cited against the reproachers of serious piety, are added since the preaching of the rest, as being more fit to be presented here to the eye, than in the pulpit to the ear.

The petulancy of men on both extremes constrained me to add, "The Bridle for their Tongues."

The second discourse, I understand, offended some few of the gallants, that thought they were too roughly handled; let them here peruse it, and better concoct it, if they please.

I only add this observation to the heirs of heaven, that are above this world, and live by faith.

Few rich men are truly religious; it is as hard for them to be saved, as for a camel to go through a needle's eye. Yet rich men will every where be the rulers of the world, and so (as to outward protection or opposition) the judges in matters of religion. Judge, therefore, whether dominion and earthly reign be the portion of the saints (as Jewishly some of late imagine); and what usage we must ordinarily expect on earth! and what condition the church of Christ is like to be in to the end. As his kingdom, so ours, is not of this world. A low, despised, suffering state, is it that believers must ordinarily expect, and prepare for, and study to be serviceable in. If better (may I call it better) come, take it as a feast, and grudge not when the table is withdrawn; and look not it should be our every day's fare. But yet, value the more highly those few of the rich, and great, and rulers, that are above this world, and devote their power and riches to the Lord, and are holy and heavenly in the midst of so great temptations and impediments.

The Lord teach us to use this transitory world as not overusing it, that we may never hear, "Remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things. (Luke xvi. 25.) How shortly will they find themselves everlastingly undone, that made not sure of a more enduring portion! Reader, that thou mayest savingly remember these common but necessary, though much neglected, truths, is the end of these endeavours, and shall be the matter of my heart's desire and prayers, while the Lord continueth me

His servant for the promoting the increase
and edification of his church,

November 15, 1660.

R. BAXTER.

Postscript. Readers, meeting, in his consideration of the Liturgy, with these following words of the Rev. D. Gauden, "

cannot but commend the candour, justice, and integrity of Mr. Baxter, who lately professed to me, that he saw nothing in the Liturgy, which might not well bear a good construction, if men looked upon it as became Christians, with eyes of charity," I was sensible of the great respects of this learned and Reverend man; but, lest you misunderstand both him and me, I think it best to tell you more fully what were my words. Speaking for reformation of the Common Prayer Book, and an addition of other forms in scripture phrase, with liberty of choice, &c. I said, "That for the doctrine of the Common Prayer Book, though I had read exceptions against divers passages, I remembered not anything that might not receive a good construction, if it were read with the same candour and allowance, as we read the writings of other men." So that it was only the truth of the doctrine that I spoke of; against which I hate to be peevishly quarrelsome, when God hath blest this church so wonderfully, with a moderate and cautelous, yet effectual, reformation in matter of doctrine: the more pity is it that the very modes of worship and discipline should be the matter of such sharp and uncharitable discords, which must one day prove the grief of those that are found to have been the causes of it, and of the sufferings of the church on that occasion.

THE VAIN RELIGION OF THE FORMAL

HYPOCRITE, &c.

JAMES i. 26.

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

BELOVED hearers, I may suppose that we are all come hither to-day for the great end of our lives; and to labour in that work for which we are created, preserved, instructed, and furnished with the helps and means of grace; even to prepare for death that is coming to arrest us, and for the presence of our Judge, who stands at the door; and to make our calling and election sure, that the glory of the saints may be our lot, when the world of the ungodly are cast into endless misery and despair. And I hope I may suppose that, in order to this end, you would gladly be acquainted with the causes of damnation, that you may avoid them; with your greatest dangers, that you may escape them; and with the hinderances of your salvation, that you may overcome them. When we read in the Gospel, that salvation is to be offered unto all, and no man is excepted or shut out, but such as shut out and except themselves; and yet read that there are but few that find the "strait gate," and the " narrow way," and that the "flock is little" that shall have the "kingdom," and that "many shall seek to enter that shall not be able,” (Matt. vii. 13, 14; Luke xii. 32, and xiii. 24.) we must needs conclude that some powerful enemy standeth in the way, that can cause the ruin of so many millions of souls ; but when we go further and find what rich preparations God hath made, and what means he hath used, and what abundant helps he offereth and affordeth to bring men to this blessed state of life, it forceth us to admire that any enemy can be so strong, as to frustrate so many, and such excellent means. But when we yet go further, and find that salvation is freely offered, and that the purchase is made by a Saviour to our hands, and

that hearty consent is the condition of our title, and nothing but our wilful refusal can undo us; when we find that salvation is brought down to men's wills, and also what motives and convincing helps, and earnest persuasions, are appointed and used to make men willing; we are then surprised with yet greater admiration, that any deceiver can be so subtle, or the heart of man can be so foolish, as to be drawn (in despite of all these means) to cast away the immortal crown that else no enemy could have taken from him. And now we discern the quality of our enemy, of our snares, of our danger, and of our duty; it is not mere violence, but deceit, that can undo us; not force, but fraud, that we have to resist. And were not the mind of a carnal man exceeding brutish, (while he seemeth wise for carnal things,) it were a thing incredible that so many men could, by all the subtlety of hell be drawn, in the day-light of the gospel, deliberately and obstinately to refuse their happiness, and to choose the open way of their damnation, and leave their friends lamenting their calamity, that might have mercy, and cannot be persuaded

to consent.

That Satan is the great deceiver, and layeth the snare, and manageth the bait, we are all convinced; that the world, and all our fleshly accommodations are the instrumental deceivers ; the snare, the bait which Satan useth, is also a thing that we all confess. But that beside the devil and the world, a reasonable creature should be his own deceiver, and that in a business of unspeakable, everlasting consequence; and that religion itself, (a seeming religiousness that indeed is vain,) should be made by himself the means of his deceit, this is a mystery that is opened to you in my text, and requireth our most careful search and consideration.

When Satan and the World have wounded us by their deceits, religion is it that helpeth us to a cure. He that is deceived by pleasures and profits, and the vain glory of the world, must be undeceived and recovered by religion, or he must perish. But that religion itself should become his deceit, and the remedy prove his greatest misery, is the most stupendous effect of Satan's subtlety, and a sinner's fraudulency, and the saddest aggravation of his deplorable calamity. And yet, alas, this is so common a case, that where the gospel is preached, it seems to be Satan's principal game, and the highway to hell. There is no other name by which we can be saved, but by Jesus Christ, the only mediator between

sinful man and the offended Majesty; and yet, what is there in all the world that is more abused to the deceiving of men's souls, than the name and grace of Jesus Christ? Men that may be saved by an effectual faith, are cheated and destroyed by false faith and presumption. The merciful nature of God is the ground-work of all the comforts of the godly; and yet there is nothing that is more abused to the deceiving of men's souls; that will profess that they trust in the mercies of God, while they are labouring to be miserable by the refusing and resisting the mercy that would save them. The free promises of the gospel do support true believers, but are abused to the deceiving of the presumptuous world. And so the Apostle telleth us that many do by their religion; they will have a religion to deceive themselves, but not to save them.

It is the hypocrite that is the subject in my text, who is described by his double property. 1. That he seemeth to be religious. 2. That his obedience answereth not this seeming or profession; the instance is given in the bridling of his tongue, because that was the point that the Apostle had some special reason to insist on, with those to whom he immediately directed his epistle. Though it is plain, in verses 22, 23, &c., that it is the whole work of obedience that he implieth, where he instanceth in this particular. The sin of the tongue which he specially intendeth to reprove, was the bitter reproaching of their brethren, upon the account of thei. differences in matters of religion, and the vilifying of others, and charitable passionate contendings and censures, upon pretence nowing more than others; as appeareth in the third chapter throu hout.

The predicate is double;"

this hypocrite doth but deceine by way of supposition, viz., that of assertion, viz., that his religiis own heart; the other by way Whether θρήσκος and θρησκεί is vain.

Orpheus, the Thracian, as Erasm be fetched as far as from is of no great moment to our undes and many others imagine, evident that it is the worshipping standing of the text, it being religion; and it is men addicted tof God that is here meant by religious. The seeming, here spoken his worship that are called others; he that seemeth to himself,f, refers both to himself and so by other men. By bridling the to be religious, or is judged it from evil speech. By deceiving longue, is meant, restraining of his judgment concerning the imself, is meant the mistake cerity and acceptableness