The Reformed Pastor Chapter 2: The Oversight of the Flock

This chapter is divided into three sub-headings; the nature, the manner and the motive of oversight. It transitions from a wary self-inspection emphasized in chapter one, to that of a detailed accounting of ministerial obligations and objectives. Within these we discover Baxter’s overall appraisal of ministerial work and his two chief passions; evangelism of the unconverted and discipleship of the believing community. To these Baxter purports, the lives of God’s servants should be spent. What follows is a very detailed and precise delineation of pastoral duties and their structure; from visitation to church discipline. Instead of trying to capture by the way of analysis, every nuance this chapter offers, I have opted to post various quotes found throughout the sections. Hopefully these will reveal the chapters’ essence and stir interest, perhaps even some noteworthy remarks.

The Nature, Manner and Motive of This Oversight

Concerning the Unconverted:

“We must labor, in a special manner, for the conversion of the unconverted. The work of conversion is the first and great thing we must drive at; after this we must labor with all our might. Alas! the misery of the unconverted is so great, that it calleth loudest to us for compassion.”

“Who is able to talk of controversies, or of nice unnecessary points, or even of truths of a lower degree of necessity, how excellent soever, while he seeth a company of ignorant, carnal, miserable sinners before his eyes, who must be changed or damned? Methinks I even see them entering upon their final woe! Methinks I hear them crying out for help, for speediest help! Their misery speaks the louder, because they have not hearts to ask for themselves.”

“We must be ready to give advice to inquirers, who come to us with cases of conscience; especially the great case which the Jews put to Peter, and the gaoler to Paul and Silas, ‘What must we do to be saved?’ A minister is not to be merely a public preacher, but to be known as a counselor for their souls, as the physician is for their bodies, and the lawyer for their estates: so that each man who is in doubts and straits, may bring his case to him for resolution; as Nicodemus came to Christ, and as it was usual with the people of old to go to the priest, ‘whose lips must keep knowledge, and at whose mouth they must ask the law, because he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.’”

Concerning the Believer:

“We must study to build up those who are already truly converted. In this respect our work is various, according to the various states of Christians.”

“It is a very sad thing for Christians to be weak: it exposeth us to dangers; it abateth our consolations and delight in God, and taketh off the sweetness of wisdom’s ways; it maketh us less serviceable to God and man, to bring less honor to our Master, and to do less good to all about us. We get small benefit in the use of the means of grace. We too easily play with the serpent’s baits, and are ensnared by his wiles. A seducer will easily shake us, and evil may be made to appear to us as good, truth as falsehood, sin as duty; and so on the contrary. We are less able to resist and stand in an encounter; we sooner fall; we hardlier rise; and are apter to prove a scandal and reproach to our profession. We less know ourselves, and are more apt to be mistaken as to our own estate, not observing corruptions when they have got advantage of us. We are dishonorable to the gospel by our very weakness, and little useful to any about us. In a word, though we live to less profit to ourselves or others, yet are we unwilling and too unready to die.”

“The strength of Christians is the honor of the Church. When they are inflamed with the love of God, and live by a lively working faith, and set light by the profits and honors of the world, and love one another with a pure heart fervently, and can bear and heartily forgive a wrong, and suffer joyfully for the cause of Christ, and study to do good, and walk inoffensively and harmlessly in the world, are ready to be servants to all men for their good, becoming all things to all men in order to win them to Christ, and yet abstaining from the appearance of evil, and seasoning all their actions with a sweet mixture of prudence, humility, zeal, and heavenly mindedness – oh, what an honor are such to their profession! What an ornament to the Church; and how serviceable to God and man! Men would sooner believe that the gospel is from heaven, if they saw more such effects of it upon the hearts and lives of those who profess it. The world is better able to read the nature of religion in a man’s life than in the Bible.”

Concerning Leadership in Families:

“We must have a special eye upon families, to see that they are well ordered, and the duties of each relation performed. The life of religion, and the welfare and glory of both the Church and the State, depend much on family government and duty. If we suffer the neglect of this, we shall undo all. What are we like to do ourselves to the reforming of a congregation, if all the work be cast on us alone; and masters of families neglect that necessary duty of their own, by which they are bound to help us? If any good be begun by the ministry in any soul, a careless, prayerless, worldly family is like to stifle it, or very much hinder it; whereas, if you could but get the rulers of families to do their duty, to take up the work where you left it, and help it on, what abundance of good might be done! I beseech you, therefore, if you desire the reformation and welfare of your people, do all you can to promote family religion.”

“Get masters of families to do their duty, and they will not only spare you a great deal of labor, but will much further the success of your labors. If a captain can get the officers under him to do their duty, he may rule the soldiers with much less trouble, than if all lay upon his own shoulders. You are not like to see any general reformation, till you procure family reformation. Some little religion there may be, here and there; but while it is confined to single persons, and is not promoted in families, it will not prosper, nor promise much future increase.”

Concerning the Backslidden and Church Discipline:

“By how much more we love their persons, by so much the more must we manifest it, by making opposition to their sins. And yet we must look to meet with some tender persons here, especially when iniquity hath got any head, and made a party, and many have fallen in love with it; they will be as pettish and as impatient of reproof as some worse men, and perhaps will interest even piety itself in their faults. But the ministers of Christ must do their duty, notwithstanding their peevishness; and must not so far hate their brother, as to forbear rebuking him, or suffer sin to lie upon his soul. It must, no doubt, be done with much prudence, yet done it must be.”

“It is saddest of all, to think that God should be so dishonored by those whom he hath so loved, and for whom he hath done so much; and that Christ should be so wounded in the house of his friends. Besides, partial backsliding hath a natural tendency to total apostasy, and would effect it, if special grace did not prevent it.”

“We must reprove and admonish those who live offensively or impenitently. Before we bring such matters before the church, or its rulers, it is ordinarily most fit for the minister to try himself what he can do in private to bow the sinner to repentance, especially if it be not a public crime.”

“… if it were well understood how much of the pastoral authority and work consisteth in church guidance, it would be also discerned, that to be against discipline, is near to being against the ministry; and to be against the ministry is near to being absolutely against the church; and to be against the church, is near to being absolutely against Christ.”

Public Church Discipline:

“… The principal use of this public discipline is not for the offender himself, but for the Church. It tendeth exceedingly to deter others from the like crimes, and so to keep the congregation and their worship pure. Seneca could say, ‘He who excuses present evils transmits them to posterity.’ And elsewhere, ‘He who spares the guilty harms the good.’”

“In the case of public offenses, and even of those of a more private nature, when the offender remains impenitent, he must be reproved before all, and again invited to repentance. This is not the less our duty, because we have made so little conscience of the practice of it. It is not only Christ’s command to tell the church, but Paul’s to ‘rebuke before all,’ and the Church did constantly practice it, till selfishness and formality caused them to be remiss in this and other duties. There is no room to doubt whether this be our duty, and as little is there any ground to doubt whether we have been unfaithful as to the performance of it.”

Congregational Address Regarding the Backslidden: (Baxter’s’ sample)

”Having heard of the scandalous conduct of A. B. of this church, or parish, and having received sufficient proof that he hath committed the odious sin of –, we have seriously dealt with him to bring him to repentance; but, to the grief of our hearts, we perceive no satisfactory result of our endeavors; but he seemeth still to remain impenitent (or he still liveth in the same sin, though he verbally professes repentance). We therefore judge it our duty to proceed to the use of that further remedy which Christ hath commanded us to try; and hence we beseech him, in the name of the Lord, without further delay, to lay to heart the greatness of his sin, the wrong he hath done to Christ and to himself, and the scandal and grief that he hath caused to others. And I do earnestly beseech him, for the sake of his own soul, that he will consider, what it is that he can gain by his sin and impenitency, and whether it will pay for the loss of everlasting life; and how he thinks to stand before God in judgment, or to appear before the Lord Jesus, when death shall snatch his soul from his body, if he be found in this impenitent state. And I do beseech him, for the sake of his own soul, and, as a messenger of Jesus Christ, require him, as he will answer the contrary at the bar of God, that he lay aside the stoutness and impenitency of his heart, and unfeignedly confess and lament his sin before God and this congregation. And this desire I here publish, not out of any ill will to his person, as the Lord knoweth, but in love to his soul, and in obedience to Christ, who hath made it my duty; desiring that, if it be possible, he may be saved from his sin, and from the power of Satan, and from the everlasting wrath of God, and may be reconciled to God and to his church; and, therefore, that he may be humbled by true contrition, before he be humbled by remediless condemnation.’”

Concerning Congregational Prayer for the Backslidden:

“With these reproofs and exhortations, we must join the prayers of the congregation in behalf of the offender. This should be done in every case of discipline, but particularly if the offender will not be present to receive admonition, or gives no evidence of repentance, and shows no desire for the prayers of the congregation.”

“In such cases, especially, it will be meet that we beg the prayers of the congregation for him ourselves, entreating them to consider what a fearful condition the impenitent are in, and to have pity on a poor soul that is so blinded and hardened by sin and Satan, that he cannot pity himself; and to think what it is for a man to appear before the living God in such a case, and, therefore, that they would join in earnest prayer to God, that he would open his eyes, and soften, and humble his stubborn heart, before he be in hell beyond remedy.” “… It is, in my judgment, a very laudable course of some churches, that use, for the next three days together, to desire the congregation to join in earnest prayer to God for the opening of the sinner’s eyes, and the softening of his heart, and the saving of him from impenitency and eternal death.”

It's clear from the 45-page dissertation, that Baxter is a man of details. He is painstaking in his endeavor to communicate the clerical responsibilities and their logic. A logic driven by passion and conviction. Church discipline was one such conviction. Whether one deems his approach relevant to today’s congregation is a worthy question, however one can hardly argue the intent behind it. As to Baxter’s exercise of church discipline today, it should be noted that we have fallen in practice far from the center scripture lays forth. Not primarily through negligence on the behalf of leadership, but I would venture to suggest that it is in the hearts and attitudes of today’s North American congregations where the problem lies. We find it unacceptable culturally to reprove publicly. Correction at almost any level today is often deemed imposing and rude, even meddling, and frequently results in people leaving the fellowship. We would sooner leave a fellowship then be reproved. Leaders have often been repaid with such a response, and for that done in private. Has authority been so abused we no longer see correction as the safe haven to health and blessing? Has today’s believer become too proud to be corrected? Does our search for integrity and truth wane at the cost to our image and ego? Have we elevated the ideal of the ‘independent’ believer who stands alone and aloof from the rest? Are we no longer teachable and has the humility and honesty, so reflected in the likes of Moses, Paul, Stephen and yes, Jesus, become a non-cherished commodity – inapplicable, even detrimental? Are we so afraid of the consequential fallout from man that we would opt to play denial and blame before confession and repentance? Lastly have we forgotten the value of saying ‘I am sorry’? Perhaps we have lost our wisdom? Proverbs 13:1, “A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” – ESV.

These are some questions we all must entertain in our pursuit of Chistlikeness and so to end this posting I want to encapsulate the chapter with a scripture I think most fitting.

Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death." - Amplified Bible.