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requires them to use the most diligent means to restore its salutary influence, and to awaken the attention of parents and children to its all important contents. They may pretend a wish for an improved plan of religious education. But the methods adopted are sufficient to convince the attentive observer, that they are either governed by a desire to supplant that system of theolo gy, which the reformed church has generally embraced, or, at least, are criminally indifferent respecting it.

Such are the circumstances of the present times, that we cannot help lamenting, as hostile to the religious improvement of the

young, and to the cause of the Redeemer, every attempt to sink that catechism, which was so piously composed and so cautiously introduced; which is characterized by such internal excellence; and is, besides, so extensively supported by the public authority of the church, and ratified by the uniform testimony of ages. Let the churches of God awake; let them ask for the old way, and walk in the footsteps of the flock; and let them always beware of men destitute of the truth, whose imposing arts and devious example would lead them into paths, where fatal danger lurks, and the SAVIOUR is not seen. PASTOR

Selections.

ORIGINAL LETTER BY REV, MR. tion to her offspring; which will

RICHARD BAXTER TO A PROD

IGAL SON.

Sir,

THE many obligations laid upon me by the kindness of your parents, and the last request of your mother on your behalf, command me to make known my thoughts to you concerning your present and everlasting state.

not suffer me to see you perish in utter silence, and to forbear my admonition, how ungrateful soeverit may prove to your corruption.

I have long inquired after your welfare; and, from the voice of Fame, I heard a very sad report of you: That you were quite given up to drinking, sporting, idle company and cour ses, in flat licentiousness, in your I know the grace of God is disobedience to your father, and free, and that many parents are to the grief of his heart; and in heaven, whose children are in that, as you were a child when hell; but yet, some respect the you should have been a man, so mercy of God hath to children now you grow worse than man or for their parents' sake; which child; so that your father has puts me in some hope of you; purposed to marry, and disinherit and, for myself, I cannot think of you, that he might not leave his your mother, whose soul is now .estate to suchI was loath with God, without a strong affec-to credit this report; but made

further inquiry of some that I knew to be your friends, and all confirmed it; so that I am in great fears lest it be true.

Sir, believe it, these lines are not begun to you without tears. Alas! that the only son, the too much beloved darling of my dear deceased friend, should prove a wretch, an invincible neglecter of God and his salvation, and an heir of everlasting misery (without conversion!) Shall the soul of such an affectionate, careful mother see you in damnation? Shall the heart of a loving father, who looked for much of his earthly comfort in you, have his greatest earthly sorrow from you? Is it not sorrow enough to put him to part with half himself, but he must see his only son as lost and dead while he is alive?

Sir, if you cannot feel words, you shall shortly have that which will make you feel. What is your heart become a stone? Have you so lately seen the face of death in a deceased mother, and do you no better bethink you of your own? I beseech you for the sake of her that charged you by her last word to you, to be ruled by me; nay, I beseech you, for the sake of God and of your soul, that you would take these lines a little into your private serious thoughts, if you know how to be serious; and that you will not proceed any further in your folly, till you can tell how to answer the question which I shall now put to you.

Sir, what do you think on? Do you not believe that the infinite God beholdeth you, and that you live in his presence? Is God's presence nothing to you? Are you affected with nothing

but what you see? Do you live only by sense, and not by faith? Say not so, without an acknowledgment of brutishness; do not so, unless you will disown your manhood.

I beseech you, tell me, do you ever think of dying, and of what follows? If not, what shift do you make to overcome your wit, so far as to forget it? If you do, what shift make you to overcome your wit and sense itself so far as to disregard it? Can your guilty soul endure the terrors of an offended Majesty? Is it nothing to be condemned by the most holy God to everlasting torments?

Sir, you had best bethink you quickly whom you have to do with. It is not only an earthly father that you offend, but you are a creature and a subject of eternal Majesty. You owe him your highest love and obedience..... He will make you know yourself, and know your Maker, and know his laws, and know your duty, or he will make you howl in endless misery for it. You may make bold with a man like yourself; but be not too bold with the consuming fire. The sun is darkness in comparison of his glory; the heavens and earth are but as an hand breadth, in comparison of his infiniteness. Thousands and ten thousands of glorious angels are praising HIM, while such a thing as you are slighting, forgetting and disobeying HIM. And do you think he will long put up with this at your hands? If you dare take your Prince by the throat, if you dare play with a raging hungry lion, yet do not play with the wrath of God. If you dare

venture on fire or water, yet learn more wit than to venture on hell-fire.

Do you think these are but empty words? Believe you not a life to come? If you do not, your unbelief shall not procure your escape but experience shall convince you, and make you, in despite of you, believe or confess that there is an endless life that you should have provided for. If you do believe it, you are out of your wits, man, to be lieve one thing, and do another; to believe that you are near to heaven or hell, and yet make light of it!

O, Sir, it is but a few days that you have to take your fleshly pleasures in; but it is long and long indeed that you must suffer for it, if speedy sound conversion prevent it not. How many years must your flesh and bones lie in the earth, while your soul is paying dear for your wilfulness! And how many millions of years after must soul and body lie in hell! Will you take comfort in the remembrance of your present pleasures? Will it ease your torments, think you, to remember that once you had your will, and once you gratified your flesh?

Sir, deal plainly and not deceit fully with yourself. Are you considerately resolved to sell all your hopes of heaven for your pleasure? Are you resolved of it? Will you make so mad a bargain? Will you venture upon hell for a little sensual delight? If this be your deliberate resolu. tion, you be not worthy the name of a man, nor worthy to come into the company of men. If it be not, what mean you, to do it? The Governor and Judge

of the world hath told you, that "they that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh; and they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit :" that "to be carnally minded is death; that if ye live after the flesh ye shall die; that they who are in the flesh cannot please God; and that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

Sir, all these, and a hundred more such, are the true words of God, which I mind you of, that you may see who it is that you are so bold with, and what it is that you cast your soul on. Jest not with damnation. Hearken not to the suggestions of your vain imagination, nor to the deceitful words of prating sensualists, when you see the words of God against them. Re: member who you are and where you stand. Though you are a gentleman, you are but a lump of walking dirt, as to that bod; ily part which you pamper. You are continually in the hand of God. How afraid am I, lest I should ere long hear of your death, and so you should be past recovery in hell, and out of the reach of warnings and advice! and what a base dishonour is it to your understanding, that you should set so high an estimate on the sordid delights of your fleshly mind, as to cast away God and Christ, and heaven, and soul, and friends, and credit, and conscience, and all for them!

Why, Sir, is it really your judgment that your fleshly plea sures are worth all these? If it be, what a blind and sottish mind have you? I dare say and profess, that no man in Bedlam hath a greater error. If it be

not your judgment, will you go against your own judgment? Why, in this, you are far worse than any beast; for a beast hath no reason to rule his appetite, and so disobeyeth not his reason; but you have reason, if you will not stifle and bury it, but use it. What is it that you love so much better than God, than Christ, than heaven and all? Is it drink and play, and fleshly pleasure? Why a heathen, a Turk, a dog, a swine, hath his part in these as well as you. Take it not ill that I speak to you in so plain and homely a phrase. I tell you the day is even at hand, when your tongue shall confess that I spoke not half so ill of your way of folly as it doth deserve. You have read in Luke, (the sixteenth) of him that was tormented in hell, because he had his good things in this life, in gay clothing and delicious fare and how much worse than this do you!

:

O, Sir, remember sin. is deceitful, the flesh is base, the world is worthless, pleasures here are but short; but God is of infinite perfection; heaven is a certain durable possession; holiness is sweet and amiable; the life of godliness is clean, and safe, and pleasant.

I am loath to word with you any further; but address myself to you, in the grief of my heart, for your sin and misery, with these three important requests, which I entreat you, that you will not deny me.

First, That you will, patiently and considerately, read over and over this letter, which I write to you.

Secondly, That you will deliberately read over this treatise of conversion, which herewith I

send you; and as you go, examine your soul by it, and allow it your most sober solitary thoughts.

Thirdly, That you would presently, this night, betake yourself to God in prayer on your knees, and lament with tears your former folly, and earnestly beg his pardoning grace, and beseech him to give you a new, a holy, a mortified mind; and make this seriously your daily practice; and then, go to your father, and on your knees, confess your sin and disobedience, and beg his pardon, and promise unfeignedly to do so no more; and that from this day forward, you will take your fleshly disposition for the great and dangerous enemy of your soul; on the conquest of which your salvation lieth; and which you must study to subdue, and not to please. Read what Paul himself thought necessary, 1 Cor. ix. 25-27; and that you never more meddle with sports and recreations, or drink, or fleshly pleasures, but soberly and ordinately, and no more than is needful to fit you for the service of God; and that your care and business, and every day's work may be (when you have bewailed your youthful folly) to do God all the service that you can, and make ready for your appearing before the Lord; and make sure of that everlasting glory, which you have forfeited.

Go not out of doors till you have examined yourself whether you go on your Master's business; and whether your work be such that you would be comfort ably found in, if death shall call you before you come in a gain.

"One thing is needful," and all things else are toys. Choose the better part, which shall never be taken from you, Luke x. 42; hate such a disposition as hankers after sensual, brutish delights, and loveth pleasures more than God; and had rather be at sports or drinking, than in his service; and loves the company of merry jovial fools better than of them that fear the Lord, Psal. xv. 4; and had rather sport and talk away time, than spend it in preparing for eternal glory; for if this be the present frame of your mind, as true as the word of God is true, you are dead in sin, and an heir of hell; and cannot be saved, unless convert ing, saving grace, do make you a new creature, and give you a new heart, so that "old things pass away, and all things become new," with you, 2 Cor. v.

17.

Sir, I again beseech you to grant me these three requests that I have made to you. It would rejoice me much to hear of your conversion, as it grieves me to hear what you are, and fear what you will be. If you yield this much to God and me, you will have the everlasting comfort of it. If you will not, I do testify to your face, that it is not your fleshly pleasures, nor idle, delusory companions, nor your unbelief, stupidity, false imaginations, or childish folly, that shall save you from the burning wrath of God; and I profess, I had rather be a toad than you. And let me add, the words of a dying mother, and the earnest requests of her and your yet surviving friend, shall witness against you before the Lord, and aggravate

that load that must be on your soul to all eternity.

Sir, nobody shall know from me what I write to you, if you keep it to yourself and amend; and as long as no eye seeth it but your own, the plainest dealing, in so great a cause, can be no injury to you. But let me tell you, if you shall go on in folly, and turn not unto God, and live not in his fear, perhaps I may publish to the knowledge of the world the admonition, which I have given you, that........it may appear, that if you were disobedient to a dying mother, yet, I was faithful to the last charge of a dying friend; and if you durst abuse the Lord by sinning, so durst not I by letting you alone. But God forbid that you should put me to this! I cannot, I will not yet give up my hope, that God hath mercy for a son of so many prayers and tears, which have been poured out for you by a saint now in heaven; and which the Lord is witness are seconded with the tears of your surviving monitor, with which these lines were be gun, and are now ending; and which shall be followed with my prayers while God will give me a heart to pray, that you may presently prove a returning prodigal; that both your earthly and heavenly Father may res joice, and say, "This our son was dead, and is alive again; was lost and is found." (Luke xv. 32.) I pray you read the whole chapter.

Sir, I remain an earnest desirer of your conversion and salvation,

RICHARD BAXTER.
Scotts' Mag

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