Richard Baxter's farewell sermon prepared to have been preached to his hearers at Kidderminster…Richard Baxter's farewel sermon prepared to have been preached to his hearers at Kidderminster…

1. It is Christ himself that is the object of their joy: He that is the dearly beloved of their Souls; that for their sakes was made a man of sorrows. It is he who is their hope and help: with whom they are in covenant as their only Saviour. In whom they have trusted, with whom they have deponed their Souls! If he should fail them, all would fail them; and they were of all Men most miserable: They would be comfortless if he should not come unto them, and were not their comfort. The World cannot help and comfort them, for it is empty, vain, a transient shadow: It will not, for it is malignant, and our professed enemy. For we know that we are of God, and the whole World is in maligno positus, set on wickedness, (or as some think because [Greek or Hebrew] is put for the Devil in the foregoing Verse, and the Article here also used) is as it were planted into the Devil, or put under the Devil to War against Christ and the holy Seed: And indeed Satan seemeth in this War against the Church, to have somewhat like success as he had against Christ himself: As Christ must be a Man of sorrows and scorn, and be crucified as a Blasphemer and a Traitor, before he rejoice the hearts of his Disciples by his resurrection, so the Church was a persecuted, scorned handful of Men, for the first three hundred years, and then it rose by Christian Emperors to some reputation, till Satan by another game overcame them by Judas his Successors; that for [what will you give me] by Pride and Worldliness betrayed them into that deplorate state, in which they have continued these 900 Years at least: So that the Christian name is confined to a sixth part of the World; and serious ⟨p. 33⟩sanctified Believers are persecuted more by the Hypocrites that wear the Livery of Christ, than by Heathens and Infidels themselves. And when the Church is so low, almost like Christ on the Cross and the Grave, will not a Resurrection be a joyful change? When it crieth out on the Cross, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Will not Christ appearing for its deliverance be a welcome sight?

1. It is Christ himself that is the object of their joy: He that is the dearly beloved of their Souls; that for their sakes was made a man of sorrows. It is he who is their hope and help: with whom they are in covenant as their only Saviour. In whom they have trusted, with whom they have deponed their Souls! If he should fail them, all would fail them; and they were of all Men most miserable: They would be comfortless if he should not come unto them, and were not their comfort. The World cannot help and comfort them, for it is empty, vain, a transient shadow: It will not, for it is malignant, and our professed enemy. For we know that we are of God, and the whole World is in maligno positus, set on wickedness, (or as some think because is put for the Devil in the foregoing Verse, and the Article here also used) is as it were planted into the Devil, or put under the Devil to War against Christ and the holy Seed: And indeed Satan seemeth in this War against the Church, to have somewhat like success as he had against Christ himself: As Christ must be a Man of sorrows and scorn, and be crucified as a Blasphemer and a Traitour, before he rejoice the hearts of his Disciples by his resurrection, so the Church was a persecuted, scorned handful of Men, for the first three hundred years, and then it rose by Christian Emperours to some reputation, till Satan by another game overcame them by Judas his Successours; that for [what will you give me] by Pride and Worldliness betrayed them into that deplorate state, in which they have continued these 900 Years at least: So that the Christian name is confined to a sixth part of the World; and serious