Directions for Hating Sin 

Part 2

Here is the second part of Richard Baxter’s, Directions for Hating Sin.  I pray that God is using the truths shared to draw you closer to Him and useful for His service. 

“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness.’  Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.  Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.  Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” -2 Timothy 2:19-22 

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Chuck Long

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Directions for Hating Sin, by Richard Baxter – Part 2 

What then is the sin that all this consists in? 

Though the principal part of the cure is in turning the will to the hatred of sin, and is done by this discovery of its malignity; yet I shall add a few more directions for the executive part, supposing that what is said already has had its effect. 

Direction I. When you have found out your disease and danger, give up yourselves to Christ as the Saviour and Physician of souls, and to the Holy Ghost as your Sanctifier, remembering that he is sufficient and willing to do the work which he has undertaken.  It is not you that are to be saviours and sanctifiers of yourselves (unless as you work under Christ). But he that has undertaken it, takes it for his glory to perform it. 

Direction II. Yet must you be willing and obedient in applying the remedies prescribed you by Christ, and observing his directions in order to your cure. And you must not be tender, and coy, and fine, and say his is too bitter, and that is too sharp; but trust his love, and skill, and care, and take it as he prescribes it, or gives it you, without any more ado. Say not, It is grievous, and I cannot take it: for he commands you nothing but what is safe, and wholesome, and necessary, and if you cannot take it, must try whether you can bear your sickness, and death, and the fire of hell! Are humiliation, confession, restitution, mortification, and holy diligence worse than hell? 

Direction III. See that you take not part with sin, and wrangle not, or strive not against your Physician, or any that would do you good.  Excusing sin, and heading for and extenuating it, and striving against the Spirit and conscience, and wrangling against ministers and godly friends, and hating reproof, are not the means to be cured and sanctified. 

Direction IV. See that malignity in every one of your particular sins, which you can see and say is in sin in general.  It is a gross deceit of yourselves, if you will speak a great deal of the evil of sin, and see none of this malignity in your pride, and your worldliness, and your passion and peevishness, and our malice and uncharitableness, and your lying, backbiting, slandering, or sinning against conscience for worldly commodity or safety. What self-contradiction is it for a man in prayer to aggravate sin, and when he is reproved for it, to justify or excuse it! This is like him that will speak against treason, and the enemies of the king, but because the traitors are his friends and kindred, will protect or hide them, and take their parts. 

Direction V. Keep as far as you can from those temptations which feed and strengthen the, sins which you would overcome.  Lay siege to your sins, and starve them out, by keeping away the food and fuel which is their maintenance and life. 

Direction VI. Live in the exercise of those graces and duties which are contrary to the sins which you are most in danger of.  For grace and duty are contrary to sin, and kill it, and cure us of it, as the fire cures us of cold, or health of sickness. 

Direction VII. Hearken not to weakening unbelief and distrust, and cast not away the comforts of God, which are your cordials and strength.  It is not a frightful, dejected, despairing frame of mind, that is fittest to resist sin; but it is the encouraging sense of the love of God, and thankful sense of grace received (with a cautious fear). 

Direction VIII. Be always suspicious of carnal self-love, and watch against it.  For that is the burrow or fortress of sin, and the common patron of it; ready to draw you to it, and ready to justify it. We are very prone to be partial in our own cause; as the case of Judah with Tamar, and David when Nathan reproved him in a parable, show. Our own passions, our own pride, our own censures, or backbitings, or injurious dealings, our own neglects of duty, seem small, excusable, if not justifiable things to us; whereas we could easily see the faultiness of all these in another, especially in an enemy: when yet we should be best acquainted with ourselves, and we should most love ourselves, and therefore hate our own sins most. 

Direction IX. Bestow your first and chiefest labour to kill sin at the root; to cleanse the heart, which is the fountain; for out of the heart come the evils of the life.  Know which are the master-roots; and bend your greatest care and industry to mortify those: and they are especially these that follow; 1. Ignorance. 2. Unbelief. 3. Inconsiderateness. 4. Selfishness and pride. 5. Fleshliness, in pleasing a brutish appetite, lust, or fantasy. 6. Senseless hard-heartedness and sleepiness in sin. 

Direction X. Account the world and all its pleasures, wealth, and honours, no better than indeed they are, and then Satan will find no bait to catch you. Esteem all as dung with Paul, Phil. 3:8; and no man will sin and sell his soul, for that which he accounts but as dung. 

Direction XI. Keep up above in a heavenly conversation, and then your souls will be always in the light, and as in the sight of God, and taken up with those businesses and delights which put them out of relish with the baits of sin. 

Direction XII. Let Christian watchfulness be your daily work; and cherish a preserving, though not a distracting and discouraging fear. 

Direction XIII. Take heed of the first approaches and beginnings of sin. Oh how great a matter does a little of this fire kindle! And if you fall, rise quickly by sound repentance, whatever it may cost you. 

Direction XIV. Make God's word your only rule and labour diligently to understand it. 

Direction XV. And in doubtful cases, do not easily depart from the unanimous judgment of the generality of the most wise and godly of all ages. 

Direction XVI. In doubtful cases be not passionate or rash, but proceed deliberately, and prove things well, before you fasten on them. 

Direction XVII. Be acquainted with your bodily temperature, and what sin it most inclines you to, and what sin also your calling or living situation leave you most open to, that there your watch may be the stricter. 

Direction XVIII. Keep in a life of holy order, such as God has appointed you to walk in. For there is no preservation for stragglers that keep not rank and file, but forsake the order which God commands them.  And this order lies principally in these points: 1. That you keep in union with the universal church. Separate not from Christ's body upon any pretense whatever. With the church as regenerate, hold spiritual communion, in faith, love, and holiness with the church as congregate and visible, hold outward communion, in profession and worship. 2. If you are not teachers, live under your particular, faithful pastors, as obedient disciples of Christ. 3. Let the most godly, if possible, be your familiars. 4. Be laborious in an outward calling. 

Direction XIX. Turn all God's providences, whether of prosperity or adversity, against your sins.  If he gives you health and wealth, remember he thereby obliges you to obedience, and calls for special service from you. If he afflict you, remember that it is sin that he is offended at, and searches after; and therefore take it as his medicine, and see that you hinder not, but help on its work, that it may purge away your sin. 

Direction XX. Wait patiently on Christ till he has finished the cure, which will not be till this trying life be finished.  Persevere in attendance on his Spirit and means; for he will come in season, and will not tarry. "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come unto us as the rain: as the latter and former rain upon the earth," Hos. 6:3. Though you have oft said, "There is no healing," Jer. 14:19; "He will heal your backslidings, and love you freely," Hos. 14:4. "Unto you that fear his name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise, with healing in his wings," Mal. 4:2: " and blessed are all they that wait for him," Isa. 30:18. 

Thus I have given such directions as may help for humiliation under sin, or hatred of it, and deliverance from it.

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