A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics

by Richard Baxter

Direct. X. Be impartial, and set yourselves before your consciences in the case of others. Think with yourselves, How should I judge of this, in such and such a man, that I use to blame? What should I say of him, if my adversary did as I do? And is it not as bad in me as in him? Is not the sin most dangerous to me that is nearest me? And should I be more vigilant over any man's faults than my own? My damnation will not be caused by his sin; but by my own it may. Instead of seeing the gnat in his eye, I have more cause to cast out a gnat from my own than a camel from his.

Direct. XI. Study first to be whatever (judiciously) you desire to seem. Desire a thousand times more to be godly, than to seem so; and to be liberal, than to be thought so; and to be blameless from every secret or presumptuous sin, than to be esteemed such.[152] And when you feel a desire to be accounted good, let it make you think how much more necessary and desirable it is to be good indeed. To be godly, is to be an heir of heaven: your salvation followeth it. But to be esteemed godly is of little profit to you.

Direct. XII. Overvalue not man, and set no more by the approbation or applause of his thoughts or speeches of you than they are worth. Hypocrisy much consisteth in overvaluing man, and making too great a matter of his thoughts and words. The hypocrite's religion is divine in name, but human in deed: it is man that he serveth and observeth most; and the shame of the world is the evil which he most studiously avoideth; and the high esteem and commendation of the world is his reward. O think, what a silly worm is man! And of how little moment are his thoughts or speeches of you, in comparison of the love of God! His thoughts of you make you not the better or the worse; and if they either lift you up or trouble you, it is your proud and foolish fantasy that doth it, when you might choose. If you have not lost the key and government of your hearts, shut you the door, and keep all thence, and let men's reproaches go no further than your ears; and then what the worse will you be for all the lies and slanders of the world? And besides the pleasing of an effeminate mind, what the better are you for their applause?[153]

Direct. XIII. Look upon all men that you converse with, as ready to die and turn to dust, and passing into that world where you will be little concerned in their censure or esteem of you. If you do any thing before an infant, you little care for his presence or observation of you: much less if it be before the dead. If you knew that a man were to die to-morrow, though he were a prince, you would not be much solicitous to avoid his censure or procure his applause; because his thoughts all perish with him; and it is a small matter what he thinks of you for a day. Seeing therefore that all men are hastening to their dust, and you are certain that all that applaud or censure you will be quickly gone, how little should you regard their judgment! Look that man in the face whose applause you desire, or whose censure you fear, and remember that he is a breathing clod of clay; and how many such are now in the grave, whose thoughts you once as much esteemed! and this will make you more indifferent in the case.

Direct. XIV. At least remember that you are passing out of the world yourselves, and look every moment when you are called away, and certainly know that you shall be here but a little while. And is it any great matter what strangers think of you as you are passing by? You can be contented that your name, and worth, and virtues be concealed in your inn, where you stay but a night, and that they be unknown to travellers that meet you on the road. The foolish expectation of more time on earth than God hath given you warrant to expect, is the cause that we overvalue the judgment of man, as well as other earthly things, and is a great maintainer of every sensual vice.

Direct. XV. Set yourselves to the mortifying of self-love and pride: for hypocrisy is but the exercise of these. Hypocrisy is dead so far as pride is dead; and so far as self-denial and humility prevail. Hypocrisy is a proud desire to appear better than you are. Be thoroughly humbled and vile in your own eyes, and hypocrisy is done.

Direct. XVI. Be most suspicious of your hearts in cases where self-interest or passions are engaged; for they will easily deal deceitfully and cheat yourselves, in the smoke and dust of such distempers. Interest and passion so blind the mind, that you may verily think you are defending the truth, and serving God in sincerity and zeal, when all the while you are but defending some error of your own, and serving yourselves, and fighting against God. The Pharisees thought they took part with God's law and truth against Christ. The pope, and his cardinals and prelates, think (as in charity I must think) that it is for Christ, and unity, and truth, that they endeavour to subject the world to their own power. And what is it but interest that blindeth them into such hypocrisy? So, passionate disputers do ordinarily deceive themselves, and think verily that they are zealous for the faith, when they are but contending for their honour or conceits. Passion covers much deceit from the passionate.

Direct. XVII. Suspect yourselves most among the great, the wise, the learned, and the godly, or any whose favour, opinion, or applause you most esteem. It is easy for an arrant hypocrite to despise the favour or opinion of the vulgar, of the ignorant, of the profane, or any whose judgment he contemneth. It is no great honour or dishonour to be praised or dispraised by a child, or fool, or a person that for his ignorance or profaneness is become contemptible. But hypocrisy and pride do work most to procure the esteem of those, whose judgment or parts you most admire. One most admireth worldly greatness; and such a one will play the hypocrite most, to flatter or please the great ones he admireth. Another that is wiser, more admireth the judgment of the wise and learned; and he will play the hypocrite to procure the good esteem of such, though he can slight a thousand of the ignorant; and his pride itself will make him slight them. Another that is yet wiser, is convinced of the excellency of godly men, above all the great and learned of the world: and this man is more in danger of pride and hypocrisy in seeking the good opinion of the godly; and therefore can despise the greatest multitude of the ignorant and profane. Yea, pride itself will make him take it as an addition to his glory, to be vilified and opposed by such miscreants as these.

Direct. XVIII. Remember the perfections of that God whom you worship, that he is a Spirit, and therefore to be worshipped in spirit and in truth; and that he is most great and terrible, and therefore to be worshipped with seriousness and reverence, and not to be dallied with, or served with toys or lifeless lip-service; and that he is most holy, pure, and jealous, and therefore to be purely worshipped; and that he is still present with you, and all things are naked and open to him with whom we have to do. The knowledge of God, and the remembrance of his all-seeing presence, are the most powerful means against hypocrisy. Christ himself argueth from the nature of God, who is a Spirit, against the hypocritical ceremoniousness of the Samaritans and Jews, John iv. 23, 24. Hypocrites offer that to God, which they know a man of ordinary wisdom would scorn if they offered it to him. If a man knew their hearts as God doth, would he be pleased with words, and compliments, and gestures, which are not accompanied with any suitable seriousness of the mind? Would he be pleased with affected, histrionical actions? One that seeth a papist priest come out in his formalities, and there lead the people, in a language which they understand not, to worship God by a number of ceremonies, and canting, repeated, customary words, would think he saw a stage-player acting his part, and not a wise and holy people, seriously worshipping the most holy God. And not only in worship, but in private duties, and in converse with men, and in all your lives, the remembrance of God's presence is a powerful rebuke for all hypocrisy. It is more foolish to sin in the sight of God, because you can hide it from the world, than to steal or commit adultery in the open market-place, before the crowd, and be careful that dogs and crows discern it not. If all the world see you, it is not so much as if God in secret see you. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked," Gal. vi. 7.

Direct. XIX. Remember how hypocrisy is hated of God; and what punishment is appointed for hypocrites. They are joined in torment with unbelievers. And, as wicked men's punishment is aggravated by their being condemned to the fire prepared for the devil and his angels; so the punishment of ordinary ungodly persons, is aggravated by this, that their portion shall be with hypocrites and unbelievers. How oft find you the Lamb of God himself denouncing his thundering woes against the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! How oft doth he inculcate to his disciples, "Be not as the hypocrites," Matt. vi. 2, 5, 16. And no wonder if hypocrites be hateful to God, when they and their services are lifeless images, and have nothing but the name and outside of christianity, and some antique dress to set them off, and human ornaments of wit and parts; as a corpse is more drest with flowers than the living, as needing those ceremonies for want of life to keep them sweet: and a carrion is not amiable to God. And the hypocrite puts a scorn on God; as if he thought that God were like the heathen's idols, that have eyes and see not, and could not discern the secret dissemblings of his heart; or as if he were like fools and children that are pleased with fair words and little toys. God must needs hate such abuse as this.