The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, Vol. 8
Overview
Volume Eight continues Baxter’s works on conversion. In this volume, he directly addresses the unconverted, and attempts to persuade them to change their minds. He also confronts weak Christians about their lackluster faith and for their lifestyle uncharacteristic of their belief in God. He encourages both the converted and unconverted toward honesty and stability, and includes a strongly-worded reminder of God’s requirements.
Volume Eight concludes with a lengthy description of the character of strong, sound Christians.
- William Orme’s biography of Baxter
- Chronological index of Baxter’s works
Top Highlights
“Either my corruption would have made me run away with Jonas, or my judgment would have commanded me to shake off the dust off my feet, as a witness against you, and depart. But to what end do I speak all this to you? to what end? Why, to let you see how you abuse both God and man by your delays and disobedience. You cannot possibly do us, that are your teachers, a greater injury or mischief than by thus delaying your own happiness.” (Page 202)
“If you fall short of a true conversion at the first, the devil” (Page 20)
…The most prominent English churchman of the 1600s.
—Christian History, a magazine affiliated with Christianity Today
…We must learn from the Puritan pastor Richard Baxter…to redouble our efforts to find strength from spiritual joy.
[Baxter’s] words have hands and feet. They climb all over you; they work their way into your heart and conscience, and will not be dislodged.
Look at Richard Baxter… what a flashing diamond was he! Even swearers on the ale-bench could not but know that he was a heaven-born spirit.
I was greatly refreshed to find what a sweet savor of good Mr. Baxter’s doctrine, works, and discipline remain to this day.
- Title: The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, Vol. 8
- Author: Richard Baxter
- Publisher: Paternoster
- Publication Date: 1830
- Pages: 533
Richard Baxter was born on November 12, 1615 in Shropshire, England. Although his childhood education was poor, he studied under John Owen between 1629 and 1632, and was converted at the influence of The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes.
After his mother died, Baxter began to study theology, and studied with both John Owen and Francis Garbet. He was ordained in 1638 by John Thornborough and quickly established his reputation as a preacher and pastor. He became involved the Nonconformity Movement—a movement which resisted the governance of the Church of England, and he renounced his ordination.
In April, 1641, Baxter began his ministry at Kidderminster, which lasted nineteen years. In addition to his ministry as a preacher and pastor, Baxter initiated many social reforms which earned him a reputation among Presbyterians and Episcopalians as a theological uniter. He wrote The Reformed Pastor during his ministry in Kidderminster.
Baxter moved to Gloucester and Coventry in 1643 to avoid the Civil War, and became chaplain in the army. He returned to London in 1660 where he preached regularly and became politically influential. In 1685, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for his Paraphrase on the New Testament, a charge later rescinded by the government.
Baxter wrote prolifically throughout this lifetime. He is well known for his works on the Roman Catholic Church, his works on conversion, his 4-volume Christian Directory, and A Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live. Baxter provoked theological controversy for his ecumenism—in stark contrast to the religious warfare of his time—and his rejection of limited atonement. He believed that repentance and obedience affect the outcome of salvation, and that right belief is intricately connected to Christian ethics. Baxter’s covenant theology also contributed to the rise of Puritanism.
Richard Baxter died on December 8, 1691. His last words were, “I have pain…but I have peace.”