and ineffectually apprehended and intended. I desire the learned reader to peruse well the first disputation of Rada for Scotus on this question.

Prop. 13. The acts of love or faith are considerable, 1. Physically. 1. In general, as faith and love. 2. In special, as this faith and love about this object, the Father and Son. And thus, by common grace men may have true faith and love; that is, such as is physically a true or real act. 2. They are considerable morally; and that, 1. Either as duty answering a precept, "Believe and love God;" and thus they have an analogical, defective morality in them, and so are thus far sincere or true; but not that same true love or faith, in specie morali, which the command requireth. For it commandeth us to love God above all, &c. 2. They are considerable as conditions of the promises and evidences of spiritual life in the soul; and thus wicked men, by common grace, are never made partakers of them. They have not the things themselves. Their faith and love is not the same thing which hath the promises made to them in the Gospel, and so are not true or sincere.

Prop. 14. By common grace men may love God under the notion of the chiefest good and most desirable end, and yet not with that love which the chiefest good must be loved with, and therefore it is not morally sincere or saving.

Prop. 15. There is no notion whatsoever that a true Christian hath of God, and no word that he can speak of him, but an unregenerate man may have some apprehension of that same notion, and speak those words, and know every proposition concerning God and Christ, as Redeemer, which a godly man may know; and so may have some love to God, or faith in Christ in that same notion, though not with such a clear effectual apprehension, and lively powerful love, as the sanctified have.

Object. He cannot love God as his end. Answ. I have proved before that he may with a superficial, ineffectual, subdued love. Object. He cannot love him as the chief good. Answ. I have proved that he may love him under that notion, though not with that love which the chief good must be loved with.

Object. He cannot believe in Christ, or desire him as a Saviour to free him from every sin. Answ. Not with a prevalent faith or desire, for still he hath more love than averseness to that sin, and therefore more averseness than love to Christ as such; but

as in general he may wish to be free from all sin, so in particular he may have effectual wishes to be free from his most beloved sin in several respects.

Object. But not to be free from sin as sin, or as against God. Answ. Yes; a man by common grace may know that sin as sin is evil, and therefore may have ineffectual wishes to be freed from it as such; but at the same time he hath stronger apprehensions of the pleasure, profit, or credit that it brings him, and this prevaileth. Indeed, men's carnal interest, which in sin they love, is not its opposition to God, nor the formal nature of sin. Doubtless all men that are ungodly, do not therefore love sin because it is sin, and against God; at least this is not so total in them, but that there may be a subdued mind to the contrary, and dislike of sin as against God. Many a common drunkard I have known, that when he hath heard or talked of sin as sin, and as against God, hath cried out against himself, and wept as if he abhorred it, and yet gone on in it, for the pleasure of the flesh.

Object. But where, then, is man's natural enmity to God and holiness? Answ. 1. It is doubtful whether man naturally have an enmity to God and holiness considered simply, or only considered as being against man's carnal interest. 2. But were the former proved, yet common grace abateth that enmity, and gives men more than corrupted nature doth.

Object. But the experience of the godly telleth them that it is another kind of light and love which they have after conversion than before. Answ. 1. It is not all converts that can judge by experience in this; because all have not had common grace in the highest, or any great observed measure before conversion. 2. It is hard for any to make that experiment, because we know not in our change just when common grace left, and special grace begun. 3. A physical, gradual difference may be as great as that which your experience tells you of. Have you experience of common light and love before conversion, and of another since which differeth from it more than the greatest flame from a spark, and more than the sunshine at noon from the twilight, when you cannot know a man; or more than the sight of the cured blind man, that saw clearly, from that by which he saw men like trees; or more than the pain of the strappado from the smallest prick of a pin?

Object. But it is not common gifts that are worked up to be special grace. One species is not turned into another. Answ.

480

THE SAINT'S EVERLASTING REST.

True: imperfection is not turned materially into perfection. The dawning of the day is not materially turned into the greater light at noon; but a greater light superveneth, and is added to the less. The blind man's seeing men like trees, was not it that was the perfect, following sight, but an additional light was it.

Object. But special grace is the divine nature, the image of God, the new creature, &c., and therefore doth differ more from common.

Answ. I easily yield the antecedent, but deny the consequence. The difference is as admirably great as these terms express, though it be but a moral specific difference.

Reader, I will trouble thee no more but to entreat thee, if thou be of another mind, to differ from me without breach of charity, as I do from thee, and to remember that I obtrude not my explications on any. And if I have done thee wrong, it is but by telling thee my thoughts, which thou hast liberty to accept or reject as thou seest cause. But again I entreat thee, rather lay this by, or tear it out of the book, than it should be any stumbling-block in the way, or hinder thee from profiting by what thou readest. The Lord increase our light, and life, and love.

Jan. 15, 1657.

THE END.

INDEX

(ALPHABETICAL AND ANALYTICAL)

OF

THE PRINCIPAL MATTERS

CONTAINED IN

THE WORKS OF THE REV. RICHARD BAXTER,

The Index of the Principal Matters, contained in the LIFE OF MR.
BAXTER, will be found at the end of VOLUME I.

†† The LARGER Roman Numerals in this Index refer to Volumes II. to XXIII.;
the SMALLER Numerals and Arabic Figures, to the pages of each Volume.

previous profession of their faith,XIV.
414-425. What sort of profession
is necessary, 425-429. By whom it
is to be approved of, and judged,
429-445. On the admission of
adults who have been baptised in
infancy, their lives must be inquired
after, which must be such as not to
confute their profession, 469-471.
Yet their profession is not necessa-
rily to be a public one, 471. But
when an adult is admitted into a
particular church, his profession and
admission must be either before the
church, or made known to them, to
be approved of by a judgment of
discretion, 472-471. Desirableness
of a register of adult members being
kept, 478.

Advantages and prospects in life, fitted
with temptations by Satan, II. 280.
Directions against them, 281.
Advent of Christ in glory, how to be
contemplated by faith, XII. 579—
591. His second advent to be prayed
for by believers, XVII. 590-595.
The advent of Christ to judge the
dead, explained, XIX. 83-87.
Affections, sinfulness of, in what it
consists, II. 242, 243. Directions
for holy affections in hearing the
word preached, IV, 257-259. New
affections implanted in the heart, in
conversion, VII. 71–87. How the
affections are to be excited in hea- |
venly contemplation, XXIII. 350-
367.

Affliction, a season for meditation, III.

Almightiness. See Omnipotence.
Altar, whether the name may be used
instead of Holy Table, V. 494. Whe-
ther the communion-table may be
turned altar-wise, and railed in, and
we may communicate there, 495.
Ambition, or the climbing up to high
dignities or places, how to be deni-
ed, XI. 273-277.

Amen, import of, XIX. 158.
Anabaptists, holding no other error,
may be permitted in church-com-
munion, V. 365, 366. What judg
ment we are to form of the children
of godly Anabaptists, whose judg-
ments are against the dedication of
infants unto God, XII. 517. Refuta-
tion of their appropriating to them-
selves the Catholic church, XVI.
308, 309. The introduction of Ana-
baptism a proof of Satan's enmity,
XX. 293.

Angels, prayer to, both idolatrous and
sinful, IV. 297, 298; XII. 565. The
ministry of angels explained, V. 236
-238. Our affinity or relation to
them, 239. Wherein our converse
with angels consisteth, XII. 564—
568. Directions for holding com-
munion with them, V. 240-245.
The ministry of angels, one of the
benefits resulting from conversion,
VII. 201, 202. The conversion of a
sinner a source of joy to them, 226,
227. Communion with angels a
proof of the immortality of the soul,
XVIII. 283.

196. With what sentiments we
should go to God in affliction, XVIII.
179. Earnest and frequent prayer
suited to sharp afflictions, 179, 180.
Reasons why the people of God suf-
fer so much affliction in this life,
XXII. 53, 54. Labour and trouble
the common way to rest, 55. Af-
flictions are exceedingly useful, to
keep us from mistaking our resting-
place, 55-57. They are God's most
effectual means to keep us from
straggling out of the way of our rest,
57, 58. And also to quicken us in
the way to our rest, 58, 59. It is
but the flesh that is, for the most
part, troubled and grieved by afflic-Anointing, in baptism, origin of, V.
tion 59-64. God seldom gives his
people so sweet a foretaste of their |
future rest as in their afflictions,
64, 65. Objections urged by the
flesh against afflictions, refuted, 66
-70. Frequent believing views of
glory the most precious cordial in
afflictions, 242-248.

Aged persons especially bound to re-

Anger defined, as it respects ourselves,
III. 290. When sinful, ib., 291. Di-
rections meditative against it, 291–
295. Practical directions against it,
295-299.

367. Its ill consequences, 369.
Antichrist, the term defined, V. 262.

Whether it be necessary to believe
that the pope is antichrist, ib., 263.
Antiquity, judgment of, how far to be fol-
lowed in controversies, V. 147. Tes-
timonies of antiquity against perse-
cution for alleged schism, 210-
215.