A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian EthicsBaxter, Richard
Religion
A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics
Baxter, Richard
Casuistry; Christian sociology
4. It hindereth our comfortable access to God, when we are deterred by
the glory of his infiniteness and majesty. As the eye is not able to
gaze upon the sun, unless it be overshadowed; so the soul is afraid of
the majesty of God, and overwhelmed by it, when it should be delighted
in it. Against this there is no such remedy, as to behold God
appearing to us in his Son, where his majesty is veiled, and where he
approacheth us familiarly in our nature, to invite us to him with holy
confidence and reverent boldness. Christ did not appear in a terrible
form: women durst discourse with him; beggars, and cripples, and
diseased people durst ask his help; sinners durst eat with him: the
proud contemned him, but the lowly were not frightened from him. He
"took upon him the form of a servant, and made himself of no
reputation," that he might converse familiarly with the meanest, and
those of no reputation. Though we may not debase the Godhead, to
imagine that it is humbled in glory, as it was on earth, in the flesh
of Christ; yet this condescension is unspeakable encouragement to the
soul to come with boldness unto God, that was frighted from him.
5. When the guilt of sin affrighteth us from God, and we are thinking
that God will not accept such great offenders as we have been, then
Christ is our remedy, who hath paid our debt, and borne our stripes,
and procured and sealed us a pardon by his blood.[87] Shall pardoned
sins drive us from him that pardoneth them? He hath justified us by
his righteousness. The curse and damnation are terrible indeed; but he
hath taken them away, and given us a free discharge.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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