A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics

by Richard Baxter

(16.) Yet in all this, there is not only semen amoris, a seed of divine love to God as God, but the foundation of it laid, and some obscure, secret conception of it beginning, or in fieri, in the soul. For while the understanding confesseth God to be most amiable, and the will desireth that felicity which doth consist in loving him above myself, and experience telleth me, that he is good to me, and therefore good in himself, it can hardly be conceived, but that in all this there is some kind of secret love to God, as better than myself.

87. In all this, note, that it is one thing to love God, under the notion of the infinite good, better than myself and all things, and another thing for the will to love him more, as that notion obligeth.

88. And the reason why these are often separated, is, because besides a slight intellectual apprehension, there is necessary to the will's just determination, a clear and deep apprehension, with a right disposition of the will, and a suscitation of the active power.

89. Yea, and every slight volition or velleity will not conquer opposing concupiscence and volitions: nor is every will effectual to command the life, and prevail against its contrary.

90. Therefore, I conceive, that in our first believing in Christ, even to justification, though our reason tell us that he is more amiable than ourselves, and we are desirous so to love him for the future, and have an obscure, weak beginning of love to God as God, or as so conceived: yet, 1. The strength of sensitive self-love maketh our love to ourselves more passionately strong. 2. And that reason, at least in its degree of apprehension, is too intense in apprehending our self-interest, and too remiss in apprehending the amiableness of God as God: and so far, even our rational love is yet greater to ourselves, though, as to the notion, God hath the pre-eminence. 3. And that in this whole affair of our baptismal covenanting, consent, or christianity, our love to our own felicity, as such, is more powerful and effectual, in moving the soul, and prevailing for our resolution for a new life, than is our love to God, as for himself, and as God.

91. And therefore it is, that fear hath so great a hand in our first change: for all that such fear doth, it doth as moved by self-love; I mean the fear of suffering and damnation: and yet experience telleth us, that conversion commonly beginneth in fear. And though where self-love and fear are alone, without the love of God as good in and for himself, there is no true grace; yet I conceive that there is true grace initial in those weak christians, that have more fear and self-love in the passionate and powerful part, than love to God, so be it they have not more love to sin, and to any thing that stands in competition with God.

92. Therefore, he that hath a carnal self-love (or inordinate) inclining him to the creature, which is stronger in him than the love of God, is graceless; because it will turn his heart and life from God. But he that hath only a necessary self-love, even a love to his own spiritual, eternal felicity, operating by strong desire and fear, conjunct with a weaker degree of love to God as good in himself, I think hath grace, and may so be saved: because here is but an unequal motion to the same end, and not a competition.

93. If any dislike any of this decision, I only desire him to remember, that on both hands there are apparent rocks to be avoided. First, it is a dangerous thing to say that a man is in a state of grace and salvation, who loveth not God as God, that is, better than himself. And on the other hand, the experience of most christians in the world saith, that at their first believing, (if not long after,) they loved God more for themselves than for himself, and loved themselves more than God, though they knew that God was better and more amiable; and that the fear of misery, and the desire of their own salvation, were more effectual and prevalent with them, than that love of God for himself. And I doubt, that not very many have this at all, in so high a degree as to be clear and certain of it. And if we shall make that necessary to salvation, which few of the best christians find in themselves, we either condemn almost all professed christians, or at least leave them under uncertainty and terrors. Therefore, God's interest speaking so loud on one hand, and man's experience on the other, I think we have need to cut by a thread, and walk by line, with greatest accurateness.

94. By this time we may see, that, as Christ is the way to the Father, and the Saviour and recoverer of lapsed man from himself to God; so faith in Christ, as such, is a mediate and medicinal grace and work: and that faith is but the bellows of love: and that our first believing in Christ, though it be the regenerating work, which generateth love, yet is but a middle state, between an unregenerate and a regenerate: not as a third state specifically distinct from both, but the initium of the latter; or as the embryo, or state of conception, in the womb, is as to a man and no man. Faith containeth love in fieri.

95. As the love of ourselves doth most powerfully (though not only) move us to close with Christ as our Saviour, so, while hereby we are united unto him, we have a double assistance or influx from him for the production of the purer love of God. The one is objective, in all the divine demonstrations of God's love; in his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, in his doctrine, example, intercession, and in all his benefits given us; in our pardon, adoption, and the promises of future glory. The other is in the secret operations of the Holy Spirit which he giveth us to concur with these means, and make them all effectual.