08. Notes
Notes [←1] The first title of Baxter’s “Reformed Pastor,” was “Gildas Salvianus.”
[←2] “Herbert’s Country Parson” was first published in 1632.
[←3] “Burnet’s Pastoral Care,”— a work in every one’s hand.
[←4] Meaning twelve centuries of Roman Catholic rule until the Reformation.
[←5] Allusion to Voltaire and the Enlightenment.
[←6] That is, the Rationalism of Liebnitz and Kant.
[←7] Auger: portend - a sign of something to come.
[←8] Affiance is a pledge of marriage; here it indicates our resolve to be one with Christ.
[←9] Characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious – genuine and sincere.
[←10] Or depository - a facility (or person) where things can be deposited for storage or safekeeping (2 Timothy 1:14)
[←11] Lacking energy, strength, or vigor – de-energized.
[←12] To indulge (one’s appetite) until satiated.
[←13] Gainsay: to question the truth or validity of something; take exception to.
[←14] Discountenanced: discouraged by disapproval.
[←15]
* As those of Gilpin, Hooker, Leighton, the two Henrys, Hairburton, Doddridge, Brainerd, Schwartz, Martyn, Fletcher, Scott, Richmond. To these lives we would add, as books of great importance, Cecil’s Remains, and Quesnel on the New Testament, which should never be out of the hands of a young minister. In Mr. Gilly’s Horae-catecheticae are some valuable thoughts.
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[←17] Baxter’s Narrative of his Life and Times, p. 121.
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One who deals with others openly and honestly; not withholding for fear of offending, but speaking plainly for their good.
[←20] The Directory for Family-Worship; prepared by the Assembly at Edinburgh, August 24, 1647, Session 10.
[←21] Original: “hearken” – to listen and respond appropriately to what is heard.
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[←24] Called to duty; conscripted and equipped for a particular task or mission.
[←25] Ezekiel 33:8-9; Acts 18:6; Acts 20:26-28
[←26] A catechist is someone who instructs another in the catechism, or teachings of the Church; the catechumen, (the one being instructed) often memorizes scriptural principles along with their corresponding verses. I doubt that Baxter means the political assembly, but the Church Assembly, the ruling elders. He had been hoping for “licensed and funded” catechists for the work.
[←27] That is, a person who is qualified or suited for a position or activity.
[←28] Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 3:13
[←29]
[←30] Our words and actions are confused and at odds, and so we lack integrity.
[←31]
[←32] The image here is a balance, a scale in which we are weighed against our graces and works, testing for genuineness of faith. We want our work to be proven as gold and precious jewels, and not hay and stubble that are burned up under the fires of testing – this is the image presented in 1 Corinthians 3:12. But sometimes we confuse the heavy rocks of our preaching and teaching with gold and jewels. After all, they don’t burn up; and they have weight; and we think in our flesh that they ought to counter-balance us in the Assayer’s scale. But without a heart given to Christ, without Gospel-driven godliness, they have no value at all: it is a false hope.
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[←37] Psalms 39:6 KJV/ASV
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[←39] The father of logic and analytical thinking.
[←40] Informed and illumined by the Spirit in addition to the mind.
[←41]
Psalms 39:5-6 Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah 6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; NKJV [a lot of activity with nothing to show for it; a lot of smoke but no fire to warm and illumine.]
[←42] That is, in the Garden before the Fall.
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[←44] Not worth a rush: worthless. The allusion is to the practice of spreading rushes on the floor, before carpets were invented. The modern expression is “Not worth a straw.”
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[←47] 1 Corinthians 8:2
[←48] In the hold or consideration of theology.
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[←55] To evade the truth or importance of an issue by raising trivial distinctions and objections.
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[←60] 2 Corinthians 2:16
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Fruition is the pleasure obtained by using or possessing something; here it is attaining glory so as to be in God’s presence.
[←65] Parable of the Ten Virgins, Matthew 25:1-13
[←66] To introduce or insert oneself by subtle and artful means; to weasel your way into someone’s confidence.
[←67] 1 Thessalonians 5:7
[←68] Reference to Robert Greene’s play, The Comicall Historie of Alphonsus, King of Aragon, written 1599.
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[←79] That is, Acts 20:28.
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[←84] 1 Thessalonians 5:12
[←85] A prelate is anyone set over others; in the Catholic church, it refers to bishops; in Protestantism is refers to overseers.
[←86] Matthew 18:12; Luke 15:4
[←87] Ezekiel 3:18; Ezekiel 33:8; Ezekiel 33:14
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[←90] A milk-maid during this period averaged 5 pence a day, a farm worker 10 pence, and a wood-turner 27 pence. There are 240 pence in a pound. So a year’s wages for each (302 days) would be 7, 14, and 34 pounds respectively.
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State churches salaried their clergy on condition of subscribing to prepared worship and instruction: the Book of Common Prayer, prescribed liturgies, sacramental wording, etc. This caused a great deal of strife when imposed on the Scots by the English. Baxter refers to some who offered to give up their income if they could preach freely from the Scriptures.
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[←99] A sudden convulsive fit or spasm: an involuntary and overwhelming reaction to something.
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Croesus became king of Lydia c. 560 BC (recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus). His wealth was legendary. He had two sons; one was a magnificent warrior (Atys); the other son was mute and rejected. Atys was accidentally killed during a boar hunt (said to be retribution by the gods for Croesus’ pride); Croesus was unconsolable. Later, his mute son went with him during an attack on Sardis; when the mute son saw his father in danger, he suddenly cried out, thus saving his father’s life.
[←101] That is, to expect being sent to hell’s inferno.
[←102] To ply a trade, or our calling, is to exert the necessary labor, skill, and care to accomplish its ends in acceptable fashion.
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“Men’s …improvement in their religious capacity lies in those fruits of the Spirit which we call Christian graces. Of these, in respect to usefulness, there are three most eminent: faith, love, and self-denial.” – John Owen on Daniel 12:13.
[←106] The ordinary means of grace are the Word, sacraments, and prayer.
[←107] That is, to die to self and put our sins away.
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[←112] Augustine, Sermon 249.2
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He was Holy Roman Emperor for 4 years from 1433 until 1437. He was also one of the longest ruling Kings of Hungary, reigning for 50 years from 1387 to 1437.
[←114] Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:11
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[←116] Seneca the Younger (ca. 4 BC–AD 65) - Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and humorist.
[←117] That is, to atone for it through confession. The sinner has made an offense against the Church that must be satisfied.
[←118]
Leviticus 19:17 You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
[←119] That is, when he stands in the docket at Judgment to answer for his sin.
[←120] One who regards the bread and wine of the Eucharist as metaphorical (as opposed to physical per transubstantiation)
[←121] Bernard of Clairveax (1090–August 21, 1153) - French abbot and primary builder of the Cistercian monastic order.
[←122]
Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 - c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus; he was a Roman statesman and writer, serving Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. Senator was his surname, not his rank
[←123] 1 Corinthians 9:16
[←124] In 372 AD he became Bishop of Nyssa in modern day Turkey (b. 335– d. post-394). He was the younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory Nazianzus. Made contributions to the doctrines of the Trinity and the Infinity of God.
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Cappadocian Father and Bishop of Constantinople (b.329 – d. January 25, 389), “Gregory the Theologian”; contributed to the doctrine of the Trinity.
[←127] Paraphrase from City of God, Book 19, Chap 24.
[←128] The sense of “discerning” here is pleasing; sympathetic to what we want to hear; discreet and inoffensive.
[←129]
Baxter is suggesting that too often we teach the flock the deep truths of Scriptures before we’ve taught them the fundamentals; we justify it by saying that these deeper things are necessary. He grants that they are; but it’s an issue of preparation. We don’t take a child who cannot float into water over its head, and then justify it by saying that it’s necessary if they are to learn to swim.
[←130] That is, pride is what drove Adam and Eve from the Garden; it will not be allowed back.
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Dilige et vis quod fac - from Augustine’s 7th sermon on First John. When we love God rightly, doing as we please is doing what pleases God.
[←136] “Estate”, in this sense, speaks of our physical and financial conditions.
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[←138] Augustine: Epistle 93.4
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[←142] Jerome, letter 52, to Nepotian on rules for ministers, c. 394.
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[←145] 1 Corinthians 2:2
[←146] Gregory I (The Great), Morals on the Book of Job, (Oxford, John Henry Parker, London 1850), p.590; Vol 3 Part 2 Book 33
[←147] Isaiah 49:5 – “…our glory/honor is in the eye of the Lord.”
[←148]
While Baxter may be speaking of the Roman Catholics who labelled all Protestants as heretics, he more likely refers to church councils which labelled as heretics all dissenters who refused to subscribe to their particular confession.
[←149] That is, Acts 20:28
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(c. 1470–1555) English historian of Italian extraction, otherwise known as P.V. Castellensis, kinsman to cardinal Castellensis.
[←151] Titus 1:12 – that is, gluttons.
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[←154] Matthew 13:7; Matthew 13:22
[←155] That is, a chicken hawk.
[←156] A piece of armor plate (with eye slits) that is fixed or hinged to a medieval helmet to protect the face.
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[←158] 1 Corinthians 4:2; Luke 12:42
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Men’s salvation is not dependent on their overseers. Baxter is reformed, and that is certainly not a reformed point of view. Keep in mind that salvation, generally speaking, includes both justification (an event), and sanctification (a process). Justification proceeds from Christ’s work on the cross alone. Sanctification, however, takes place within the context of the Church, under the tutelage and guidance of the overseers, using those means which God has provided. Be careful here. We are saved by faith alone, but never by a faith which is alone. Faith, which cannot be seen, produces evidence of its presence in the form of works. These works do not qualify, initiate, or sustain the work of Christ on the cross. We are not saved by the work of Christ, plus our own works. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And yet, works are the proof of our faith. If our works are weak or absent, whether through ignorance, neglect, indifference, or ineptitude, we are not eternally lost for that reason alone. Nonetheless, each of us will have to give an account of our work at the Last Day (Romans 14:12). And our works, in large part, are dependent on the effective ministry of our overseers. They equip us for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12). They are our watchmen. They call us to account in this life and instruct us, so that we may do our work well. The issue Baxter raises, I think, is how much a pastor may have contributed to our malaise and sloth. That’s why he must give an account for us (Hebrews 13:17). Baxter is asking whether a pastor who neglects his charge, in the way he describes, is truly elect. Why else would Baxter suggest that the blood of Christ might be pleaded for his damnation? Recall Christ’s words: “Away from me you evil-doers; I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23) Let me ask: How do any of us prove our faith, and make our calling and election sure? (2 Peter 1:10) The answer: by our works, which flow from a changed heart. And that truth is no different for a pastor than it is for other believers: therefore work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12). Each of us must live up to our calling (2 Thessalonians 1:11). – WHG
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[←167] Proverbs 28:13-14
[←168] That is, since the convening of the Westminster Assembly in 1643.
[←169] That is, completely in favor of a church hierarchy that promotes the authority and over-arching influence of bishops; and a form of unitary government that will not suffer other denominations or other “independent” churches.
[←170] This is 1655. Oliver Cromwell defeated the Royalists in 1644. In 1648, George Fox founded the Quakers, who broke away from the Church of England. In 1650, the Thirty Years War ended. In 1651, Thomas Hobbes wrote The Leviathan. There is chaos in the streets, and England seems on the verge of anarchy: the Royalists and Catholics are trying to regain power, and Cromwell is forced to rule with an iron fist. Within the church, factions are arising daily, countered by church officials and laws designed to suppress them. Outside the church, factions are also arising daily, as the people call for alternatives to landed aristocracy, church aristocracy, and even democratic tyranny. In this setting, Baxter is pleading for unity in the Church under Christ; not under the laws of secular government; and not under the coercion of church government. The Puritans, fed up with the constraints of law, and with widespread opposition to the Dissenters, now seek to emigrate to the Americas. There they hope to separate church and state, and to bar the government from interfering in the affairs of the Church, which has caused so much strife for so long.
[←171] The draper is a seller of cloth; the mercer retails it with its accessories; and the tailor trims and fashions it for the consumer.
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1 Corinthians 14:23 – This passage concerns not speaking in tongues, so that all may be understood, and the church may be edified.
[←173] Proverbs 19:11; James 1:19
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[←175] That is, our motivation or intention. Principle is what governs our life and actions, for better or worse. Everyone is principled. The question is, “which principle governs us?” And so Baxter refers to the “right principle” here.
[←176] Matthew 6:2; Matthew 6:5; Matthew 6:16
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[←178] That is, its absence will be noticed – if not by us, then by our congregation, and most certainly by God.
[←179] Baxter called it “extemporary promptitude;” in other words, speaking off the cuff.
[←180] Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:23
[←181]
Baxter uses the word “shifts” rather than evasions. He might mean modifications, dancing about, or throwing up barriers.
[←182] That is, using delaying tactics to gain time, especially in order to avoid coming to a decision or committing yourself.
[←183] Constantius was the second son of the Roman Emperor Constantine; also called Constantine II. He reigned 337-361.
[←184]
Pope Liberius, pope from 352 to 366. After a synod at Rome, he wrote to Emperor Constantius, asking to hold an assembly to discuss Athanasius of Alexandria (Athanasian Creed). In 355 Liberius was one of the few who refused to sign the condemnation of Athanasius. After the death of Constantius in 361, Liberius annulled the decrees of that assembly. But in 366 Liberius admitted into his communion the more moderate of the old Arian party (heretical sect).
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Ossius (or Hosius) – Spanish bishop of Córdoba. He was ecclesiastical adviser to Constantine, and presided over the Council of Nicea in 325. He was one of the chief defenders of orthodoxy in the West against the Donatists (another heretical sect).
[←186] When the Reformers split with Rome, Henry VIII persecuted them and most ministers with him; When Henry VIII split with Rome, however, most ministers joined him; when Scotland split from England over the Reformation, most Scottish ministers joined in the rebellion; when Mary Queen of Scots came to power, the Scots became Catholic; when Elizabeth (a protestant astrologist) executed her, they returned to being Protestants, even though Elizabeth favored neither church (to maintain order); when James I became king, England became Protestant; when James II became king, England became Catholic; when Cromwell took power, England became Protestant, etc.
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[←189] 1 John 2:15; Matthew 6:33
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1 Timothy 5:16; in other words, building up a future estate for our children, parents, or spouse, is no excuse for failing to provide for the present needs of those who have no provisions; it does not excuse our lack of charity. For the converse, see Matthew 15:5.
[←192] Matthew 19:12; 1 Corinthians 7:7
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[←196] Salvian, On the Government of God, Book Six.
[←197] A peace proposal made in hopes of attaining peace between warring factions, especially in the Church.
[←198] An anti-trinitarian secret society that referred to themselves as Unitarians. It was named after Laelius Socinus (d. 1562 in Zürich; he was linked to followers of Severus, whom Calvin executed); the movement spread under his nephew Faustus Socinus (d. 1604 in Transylvania Poland). They were persecuted by the Catholics and thrown out of Poland. In 1574 the Socinians, , issued a "Catechism of the Unitarians," (later the Racovian Catechism) in which they laid out their views. They were rooted in rationality, rejecting orthodox teachings on the Trinity and on the divinity of Jesus. They also believed that God’s omniscience was limited to necessary truth (what would definitely happen in the future), and did not apply to contingent truth (what might happen). They believed that, if God knew and was sovereign over everything, free will was impossible; and so they rejected "hard" omniscience. Today, that is called Open Theism. Socinians are distinct from Arians, who believed in a pre-existent Christ, while the Socinians did not. They believed the Son of God did not exist until born as a man. Anabaptists, Unitarians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others have their roots in the Socinian heresy.
[←199] I apologize that needed to paraphrase and expand these two sentences a bit to make them sensible.
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[←202] A form of torture in which somebody is hoisted by a rope around the wrists, which are bound behind the back, and then dropped and jerked to a stop before reaching the ground.
[←203] That is, without violating Scripture or the conscience of men.
[←204] That is, those placed in their care: the congregation.
[←205] That is, the Sixth Ecumenical Council, the Third Council of Constantinople, AD 680-681 held under the Emperor Constantine Pogonatus and Pope Agatho I. The sessions of the council were held in the domed hall in the imperial palace which was called Trullo or Trullus; hence, the Council at Trull. Subsequently (AD 692), the Canons of the Council in Trullo (often called the Quinisext Council) codified the decisions of the earlier council. Emperor Justinian II published them as ecumenically binding.
[←206] Which we may assume is a Sabbath day; in other words, three consecutive weeks of non-attendance.
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[←208] Mary Queen of Scots executed great numbers of Reformers in the name of her Roman Catholic faith.
[←209] Luke 14:26 – “cannot be my disciple”
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[←215] 2 Samuel 12:7 – Nathan speaking to David of his sin with Bathsheba.
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[←217] Isaiah 8:8; Hebrews 2:13
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[←220] 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
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[←222] 2 Corinthians 11:2
[←223] I assume Baxter is referring to morning and evening assemblies on Sunday.
[←224] That is, to confess their sins to a priest each week in the confessional booth.
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[←226] Acts 2:37; Acts 16:30
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Here’s an interesting take on the extent of the atonement. He asserts that Christ not only died for the elect, but also for any who would come to him and believe the Gospel offer. That’s a fine mixture of Calvin and Wesley. The Calvinist would assert that none but the elect, previously regenerated because they are elect, are capable of believing, nor would any other be “willing”, as Baxter puts it. Wesley would say that Christ’s sacrifice made any and every man capable of responding; therefore, all may be willing, and regeneration must await our willingness; none is foreordained to salvation; our profession of faith makes us elect. In contrast to both views, Baxter apparently says that God sovereignly and inexorably calls the elect (Calvin), but permissively receives any non-elect who is willing (Wesley). I wonder what his friend, John Owen, might have said to that? If God saved Lot for Abraham’s sake (Genesis 19:26), was Lot elect by foreordination, or was he permissively received (2 Peter 2:7-9)? – WHG
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[←231] 2 Corinthians 2:16
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[←235] Adamant: a legendary, extremely hard stone, sometimes identified as diamond or lodestone.
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[←237] Coal miners, chimney sweeps, or pot-menders.
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[←239] 1 Peter 1:13; Job 40:7
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[←242] That is, it is being recorded in a ledger with nothing listed beside the entry as having been accomplished during that time.
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Here we find the supposed difference between Reformed preachers and Arminian preachers: it is alleged that Reformed preachers are not as fervent because they believe in predestination. But Baxter, though Reformed, has not diminished his fervency in the least. He would rather err on the side of suggesting that it is entirely in his hands, than ignore his responsibilities. Spurgeon was Reformed, and yet no preacher was more fervent in his appeal to the lost. If someone is elect but not converted, it has no bearing on his condition: he is lost, dead in his trespasses and sins, and must be awakened. The Gospel is the means of awakening him. The preacher is the instrument of its delivery (Romans 10:14). We cannot carry around such a potent medicine, and yet apply it indifferently to the souls of the lost. We don’t know who is elect; and so our plea is made to all alike, stirring them to awaken, pleading with them to come to the feet of Christ to be healed and forgiven. Baxter’s whole point is that the Gospel is not a matter of words, but of power (1 Corinthians 4:20); it must be exercised with desperate concern, and with love for the lost.
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[←245] Hebrews 12:28-29
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Clearly, Baxter believes that salvation is won or lost at the presentation of the Gospel; it has not been eternally decreed. He divorces the extent of the atonement from the efficaciousness work of the Spirit (universal atonement, conditional salvation). He is saying that we may thwart God’s will, and thus he implies that we are more powerful than God when it comes to saving souls. God is impotent apart from our work (contra Matthew 3:9). This likewise implies that no aborted fetus, no child who dies in infancy, no lunatic or Alzheimer’s victim, may come to Christ. I doubt that Baxter believed any of this. It goes back to his belief that there are foreordained elect, and then there are permissive elect; these latter are apparently the focus of his comments. Keep in mind that belonging to a local church body was expected at this point in time, creating a captive audience of both wheat and tares.
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[←250] 1 Corinthians 9:24
[←251] Deuteronomy 18:4
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[←253] Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:19
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[←257] Genesis 18:23; Psalms 26:9
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[←262] Matthew 16:24-25; Revelation 2:10
[←263] Acts 20:20; Acts 20:31
[←264] Common or ordinary knowledge (direct knowledge)
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Here is the crux of baptism: a public pledge to put away the old man who died, and who was symbolically buried here in the water as the new man arose from them. Or that in sprinkling with water, we have been ceremonially washed and sanctified, and so we publically pledge at our baptism to maintain our godliness, and to keep away from our sin and our former ways. This is the symbolism and intentionality of baptism that is largely lost in the modern church. It is treated more as a celebration of conversion than a covenantal vow.
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[←267] 1 Corinthians 9:27
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[←272] A laborer who is obliged to do menial work.
[←273] Luke 14:26-27; Luke 14:33
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[←275] Matthew 25:20 Parable of the Talents.
[←276] Luke 19:13-17 Parable of the Minas.
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[←278] That is, drowned in the pursuit of financial and physical security, neither of which may be found in this world.
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Baxter uses “dull” here to mean slow to learn, and therefore more in need of personal tutoring and patience.
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Those who profess their faith in Christ; here it refers to those who profess with their lips but do not believe in their hearts.
[←281] Archaic: a hospital where people with contagious or epidemic diseases are isolated.
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[←283] Ezekiel 36:26-27
[←284] 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:12
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[←292] 1 Corinthians 9:22
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[←294] 2 Corinthians 12:15
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[←297] 2 Corinthians 12:14
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[←299] Matthew 16:24; Matthew 19:21
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[←304] 2 Timothy 2:5; Romans 8:37
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[←306] 1 Samuel 22:7 – that is, are you willing to take a bribe to break your oath to the Root of Jesse?
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2 Samuel 20:1 – that is, are you declaring by your inaction that you have no portion in the inheritance of the Son?
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1 Kings 12:16; 2 Chronicles 10:16 – Solomon’s son Rehoboam is a cruel king who has no mercy on his people; and so the people reject him, asking what they profit from their allegiance to him except more work – he may be an heir of David, but they are not. And so each man returns to his own tent to consider whom he will serve, and why.
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2 Corinthians 5:7 ‘by faith, not by sight’ – Baxter changes the word to emphasize that we are not to be driven by feelings and desire.
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[←315] 1 Corinthians 13:1
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[←317] 1 Corinthians 9:16
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[←320] That is, a man characterized by an inability to mask his feelings; not devious.
[←321] That is, if the minister is doing his job by instructing them properly and appropriately, then if they don’t learn, it’s their sin.
[←322]
Again, assuming the ministers have been the appropriate means of instruction, and have diligently instructed the flock. It is tempting to blame the student for failing to do his studies when he knows the exam is forthcoming. But when there is only a text and no classroom instruction, he is unlikely to pass the exam because there has been no explanation or guidance along the way. If it were possible to learn otherwise, then there is no gift of teaching, and thus no need for teachers in the Church.
[←323] That is, puberty, the age of knowing right from wrong, and of partaking of the communion table: generally 12-13 years of age.
[←324]
Galatians 6:2 – bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. To hold up or sustain another; endure together.
[←325] 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Charity suffers long, and is kind; it bears all things, endures all things…
[←326]
James Ussher (1581-1656) scholar, Anglican Archbishop of Armagh, and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. His most famous book. The Annals of the World, is still in print. It dated Creation to the night before October 23, 4004 BC.
[←327] That is, James I of England (1566-1625) – also titled James VI King of Scots. Son of Mary Queen of Scots, but Protestant.
[←328] 1 Corinthians 3:10
[←329] Ephesians 4:11-13
[←330] These are the types of leading questions that we are NOT to ask.
[←331] 2 Corinthians 5:10
[←332]
[←333]
[←334] May refer to Thomas Shepard’s catechism. (Dissenter, Non-Conformist, and Puritan contemporary of Baxter - d. 1649).
[←335] The tendency to talk too much, which also tends to result in gossip.
[←336] Pretentious: showing off to impress the crowd.