THE

PRACTICAL WORKS

OF THE

REV. RICHARD BAXTER.

VOLUME XVI.

CONTAINING

THE MISCHIEFS OF SELF-IGNORANCE, AND BENEFITS OF SELF-
ACQUAINTANCE; THE TRUE CATHOLIC, AND CATHOLIC
CHURCH DESCRIBED; CATHOLIC UNITY; MAKING

LIGHT OF CHRIST AND SALVATION, TOO OFT
THE ISSUE OF GOSPEL INVITATIONS.

VOL. XVI.

R. EDWARDS, CRANE COURT, FLEET STREET, LONDON,

Self-knowledge, what; and how many sorts

How far it is a shame to be ignorant of ourselves

The mischiefs of self-ignorance, 1. It cherisheth atheism..

2. Causeth ignorance of the life to come

3. And of the evil of sin....

4. It keepeth the soul from true humiliation

5. It maketh Christ undervalued

6. It makes a holy conversation vilified

7. It makes men cheated by the world.

8. It causeth pride ....

....

9. It makes men run into temptations••

10. It makes temptations prevalent.

11. It makes men quarrel with God's word and ministers

12. It destroyeth charity

13. It is the cause of church-divisions

14. It maketh men troublers of the state

....

15. It causeth errors...

16. It makes men unjust

17. It makes men unthankful

18. It is an enemy to true peace and joy....

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33

34

36

37

40

19. It makes men repine at God's providence..

20. It makes men lose their time, and neglect preparations

for death....

Use.

Self-ignorance detected and reproved

Discovered by some effects: 1. By men's unhumbleness

2. By the abounding of hypocrisy 61-3. By the love

of flattery, and impatience of plain reproof 65-

4. By men's partiality 65-5. When every man would

be a rule to others 68-6. By the great change that

approaching death, or other awaking providences make

69-7. By men's quarrelling with others in their

sufferings, and overlooking the great cause in them-

selves 73-The discovery prosecuted

VOL. XVI.

b

...

75

Motives.

1. If you know not yourselves, you cannot repent

2. Nor be duly sensible of your misery

3. Nor indeed by Christians

4. You will not know what to do with yourselves..

5. You will not know how to apply the word

6. Nor how to confess or pray

7. Nor how to give thanks..

8. Nor how to receive the Lord's-supper

...

96

9. All your studies will be irrational, preposterous, &c.

97

10. You will be much unuseful to others

101

11. You cannot well proceed to know extrinsic things

12. How many things have you to know about yourselves

Exhortation

103

105

106

Caution against excessive studying of ourselves

Who need this caution ....

108

110

Information: Why the sincere can discourse so fully and

savourily about heart-affairs....

116

And why they are so full in prayer, and others so empty ..

The excuses of the prayerless answered ...

117

118

Why the upright are so prone to self-accusing.

123

Motives to the Ungodly.

1. If you know not yourselves, you know not whether you

must dwell in heaven or hell..

124

2. All shall shortly know themselves..

126

.....

3. And be surprised to find themselves in a mistake.....

How useful a companion conscience is to converse with....

4. It is Satan's chief design to keep yourself ignorant

Yet some can go on in known misery

A threefold despair...

In what cases the sincere may go on in sin against knowledge

But the ordinarily self-knowledge would do much...

Information: Why faithful ministers search so deep, and

speak so hardly of unrenewed souls

Questions to the unsanctified

159

What Christianity is, and who sincere in the covenant

163

Who certainly are unregenerate

164

Exhortation to the Regenerate.

I. 1. To know their sins, 2. Their graces. 1. For want of

self-knowledge...

168

1. You confess not sin as you ought to God or man 169-

2. You pray not against it, or for grace as you ought

170-3. You are negligent in your watch ibid.----

4. Seek not help 171-5. Lie in unobserved sins

172