But be sure that you be Considârate and dwell much at home and converse most with your consciences and your God! with whom you have the greatest business Leave not your thoughts unimployed or ungoverned scatter them not abroad upon impertinent vanities O that you knew what daily business you have for them Psal 119 59. Prov. 30.32 Ier 4.14 Deut. 32.19 Most men are wicked deceived and undone because they are inconsiderate and dare not or will not retiredly and soberly use their Reason or use it but as a slave in chains in the service of their passion lust and interests He was never wise or good or happy who was not soberly and impartially considerate How to be good to do good and finally enjoy good must be the summ of all your Thoughts Keep them first Holy then charitable clean and chaste And quickly check them when they look towards sin XI Let Time be exceeding pretious in your eyes and carefully and diligently Redeem it Ephes 5.16 Ioh 14 1 2. Acts 17.21 1 Cor. 7.29 2 Cor. 6.2 Iohn 9.4 Luk. 19.42.44 Psalm 39 4. Mat. 25.10.12 What haste doth it make and how quickly will it be gone and then how highly will it be valued when a minute of it can never be recalled O what important business have we for every moment of our Time if we should live a thousand years Take not that man to be well in his wits or to know his God his End his work or his danger who hath time to spare Redeem it not only from needless sports and playes and idleness and curiââââ and complement and excess of sleep and chatt and worldliness but also from the entanglement of ââssââ good which would hinder you from greater Spend Time as men that are ready to pass into another world where every minute must be accounted for and it must go with us for ever as we lived here Let not Health deceive you into the expectation of living long and so into a sensless negligence See your glass running and keep a reckoning of the expense of Time and spend it just as you would review it when it is gone XII Let the Love of all in their several capacities become as it were your very Nature 1 Tim. 1.5 6. Mat. 19.19 Rom. 13.10 1 Iohn 4.16 Ephes 4.2.15 16. Col. 2.2 1.4 1 Tim. 6.11 Iames 3.17 Phil. 2.1 2. 1 Thess 4.9 Iohn 13.35 Mat. 5.44 â5 1 Cor. 13. Iames 4.11 Gal. 6 10. Titus 2.14 Phil. 2.20 21. Rom. 15.1.3 and doing them all the good you can be very much of the business of your lives God must be loved in all his creatures His natural Image on all men and his spiritual Image on his Saints Our Neighbour must be Loved as Our selves that is our natural neighbour as our natural self with a Love of Benevolence and our spiritual neighbour as our spiritual self with a Love of Complacence In opposition to complacence we may hate our sinful neighbour as we must our selves much more But in opposition to Benevolence we must neither hate our selves our neighbour or our enemy O that men knew how much of Christianity doth consist in Love and doing good With what eyes do they read the Gospel who see not this in every page Abhorr all that selfishness pride and passion which are the enemies of Love and those opinions and factions and censurings and backbitings which would destroy it Take him that speaketh evil of another to you without a just cause and call to be Satans messenger intreating you to hate your Brother or to abate your Love For to perswade you that a man is bad is directly to perswade you so far to hate him Not that the good and bad must be confounded but Love will call none Bad without constreining evidence Rebake backbiters Hurt no man and speak evil of no man unless it be not only just but necessary to some greater good Love is lovely They that Love shall be beloved Hating and hurting makes men Hateful Love thy neighbour as thy self and Do as thou wouldst be done by are the golden Rules of our duty to men which must be deeply written on your hearts For want of this there ãâã nothing so false so bad so cruel which you may not ãâã drawn to Think or Say or Do against your Breââââ SELFISHNES and WANT of LOVE do ãâã ââturally tend to Ambition and Covetousness and ãâã to cruelty against all that stand in the way of ãâã ââââes as the nature of a Wolf to kill the Lambs ãâ¦ã and contentions and persecutions in the ãâã ââoceed from selfishness and want of charity ãâ¦ã malice is the Devilish nature Be as zeaâââ ãâã âââng good to all as Satans servants are in ãâã Take ât as the use of all your talents and ãâã ââem as âoâ would hear of it at last Let it be yoâr business and not a
The Second SHEET FOR Poor Families INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HOLY LIFE By Richard Baxter LONDON Printed by Robert White for Francis Tyton at the three Daggers in Fleet-street and for Nevill Simmons Book-seller in Kederminster 1665. The Second Sheet for Poor Familes INSTRUCTIONS FOR A Holy Life ALL is not done when men have begun a Religious life All Trees that blossome prove not fruitfull Colos 1.23 Hebrews 4.1 2 Pet. 2.20 1 Cor. 3. Gal. 3. 4. Matthew 13.41 18.7 and all fruit comes not to perfection Many fall off who seemed to have good beginnings And many dishonour the Name of Christ by their scandals and infirmities Many do grieve their Teachers hearts and lamentably disturb the Church of Christ by their ignorance errors self-conceitedness unruliness headiness contentiousness sidings and divisions In so much that the scandals and the fewds of Christians are the great impediment of the Conversion of the Iâfidel and Heathea world Phil. 3.21 Acts 20.30 by exposing Christianity to their contempt and scorn as if it were but the error of men as unholy and worldly and proud as others that can never agree among themselves And many by their passions and selfishness are a trouble to the Families and Neighbours where they live And more by their weaknesses and great distempers are snares vexations and burdens to themselves Whereas Christianity in its true constitution is a life of such Holy Light and Love Matth. 5.16 1 Pet. 3 1. 1 Pet. 2.15 1.8 2 Cor. 1.12 such Purity and Peace such fruitfulness and Heavenlyness as if it were accordingly shewed forth in the lives of Christians would command admiration and reverence from the world and do more to their conversion than swords or words alone can do And it would make Christians usefull and amiable to each other and their lâves a feast and pleasure to themselves I hope it may prove some help to these excellent ends and to the securing mens salvation if in a few sound experienced Directions I open to you the Duties of a Christian life I. Keep still the true form of Christian Doctrine Desire and Duty orderly printed on your mânds 2 Tim. 1.13 3.7 Heb. 5.12 Phil. 1.9 Rom. 15.14 that is Understand it clearly and distinctly and remember it I mean the great points of Religâon contained in Catechismes you may still gâow in the clearer understanding of your Catechâsmes if you live an hândred years Let not the words only but the matter be as familiar in your minds as the rooms of your house are Such âolid knowledge will establish you against seduction and unbelief Eph. 4.13 14. Colosâ 1.9 2.3 3.10 1 Tim. 6.4 and will be still within you a ready help for every Graâe and every duty as the skill of an Artificer is for his work And for want of this when you come among Infidels or Hereticks their reasonings may seem unanswerable to you and shake if not overthâow your saâth And you will easily erre in âesser poâââ and trouble the Church with your dreams and wranglings This is the calamity of many Professors that while they will be most censorious Judges in every controversie about Church-matters they know not well the Doctrine of the Catechâsm II. Live day'y by faith on Jesus Christ as the Mediator between God and you Iohn 17.3 Ephes 3.17 18. Matth. 28.19 Eph. 1.22 23. 4.6.16 Romans 5. 2 Cor. 12.9 Iohn 16.33 1 Iohn 5.4 Heb. 4 14.16 Col. 3 3 4. Acts 7.59 Being well grounded in the Belief of the Gospel and understanding Châists Office make use of him still in all your wants Think on the Fatherly Love of God as coming to you through him alone and of the Spirit as given by Him your Head and of the Covenant of Grace as enacted and sealed by him and of the Ministery as sent by him and of all time and helps and hope as procured and given by him When you think of sin and infirmity and temptations think also of his sufficient pardoning justifying and victorious grace When you think of the world the flesh and the Devil think how he overcometh them Let his doctrine and the pattern of his most perfect life be alwayes before you as your Rule In all your doubts and fears and wants go to Him in the Spirit and to the Father by Him and Him alone Take him as the root of your life and mercies and Live as upon him and by his life And when you die resign your souls to Him that they may be with Him where he is and see his Glory To live on Christ and use Him in every want and address to God is more then a General consufed believing in him III. So Believe in the Holy Ghost as to Live and work by Him as the Body doth by the soul You are not Baptised into his name in Vain Gal. 5.16.25 Matth. 28.19 Iohn 16.13 Heb. 2 3 4. 1 Cor. 12.12 13. Rom. 8.9.13 Iohn 3.5 6. But too few understand the sense and reason of it The Spirit is sent by Christ for two great works 1. To the Apostles and Prophets to inspire them infallibly to preach the Gospel and confirm it by miracles and leave it on record for following ages in the Holy Scriptures 2. To all his members to illuminate and sanctifie them to believe and obey this Sacred Doctrine beside his common guift to many to understand and preach it The Spirit having first indited the Gospel doth by it first Regenerate and after Govern all true Believers He is not now given us for the revealing of new doctrines but to understand and obey the doctrine revealed and sealed by him long ago 2 Tim. 3.15 16. Iude 19 20. Ezech. 36.27 Isa 44.3 Rom. 8.1.5 1 Cor. 6.11 Zech. 14.20 As the Sun doth by its sweet and secret influence both give and cherish the natural life of things Sensitive and Vegetative so doth Christ by hâs Spirit our spiritual life As you do no work but by your natural life you should do none but by your spiritual life you must not only Believe and Love and pray by it but manage all your Callings by it For Holiness to the Lord must be written upon all All things are sanctified to you because you being sanctified to God devote all to Him and use all for Him and therefore must do all in the strength and conduct of the Spirit IV. Live wholly upon GOD as All in All As the first Efficient principal Dirigent Rom. 11.36 1 Cor. 10.31 2 Cor. 5 7 8. â Iohn 3.1 Rom. 5.1 2 3. Matth. 22.37 Ephes 1.6 2 Cor. 5.19 Gal. 4.4 5 6. and Final Cause of all things Let Faith Hope and Love be daily feeding on Him Let Our Father which art in Heaven be first inscribed on your hearts that he may seem most amiable to you and you may boldly Trust him and filial Love may be the spring of duty Make use of the Son and Spirit to lead you
matter on the by Especially foâ publick good and mens salvation And what you cannot do your selves perswade others to Give them good Books and draw them to the means which are most like to profit them XIII Vnderstand the right terms of Church-Communion especially the Unity of the Universal Church 1 Cor. 12. Eph. 4.3.16 Col. 1.4 Heb. 10.25 Acts 2.41 8.37.12 13. and the Universal Communion which you must hold with all the parts and the difference between the Church as Visible and Invisible For want of these how woful are our divisions Read oft 1 Cor. 12. Eph. 4.1 to 17. Iohn 17.21 22 23. Acts 4 32. 2.42 1 Cor. 1.10 11 13. 3.3 Rom. 16.17 Phil. 2. â 2 3 4. 1 Thes 5.12 13. Acts 20 30. 1 Cor. 11.19 Titus 3 10. Iames 3. Study these well You must have Vnion and Communion in Faith and Love with all the Christians in the world And refuse not local communion when you have a just call so far as they put you not on sinning Let your usual meeting be with the purest Church if you lawfully may 1 Cor. 1.2 11.18 21. 3.3 4. 1.12 13. and still respect the publick good But sometimes occasionally communicate even with defective faulty Churches so be it they are true Christians and put you not on sin that so you may shew that you own them as Christians though you disown their corruptions Think not your presence maketh all the faults of Ministry Worship or people to be yours for then I would joyn with no Church in the world Know that as the mystical Church consisteth of Heart-Covenanters so doth the Church as Visible consist of Verbal-Covenanters which make a credible profession of Consent And that Nature and Scripture teacheth us to take every mans word as credible till perfidiousness forfeit his Credit which forfeiture must be proved before any sober Profession can be taken for an insufficient title Grudge not then at the Communion of any Professed Christian in the Church Visible Though we must do our part to cast out the obstinately impenitent by Discipline Mat. 13.41 which if we cannot do the fault is not ours The presence of hypocrites is no hurt but oft a mercy to the sincere How small else would the Church seem in the world Iohn 16.2 1 Cor. 1.10 Rom. 16.17 Iames 3.14 15 16 17 18. Outward priviledges belong to outward Covenanters and inward mercies to the sincere Division is wounding and tends to death Abhor it as you love the Churches welfare or your own The wisdom from above is first pure and then peaceable Never seperate what God conjoineth It is the Earthly sensual devilish wisdom which causeth bitter envying and strife and confusion and every evil work Blessed are the Peace-makers 1 Tim. 3.6 Col. 2.18 1 Cor. 8.1 1 Cor. 4.6 1 Tim. 6.4 1 Pet. 5.5 Iames 3.1.17 XIV Take heed of Pride and Self-conceitedness in Religion If once you overvalue your own understandings your crude conceptions and gross mistakes will delight you as some supernal light and instead of having compassion on the weak you will be unruly and despisers of your Guides and censorious contemners of all that differ from you and persecutors of them if you have power and will think all intollerable that take you not as Oracles and your words as Law Forget not that the Church hath alwayes suffered by censorious unruly professors on the one hand and O what divisions and scandals have they caused as well as by the prophane and persecutors on the other Take heed of both And when contentions are afoot be quiet and silent and not too forward and keep up a zeal for Love and Peace Eph. 5. 6. Col. 3. 4. Rom. 13.1.7 1 Pet. 2.13.15 XV. Be faithfull and conscionable in all your Relations Honour and obey your Parents and other superiors Despise not and resist not Government If you suffer unjustly by them be humbled for those sins which cause God to turn your Protectors into Afflicters and instead of murmuring and rebelling against them reform your selves and then commit your selves to God Princes and Pastors I will not speak to Subjects and servants and children must obey their superiors as the Officers of God XVI Keep up the Government of God in your families Command 4. Iâs 24.15 Deut. 6.6 7 8. Daniel 6. Holy Familâes must be chief preservers of the interest of Religion in the world Let not the world turn Gods service into a customary lifeless form Read the Scripture and edifying Books to them Talk with them serioâsly about the state of their souls and everlasting life Pray with them fervently Watch over them diligently Be angry against sin and meek in your own cause Be examples of Wisdome Holiness and Patience And see that the Lords Day be spent in holy preparation for Eternity XVII Let your Calling be managed in Holiness and Laboriousness Hâb 13.5 Command 4. 2 Thess 3.10.12 1 Thess 4.7 1 Tim. 5.13 Proverbs 31. 1 Cor. 7.29 Live not in idleness Be not slothful in your work whether you be bound or free In the swear of your browes you must eat your bread and labour the six dayes that you may have to give to him that needeth slothfulness is sensuality as well as filthier sins The body that is able must have fit employment as well as the soul or else body and soul will fare the worse But let all be but as the labour of a Traveller and aim at God and Heaven in all XVIII Deprive not your selves of the benefit of an able faithful Pastor Mâl 2.7 Eccles 4.10 11. Prov. 12.1 15.5.10.31 Hâb 3.13 to whom you may open your case in secret or at least of a holy faithful friend And be not displeased at their free reproofs Wo to him that is alone How blind and partial are we in our own cause And how hard is it to know our selves without an able faithful helper You forfeit this great mercy when yoâ love a flatterer and angrâly defend your sin XIX Prepare for sickness sufferings and death Overvalâe not prosperity Luke 12.40 2 Pet. 1.10 nor the favour of man If sâlfish men pâove false and cruâl to you even those of whom you have deserved best marvel not at it but pray for your enemies persecutors and slanderers Phil. 1.21 23. Ierem. 9 4 5. Mat. 7.4 5. 2 Cor. 5.1 2 4 8. that God would turn their hearts and pardon them What a mercy is it to be driven from the world to God When the Love of the world is the greatest danger of the soul Be ready to die and you are ready for any thing Ask your hearts seriously what is it that I shall need at a dying hour and let it speedily be got ready and not be to seek in the time of your extremity XX. Understand the true method of Peace of Conscience Exod. 34.6 Heb. 7.25 Iohn 4.41 Iohn 3.16 1 Tim. 4.10