Baxter's Directions to the Depressed: Think about God and Christ and Heaven

The Signs and Causes of Melancholy, with directions suited to the case of those who are afflicted with it. Collected out of the works of Mr. Richard Baxter, for the sake of those, who are wounded in Spirit. By Samuel Clifford, minister of the Gospel London, Bible and Three Crowns, 1716. pp85-87. [Edited and abridged by SML.]

Chapter 4: Directions to the Melancholy.

Direction 9. When you do think of any holy things, let it be of the best things; of God and Grace and Christ and Heaven: of or your brethren or the church; and carry all your meditations outward; but be sure that you pour not on your selves, and spend not your thoughts upon your thoughts.

As we have need to call the thoughts of careless sinners inwards, and turn them from the creature and sin upon themselves; so we have need to call the thoughts of self-perplexing Melancholy persons outwards: for it is their disease to be still grinding upon themselves. Remember that it is a far higher, nobler and sweeter work to think of God and Christ and Heaven, than of such worms as we ourselves are. When we go up to the God, we go to Love and Light and Liberty: but when we look down into ourselves, we look into a dungeon, a prison, a wilderness, a place of darkness, horror, filthiness, misery and confusion.

Therefore such thoughts (tho’ needful so far as without them our repentance and due watchfulness cannot be maintained yet) are grievous ignoble, yes, and barren, in comparison of our thoughts of God. When you are pouring on your own hearts, to search whether the Love of God be there or no, it were wiser to be thinking of the infinite Amiableness of God, and that will cause it, whether it were there before or not.

So instead of pouring on your hearts, to know whether they are set on Heaven, lift up your thoughts to Heaven, and think of it’s Glory, and that will raise them thither, and give you and show you that which you were searching for. Spend that time in planting holy desires in the garden of your hearts, which you spend in puzzling yourselves in searching whether it be there already. We are such dark confused things, that the fight of our selves is enough to raise a loathing and horror in our minds, and make them melancholy: but in God and Glory, there is nothing to discourage our thoughts, but all to delight them, if Satan does not misrepresent him to us.

Baxter's Directions to the Depressed: Evil Thoughts

The Signs and Causes of Melancholy, with directions suited to the case of those who are afflicted with it. Collected out of the works of Mr. Richard Baxter, for the sake of those, who are wounded in Spirit. By Samuel Clifford, minister of the Gospel London, Bible and Three Crowns, 1716. pp83-85. [Edited and abridged by SML.]

Chapter 4: Directions to the Melancholy.

When the disease is gone very far, directions to the melancholy persons themselves are vain, because they have not reason and free will to practice them: at that point, it is their friends around them who must have the directions. But because with most of the melancholy people, and at the onset, there is still some power of reason left, I shall give the following directions for use of such ones.

Direction 8: When blasphemous or disturbing thoughts intrude or fruitless musings; presently meet them and use that Authority of Reason which you still have to cast and command them out.

If you have not lost it, Reason and the Will have command over the Thoughts, as well as over the tongue, or hands or feet. And as you would be ashamed to run up and down, or fight with your hands and say, I cannot help it: so you should be ashamed to let your thoughts run at random or on hurtful things, and say I cannot help it. Do you do the best you can to help it? Can you not bid them be gone? Can you not turn your thoughts to something else? Or can you not rouse up your self and shake them off? Some by casting a little cold water in their own faces, or bidding another do it, can rouse them from melancholy musings as from sleep.

Or if you cannot otherwise command and turn away your thoughts, rise up and go into some company, or to some employment which will divert you and take them away. Tell me what you would do, if you heard a scold in the street reviling you, or heard an atheist talk against God, would you stand still to hear them, or would you talk it out again with them, or rather go from them, and disdain to hear them, debate the case with such as they. Do you the like in your case: when Satan casts in ugly or despairing or murmuring thoughts, go away from them to some other thoughts or business. If you cannot do this of your self, tell your friend when the temptation comes, and it is his duty who has the cure of you, to divert you with some other talk or works or force you into diverting company. Yet be not too much troubled at the temptation, for trouble of mind does keep the evil matter in your memory, and so increase it, as pain of a sore draws the blood and spirits to the place. And this is the design of Satan, to give you troubling thoughts, and then to cause more by being troubled at those, and so for one thought and trouble to cause another, and so as waves in the sea, do follow one another.

Baxter's Directions to the Depressed: Cast your cares on God (part 4) --- Assurance and Adoption

The Signs and Causes of Melancholy, with directions suited to the case of those who are afflicted with it. Collected out of the works of Mr. Richard Baxter, for the sake of those, who are wounded in Spirit. By Samuel Clifford, minister of the Gospel London, Bible and Three Crowns, 1716. pp51-66. [Edited and abridged by SML.]

Click here for an introduction to Baxter on Melancholy

Chapter 4: Directions to the Melancholy.

Direction 1: Take notice of worldly sorrows and discontents: do not put so much value in earthly things to that they can disquiet you: but learn to cast your cares upon God.

[This objection is in light of being directed as Children of God to fully trust God, yet fearing that we do not have the necessary heart-attitude to be called His children.]

Objection: BUT how can I be a Child of God, and not have the Spirit of Adoption.

Answer: The spirit of adoption means:

1. That spirit, or those qualifications and workings in their souls, which by the Gospel God gives only to his children.

2. And which raise in us some such child-like affections to God, inclining us in all our wants to run to him in prayer as to a father, and to make our moan to him and open our griefs and cry for redress and look to him and depend on him as a child on the father.

This spirit of adoption you may have and yet not be certain of God’s special love to you. The knowledge only of his general goodness and mercy may be a means to raise in you true child-like affections. You may know God to have fatherly inclinations to you, and yet doubt whether he will use you as a child, for want of assurance of your own sincerity. And you may hope God is your father, when yet you may apprehend him to be a displeased angry father, and so he may be more you terror than your comfort. Are you not ready in most of your fears and doubts and troubles to go to God before all other for relief? And does not your heart sigh and groan to him when you can scarcely speak? Does not your troubled Spirit there find its first vent!

And say Lord kill me not: forsake me not: my life is in your hands: O soften this hard heart and make this carnal mind more spiritual! O be not such a stranger to my soul. Woe to me that I am so ignorant of you! So disaffected to you! So backward and disinclined to Holy Communion with you! Woe to me that I can take no more pleasure in you, and am so mindless and disregardful of you! O that you would stir up in me more lively desires and workings of my soul toward you! And suffer me not to be at such a distance from you. Are not such as these the breathings of the Spirit! Why these are child-like breathings after God: this is crying Abba, Father. This is the work of the Spirit of Adoption, even when you fear that God will cast you off.

Baxter's Directions to the Depressed: Cast your cares on God (part 3)

The Signs and Causes of Melancholy, with directions suited to the case of those who are afflicted with it. Collected out of the works of Mr. Richard Baxter, for the sake of those, who are wounded in Spirit. By Samuel Clifford, minister of the Gospel London, Bible and Three Crowns, 1716. pp51-66. [Edited and abridged by SML.]

Click here for an introduction to Baxter on Melancholy

Chapter 4: Directions to the Melancholy.

Direction 1: Take notice of worldly sorrows and discontents: do not put so much value in earthly things to that they can disquiet you: but learn to cast your cares upon God.

4. And study how great a sin it is to set our wills and desires in discontented opposition to the wisdom, will, and providence of God, and to make our wills, instead of his, as gods to ourselves. Does not a murmuring heart secretly accuse God? All accusation of God has some degree of blasphemy in it: for the accuser supposes that somewhat of God is to be blamed. If you do not dare to open your mouth and accuse him, do not let the complaining in your heart accuse him. Know how much of religion and holiness consists in bringing this rebellious self-will to a full resignation, submission, and conformity to the Will of God. Till you can rest in God’s will, you will never have rest.

5. Study well how great a duty it is to wholly trust God, and our blessed Redeemer, both with Soul and Body and all we have. Is it not infinite power, wisdom, and goodness to be trusted? Does God support the Heavens and the Earth and the whole Creation? And yet you cannot rely upon Him? Is He not wise enough to be trusted with the conduct and disposal of you? Is he not good and gracious enough to be trusted with your Life, Estate, and Name and Welfare? Is He not great and powerful enough, to be trusted against the greatest danger or difficulties or opposition that can befall you? Is he not true and faithful enough to be trusted, whatever improbabilities may arise before you? Who ever trusted him in vain, or was ever deceived by Him? Are not his Son, and Spirit and Covenant and Oath, sufficient pledges of His love for your security? Whatever he will be to the Ungodly, I am sure he will not cast off the Soul that loves Him, and would fain be fully conformed to his Will. It cannot be that he should spurn at them that are humbled at His feet, and long and pray, and seek and mourn, after nothing more than His grace and love. ... It is the refuge of my soul, that quiets me in my fears that God my father and redeemer has commanded me to trust him with my body, my health, my liberty, my estate; and when Eternity seems strange and dreadful to me, that he bids me trust him with my departing soul. Heaven and Earth (as was said before) are upheld and maintained by him, and shall I distrust him?

Objection: BUT it is only his Children that He will save.

Answer: True: and all are his Children who are truly willing to obey and please him: if you are truly willing to be Holy, and to obey his commanding will, in a godly righteous and sober Life, you may boldly rest in His disposing Will, and rejoice in his rewarding and accepting will, for he will pardon all our infirmities, through the merits and intercession of Christ.

Part 4