The Practical Works of Richard Baxter Volume 17

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1830 edition. Excerpt: ... THE CURE OF MELANCHOLY AND OVERMUCH SORROW, BY FAITH AND PHYSIC. THE CURE OF MELANCHOLY AND OVERMUCH SORROW, BY FAITH AND PHYSIC.* Question.--What are the best preservatives against melan-r choly and overmuch sorrow ? 2 COR. ii. 7. Lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow ? The brevity of a sermon not allowing me time for any unnecessary work, I shall not stay to open the context, nor to inquire whether the person here spoken of be the same that is condemned for incest in 1 Cor. v., or some other, nor whether Chrysostom had good tradition for it, that it was a doctor of the church, or made such after his sin ? Nor whether the late expositor f be in the right, who thence gathers that he was one of the bishops of Achaia; and that it was a synod of bishops that were to excommunicate him; who yet held that very congregation then had a bishop, and that he was to be excommunicated in the congregation, and that the people should not have followed or favoured such a teacher, it would have been no schism, or sinful separation, to have forsaken him. All that I now intend is, to open this last clause of the verse, which gives the reason why the censured sinner, being penitent, should be forgiven and comforted; viz., Lest he should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow, as it includeth these three doctrines, which I shall handle altogether, viz.: * This sermon was written for the morning exercises at Cripplegate, but not preached. The omissions in the folio edition of Baxter's works are inserted from the original edition of the sermon in the " Continuation of Morning Exercise Questions, and c.ises of conscience, practically resolved by sundry ministers, in October, 1GH2." T. R. -- Dr. Hammond. 1. That sorrow, even for sin, ...