A26892:550
A Christian Directory
A Christian directory, or, A sum of practical theology and cases of conscience directing Christians how to use their knowledge and faith, how to improve all helps and means, and to perform all duties, how to overcome temptations, and to escape or mortify every sin : in four parts ... / by Richard Baxter.A Christian directory, or, A summ of practical theologie and cases of conscience directing Christians how to use their knowledge and faith, how to improve all helps and means, and to perform all duties, how to overcome temptations, and to escape or mortifie every sin : in four parts ... / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons, 1673
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§. 3. 1. He will do his worst to overwhelm you with appearing doubts and difficulties, and bring1 you to a loss, and to make Religion seem to you a confounding, and not a satisfying thing. This is one of his most dangerous assaults upon the weak and young beginners. Difficulties and Passions are the things which he makes use of to confound you, and put you out of a regular cheerful seeking of salvation. When you read the Scriptures he will mind you of abundance of difficulties in all you read or hear. He will show you seeming contradictions: and tell you that you will never be able to understand these things. He will cast in thoughts of Unbelief and Blasphemy, and cause you, if he can, to •owl them in your mind: If you cast them not out with abhorrence, but dispute with the Devil, he hopes to prove too hard at least for such children and unprovided Soldiers as you: And if you do reject them and refuse to dispute it with him, he will sometime tell you that your cause is naught, or else you need not be afraid to think of all that can be said against it; and this way he gets advantage of you to draw you to unbelief: And if you scape better than so, at least he will molest and terrify you with the hideousness of his temptations; and make you to think that you are forsaken of God, because such blasphemous thoughts have been so often in your minds: And thus he will one while tempt you to blasphemy, and another while affright and torment you with the thoughts of such temptations.
§. 3. 1. He will do his worst to overwhelm you with appearing doubts and difficulties, and bring1 you to a loss, and to make Religion seem to you a confounding, and not a satisfying thing. This is one of his most dangerous assaults upon the weak and young beginners. Difficulties and Passions are the things which he makes use of to confound you, and put you out of a regular cheerful seeking of salvation. When you read the Scriptures he will mind you of abundance of difficulties in all you read or hear. He will shew you seeming contradictions: and tell you that you will never be able to understand these things. He will cast in thoughts of Unbelief and Blasphemy, and cause you, if he can, to •owl them in your mind: If you cast them not out with abhorrence, but dispute with the Devil, he hopes to prove too hard at least for such children and unprovided Souldiers as you: And if you do reject them and refuse to dispute it with him, he will sometime tell you that your cause is naught, or else you need not be afraid to think of all that can be said against it; and this way he gets advantage of you to draw you to unbelief: And if you scape better than so, at least he will molest and terrifie you with the hideousness of his temptations; and make you to think that you are forsaken of God, because such blasphemous thoughts have been so often in your minds: And thus he will one while tempt you to blasphemy, and another while affright and torment you with the thoughts of such temptations.