The Reformed Pastor - Richard Baxter

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Salvian had to deal with, who, being resolved to devour a poor man's substance, and being entreated by him to forbear, replied, 'He could not grant his request, for he had made a vow to take it,' so that the preacher, by reason of this most religious evil deed, was fain to depart. We dispute the case against men's wills and passions, as much as against their understandings; and these have neither reason nor ears. <strong>The</strong>ir best arguments are, 'I will not believe you, nor all the preachers in the world, in such things. I will not change my mind, or life; I will not leave my sins; I will never be so precise, come of it what will.' We have not one, but multitudes of raging passions, and contradicting enemies, to dispute against at once, whenever we go about the conversion of a sinner; as if a man were to dispute in a fair or a tumult, or in the midst of a crowd of violent scolds. What equal dealing, and what success, could here be expected? Yet such is our work; and it is a work that must be done. O brethren! what men should we be in skill, resolution, and unwearied diligence, who have all this to do? Did Paul cry out, 'Who is sufficient for these things?' And shall we be proud, or careless, or lazy, as if we were sufficient? As Peter saith to every Christian, in consideration of our great approaching change, 'What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness!' so may I say to every minister, 'Seeing all these things lie upon our hands, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy endeavors and resolutions for our work!' This is not a burden for the shoulders of a child. What skill doth every part of our work require! – and of how much moment is every part! To preach a sermon, I think, is not the hardest part; and yet what skill is necessary to make the truth plain; to convince the hearers, to let irresistible light in to their consciences, and to keep it there, and drive all home; to screw the truth into their minds, and work Christ into their affections; to meet every objection, and clearly to resolve it; to drive sinners to a stand, and make them see that there is no hope, but that they must unavoidably either be converted or condemned – and to do all this, as regards language and manner, as beseems our work, and 35
yet as is most suitable to the capacities of our hearers. This, and a great deal more that should be done in every sermon, must surely require a great deal of holy skill. So great a God, whose message we deliver, should be honored by our delivery of it. It is a lamentable case, that in a message from the God of heaven, of everlasting moment to the souls of men, we should behave ourselves so weakly, so unhandsomely, so imprudently, or so slightly, that the whole business should miscarry in our hands, and God should be dishonored, and his work disgraced, and sinners rather hardened than converted; and all this through our weakness or neglect! How often have carnal hearers gone home jeering at the palpable and dishonorable failings of the preacher! How many sleep under us, because our hearts and tongues are sleepy, and we bring not with us so much skill and zeal as to awake them! Moreover, what skill is necessary to defend the truth against gainsayers, and to deal with disputing cavillers, according to their several modes and case! And if we fail through weakness, how will they exult over us! Yet that is the smallest matter: but who knows how many weak ones may thereby be perverted, to their own undoing, and to the trouble of the Church? What skill is necessary to deal in private with one poor ignorant soul for his conversion! O brethren! do you not shrink and tremble under the sense of all this work? Will a common measure of holy skill and ability, of prudence and other qualifications, serve for such a task as this? I know necessity may cause the Church to tolerate the weak; but woe to us, if we tolerate and indulge our own weakness! Do not reason and conscience tell you, that if you dare venture on so high a work as this, you should spare no pains to be qualified for the performance of it? It is not now and then an idle snatch or taste of studies that will serve to make an able and sound divine. I know that laziness hath learned to allege the vanity of all our studies, and how entirely the Spirit must qualify us for, and assist us in our work; as if God commanded us the use of means, and then warranted us to neglect them; as if it were his way to cause us to thrive in a course of idleness, and to bring us to knowledge by dreams when we are asleep, or to take us up into heaven, and show us his counsels, while we think of no such matter, but are idling away our time on 36
Page 1 and 2: THE REFORMED PASTOR Richard Baxter
Page 3 and 4: published, in 1766, an Abridgement
Page 5 and 6: similar suggestion. To furnish ever
Page 7 and 8: of my ordinary pain and weakness, I
Page 9 and 10: call on them to labor as for your l
Page 11 and 12: wisdom will gainsay it? Will zeal f
Page 13 and 14: Catechisms, I take a catalogue of a
Page 15 and 16: and serious business. Much judgment
Page 17 and 18: Your unworthy fellow -servant Richa
Page 19 and 20: • Secondly, To show why we must t
Page 21 and 22: heartily entertain that Savior whom
Page 23 and 24: God, and to preach an unknown Chris
Page 25 and 26: holy can rightly study them or know
Page 27 and 28: education of youth, especially in o
Page 29 and 30: into any dangerous error, and vent
Page 31 and 32: matter of practice, and they were o
Page 33 and 34: poor of your flock; they are apt to
Page 35: overcome it; lest, while you seek t
Page 39 and 40: Chapter 2 The motives to the oversi
Page 41 and 42: our very hearts, and is it not nece
Page 43 and 44: advantage of it. God forbid that we
Page 45 and 46: troops of Christ against Satan and
Page 47 and 48: out ways enough to wipe off any sta
Page 49 and 50: and of the life to come, as will wi
Page 51 and 52: with an affected fervency, but he s
Page 53 and 54: have leprous or even dirty hands. T
Page 55 and 56: ordained ministers without a specia
Page 57 and 58: heed to which their state requireth
Page 59 and 60: a hard measure, and that your wife
Page 61 and 62: 1. We must labor, in a special mann
Page 63 and 64: to us to acquaint them with it, and
Page 65 and 66: perfecting of the saints, that they
Page 67 and 68: the work be cast on us alone; and m
Page 69 and 70: have but a few days or hours more t
Page 71 and 72: what he purposed, or promised to be
Page 73 and 74: exercised in such proceedings, lest
Page 75 and 76: prayers of the congregation. In suc
Page 77 and 78: eproach it by our negligence, while
Page 79 and 80: Chapter 4 The manner of the oversig
Page 81 and 82: upon the greatest, most certain, an
Page 83 and 84: they are not, and have no other way
Page 85 and 86: cavillers may be silenced. The weig
Page 87 and 88:
and how will the remnants of old Ad
Page 89 and 90:
than to his work, and not to care m
Page 91 and 92:
find out means to close such breach
Page 93 and 94:
Chapter 5 Motives to the oversight
Page 95 and 96:
those that Christ hath set over the
Page 97 and 98:
world. O that our hearts were but m
Page 99 and 100:
which is committed to our charge. I
Page 101 and 102:
unworthy to be your monitor; but a
Page 103 and 104:
own sins, as well as the sins of th
Page 105 and 106:
to this unworthy county! And I hope
Page 107 and 108:
Satan, we have no great reason to e
Page 109 and 110:
honor, or that their interest in th
Page 111 and 112:
our reproofs, and if the applause b
Page 113 and 114:
ulers, and bear the sway wherever t
Page 115 and 116:
(1) If we were duly devoted to our
Page 117 and 118:
Though I move you not to a constant
Page 119 and 120:
worldly interests in opposition to
Page 121 and 122:
they see that you seek not the thin
Page 123 and 124:
church's service as they can. I wou
Page 125 and 126:
and an interest distinct from that
Page 127 and 128:
parties; or that ever well discerne
Page 129 and 130:
sorrow, that where the servants of
Page 131 and 132:
(1) Lay not too great a stress upon
Page 133 and 134:
their practice shows their hearts a
Page 135 and 136:
Besides, consider what a disadvanta
Page 137 and 138:
churches, who were moderate men, an
Page 139 and 140:
it is his last means when reproofs
Page 141 and 142:
Chapter 7 Application to the duty o
Page 143 and 144:
the Church, I will enumerate some o
Page 145 and 146:
among the saints in glory, and prai
Page 147 and 148:
godly jealousy,' and what temptatio
Page 149 and 150:
they who were against reformation i
Page 151 and 152:
to be catechized or instructed, bec
Page 153 and 154:
are in smaller parishes may do. And
Page 155 and 156:
etter from them, that have not been
Page 157 and 158:
For we shall not leave out any man
Page 159 and 160:
and renouncing the world, and parti
Page 161 and 162:
Chapter 9 Motives from the difficul
Page 163 and 164:
2. Having noticed these difficultie
Page 165 and 166:
Chapter 10 Motives from the necessi
Page 167 and 168:
in private we may do it much more.
Page 169 and 170:
men, pity us.' Now, do that for the
Page 171 and 172:
Chapter 11 Application of these mot
Page 173 and 174:
wilderness; to steer the vessels th
Page 175 and 176:
think what a difference there is be
Page 177 and 178:
all men should be faithful to the t
Page 179 and 180:
(14) All the judgments that God hat
Page 181 and 182:
prayers and cries, on one of our pu
Page 183 and 184:
Chapter 12 Objections to this duty
Page 185 and 186:
physician to be thoroughly studied
Page 187 and 188:
extraordinary work, (I mean writing
Page 189 and 190:
pleasures? If you must, then, for s
Page 191 and 192:
together in vain discourse, and spe
Page 193 and 194:
this the voice of obedience, or of
Page 195 and 196:
such men for want of better, I cann
Page 197 and 198:
Shepherd of the Church, will not lo
Page 199 and 200:
Answer: (1): It is not to be denied
Page 201 and 202:
most of the preaching recorded in t
Page 203 and 204:
advantage of ministers having a sin
Page 205 and 206:
I am first to give you some directi
Page 207 and 208:
As, (1) That God's oracles must be
Page 209 and 210:
will perhaps convince them and inci
Page 211 and 212:
Chapter 14 Directions for this duty
Page 213 and 214:
willing to hear you, and receive in
Page 215 and 216:
is. If you ask, 'What is repentance
Page 217 and 218:
expressions are put into their mout
Page 219 and 220:
will raise the dead to life again,
Page 221 and 222:
you, or is it not Have you experien
Page 223 and 224:
chiefly for the purpose of preparin
Page 225 and 226:
much greater a work have I yet to d
Page 227 and 228:
(2) As you may not soon have an opp
Page 229 and 230:
or three cold words of advice, with
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The Reformed Pastor - Richard Baxter

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