“A life still near to death, did me possess, With a deep sense of time’s great preciousness. Still thinking I had little time to live, My fervent heart to win men’s souls did strive. I preach’d, as never sure to preach again, And as a dying man to dying men!” ~ Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter (1615-1691) was one of the most fruitful, influential pastors in church history. Outside of Spurgeon, Baxter has been regarded as the most powerful preacher and soul winner England has ever known.[1] For nearly two decades, he labored as a Noncomformist pastor in the small town of Kidderminster. His gospel ministry there not only transformed the town, but changed the entire landscape of pastoral ministry in England as well. Known for his evangelistic zeal and pastoral heart, Baxter’s example and writings continue to inspire ministry leaders to faithfully “care for the church of God” (Acts 20:28).
What was the key to Baxter’s ministry? Among other things, Baxter was a man who lived and labored with a vivid sense of eternity.
A Vivid Sense of Eternity
Baxter did not merely preach about eternal realities. He was gripped by them. He “set [his] mind on things above, not on things that are on earth” (Col 3:2). His keen sense of eternity shaped the fervency, focus, and forthrightness that characterized his service to Christ. He truly prayed, preached, and pastored “as a dying man to dying men.”[2]
His awareness of eternity not only impacted his ministry, but influenced his marriage as well. Eternity was not far from the mind of his wife Margaret as she carried out her domestic duties. She was so earnest about living with eternity in view that she kept a skull on her nightstand to remind her of the brevity of life![3]
Forged in the Fiery Trial
Baxter’s eternal perspective was forged in the fiery trial of poor health. One scholar notes that his life “was a continual struggle against death. He was harassed by a constant cough, frequent bleedings from the nose, migraine headaches, digestive ailments, kidney stones, gall stones, etc., etc., etc.”[4] These numerous struggles took place in an era where pain medications were unavailable. Amid such crushing ailments, Baxter could have easily succumbed to the temptations of discouragement, bitterness, or self-pity. Few would have criticized him if he had allowed his health struggles to excuse him from a life of public ministry.
Baxter, however, did not allow his sufferings to become an excuse for spiritual neglect or slothfulness. Instead, Baxter saw trials as a providential means of grace to remind him of the brevity of life. He noted, “Weakness and pain helped me to study how to die; that set me on studying how to live.”[5] As he stated, poor health and imminent death “made me study and preach things necessary, and a little stirred my sluggish heart to speak to sinners with some compassion, as a dying man to dying men.”[6]
With One Foot in the Grave
J.I. Packer notes, “When one lives with one foot in the grave, it imparts an overwhelming clarity both to one’s sense of proportion (what matters, and what does not), and also to one’s perception of what is and is not consistent with what one professes to believe.”[7] The reality of imminent death should be a powerful motivation to live each day whole-heartedly for the glory of God.
Sadly, few Christians seem to have a deep sense of eternity. We live as if there will always be a tomorrow (James 4:13-14). We whittle our time away on amusement, the internet, and a host of eternally insignificant distractions. Our confessional beliefs about heaven, hell, and the brevity of life often don’t translate into a functional theology that fuels fervent, sacrificial service to Christ. In short, we’ve lost sight of what is truly important. We would do well to consider
God as Your Portion
On his deathbed, Baxter offered the following counsel to a friend who had come to visit him during his final earthly moments: “Have a care of this vain, deceitful world, and the lusts of the flesh. Be sure to choose God for your portion, heaven for your home, God’s glory for your rend, His Word for your rule; and then you need never fear but that we shall meet with comfort.”[8] May God grant us grace to heed Baxter’s advice as so that we might live and labor for eternity.
[1] Timothy K. Beougher, “Richard Baxter (1615-1691): A Model of Pastoral Leadership for Evangelism and Church Growth,” The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 6, no. 4 (Winter 2002), 4.
[2] J.M. Lloyd Thomas and N.H. Keeble, eds., The Autobiography of Richard Baxter, abridged (London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1974), 26.
[3] Beougher, “Richard Baxter (1615-1691),” 9.
[4] Beougher, “Richard Baxter (1615-1691),” 7.
[5] From a letter to Anothony a Wood, cited in J.M. Lloyd Thomas’ ‘Introduction’ to Baxter’s Autobiography, xxv.
[6] Thomas and Keeble, The Autobiography of Richard Baxter, 26.
[7] Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (Puritan Paperbacks), ed. William Brown (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2005), 17.
[8] William Bates, A Funeral Sermon for the Reverend Holy and Excellent Divine, Mr. Richard Baxter.. With Some Account of His Life (London: Brab. Aylmer, 1692), 123-124.
