A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian EthicsBaxter, Richard
Religion
A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics
Baxter, Richard
Casuistry; Christian sociology
The Son offereth to be thy Saviour, to justify thee by his blood and
grace, and teach thee, and govern thee as thy Head, in order to thy
everlasting happiness. The Holy Spirit offereth to be thy Sanctifier,
Comforter, and Guide, to overcome all the enmity of the devil, the
world, and the flesh, in order to the full accomplishment of thy
salvation; nothing is expected of thee, in order to thy title to the
benefits of this covenant, but deliberately, unfeignedly, entirely to
consent to it, and to continue that consent, and perform what thou
consentest to perform, and that by the help of the grace which will be
given thee. See, therefore, that thou well deliberate of the matter,
but without delays; and count what thou shalt gain or lose by it. And
if thou find that thou art like to be a loser in the end, and knowest
of any better way, even take it, and boast of it, when thou hast tried
the end; but if thou art past doubt, that there is no way but this,
despatch it resolutely and seriously.
And take heed of one thing, lest thou say, Why, this is no more than
every body knoweth, and than I have done a hundred times, to give up
myself in covenant to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Dost thou
know it, and yet hast thou not done it? Or hast thou done it with thy
lips, and not unfeignedly with thy heart? Lament it as one of thy
greatest sins, that thou hast thus provokingly dallied with God; and
admire his mercy, that he will yet vouchsafe to enter into covenant
with one, that hath hypocritically profaned his covenant. If thou
hadst ever seriously thus covenanted and given up thyself to God, thou
wouldst not have neglected him by an ungodly life, nor lived after to
the devil, the world, and the flesh, which were renounced. I tell you,
the making of this christian vow and covenant with God in Christ, is
the act of greatest consequence of any in all thy life, and to be done
with the greatest judgment, and reverence, and sincerity, and
foresight, and firm resolution, of any thing that ever thou dost. And
if it were done sincerely, by all that do it ignorantly, for fashion,
only with the lips, then all professed christians would be saved;
whereas now, the abusers of that holy name and covenant will have the
deepest place in hell. Write it out on thy heart, and put thy heart
and hand to it resolvedly, and stand to thy consent, and all is thine
own: conversion is wrought when this is done.
_Direct._ XIV. In present performance of thy covenant with God, away
with thy former sinful life; and see that thou sin wilfully no more; but
as far as thou art able, avoid the temptations which have deceived thee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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