The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, Vol. 9
Overview
The first part of Volume Nine includes Baxter’s treatises on conscience. The Reformation and its articulation of the doctrine of election left many Protestants worried about their eternal status. In The Right Method for a Settled Peace of Conscience and Spiritual Comfort, Baxter encourages his readers to build a strong faith by understanding the degree of God’s work, but he acknowledges that everyone is prone to doubt and needs constant reminders of their conversion.
The second part of Volume Nine contains a lengthy treatise on Galatians 4:14: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
Volume Nine concludes with a treatise on the implications of Christ’s crucifixion for the world. Baxter also discusses the relationship between the physical realm and the spiritual realm, including advice for his readers to temper worldly possessions and carnal desires.
- William Orme’s biography of Baxter
- Chronological index of Baxter’s works
Top Highlights
“We have less comfort in them than else we might have, because we must needs have more than we should have. You might have more faithfulness from your friends, more reputation in the world, more sweetness in all your present enjoyments, if you looked for less. Why is it that you can scarce name a creature near you, that is not a scourge to you, but because you can scarce name one that is not your idol, or at least which you do not expect more from than you ought?” (Pages 12–13)
“It is by gazing on alluring objects, or hearing or tasting, or the like, that the flames of concupiscence are kindled in the heart. By gazing upon beauty or comeliness of person, the heart of the wanton is infected with lust, and so incited to the damnable practices of uncleanness.” (Page 505)
“If you will make promises to yourself, and then your own promises deceive you, whom should you blame for that?” (Page 12)
“friends, for sickness, for contempt and disesteem in the world! But who bid you look for any better” (Page 12)
“how much of your disquietness may proceed from outward crosses” (Page 25)
…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. 9
- Author: Richard Baxter
- Publisher: Paternoster
- Publication Date: 1830
- Pages: 582
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.”
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