Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…

Name: Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…
Author: Richard Baxter

Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace with motives opening the lamentable effects of their weaknesses and distempers / by Richard Baxter.

Richard Baxter 1615–1691London: printed for Nevil Simmons, 1669

2 v. in 1. · 110k words · Wing B1249 · ESTC R15683

Title page typeset from the transcription.

Directions 2 › Direction 13: DIRECT. XIII. Subdue your passions, and abhor all uncharitable principles and practises…

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.

[ Earlier:226–238 of 533

:226p. 137

DIRECT. XIII. Subdue your passions, and abhor all uncharitable principles and practises, and live in love; maintaining peace in your families, and with your neighbours, but especially in the Church of God.

:227p. 137–139

Love as you would be loved; yea, Love if you would be loved: for there is no surer way to purchase love. And love because you are so ⟨p. 138⟩freely loved, by that God whose wrath you have so oft deserved: Let the thankful feeling of his Love in Christ, even turn you wholly into love, to God and man: Abhor every thought and word and deed, which is contrary to love, and tendeth to the hurt of others: And hate the backbitings and bitter words of any, which tend to make another odious, and to destroy your love to any one that God commandeth you to love. Allow that moderate passion which is the fruit of love, and tendeth only to do good; but resist that which inclineth you to hatred, or to do evil. The more men wrong you, remember that you are the more watchfully to maintain your love, knowing that these temptations are sent by the Devil on purpose to destroy and quench it, and fill your heart with uncharitableness and wrath. Give place to the wrath of others, and stand not resisting it by words or deeds, Rom. 12.18, 19, 20. Recompense to no man evil for evil, in word or action, ver. 17. Especially be most tender of the Union of true Christians, and of the Churches peace: When you hear the men of several Sects representing one another as odious, understand that it is the language of the Devil to draw you from love, into hatred and divisions: And when you must speak odiously of mens sin, speak charitably of their persons, and be as ready to speak of the good that is in them, as of the evil. Believe not that dividing ungrounded Doctrine, which telleth you that you cannot sufficiently disown the Errors of any party in Doctrine, and Worship, and Discipline, without a separation or withdrawing from their Communion; and which telleth you that you are guilty of the Ministerial

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Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…

DIRECT. XIII. Subdue your passions, and abhor all uncharitable principles and practises, and live in love; maintaining peace in your families, and with your neighbours, but especially in the Church of God.

DIRECT. XIV. Keep up a constant Government over your Thoughts and Tongues; especially against those particular sins which you are stronglyest tempted to, and which you see other Christians most overtaken with.

DIRECT. XV. Let every state of life and Relation that you are in, be sanctified unto God, and conscionably used: And to that end understand the advantages and duties of every condition and Relation, and the sins and hinderances and dangers which you are most liable to.

DIRECT. XV. Let every state of life and Relation that you are in, be sanctifyed unto God, and conscionably used: And to that end understand the advantages and duties of every condition and Relation, and the sins and hinderances and dangers which you are most lyable to.

Reformers309

Puritans1,782

Westminster Assembly24

Evangelicals36

DIRECT. XIII. Subdue your passions, and abhor all uncharitable principles and practises, and live in love; maintaining peace in your families, and with your neighbours, but especially in the Church of God.

DIRECT. XIV. Keep up a constant Government over your Thoughts and Tongues; especially against those particular sins which you are stronglyest tempted to, and which you see other Christians most overtaken with.

DIRECT. XV. Let every state of life and Relation that you are in, be sanctified unto God, and conscionably used: And to that end understand the advantages and duties of every condition and Relation, and the sins and hinderances and dangers which you are most liable to.

DIRECT. XV. Let every state of life and Relation that you are in, be sanctifyed unto God, and conscionably used: And to that end understand the advantages and duties of every condition and Relation, and the sins and hinderances and dangers which you are most lyable to.