Tag: Piety

Guidelines for Meaningful Christian Meditation

Richard Baxter’s guidance emphasizes the importance of thoughtful meditation for spiritual growth. He advises selecting meaningful subjects, seeking clarity, and understanding the purpose of each meditation. Engaging with significant truths, connecting smaller matters to greater ones, and bringing doctrine into action are essential for fostering a vibrant and obedient faith unto the glory of God.… Read More Guidelines for Meaningful Christian Meditation

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Avoiding Spiritual Pride: A Guide to Balanced Perception

Richard Baxter emphasizes the importance of not overvaluing one’s initial spiritual knowledge or holiness, but instead recognizing the need for growth and maturity in faith. He cautions against the dangers of pride, presumption, and neglecting further learning and humility. These errors can lead to rebellion, contentiousness, hypocrisy, and a distorted understanding of true Christianity.… Read More Avoiding Spiritual Pride: A Guide to Balanced Perception

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Caution About Religious Controversies

Richard Baxter cautions against excessive involvement in religious controversies, advising to prioritize essential, biblical truths over divisive debates and unprofitable questions. He warns that premature engagement in controversies can divert one’s attention from greater spiritual needs, corrupt the mind, and lead to pride and erroneous beliefs. Baxter stresses the continual focus on fundamental religious truths as the foundation for spiritual growth.… Read More Caution About Religious Controversies

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Christ Is The Only True Rest For The Soul

Let a man but deal plainly with his own heart, and he shall find, that, notwithstanding he hath many things, yet there is ever one thing wanting. For indeed man’s soul cannot be satisfied with any creature, no, not with a world of creatures. And the reason is because the desires of man’s soul are infinite, according to that infinite goodness which it once lost in losing God. Yea, and man’s soul is a spirit, and therefore cannot communicate with any corporal thing. So that all creatures, not being that infinite and spiritual fullness which our hearts have lost, and towards the which they do still re-aspire, they cannot give it full contentment. We shall never find a heart’s happiness, and true soul’s rest, until we find it here in the gospel of Jesus Christ alone.… Read More Christ Is The Only True Rest For The Soul

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No Rest For The Soul Apart From Christ

The minister discusses the soul’s search for rest and happiness, emphasizing that true rest can only be found in God through Christ. It highlights how both sensual and rational pursuits can hinder the soul’s rest in God. The minister urges a deep communion with God, surpassing mere rational knowledge and sensual delights. And warns against complacency in religious duties alone, advocating for a deep inner communion with God, beyond mere outward exercises of religion or theological intellectualism. … Read More No Rest For The Soul Apart From Christ

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How To Strengthen Your Faith

The Minister advises a young Christian on strengthening faith. He recommends exercising existing faith, praying for its increase, diligently hearing and reading the Bible, and receiving the sacrament regularly. He explains that while these means won’t independently generate or enhance faith, the Spirit of God works through them. The young Christian resolves to diligently use these means for greater faith.… Read More How To Strengthen Your Faith

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Practical Atheism: Corrupt Prayer & Praise

Man’s practical atheism is evidenced in our corrupt matter or ends of prayer and praise. When we are importunate for those things that we know not whether the righteousness, holiness, and wisdom of God can grant, because he hath not discovered his will in any promise to bestow them, we would then impose such conditions on God, which he never obliged himself to grant. When we pray for things not so much to glorify God, which ought to be the end of prayer, as to gratify ourselves.… Read More Practical Atheism: Corrupt Prayer & Praise

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Meditations In Times Of Sickness

Thy sins have deserved the pains of hell; therefore thou mayest with greater patience endure these fatherly corrections. These are the scourges of thy heavenly Father, and the rod is in his hand. If thou didst suffer with reverence, being a child, the corrections of thy earthly parents, how much rather shouldst thou now subject thyself, being the child of God, to the chastisement of thy heavenly Father, seeing it is for thy eternal good?… Read More Meditations In Times Of Sickness

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The Christian’s Encounter With Satan

It is found by continual experience, that near the time of death, when the children of God are weakest, then Satan makes the greatest nourish of his strength, and assails them with his strongest temptations. For he knows that either he must now or never prevail; for if their souls once go to heaven, he shall never vex nor trouble them any more. And therefore he will now bestir himself as much as he can, and labour to set before their eyes all the gross sins which ever they committed, and the judgments of God which are due unto them; thereby to drive them, if he can, into despair, which is a more grievous sin than all the sins that they committed, or he can accuse them of.… Read More The Christian’s Encounter With Satan

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How To Keep The Lord’s Day Holy

The sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things: First, in resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life. Secondly, in consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Ex. 31:12-15). The consecration of the Sabbath’s rest consists in performing three sorts of duties: before, at, and after the public exercises of the church.… Read More How To Keep The Lord’s Day Holy

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