Fire and Ice: Puritan and Reformed Writings [Table of Contents]  [Fast Index]  [Site Map]

Advice on Reading by Richard Baxter. A very short extract. Warning: may cause conviction. Good thing he didn't know about boxes with buttons and keyboards!

Cases and Directions About Confessing Sins and Injuries to Others A short extract with the practical wisdom you would expect from the author. Contributed by Steve Doan.

Directions Against Covetousness (63K) "Oh what deserving servants hath the world, that will serve it so diligently, so constantly, and at so costly a rate, when they beforehand know, that besides a little transitory, deluding pleasure, it will pay them with nothing but everlasting shame!" Contributed by Steve Doan. Word  PDF (23 pages, 69K) (See also William Gouge on the same subject.)

Special Directions for Christian Conference, Exhortation, and Reproof (40K) "I remember myself, that when I was young, I had sometime the company of one ancient godly minister, who was of weaker parts than many others, but yet did profit me more than most; because he would never in prayer or conference speak of God, or the life to come, but with such marvelous seriousness and reverence, as if he had seen the majesty and glory which he talked of." Contributed by Steve Doan. Word  PDF (14 pages, 40K)

Cases and Directions Against Censoriousness and Unwarrantable Judging (37K) "Study to keep up Christian love, and to keep it lively. For love is not censorious, but is inclined to judge the best, till evidence constrain you to the contrary. Censoriousness is a vermin which crawleth in the carcass of Christian love, when the life of it is gone." Contributed by Steve Doan. Word  PDF (13 pages, 37K)

The Cure of Melancholy and Overmuch Sorrow Helpful, practical directions from long before psychology was invented. Includes advice for friends and relatives of the depressed. Contributed by Steve Doan. (108K) Word (48K)  PDF (41 pages, 98K)

Cases and Directions For Loving Our Neighbours as Ourselves What is love? Who is my neighbour? What about hating sin? How to obey the command of our Lord. Contributed by Steve Doan. Word  PDF

Directions Against Sinful Fear Directions against the sinful fear of God, the Devil, and men. "It is a base, hypocritical, worldly heart that maketh you immoderately afraid of men. Are you afraid lest they should storm and plunder heaven? Or lest they cast you into hell? Or lest they turn God against you? Or lest they bribe or overawe your Judge? No, no! These are none of your fears!" Contributed by Steve Doan. (47K) Word  PDF (41K)

Cases and Directions Against Backbiting, Slandering, and Evil Speaking Here is a useful discussion of we never talk about. Er, always talk about. Er, should talk about. Shouldn't. (You know what I mean.) Contributed by Steve Doan. Word  PDF

Directions Against Sinful Desires and Discontent "Understand how little it will satisfy you, if God should give you all that you earnestly desire. When you have it, it will not quiet you, nor answer your expectations." Contributed by Steve Doan. Word  PDF

Directions for a Peaceful Death Some observers of our modern culture say that we are loosing our vocabulary for speaking about death and grief. Baxter gets to the heart of the matter. Recommended for those planning on undergoing the experience.

Directions for Grief on the Death of Friends Baxter answers the hard questions. Helpful.

Directions for Hating Sin Practical, vintage Baxter. "Excusing sin, and pleading for and extenuating it, and striving against the Spirit and conscience....are not the means to be cured and sanctified" Read it, do it. Word

Ministers of Love by Richard Baxter. A short extract from "What Light Must Shine in Our Works?," primarily directed to ministers, but applying to all of us. So fresh, it seems to have been written this morning.

The Mutual Duties of Husbands and Wives Towards Each Other Clear, Biblical directions to husbands and wives. They don't call them his "Practical Works" for nothing! Abridged and modernised by Scott Andersen. Also in Word format  PDF

The Sin of Man-pleasing Spiritual, pastoral, practical counsel from Baxter's Christian Ethics. A balanced, positive presentation relevant to today's situation.

Signs of Living to Please God The positive side of Baxter's teaching on sin. A practical, spiritual inventory. Extracted from the chapter above.

The Advantages of Pleasing God A short extract from the chapter above.

How to Spend the Day With God How to honour God in all the daily activities of life. Baxter applies all the Bible to all of life. A modern adaptation by Matthew Vogan.

The Sinfulness of Flesh-Pleasing He must have known about our culture today! He not only answers our evasions, but shows us the remedies we need to fight our favourite sin. The three extracts below are taken from this sermon. (53K)

Treason Against the Soul A short extract, in modern English, from his Christian Ethics. Can a person engage in treason against his own soul?

Ten Marks of a Flesh-Pleaser A spiritual inventory. Take a self-test from a the pen of a true Reformed Pastor. In contemporary language.

The Greatest Thing in the World Clear thinking on a topic we don't much care to consider.

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