In Volume Seven, Baxter attempts to understand the process of conversion and the nature of the unconverted. A Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live, first published in 1658, became Baxter’s most influential and widely-read work. In the words of one historian, “This slim volume was credited with the conversion of thousands and formed one of the core extra-biblical texts of evangelicalism until at least the middle of the nineteenth century.”
Baxter defines conversion as a simultaneous change of mind and change of heart—oriented toward new intentions, new choices, new aspirations, all of which stem from a newfound awareness of the contrast between sin and salvation. He also asked timely questions about the unconverted: Does God love them? How should the church respond to them? What has hindered them? The impact and legacy of A Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live testifies to its relevance for the church in any age.
