Baxter: the bare deed

Sunday, June 14, 2020
    Commemoration of Richard Baxter, Priest, Hymnographer, Teacher, 1691
Meditation:
    Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
    He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
    —Matthew 15:12-14 (NIV)
Quotation:
    God takes men’s hearty desires and will, instead of the deed, where they have not power to fulfill them; but He never took the bare deed instead of the will.
    ... Richard Baxter (1615-1691), Directions and Persuasions to a Sound Conversion, in The Practical Works of Richard Baxter, v. VIII, London: J. Duncan, 1830, p. 174 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 15:8-14; Mal. 2:7-8; Matt. 21:28-32; John 4:23-24; Eph. 4:17-19
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You want men’s hearts, not merely their labors. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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