The Practical Works of Richard Baxter: with a Life of the Author and a ... - Richard Baxter - Google Books

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THE SECOND PART.

CHRIST'S WITNESS WITHIN US, THE BELIEVER'S SPE-

CIAL ADVANTAGE AGAINST TEMPTATIONS TO

3. The reasons why all true believers shall have the wit-

ness in themselves....

Object. I find not this witness in me answered

So many pretend to the Spirit that I can believe none

But how shall I know which of them hath the Spirit,

when so many pretend to it?......

Quest. But how shall I know whether I have it?................

How a Christian should make use of the witness of the Spirit

within him, for the resisting of temptations to unbelief

Object. All this is but your own prejudice, which a Turk may

boast of in his own religion..

It is not the truth of the Gospel, but your belief of it

that makes all these impressions on you..

What need you a testimony within, if you can see

such evidence in the word without

Doth not that want evidence, which a reasonable man

cannot believe? ....

What an advantage it is in cases of particular temptations and

controversies to have the Spirit

You prove the Scripture true, because you believe it;

whereas you should believe it because it is true ..

But what is your private spirit to convince another

Quest. What need we make use of Scripture, or ministers, if

we have the witness in ourselves?

Is not he most likely to be in the right, in particular

controversies, that hath most of the Spirit?.

Sect. 23. Twenty considerations, evincing the necessity of

common knowledge, called human learning, not-

withstanding the witness and helps of the Spirit.

....

ibid.

Sect. 24. All sins, but especially those that most quench the

Spirit, have a natural tendency to infidelity; and

wounding the conscience by sensuality, is a com-

of the christian faith

25. Ungodly men are incompetent judges of the matters

26. The way to firm belief is to taste and try, that we

may have christian experience

THE THIRD PART.

PAGE

THE UNPARDONABLE SIN AGAINST THE HOLY

Sect. 1. Satan's course in tempting men to infidelity.

The reasons of this discourse

Sect. 2. The text opened

Your children, who

Matt. xii. 30 reconciled with Luke ix. 49, 50

The Father's judgment of the sin against the Holy

The papists' and protestants' judgment of it...

Whether this sin be absolutely unpardonable, the judg-

ment of the ancients, and later writers..

Why it is unpardonable.....

3. The author's judgment, 1. On the negative, what is not

the sin against the Holy Ghost, in twenty-four pro-

Of the sense of Heb. vi. 4-6, and whether all total

apostasy be this sin

4. Doct. How the enmity of Christ, his doctrine and

works against Satan's kingdom, prove that it was

not by Satan's power, but by God's, that Christ and

his disciples did their works.....

The enmity on Satan's part proved, from his nature,

interest, designs, and actions

Proved from Satan's transactions with witches, by

many histories of them.....

5. Proved by possessions and other violence on the body

Sect. 6. By apparitions and voices....

7. By his endeavours to bring the world to idolatry, with

the success. . . .

8. By his endeavours to raise heresies, and the means..

Heretics and schismatics, what, and of how many

The history of the Simonians, Nicolaitans, gnostics,

and other heretics, before popery

The introduction and use of popery

The introduction and success of Mahometanism

The raising of errors and heresies since the Reform-

ation of the anabaptists and enthusiasts, Para-

celsus, Weigelius, Behmen, Hacket, &c.

Of the late miscarriages in England, by the prelates

and their adversaries, and the rise of our wars and

sects. Satan's enmity to Reformation.

Ranters and Quakers....

9. Satan's enmity against Christ, proved by open perse-

10. By the inbred hatred in the hearts of all the servants

cutions, by Jews, gentiles, heretics, papists

of Satan through the world, to the kingdom and

true subjects of Christ..

11. By his contrary precepts and persuasions...

12. Proofs of Christ's enmity to Satan, from his nature,

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Uses and consectaries, 1. Of the certain truth of the

2. The matter of fact was so undeniable that the most

malicious enemies of Christ did confess his miracles

3. The sin against the Holy Ghost so unreasonable
and impious, that it is no wonder if it be unpardon-

Other uses for practice, with directions to conquer

· An answer to Mr. Lyford's exceptions, proving that

the blaspheming pharisees did not believe..

THE FOURTH PART.

THE ARROGANCY OF REASON AGAINST DIVINE

REVELATION, REPRESSED.

The text opened. Regeneration comprehendeth remission of

Doct. Of men's proneness to question God's word when they

understand it not......

The nature and working of this arrogancy of reason

The causes of this arrogancy and questioning of God's word

Use. The frowardness of man's corrupt heart in the matters of

PAGE

Object. Should we believe without reason

Should we believe contradictions?

An answer to twelve of the common cavils of infidels against

the Scripture.....

REASONS OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

THE FIRST PART.

OF NATURAL RELIGION OR GODLINESS.

CHAP. I. Of the nearest truths, and, 1. Of human nature, or

the knowledge of ourselves; where note that the

question about the soul's immaterial substance is

referred to the Appendix, or Conclusion

II. Of man, as related to the things below him

III. Of men as mutually related to each other.....

IV. Of man, and other things, as produced by the

V. What this cause is in itself; that it is God.....

VI. Of God, as related to his creatures, especially,

to man; and, 1. As his Owner

VII. Of man's relation to God, his Owner

VIII. 2. Of God's relation to man as his Ruler, where

it is proved that God ruleth man morally by laws

THE

UNREASONABLENESS

OF

INFIDELITY,

MANIFESTED IN

FOUR DISCOURSES.

J. The Spirit's extrinsic witness to the Truth of Christianity, on Gal. iii. 1—3. With a determination of this question, Whether the miraculous works of Christ and his disciples do oblige those to believe who never saw them? Aff.

II. The Spirit's internal witness to the Truth of Christianity, on 1 John v. 10. III. For prevention of the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost. A demonstration, that the Spirit and Works of Christ were the finger of God: or, the holy war between Christ and Satan, on Matt. xii. 22-33. A Postscript against Mr. Lyford's Exceptions.

IV. The arrogancy of reason against Divine Revelations repressed: or, proud ignorance the cause of infidelity, and of men's quarrelling with the word of God, on John iii. 9.

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