the Lord himself, who is their glory, and was ready, with the rest, to fall down and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever. He looked on the glorified Saviour, and was ready to say *Amen,' to that new song, "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. He looked back on the wilderness of this world, and blessed the believing, patient, despised saints; he pitied the ignorant, obstinate, miserable world. For himself, when thus employed, he said, with Peter, 'It is good to be here,' or, with Asaph, It is good for me to draw near to God.' Like Daniel, in his captivity, he daily opened his window, looking towards the Jerusalem that is above, though far out of sight. Like Paul's affections towards his brethren, though absent in the flesh from the glorified saints, he was yet with them in spirit, joying and beholding their heavenly order." e

Engaging so deeply in these delightful exercises of holy contemplation, he was thus eminently qualified to explain and recommend them to others. They constitute the life of the soul, the beauty of religion, the glory of the Christian. "As the lark sings sweetly while she soars on high, but is suddenly silenced when she falls to the earth; so is the frame of the soul-most delightful and divine, while it keepeth God in view by contemplation. But, alas! we make there too short a stay, and lay by our music." d

... Will the reader now join with me in closing this chapter with the beautiful prayer which concludes the Rest?" "O Thou, the merciful Father of spirits, the attractive of love, and ocean of delight! draw up these drossy hearts unto thyself, and keep them there till they are spiritualized and refined! Second thy servant's weak endeavours, and persuade those that read these lines to the practice of this delightful, heavenly work! Oh! suffer not the soul of thy most unworthy servant to be a stranger to those joys which he describes to others; but keep me while I remain on earth in daily breathing after thee, and in a believing, affectionate walking with thee. And when thou comest, let me be found so doing: not serving my flesh, nor asleep with my lamp unfurnished, but waiting and longing for my Lord's return. Let those who shall read these pages, not merely read the fruit of my studies, but the breathing of my active hope and love; that if my heart were Saint's Rest,' 4to. p. 814. d Ibid. p. 815.

open to their view, they might there read thy love most deeply engraven with a beam from the face of the Son of God; and not find vanity, or lust, or pride within, where the words of life appear without; that so these lines may not witness against me; but, proceeding from the heart of the writer, may be effectual, through thy grace, upon the heart of the reader, and so be the savour of life to both."e

• ' Saint's Rest,' 4to. p. 815.

CHAPTER XIII.

GENERAL CONCLUSION.

Baxter, the author of Prefaces to many Books by others-Leaves various Treatises in Manuscript-His extensive Correspondence still preserved→ Letter to Increase Mather-Account of Transactions with his Booksellers-Concurrence of Opinions respecting him as a Writer-BarrowBoyle-Wilkins-Usher- Manton-Bates-Doddridge-Kippis-OrtonAddison-Johnson-Grainger-Wilberforce-His own Review of his Writ ings-Its characteristic candour and fidelity-The magnitude of his Labours as a Writer-The number and variety of his Works-His Readiness— His Style-Sometimes injudicious both in his Writings and his ConductDeficient in the full statement of Evangelical Doctrine-Causes of this Deficiency-Conclusion.

HAVING laid before the reader some account of every book published by Baxter, as far as can be ascertained, with those observations which have been suggested by their nature and design, it only remains that I should collect together some miscellaneous circumstances, which could not properly be noticed under any of the preceding heads, and offer some concluding remarks on the character of Baxter as a writer.

Besides the books he wrote himself, he prefixed, generally at the desire of their respective authors, prefaces or commendatory epistles to a great number of publications. Of these, Calamy has given the following enumeration, which I have no doubt could be greatly increased, were it of sufficient importance to devote the time which such a research would require :

"We have a preface of his before Mr. Swinnock's book of 'Regeneration ;' another before a book of Mr. Eede's; another. before Mr. Jonathan Hanmer's 'Exercitation of Confirmation;' another before Mr. Lawrence's, of 'Sickness;' two before two of Mr. Tombes's books; another before a discourse of Mr. William Bell's, of 'Patience;' an introduction to Mr. Jos.

Allein's 'Life;' a preface to his 'Alarm to the Unconverted ;' another to Howe's Blessedness of the Righteous;' another to Mr. Clark's Annotations on the New Testament;' another to Mr. Abraham Clifford's 'Discourse on the Two Covenants;' another to one edition of Mr. Rawlet's book of the Sacrament:' another to the eleventh of Scuder's 'Daily Walk;' another to Mr. William Allen, of the Covenants;' another to a book of Dr. Bryan's, of 'Dwelling with God;' another to Mr. Hotchkis's 'Forgiveness of Sin;' another to Mr. Gouge's 'Surest and Safest Way of Thriving;' another to Mr. Obed. Wills, of Infant Baptism,' against Mr. Danvers's; and one to Mr. Corbet's 'Remains ;' with many others."?

Baxter left several treatises in a more or less prepared state for publication, besides all that he published himself. Some of these saw the light afterwards, others remain or have been destroyed. His work on Universal Redemption,' 'The Protestant Religion Justified,' his 'Poetical Paraphrase of the Psalms,' the 'Narrative of his own Life,' his 'Mother's Catechism,' 'Monthly Preparation for the Communion,' have all been noticed already among his posthumous publications.

Into the subject of what he calls Physical Predetermination,' he appears to have entered very largely; and there yet remains among his manuscripts what would make a considerable volume on it. It seems to be in reference to this manuscript, that he says in his Own Life:

"When I had written my book against Mr. Gale's "Treatise for Predetermination,' and was intending to print it, the good man fell sick of a consumption, and I thought it meet to suspend the publication, lest I should grieve him, and increase his sickness, of which he died. And that I might not obscure God's providence about sin, I wrote and preached two sermons to show what great and excellent things God doth in the world by the occasion of man's sin; and, verily, it is wonderful to observe that in England all parties, prelatical first, Independents, Anabaptists, especially Papists, have been brought down by themselves, and not by the wit and strength of their enemies; and we can hardly discern any footsteps of any of our own endeavours, wit, or power, in any of our late deliverances, but our enemies' wickedness and bloody designs have been the occasion of almost all: yea, the Presbyterians themselves have suffered more by the dividing effects of their own covenant, and 'Abridgment, vol. i. pp. 241, 242.

their unskilfulness in healing the divisions between them and the Independents and Anabaptists and the Episcopalians, than by any strength that brought them down; though since men's wrath hath trodden them as in the dirt." g

On the subject of predestination, Baxter says a great deal in the second book of his Catholic Theology, in which he endeavours to reconcile "the Synodists and Arminians, the Calvinists and Lutherans, the Dominicans, and Jesuits." Judging from what he says on the subject in that work, I should not suppose that his separate treatise throws much light on it, or that the world sustains a great loss from its suppression. Theophilus Gale, for whom this intended treatise was designed, was one of the profoundest scholars and theologians of his time. His learning was more extensive and accurate than Baxter's, and his judgment, both in metaphysics and theology, more correct. His Court of the Gentiles,' in which, among other subjects, hé discusses predestination, and free-will, and their consistency with each other, is, without exception, the profoundest book of the age. It contains greater stores of pagan and sacred learning, on every thing relating to the whole range of philosophy and religion, than any book which had previously appeared.

't

Baxter left also ' Divers Disputations on sufficient Grace; several Miscellaneous Disputations on various Questions in Divinity, briefly managed at the Monthly Meeting' of Ministers held while he was at Kidderminster. Two Replies to Mr. Lawson's Animadversions on his Aphorisms; A Reply to Warren's Animadversions' on the same book; and the commencement of A Reply to Dr. Wallis's Animadversions: beside many other pieces in a more or less prepared state for publication. Most of these treatises still remain among the Baxter MSS. deposited in the Redcross-street library. None of them appear to me to be deserving of publication; as among the printed works of Baxter sufficient is to be found already on all the subjects of which they treat.

The most interesting portion of these manuscript collections. is the correspondence. There are many hundred letters between Baxter and his friends on a great variety of subjects; extending from an early period of his public life till near the time of his death. Sylvester appears to have intended the publication of a

Life, part iii. p. 185. There is another passage in Baxter's Life in which he speaks disrespectfully of Gale and his work; this he was too apt to do, where he differed from a brother author.-Part iii. p. 183.