A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics

by Richard Baxter

15. Thou deridest men for doing that which they were made for, and that which they have their reason, and will, and all their faculties for; take them off this, and they are good for nothing: a beast is good to serve man, and the plants to feed him; but what is man good for, or what was he made for, but to serve his Maker? And dost thou scorn him for that which he came into the world for? Thou mayst as well hate a knife because it can cut, or a scythe for mowing, or a clock for telling the hour of the day, when it was made for nothing else.

16. Thou deridest men for being saved by Christ, and for imitating his example. What came Christ for into the world but to "destroy the works of the devil," 1 John iii. 8; and to "save his people from their sins," Matt. i. 21; and to "redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works?" Tit. ii. 42. And hath Christ, to the astonishment of men and angels, come down into flesh, and lived among men, and given them his holy doctrine and example, and suffered death for them, and all this but to bring men to zealous purity, and darest thou make a scorn of it after this? What is this but to scorn thy Saviour, and scorn all the work of redemption, and tread under foot the Son of God, and despise his blood, his life, and precepts?

17. Thou scornest men for being renewed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost. What is the work of the Holy Ghost on us, but to sanctify us? and what is it to sanctify us, but to cleanse us from sin, and cause us entirely to devote our souls and lives to God? Dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost, or not? If thou do, what is that but to believe in him as the sanctifier of God's elect? And what didst thou take sanctification to be, but this purity and holiness of heart and life? and yet darest thou deride it?

18. Thou deridest men for imitating those ancient saints, whose names thou seemest thyself to honour, and in honour of whom thou keepest holidays. Thou takest on thee to honour the names of Peter, and Paul, and Stephen, and John; of Augustine, Hierom, Chrysostom, and other such saints of God; and yet wilt thou make a scorn of those that strive to imitate them? Search and see; if any of these men did, after their conversion, live in luxury, carding, dicing, profaneness, and if any of them were against a holy life, against much praying, hearing, reading the Scriptures, meditating, exact obedience to God; then let not the shame be thine, but mine. He that is most unlike them, let him have the scorn.

19. Thou deridest men for repenting of their former sin, and for accepting that mercy which Christ hath purchased, and God hath offered them, and sent his messengers to entreat them to accept. Can they repent of their former ungodliness, and not turn from it and amend? If thou knewest what they know, thou wouldst repent thyself, and not deride men for repenting: if thou knewest the gift of God, thou wouldst beg it, and gladly accept of it thyself, and not deride them that accept it.

20. Thou scornest men for keeping that covenant, which thou also madest with God in thy baptism thyself. At the same time thou speakest against the anabaptists, that will not have their children baptized, and deridest those that keep their covenant, which in baptism they made. What a monster of contradictions is an ungodly hypocrite! Didst thou not in baptism renounce the flesh, the world, and the devil, and give up thyself in covenant to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? And dost thou not yet know what thou didst? but scorn them that perform it? What is it to be given up to God in baptism, but to take him for thy God, thy Saviour, and Sanctifier, whom thou must love, and seek, and obey in holiness, with all thy heart, and soul, and might? He is a covenant-breaker indeed, that hates the keeping of it.

I have hitherto been showing thee what it is that thou opposest and deridest: I shall now tell thee further what thou dost, in showing thee the aggravations of the sin, and its importance.

2. Consider in all this, what an open enemy thou art to God, and an open soldier for the devil: what canst thou do more against God, and do thy worst, than make a scorn of all his work and servants? He feareth not thy power or rage; thou canst not hurt him. How many millions of such worms as thou can he tread to hell, or destroy in a moment! It is in his servants and service that he is honoured or opposed here, and that mortals show their love or hatred to him. And how canst thou devise, if thou wouldst do thy worst, to serve the devil more notoriously, than by opposing and deriding the service of God? If such be not Satan's servants, he hath none.

3. Consider what a terrible badge of misery thou carriest about thee! thou bearest the mark of Satan, death, and hell in thy forehead, as it were. If there were any doubt whether a swearer, or drunkard, or fornicator may be in a state of grace, yet it is past all doubt that a scorner of godliness is not: it were strange indeed for that man to be holy that derideth holiness: there is scarce any sort of men in the world, that are more undoubtedly in a state of damnation than thou art. It is dark to us what God will do with infidels, and heathens that never had the means of salvation; but what he will do with all the unbelieving and ungodly that have had the means, we know past doubt; much more what he will do with those, that are not only void of holiness, but deride it. I deny not but yet if thou be converted thou mayst be saved: and oh that God would "give thee repentance to the acknowledging of the truth," that thou mightest escape out of the devil's snares, who leads thee captive at his will, 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26. It is written of Basil, that by his prayers he caused the devil to give back a writing, by which a wretched man had sold his soul to him, that he might enjoy his master's daughter; and that the man repented and was delivered: if thou mayst be so recovered it will be a happy day for thee. But till then it is as sure as the Scripture is sure, that thou art a miserable creature, and an undone man if thou die in that condition that thou art in. Oh with what fear shouldst thou rise and lie down, if thou hadst thy wits about thee, lest thou shouldst die before thou art converted.[554]

4. To scorn at holiness is a defiance of grace, as if thou didst renounce God's mercy: thou dost thy worst to drive away all hope, and make thy case uncurable and desperate. For if ever thou be saved, it must be by this grace and holy life which thou deridest: and is scorning grace the way to get it? And is it likely that the Holy Ghost will come and dwell in the man that scorneth his sanctifying works?