them that now believe; whose weakness here occasioned his dishonor, and their own contempt! When the seed of grace is grown up into glory, and all the world, whether they will or not, shall discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not; between the clean and the unclean, and between him that sweareth, and him that feareth an oath. And though now "our life is hid with Christ in God," and it yet "appeareth not (to the sight of ourselves or others) what we shall be; yet then when Christ who is our life shall appear, we also shall appear with him in glory;" Heb. xii. 22, 23. Rev. xxii. 3-5. 14, 15. xxi. 3, 4. 8. 2 Thess. i. 9, 10. Matt. v. 4. 6. Mal. iii. 18. Eccles. ix. 2. 1 John iii. 2, 3. Col. iii. 3, 4. Away then my soul from this dark, deceitful, and vexatious world! Love not thy diseases, thy fetters and calamities. Groan daily to thy Lord, and earnestly groan to be cloathed upon with thy house that is from heaven (2 Cor. v. 2. 4.), that mortality may be swallowed up of life! Join in the harmonious desires of the creatures, who groan to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God; Rom. viii. 20-22. "Abide in him, and walk in righteousness, that when he shall appear, thou mayest have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming;" 1 John iii. 28, 29. Join not with the evil servants, who say in their hearts, "Our Lord delayeth his coming, and begin to smite their fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; whose Lord shall come in a day when they look not for him, and in an hour that they are not aware of, and shall cut them asunder, and appoint them their portion with the hypocrites, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth;" Matt. xxiv. 38-51. O watch and pray that thou enter not into temptation! and be patient, for the Judge is at the door! Lift up thy head with earnest expectation, O my soul, for thy redemption draweth near! Rejoice in hope before thy Lord, for he cometh; he cometh to judge the world in righteousness and truth. Behold he cometh quickly, though faith be failing, and iniquity abound, and love waxeth cold, and scorners say, 'Where is the promise of his coming! Make haste O thou whom my soul desireth, and come in glory as thou first camest in humility, and conform them to thyself in glory, whom thou VOL. II.

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madest conformable to thy sufferings and humility! Let the holy city New Jerusalem be prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and let God's tabernacle be with men, that he may dwell with them and be their God, and wipe away their tears, and death, and sorrow, and crying; and pain may be no more, but former things may pass away! Keep up our faith, our hope, our love! and daily vouchsafe us some beains of thy directing, consolatory light in this our darkness! and be not as a stranger to thy scattered flock, in this desolate wilderness! But let them hear thy voice, and find thy presence, and have such conversation with thee in heaven, in the exercise of faith and hope, and love, which is agreeable to their low and distant state. Testify to their souls that thou art their Savior and Head, and that they abide in thee by the Spirit which thou hast given them, abiding, and overcoming in them, and as thy agent preparing them for eternal life. O let not our darkness, nor any strangeness feed our odious unbelief! O shew thyself more clearly to thy redeemed ones! And come and dwell in our hearts by faith! And by holy love, let us dwell in God, and God in us, that we grope not after him, as those that worship an unknown God. O save us from temptation! And if the messenger of Satan be sent to buffet us, let thy strength be manifested in our weakness, and thy grace appear sufficient for us. And give us the patience which thou tellest us we need, that having done thy will, we may inherit the promise. And bring us to the sight and fruition of our Creator, of whom, and through whom, and to whom are all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen.

MR. BAXTER'S

DYING THOUGHTS

UPON

PHILIPPIANS i. 23.

WITH AN APPENDIX.

WRITTEN FOR HIS OWN USE IN THE LATTER TIMES OF HIS

CORPORAL PAINS AND WEAKNESS.

THE PREFACE TO THE READER.

READER,

I HAVE no other use for a preface to this book, but to give you a true excuse for its publication. I wrote it for myself, unresolved whether any one should ever see it, but at last inclined to leave that to the will of my executors, to publish or suppress it when I am dead, as they saw cause. But my person being seized on, and my library, and all my goods distrained on by constables, and sold, and I constrained to relinquish my house, (for preaching and being in London,) I knew not what to do with multitudes of manuscripts that had long lain by me; having no house to go to, but a narrow hired lodging with strangers: wherefore I cast away whole volumes, which I could not carry away, both controversies and letters practical, and cases of conscience, but having newly lain divers weeks, night and day, in waking torments, nephritic and colic, after other long pains and languor, I took this book with me in my removal, for my own use in my further sickness. Three weeks after, falling into another extreme fit, and expecting death, where I had no friend with me to commit my papers to, merely lest it should be lost, I thought best to give it to the printer. I think it is so much of the work of all men's lives to prepare to die with safety and comfort, that the same thoughts may be needful for others that are so for me. If any mislike the title, as if it imported that the author is dead, let him know that I die daily, and that which quickly will be, almost is: it is suited to my own use; they that it is unsuitable to, may pass it by. If those men's lives were spent in serious, preparing thoughts of death, who are now studying to destroy each other, and tear in pieces a distressed land, they would prevent much dolorous repentance. RICHARD BAXTER.