things is a sign that a man hath considered what he speaks and that he hath made it his own, and utters not that which accidentally falls in. And it is a sign that he is still of the same belief, and doth not change, and that he loves the truth, which he so much dwells upon; and that he looketh more at the feeding of men's souls, and strengthening their graces, than at the feeding of their itching fancies, and multiplying their opinions. For it is the essentials and common truths (as I have often said) that we daily live upon as our bread and drink. And we have incomparably more work before us, to know these better, and use them better, than to know more. The sea will afford us more water after we have taken out a thousand tuns, than a hundred of those wells and pits from whence we never yet fetched any. I speak not against the need of clothing the same truths with a grateful variety in representing it to the world, nor against a necessary compliance with the diseases of some itching novelists in order to the cure; but only give you an account of this publication, by him that had rather be charged with the greatest rudeness of style, than with the guilt of neglecting what he might have done for the saving of one soul.

RICHARD BAXTER.

TREATISE OF CONVERSION.

MATTHEW XVIII. 3.

Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

BELOVED HEARERS,

THOUGH the Gospel doth not presuppose grace in men, but bringeth it to them, yet doth it suppose them to be men, and therefore endued with natural principles. And though there is not enough in nature to convert men, yet doth grace find some advantage in nature for its reception, and somewhat which it may improve for a further good: otherwise we might as well plead with beasts as men. Supernatural light supposeth natural; the doctrine of faith supposeth reason; and he that would draw you to be everlastingly happy, doth suppose you so much to love yourselves as to be willing to be happy, and loath to be absolutely miserable. I come not therefore to persuade any of you to these things, which are supposed: we are not sent to entreat men to be men, or reasonable creatures, or to love themselves, or to be willing to be happy; I will not be beholden to any of you for this, for you cannot do otherwise: but we are sent to tell you where your happiness lieth, and where not, and to advise you to exercise your reason aright, and to know the way to happiness, and take that course by which it may obtained.

I must confess to you that ever since I knew what it was to be a minister of the Gospel, what labour it must cost, and how cold a reward is to be expected from our hearers, and what a troublous errand we come upon, in the judgment of the most, I never could think any thing below the pleasing of God, and the saving of the souls of our people and ourselves, to be a motive sufficient to draw a man to this employment. Nor do I think it meet to come once into the pulpit, with any lower ultimate ends than these. He that is a minister for lower ends than these, in heart and deed is no minister of Christ; but as he seeks himself, so will he serve himself, and must reward himself as he can; and no wonder if he be unfaithful in all his course. And he that preacheth one sermon for lower ultimate ends than these, will seek himself, and not Christ, and so be unfaithful in that sermon: and if such study smooth words and fine sentences, which tend more to please, than to save men's souls, it is no wonder. Considering these things, when I had purposed this day's work in this place, I remembered in whose name I must speak, and on whose errand I must go, and therefore that from him I must receive my message : and I remembered also to whom I was to speak, even to men that must be everlastingly happy or miserable, and that are now in the way, and have that to do in a little time, which this their everlasting state doth depend upon: I remembered also, that Christ hath assured me that of the many that are called, few are chosen; and that most men perish, for all the mercy that is in God, and for all that Christ hath done and suffered, and for all the grace that is offered them in the Gospel; and I considered the reason, even because they will not receive this grace, nor entertain Christ and the mercy of God, as it is offered to them. I therefore resolved to preach to you, as one that hath but one sermon to preach to you, and knows not whether he shall ever speak to you more, and therefore to choose no lower subject than that which your life or death depends upon, and to handle it as far as I am able accordingly, with that plainness as a matter of such concernment should be handled with. If my business hither were to be thought a learned man, or to procure your applause, or to please your ears, I should then have prepared some pleasing matter, and tried to have adorned it

with some flourishes of wit, and presented it to you in a mixture of languages, which you do not understand, and with such pretty jingles and gaudy allusions as carnal fancies are used to be tickled with; but knowing that this is not the way to please God, but to please the devil, nor to save myself, or those that hear me, but to hinder the salvation of me and you, I soon resolved not only to avoid the study of such unprofitable, carnal ostentation, but even to study to avoid it: for I should be loath to please satan any way by the doing his work, but doubly loath to please him in preaching the Gospel, and to be serving him in the choicest service of my Lord.

Will the Lord but bless the word that I shall speak to the conversion of any souls here present, I have the ends I come for; and shall believe that I have cause to bless his name that sent me hither to day; and in hope of this success, which I have begged of the Lord, I shall cheerfully address myself to the work.

The occasion of these words of Christ, was the carnal thoughts of his disciples concerning the state of his kingdom, as if it had been of earthly pomp and glory, like the great monarchs of the world; and also their carnal, aspiring desires and contrivances to get the highest place in his kingdom. They found these conceits among the Jews, and nature easily entertained and cherished them, which is so dark and so disaffected to higher things. Christ thought it not yet seasonable to give them the full discovery of his kingdom, it being reserved for the Holy Ghost, who was miraculously to possess them, and teach them all things in Christ's bodily absence, that the world might see that his doctrine was not of his devising, but from above: but yet he presently falls upon that sin which these inquiries did discover in them; and before he fully telleth them the nature of his kingdom, he plainly telleth them what they must be if they will have a part in that kingdom. It may seem a great doubt, whether the disciples were at this time unconverted, that Christ telleth them of the necessity of a conversion, or whether it be but a particular conversion from some particular sins that he here speaks of; as there is a general conversion or repentance necessary to the unrege

nerate, and a particular conversion or repentance necessary to the godly upon their particular falls. To this I answer, 1. Judas was undoubtedly unconverted, and so did continue. 2. The apostles were then ignorant of many truths which afterwards became of absolute necessity to salvation; as Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, the nature of his kingdom, &c. Yet I dare not say, that they were not in a state of salvation when they were thus ignorant of them, because they were not then fundamentals, or of absolute necessity, as afterwards they were: but yet Christ might well tell them that these truths must be believed hereafter, and they could not have that eminent measure of faith which was proper to his more illuminated church after his ascension, without believing of them. Yea, if they had not believed them when they were made fundamentals of absolute necessity to be believed, they had ceased to be true disciples of Christ. And whether there be not some noble effects of this Gospel-doctrine upon the heart, which are also proper to the church after Christ's ascension, as well as these articles of belief were proper to them, and so that this text may speak of both, I leave to further consideration. 3. Many think that it is but a particular conversion and repentance that is here spoken of; that is, from this sin of ambition which the disciples did now manifest: but then they observe not that it will hence be concluded, that a true disciple may by a particular sin be in such a state, that if he should die in it, he should not be saved. But others that are learned and godly think that no hard conclusion, as long as God will not suffer them to die in it. 4. I purposely forbear to trouble you with the names of expositors, but I make no doubt but they are in the right, that suppose that Christ doth here reprehend their ambition, by describing the contrary temper of his true followers, shewing them the absolute necessity of conversion, without any determination whether they were or were not converted at present: he telleth them that except they be converted, humble persons, they cannot be saved, but doth not determine that now they are otherwise. And indeed it seemeth not likely that the disciples of Christ had not then that conversion and humility of mind that was of absolute necessity to salvation: these words may well be used to converted men, to