A26917:359
Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…
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.
London: printed for Nevil Simmons, 1669
Title page typeset from the transcription.
THE CHARACTER OF 1 A Sound Confirmed Christian, 2 And of the Weak C… › The Characters.
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.
2. And though with the weakest true Christian it is so also as to the predominancy of Gods esteem and interest in him, yet is his weakness daily visible in the culpable effects. Though God have the chiefest place in his esteem, yet man hath much more than his due. The thoughts and words of men seem to such, of far greater importance than they should. Praise and dispraise, favours and injuries, are things which affect their hearts too much: they bear not the contempts and wrongs of men, with so quiet and satisfied a mind, as beseemeth those that live upon God. They have so small experience of the comforts of God in Christ, that they are tasting the deeper of other delights, and spare them not so easily as they ought to do: God, without friends, or house, or land, or maintenance or esteem in the world, doth not fully quiet them, but there is a deal of peevish impatience left in their minds, though it doth not drive them away from God.
2. And though with the weakest true Christian it is so also as to the predominancie of Gods esteem and interest in him, yet is his weakness daily visible in the culpable effects. Though God have the chiefest place in his esteem, yet man hath much more than his due. The thoughts and words of men seem to such, of far greater importance than they should. Praise and dispraise, favours and injuries, are things which affect their hearts too much: they bear not the contempts and wrongs of men, with so quiet and satisfied a mind, as beseemeth those that live upon God. They have so small experience of the comforts of God in Christ, that they are tasting the deeper of other delights, and spare them not so easily as they ought to do: God, without friends, or house, or land, or maintenance or esteem in the world, doth not fully quiet them, but there is a deal of pievish impatience left in their minds, though it doth not drive them away from God.
3. But the seeming Christian can better take up with the world alone than with God alone: God is not so much missed by him as the world: He always breaks with Christ when it cometh to forsaking all: He is godly notionally and professedly, and therefore may easily say that God is his portion, and enough for those that put their trust in him: But his heart never consented truly to reduce these words to practise. When it comes to the trial, the praise or dispraise of man, and the prosperity or matters of the world, do signify more with him than the favour or displeasure of God; and can do more with