Christian Reader

You whose hearts are set on heaven, who are daily laying up a treasure there, here is a welcome messenger, to tell you more than perhaps you have well considered, of the nature of your future blessedness, and to illustrate the map of the land of promise, and to bring you another cluster of its grapes. Here is a useful help to make you know that holiness does participate of glory, and that heaven is at least virtually in the seed of grace. Though this life be properly called a life of faith, as contradistinct from the intuition and fruition hereafter, as well as from the lower life of sense; yet is it a great truth, and not sufficiently considered and improved, that we have here more than faith, to acquaint us with the blessedness expected. Between faith and glory, there is the Spirit of Holiness, the love of God, the heavenly desires, which are kindled by faith and are those branches on which the happy flower and fruit must grow. They are the name and mark of God upon us: they are our earnest, our pledge, and the first fruits; and is not this more than a word of promise only? Therefore though [reconstructed: all Christians must live by faith], marvel not that I tell you, that you may, you must have more than faith. Is not a pledge, and earnest, a first fruits more? Therefore have Christians, not only a Spirit to evidence their title, but also some foretaste of heaven itself: for faith in Christ is to recover us to God and so much as we have of God, so much of fruition. And so much as faith has kindled in you of a love of God, so much foretaste you have of heaven: for you are deceived if you think that any a notion speaks more to you of heaven and of your ultimate end, than THE LOVE OF GOD. And though no unsound ill-grounded faith, [reconstructed: can] serve to cause this sacred love, yet when it is caused, it over-tops this cause, and he that perceives the operations of a strong effectual love has an acquaintance with God and heaven which is above that of believing. Faith sees the feast, but love is the tasting of it. And therefore it is that the holiest souls stick closest to God, because (though their reasoning faculty may be defective) they know him by the highest and most tenacious kind of knowledge, which this world affords, (as I have lately showed elsewhere.) Here you have described to you, the true witness of the Spirit; not that of supposed internal voices, which they are usually most taken up with, who have the smallest knowledge, and faith, and love, and the greatest self-esteem or spiritual pride, with the strongest fantasies and passions. But the objective and the sealing testimony, the divine nature, the renewed image of God, whose children are known by being like to their heavenly Father, even by being holy as he is holy. This is the Spirit of Adoption, by which we are inclined, by holy love to God, and confidence in him, to cry Abba Father, and to flee to him: the Spirit of Sanctification is thereby in us the Spirit of Adoption. For both signify but the giving us that love to God, which is the filial nature, and our Father's image.

And this treatise does happily direct you, to that faithful beholding God in righteousness, which must here begin this blessed assimilation, which full intuition will forever perfect.

It is a happy sign that God is about to repair our ruins and divisions, when he stirs up his servants to speak so much of heaven, and to call up the minds of impatient complainers, and contentious censurers, and ignorant self-conceited dividers, and of worldly, unskilful, and unmerciful pastors, to look to that state where all the godly shall be one; and to turn those thoughts to the furtherance of holiness, to provoke one another to love and to good works, which too many lay out upon their hay and stubble. And to call men from judging and despising each other (and worse than both those) about their meats, and drinks, and days, to study righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serves Christ (in which his kingdom does consist) is acceptable to God, and approved of men (that are wise and good.) (Romans 14:17-20) Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things with which one may edify another; while the contentious for meat will destroy the work of God. The union between peace and holiness is so strict that he who truly promotes one, promotes both. (Hebrews 12:14; James 3:17) The true way of our union is excellently described (Ephesians 4:11-16).

If any plain unlearned readers shall blame the accurateness of the style, they must remember that those persons have not the least need to hear of heaven, and to be drawn up from the vanities of earth, who cannot digest a looser style.

As God has endued the worthy author with more than ordinary measure of judiciousness, soundness and accurateness of understanding, seriousness, spirituality, and a heavenly mind; we have for our common benefit, the effects of these happy qualifications, in this judicious, heavenly discourse. And if my recommendations may in any measure, further your acceptance, improvement and practicing of so edifying a treatise, it will answer the ends of him who waits in hope for the same salvation.

Richard Baxter. Acton May 30, 1668.