pentance prevent it not, they shall better know in hell whether such ministers were their friends or foes, and what they would have done for them, if their counsel had been heard. When "the messengers of God were mocked, and his words despised, and his prophets abused, the wrath of the Lord arose on the Israelites themselves; and there was no remedy." (2 Chron. xxxvi. 16.) Shall ministers study, preach and pray for you, and shall they be despised? When they have the God of heaven and their conscience to witness, that they desire not yours but you, and are willing to spend and be spent for your sakes; that all the wealth in the world would not be regarded by them in comparison of your salvation, and that all their labours and sufferings are for your sake; if yet they be requited with your contempt, or scorn, or discouraging unteachableness, see who will be the losers in the end. When God himself shall justify them with a Well done good and faithful servant; let those that reproached, despised, and condemned them, defend their faces from shame, and their consciences from the accusations of their horrid ingratitude, as well as they can! Read the Scriptures and see, whether they that obeyed God's messengers, or they that despised and disobeyed them sped best. And if any of the seducers will tell you, that we are not the ministers of Christ; leave them not, till they tell you, which is his true church and ministry, and where they are? and by that time they have well answered you, you may know more of their minds. 3. My last advice to you is this: See that you obey your faithful teachers, and improve their help for your salvation while you have it; and take heed that you refuse not to learn when they would teach you. And in particular, see that you refuse not to submit to them in this duty of private instruction, which is mentioned in this treatise. Go to them when they desire you, and be thankful for their help. Yea, and at other times when you need their advice, go to them of your own accord, and ask it. Their office is to be your guides in the way of life: if you seek not their direction, it seems you despise salvation itself, or else you are so proud as to think yourselves sufficient to be your own directors. Shall God in mercy send you leaders to teach you and conduct you in the way to glory, and will you shortly send them back, or refuse their assistance, and say, We have no need of their direction? Is it for their own ease or gain that they trouble you, or is it for your own everlasting gain? Remember that Christ hath said to his messengers, "He that despiseth you, despiseth me." If your obstinate refusal of the instruction do put them to bear witness against you in judgment, and to say, 'Lord, I would have taught these ignorant sinners, and admonished these worldly, impenitent wretches, but they would not so much as come to me, nor speak with me!' Look you to it, and answer it as you can : for my part, I would not be then in your case for all the world! But I shall say no more to you on this point, but only desire you to read and consider the exhortation, which is published in our Agreement itself, which speaks to you more fully; and if you read this book, remember the duty which you find to belong to the ministers doth shew also what belongs to yourselves for it cannot be our duty to teach, catechise, advise, &c. if it be not yours to hear, learn, and seek advice. If you have any temptation to question our office, read the London Ministers' 'Jus Divinum Minister. Evang.' And Mr. Thomas Ball's book for the Ministry. If you doubt of the duty of learning the principles, and being catechised, read the London Ministers' late Exhortation to Catechising; and Mr. Zach. Crofton's book for Catechising (now newly published). : "There will (saith Dr. Hammond) be little matter of doubt or controversy, but that private, frequent, spiritual conference betwixt fellow Christians, but especially (and in matters of high concernment and difficulty) between the presbyter and those of his charge, even in the time of health; and peculiarly that part of it which is spent in the discussion of every man's special sins and infirmities, and inclinations, may prove very useful and advantageous (in order to spiritual directions, reproof and comfort) to the making the man of God perfect. And to tell truth, if the pride and selfconceit of some, and wretchlessness of others, the bashfulness of the third sort, the nauseating, and instant satiety of any good in a fourth; the follies of men, and the artifices of Satan, has not put this practice quite out of fashion among us, there is no doubt but more good might be done by ministers this way, than is now done by any other means separated from the use of this particularly, than by that of public preaching, (which yet need not be neglected the more when this is used) which hath now the fate to be cried up, and almost solely depended on, it being the more likely way, as Quinctilian saith, (comparing public and private teaching of youth,) to fill narrow-mouthed bottles, (and such are the most of us,) by taking them single in the hand, and pouring in water into each, than by setting them altogether, and throwing never so many bottles of water on them."*. "The ignorant soul (saith Gurnal) feels no such smart: if the minister stay till he sends for him to instruct him, he may sooner hear the bell go for him, than any messenger come for him: You must seek them out, and not expect that they will come to you. These are a sort of people that are more afraid of their remedy than their disease, and study more to hide their ignorance, than how to have it cured; which should make us pity them the more, because they can pity themselves so little. I confess it is no small unhappiness to some of us, who have to do with a multitude, that we have neither time nor strength to make our addresses to every particular person in our congregations, and attend on them as their needs require; and yet cannot well satisfy our consciences otherwise. But let us look to it, that though we cannot do to the height of what we would, we be not found wanting in what we may. Let not the difficulty of our province make us like some, who when they see they have more work upon their hands than they can well dispatch, grow sick of it, and sit down out of a lazy despondency, and do just nothing.-O! if once our hearts were filled with zeal for God, and compassion to our people's souls, we would up and be doing, though we could lay but a brick a day; and God will be with us. It may be, you who find a people rude and sottishly ignorant, like stones in the quarry and trees unfelled, shall not bring the work to such perfection in your days as you desire! Yet, as David did for Solomon, thou mayst by thy pains in teaching and instructing them, prepare materials for another, who shall rear the temple.”+ April 16, 1656. RICH. BAXTER. * Power of the Keys, c. iv. s. 104. p. 113. GILDAS SALVIANUS : THE REFORMED PASTOR. ACTS xx. 28. Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. CHAPTER I. Reverend and dearly beloved Brethren, THOUGH some think that Paul's exhortation to these elders, doth prove him their ruler, we hope, who are this day to speak to you from the Lord, that we may freely do the like without any jealousies of such a conclusion. Though we teach our people as officers set over them in the Lord, yet may we teach one another as brethren, in office as well as in faith. If the people of our charge must teach and admonish, and exhort each other daily, (Col. iii. 16; Heb. iii. 13,) no doubt teachers may do it to one another without any supremacy of power or degree. We have the same sins to kill, and the same graces to be quickened and corroborated, as our people have: we have greater works than they to do, and greater difficulties to overcome, and no less necessity is laid upon us; and therefore we have need to be warned and awakened, if not to be instructed, as well as they. So that I confess, I think such meetings should be more frequent, if we had nothing else to do together but this. And as plainly and closely should we deal with one another, as the most serious among us do with our flocks; lest if only they have |