The Reformed Pastor

by Richard Baxter

Overview

Richard Baxter, (born November 12, 1615, Rowton, Shropshire, England—died December 8, 1691, London), Puritan minister who influenced 17th-century English Protestantism. Known as a peacemaker who sought unity among the clashing Protestant denominations, he was the centre of nearly every major controversy in England in his fractious age.

Baxter was ordained into the Church of England in 1638 after studying divinity. Within two years, however, he had allied himself with Puritans in opposition to the episcopacy established by his church. During his ministry at Kidderminster (1641–60) he made that Worcestershire town of handloom workers into a model parish. He preached in a church enlarged to accommodate the crowds that he drew. Pastoral counseling was as important to him as preaching, and his program for his parish came to serve as a pattern for many other ministers in the Church of England.

A believer in limited monarchy, Baxter attempted to play an ameliorative role during the English Civil Wars. He served briefly as a chaplain in the parliamentary army but then helped to bring about the restoration of the king (1660). After the monarchy was reestablished, he fought for toleration of moderate dissent within the Church of England. He was persecuted for his views for more than 20 years and was imprisoned (1685) for 18 months. The Glorious Revolution (1688–89), replacing James II with William and Mary, brought in its wake the Toleration Act that freed Baxter from most of the encumbrances he suffered for his opinions.

Among Baxter’s more than 200 works are devotional manuals, pastoral handbooks, and such highly controversial doctrinal writings as Aphorismes of Justification (1649). His best-known works are The Saints’ Everlasting Rest (1650) and The Reformed Pastor (1656). His autobiographical Reliquiae Baxterianae, or Mr. Richard Baxter’s Narrative of the Most Memorable Passages of His Life and Times (1696), still of interest, gives an account of his inner spiritual struggles. (britannica.com)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781644391556
Publisher:	Indoeuropeanpublishing.com
Publication date:	04/27/2019
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Richard Baxter(1615-1691) was a prominent English churchman of the 1600s. He was a peacemaker who sought unity among Protestants, and yet he was a highly independent thinker and at the center of every major controversy in England during his lifetime.
Born in Rowton to parents who undervalued education, Baxter was largely self-taught. He eventually studied at a free school, then at royal court, where he became disgusted at what he saw as frivolity. He left to study divinity, and at age 23, he was ordained into the Church of England. Within the Anglican church, Baxter found common ground with the Puritans, a growing faction who opposed the church's episcopacy and was itself breaking into factions. Baxter, for his part, did his best to avoid the disputes between Anglicans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and other denominations, even convincing local ministers to cooperate in some pastoral matters. Among his more than 200 works are long, controversial discourses on doctrine. Still, he believed society was a large family under a loving father, and in his theology, he tried to cut between the extremes. Baxter also found himself as a peacemaker during the English Civil Wars. He believed in monarchy, but a limited one. He served as a chaplain for the parliamentary army, but then helped to bring about the restoration of the king. Yet as a moderate, Baxter found himself the target of both extremes. He was still irritated with the episcopacy in 1660, when he was offered the bishopric of Hereford, so he declined it. As a result, he was barred from ecclesiastical office and not permitted to return to Kidderminster, nor was he allowed to preach. Between 1662 and 1688 (when James II was overthrown), he was persecuted and was imprisoned for 18 months, and he was forced to sell two extensive libraries. Still, he continued to preach: "I preached as never sure to preach again," and he wrote, "and as a dying man to dying men."

Baxter became even better known for his prolific writing. His devotional classic The Saints' Everlasting Rest was one of the most widely read books of the century. When asked what deviations should be permitted from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, he created an entirely new one, called Reformed Liturgy, in two weeks. His Christian Directory contains over one million words. His autobiography and his pastoral guide, The Reformed Pastor, are still widely read today.

Table of Contents

	Publisher's Preface	vii
	Brief Account of Baxter's Life, A	viii
	Baxter's Preface	ix
	To the People in the Churches	xviii
	The Reformed Pastor	1
	What is it to Take Heed to Ourselves?	2
	What it is to Take Heed to the Flock	11
	Ministerial Work is Concerned with Spiritual Things	12
	A Suggested Address to the Church in a Case of Discipline	23
	What to Do if the Disciplined One Shows Remorse	24
	Those Who Remain Impenitent Must Be Rejected	25
	A Plea for Church-Discipline as a Means to Keep Churches Pure	25
	How the Work of a Pastor Should be Performed	28
	The Need for Unity and Communion Among Pastors	33
	A Pastor's Humility Evidenced by His Free Confession of Sin	35
	The Sin of Undervaluing Unity and Peace in the Church	41
	Most Ministers Are Negligent of Their Studies	44
	Ministers Do Not Do Their Work With Vigor	45
	Worldliness and Selfish Interests Are Too Much Among Us	46
	Our Relationship to the Flock Should Quicken Us	51
	Our Relationship to Christ Should Encourage Us	53
	Be Careful That Your Graces Are Lively	59
	Keep Up Your Earnest Desires and Expectations of Success	61
	Do Not Neglect the Execution of Discipline Any Longer	65
	The Reasons for Private, Personal Family Instruction	67
	The Difficulties of the Work Encourage Us To Do It	75
	Directions As to How to Apply Yourself to This Work	78
	Answers to Objections That May Be Raised Against This Work	81
	Direction for the Proper Management of This Work	88
	Once They Have Agreed to Come, How Shall You Deal With It	90
	Summation of Christianity for Unlearned Hearers	92
	How to Deal With Certain Types of Persons	97
	How to Deal With Schismatics	98
	What About the Lukewarm and Unsteady Christian?	101