LONDON:

PRINTED BY MILLS, JOWETT, AND MILLS,

BOLT-COURT, FLEET-STREET.

THE

PRACTICAL WORKS

OF THE

REV. RICHARD BAXTER.

VOLUME XVI.

CONTAINING

THE MISCHIEFS OF SELF-IGNORANCE, AND BENEFITS OF SELF-
ACQUAINTANCE; THE TRUE CATHOLIC, AND CATHOLIC
CHURCH DESCRIBED; CATHOLIC UNITY; MAKING

LIGHT OF CHRIST AND SALVATION, TOO OFT
THE ISSUE OF GOSPEL INVITATIONS.

VOL. XVI.

R. EDWARDS, CRANE COURT, FLEST STREET, LONDON.

OF

THE SIXTEENTH VOLUME.

THE MISCHIEFS OF SELF-IGNORANCE, AND

BENEFITS OF SELF-ACQUAINTANCE.

EPISTLE DEDICATORY, &c.

The Text, opened

Self-knowledge, what; and how many sorts

PAGE

iii

33

34

How far it is a shame to be ignorant of ourselves

The mischiefs of self-ignorance, 1. It cherisheth atheism..

2. Causeth ignorance of the life to come

3. And of the evil of sin...

4. It keepeth the soul from true humiliation
5. It maketh Christ undervalued

....

6. It makes a holy conversation vilified
7. It makes men cheated by the world.

8. It causeth pride

....

.....

36

37

40

ibid.

41

ibid.

42

43

44

9. It makes men run into temptations.

45

10. It makes temptations prevalent.

46

11. It makes men quarrel with God's word and ministers

20. It makes men lose their time, and neglect preparations

Self-ignorance detected and reproved

Discovered by some effects: 1. By men's unhumbleness

2. By the abounding of hypocrisy 61-3. By the love

of flattery, and impatience of plain reproof 63-

4. By men's partiality 65-5. When every man would

be a rule to others 68-6. By the great change that

approaching death, or other awaking providences make

69-7. By men's quarrelling with others in their

sufferings, and overlooking the great cause in them-
selves 73-The discovery prosecuted

VOL. XVI,

b

75

55

Motives.

PAGE

1. If you know not yourselves, you cannot repent

2. Nor be duly sensible of your misery

3. Nor indeed by Christians

4. You will not know what to do with yourselves..

5. You will not know how to apply the word

6. Nor how to confess or pray

....

8. Nor how to receive the Lord's-supper

9. All your studies will be irrational, preposterous, &c.

10. You will be much unuseful to others

11. You cannot well proceed to know extrinsic things..

12. How many things have you to know about yourselves

Exhortation

Caution against excessive studying of ourselves ...

Who need this caution

savourily about heart-affairs

78

ibid.

80

86

98

...

90

93

96

97

101

103

105

106

108

110

Information: Why the sincere can discourse so fully and

116

And why they are so full in prayer, and others so empty

The excuses of the prayerless answered

Why the upright are so prone to self-accusing.

Motives to the Ungodly.

1. If you know not yourselves, you know not whether you

must dwell in heaven or hell......

2. All shall shortly know themselves..

3. And be surprised to find themselves in a mistake..

How useful a companion conscience is to converse with..

4. It is Satan's chief design to keep yourself ignorant

Yet some can go on in known misery

A threefold despair....

In what cases the sincere may go on in sin against knowledge

But the ordinarily self-knowledge would do much........

Information: Why faithful ministers search so deep, and

speak so hardly of unrenewed souls ...

Questions to the unsanctified ....

What Christianity is, and who sincere in the covenant

Who certainly are unregenerate

124

126

132

130

134

139

141

142

143

147

159

163

164

Exhortation to the Regenerate.

I. 1. To know their sins, 2. Their graces. 1. For want of

self-knowledge

168

1. You confess not sin as you ought to God or man 169-

2. You pray not against it, or for grace as you ought

170-3. You are negligent in your watch ibid.-

4. Seek not help 171-5. Lie in unobserved sins

172