The Reformed Pastor Chapter 3: Application

This posting incorporates a lot for the reader to digest. The final chapter of the book is extensive. However it is well worth the read if one wishes a sampling of this book. The chapter continues to endorse the duties of personal catechism and discipleship while addressing many responsibilities facing the Lord’s servant as under-shepherd to His flock. Titled “Application”, it begins with an examination of attitudes of the heart and ends with the same as it relates to the work of a shepherd and the needs of the flock. Consistent and fruitful ‘Application’ is of course fueled by the hearts' affections and godly convictions. This chapter leaves no stone unturned, or so it seems, as it attempts to qualify a passionate argument the Church's leaders, in Baxter’s mind, need to hear. Of the many arguments this chapter presents I have chosen to focus primarily on two: pride and unity. Grab your coffee and prepare to be challenged. Lets begin with Baxter’s admonishment towards humility.

THE USE OF HUMILIATION

“If God will help us in our future duty, he will first humble us for our past sin. He that hath not so much sense of his faults as unfeignedly to lament them, will hardly have so much more as to move him to reform them. The sorrow of repentance may exist without a change of heart and life; because a passion may be more easily wrought, than a true conversion. But the change cannot take place without some good measure of the sorrow.”

In the opening statements of this chapter, Baxter implies that God’s assistance does not come independently from our humility. In other words repentance is no happen-chance occurrence. He actually says, “… our business here this day is to humble our souls before the Lord for our past negligence, and implore God’s assistance in our work for the time to come. Indeed, we can scarcely expect the latter without the former. If God will help us in our future duty, He will first humble us for our past sin.” In order to walk with God bearing fruit for His glory, one must observe the errors of his ways and have a change of heart concerning them. No lasting change of lifestyle comes before a change of heart and to be sure no true change of heart comes before revelation to that heart. Still, we must have faith - for seeing truth and believing truth are two different processes. We embrace a new way of thinking as we yield to the Spirit's influence and believing that ultimately culminates into a new kind of living, and all this in adoration of the One calling us to forsake ungodly attitudes, manners and speech. Our mind begins to see things in a new way, for in truth, we live out what we believe.

As stated it stands to reason that though the heart may be convicted, it still must yield, and yield though it may, it still must do so in faith to produce life-change. It could be argued that true faith produces a yielded heart. To be sure we yield not to a way of life so much as to an authority – a Person. In this case God is this Person. With this in mind, ‘true repentance’ then is a form of worship that honors the One to Whom it yields. I use the term ‘true repentance’ to differentiate from a repentance motivated by selfishness or the teasing of repentance initiated by a stirring of ones emotions. Though I believe all repentance has its merit no matter the motive, the most enduring repentance is birthed out of love of the one who has captured that heart’s attention. True repentance in fact is a form of love, and only ‘true repentance’ will keep us faithful in times of heavy trial. Thus humility in these situations, compliments our repentance. Humility is a posturing of the heart, exhibiting teachability and compliance to a higher authority. Humility suggests recognition of worthiness and honor, and finally, humility places truth above self. Baxter is correct in declaring that without humility we cannot repent. It may be seen as the crowning feature of our hearts true conversion. Keep in mind humility is not an emotion, rather it is an attitude constituted from a belief and displayed as a lifestyle. Nor is humility self-hatred or self-dejection so much as it is self-surrender in faith to worthy Lordship. Humility is reverential, even obsequiously submissive. It is then of no surprise that humility should be an authenticating mark of repentance.

Humility is the cloak of a disciple –

“The very design of the gospel is to abase us; and the work of grace is begun and carried on in humiliation. Humility is not a mere ornament of a Christian, but an essential part of the new creature. It is a contradiction in terms, to be a Christian, and not humble. All who will be Christians must be Christ’s disciples, and ‘come to him to learn,’ and the lesson which he teacheth them is, to ‘be meek and lowly.’”, Richard Baxter – The Reformed Pastor.

No one can legitimately argue against the merits a humble disposition afford nor suggest this is a peculiar expectation from God concerning His saints, and while it is true repentance must employ a genuine heartfelt recognition of our failing to prove effective, these are but gifts of grace by the Holy Spirit. Revelations no less, appeals by the Spirit to our spirit, if you will. Baxter suggests that sorrow of heart will effect authentic repentance in the soul and though he directs the penitent soul to beseech God for future endeavors, there is no presumption here suggesting that our sorrowing alone is sufficient to generate the change of lifestyle. Knowing this, Baxter continues to inculcate ‘still we must try’. His endorsement to submit ourselves to the Spirit induced process of conviction, leading to our ensuing obedience, is enjoined with our responsibility to a heartfelt embrace of the dishonoring realities of our sin. We must repent from something. Repentance is therefore preceded by a change of mind and a change of mind cannot occur apart from an acceptance of objective truth as reality. The actuality is true repentance is an awakening to a truth often unrecognized or uninvited. It is produced through conviction which obligates the receiver to respond. Baxter proclaims that ministers are models that communicate the value and necessity of repentance. For one to profess in word alone is to undermine the validity of this truth and the work of discipleship.

“… it is too common with us to expect that from our people, which we do little or nothing in ourselves. What pains do we take to humble them, while we ourselves are unhumbled! How hard do we expostulate with them to wring out of them a few penitential tears, (and all too little) while yet our own eyes are dry! Alas! how we set them an example of hard-heartedness, while we are endeavoring by our words to melt and mollify them! Oh, if we did but study half as much to affect and amend our own hearts, as we do those of our hearers, it would not be with many of us as it is!”

Later in this chapter Baxter sets forth a wonderful address against the seditious nature and calamity of pride. It incorporates pages 62 – 71 (online page references) and is a must read bearing great insight and application for today. Below I have posted some excerpts from the book.

Proud of your knowledge? –

“However, do not the devils know more than you? And will you be proud of that in which the devils excel you? Our very business is to teach the great lesson of humility to our people; and how unfit, then, is it that we should be proud ourselves?”

“We must study humility, and preach humility; and must we not possess and practice humility? A proud preacher of humility is at least a self-condemning man.”

First we must pray for God to remove the log in our own eye –

“What a sad case is it, that so vile a sin is not more easily discerned by us, but many who are most proud, can blame it in others, and yet take no notice of it in themselves!”

Pride revealed through unteachable souls –

“The world takes notice of some among us, that they have aspiring minds, and seek for the highest room, and must be the rulers, and bear the sway wherever they come, or else there is no living or acting with them. In any consultations, they come not to search after truth, but to dictate to others, who, perhaps, are fit to teach them. In a word, they have such arrogant domineering spirits, that the world rings of it, and yet they will not see it in themselves!”

The pride of seeking greatness in ministry –

“The fame of a godly man is as great a snare as the fame of a learned man. But woe to him that takes up the fame of godliness instead of godliness! ‘Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.’”

Baxter continues to associate the life preached in the pulpit with the life lived for validation of ministry. Preaching cannot be an exercise of mind only but of heart, conscience and conviction. A conviction corroborated by lifestyle fitting of our Saviour. The words of a preacher must be extensions of their living and as the chapter continues Baxter addresses many obligations and failures of character ministers may be apt to commit, but one of the most compelling for me was his address concerning Christian unity. It is a five-page address. His points may be found challenging to some but his overview is insightful and worth the read. The concepts could be found applicable to our times.

Baxter’s takes a broader view, (perhaps a higher one as well), addressing attitudes exhibited during the religious strivings of his day. These were tumultuous times. His challenge to believers is to walk uncompromised in major doctrinal truths - but in love in practice and attitude –

“If the Papists will idolize the Church, shall we therefore deny it, disregard it, or divide it? It is a great and a common sin throughout the Christian world, to take up religion in a way of faction; and instead of a love and tender care of the universal Church, to confine that love and respect to a party.”

“Of the multitude that say they are of the catholic Church, it is rare to meet with men of a catholic spirit. Men have not a universal consideration of, and respect to, the whole Church, but look upon their own party as if it were the whole. If there be some called Lutherans, some Calvinists, some subordinate divisions among these, and so of other parties among us, most of them will pray hard for the prosperity of their party, and rejoice and give thanks when it goes well with them; but if any other party suffer, they little regard it, as if it were no loss at all to the Church. If it be the smallest parcel that possesseth not many nations, no, nor cities on earth, they are ready to carry it, as if they were the whole Church, and as if it went well with the Church when it goes well with them. We cry down the Pope as Antichrist, for including the Church in the Romish pale, and no doubt but it is abominable schism: but, alas! How many do imitate them too far, while they reprove them!

“How rare is it to meet with a man that smarteth or bleedeth with the Church’s wounds, or sensibly taketh them to heart as his own, or that ever had solicitous thoughts of a cure! No; but almost every party thinks that the happiness of the rest consisteth in turning to them; and because they be not of their mind, they cry, Down with them! and are glad to hear of their fall, as thinking that is the way to the Church’s rising, that is, their own. How few are there who understand the true state of controversies between the several parties; or that ever well discerned how many of them are but verbal, and how many are real! And if those that understand it do, in order to right information and accommodation, disclose it to others, it is taken as an extenuation of their error, and as a carnal compliance with them in their sin. Few men grow zealous for peace till they grow old, or have much experience of men’s spirits and principles, and see better the true state of the Church, and the several differences, than they did before…. Brethren, I speak not all this without apparent reason. We have as sad divisions among us in England, considering the piety of the persons, and the smallness of the matter of our discord, as most nations under heaven have known. The most that keeps us at odds is but the right form and order of Church government. Is the distance so great, that Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Independent might not be well agreed? Were they but heartily willing and forward for peace, they might. I know they might. I have spoken with some moderate men of all the parties, and I perceive, by their concessions, it were an easy work. Were men’s hearts but sensible of the Church’s case, and unfeignedly touched with love to one another, and did they but heartily set themselves to seek it, the settling of a safe and happy peace were an easy work. If we could not in every point agree, we might easily narrow our differences, and hold communion upon our agreement in the main; determining on the safest way for managing our few and small disagreements, without the danger or trouble of the Church. But is this much done? It is not done. To the shame of all our faces be it spoken, it is not done.”

Concerning partisan and faction-mindedness –

“And oh what heinous aggravations do accompany this sin! Never men, since the apostles’ days, I think, did make greater profession of godliness. The most of them are bound by solemn oaths and covenants, for unity and reformation: they all confess the worth of peace, and most of them will preach for it, and talk for it, while yet they sit still and neglect it, as if it were not worth the looking after. They will read and preach on those texts that command us to ‘follow peace with all men,’ and ‘as much as in us lieth, to live peaceably with them,’ and yet they are so far from following it, and doing all they possibly can for it, that many snarl at it, and malign and censure any that endeavor to promote it; as if all zeal for peace did proceed from an abatement of our zeal for holiness; and as if holiness and peace were so fallen out, that there were no reconciling them: when yet it has been found, by long experience, that concord is a sure friend to piety, and piety always moves to concord; while, on the other hand, errors and heresies are bred by discord, as discord is bred and fed by them. We have seen, to our sorrow, that where the servants of God should have lived together as one — of one heart, and one soul, and one lip — and should have promoted each other’s faith and holiness, and admonished and assisted each other against sin, and rejoiced together in the hope of future glory, we have, on the contrary, lived in mutual jealousies, and drowned holy love in bitter contentions, and studied to disgrace and undermine one another, and to increase our own parties by right or wrong. We, that were wont to glory of our love to the brethren as a mark of our sincerity in the faith, have now turned it into the love of a party only; and those that are against that party have more of our spleen and envy and malice, than our love. I know this is not so with all, nor prevalently with any true believer; but yet it is so common, that it may cause us to question the sincerity of many that are thought by themselves and others to be most sincere.”

Conclusions:

This wraps up my overview of this book. I hope my presentation has done The Reformed Pastor justice and your interest has been, at the very least, tweaked so as to purchase this classic. As I have outlined in this blogs introduction, comments and remarks are welcomed. This blog is intended for as its’ title stipulates; the ethereal thinker. If you are a believer and interested in exploring the wonderful truths we stand on then you are invited to participate. In my next posting, and as a close to this book, I will present a paper submitted to me by Dr. Garry E. Milley titled “A Puritan Perspective on Preaching”. Dr. Milley is a Professor of Church History and Theology and relates some truths he collected during his read of The Reformed Pastor. The next book I will introduce is A.W. Tozer’s “The Knowledge of the Holy”. This book is a treat and you don’t want to miss out.

Further Study

*Richard Baxter: Nonconformist Who Sought Unity - http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/pastorsandpreachers/baxter.html

*Richard Baxter’s “End Of Controversy” - www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/bsac/1855_348_baxter.pdf