This is my fifth reflection about Richard Baxter's book, The Reformed Pastor. I would like to share the insights I gleaned from chapters 4 and 5 in this article.
Pride and Confession
In the fourth chapter, Baxter delves into the specific sin of pride, which he considers particularly insidious for ministers. He cautions against seeking personal glory and reminds pastors that their primary duty is to serve God and their congregation humbly. In this section, he has made a reflection on ministerial negligence and the need for humility.
When Baxter and his fellow ministers gathered in December 1655, it was to humble themselves before God, because they recognized their failure to provide regular, personal instruction to families. Baxter underscores the necessity of a "plain confession" of sins as the starting point for genuine humility and change.
Baxter’s decision to delay this confession until the fourth chapter is strategic. By this point, he believes his audience is acutely aware of their shortcomings through his previous expositions. This creates an appropriate moment for confession and repentance, beginning with the fundamental sin of pride.
Baxter insists that true change requires a deep sense of sorrow and acknowledgment of past negligence. Without this foundational humility, efforts to seek God’s assistance for future duties are in vain. He draws parallels to biblical precedents where church leaders confessed their own sins alongside those of the people, such as Ezra, Daniel, and the Levites.
This pattern of humble confession is essential for ministers today. Baxter emphasizes that ministers often demand humility from their congregations while neglecting it in their own lives. This hypocrisy undermines their spiritual leadership and effectiveness.
Baxter’s reflection is a reminder that ministers must first humble themselves and address their own spiritual failings before they can genuinely lead their congregations. By confessing their sins and seeking God's mercy, they set an example that leads to life and create the conditions for true spiritual renewal. His honest self-inclusion in this call to repentance demonstrates his commitment to leading by example and highlights the universal need for humility and grace in ministry.
Addressing Division and Neglect
Shifting our attention to the fifth chapter, here we find Baxter reflects on the various ways in which churches can fall into disorder and how pastors can address these issues. He identifies common problems, which include doctrinal error, lax discipline, and disunity. Baxter urges pastors to proactively rectify these issues, always with a spirit of love and patience.
After dealing with the sin of pride in chapter 4, he began addressing further issues that plague the clergy, such as undervaluing church unity, laziness, negligence in pastoral duties, and a lack of generosity.
Baxter points out that while many ministers advocate for unity and peace within the church, few genuinely work towards it. Instead, ministers often become instruments of division, valuing their party's rise over the collective well-being of the church. This divisiveness stems from a lack of understanding and genuine engagement with the differences between parties, leading to unnecessary disputes and a fragmented church. Baxter laments how ministers preach the importance of peace but fail to practice it, allowing jealousy and contention to overshadow the love and unity that should define the Christian community
Furthermore, Baxter criticizes the tendency of ministers to malign and censure those who strive for peace, mistaking zeal for unity as a compromise of holiness. He argues that true piety and concord are inherently linked, and discord only breeds further errors and heresies. For Baxter, ministers should embody and promote a spirit of mutual love and support, as seen in the early church, instead of engaging in destructive rivalries.
The failure to prioritize unity has not only affected the clergy but has also trickled down to the congregation, leading to widespread division and animosity among the faithful. Baxter's reflection calls for a sincere examination of these failings and a collective effort to restore unity, love, and genuine piety within the church. His words serve as a powerful reminder of the essential virtues that should guide pastoral ministry and the need for ministers to lead by example in fostering a harmonious and supportive Christian community.
In these two chapters, Baxter emphasizes the necessity of humility, confession of sins, and unity among ministers, urging them to lead by example in addressing personal and communal spiritual failings to restore harmony and piety within the church.