Directives for Hating Sin # 2

Directives for Hating Sin # 2

Though the principle 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 directives for the executive part, supposing that what is said already has had its effect.

Directive 1 - When you have found out your disease and danger, give up yourselves to Christ as your Saviour and Physician of souls, and to the Holy Spirit 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 God who has undertaken it, takes it for His glory to perform it.

Directive 2 - 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 think that His remedy is too bitter, and that is too sharp; but trust His love, 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. If you cannot bear His remedy - think whether you can bear the fire of hell! Are humiliation, confession, restitution, mortification, and holy diligence worse than hell?

Directive 3 - 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 persisting in sin, 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.

Directive 4 - See that malignity in everyone 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 your malice and uncharitableness, and your lying, backbiting, slandering, or sinning against conscience for worldly gain. 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 who will speak against treason, and the enemies of the king - but because the traitors are his friends and kindred, will protect, and hide and feed them.

Directive 5 - 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.


Directive 6 - 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 heat cures us of cold, or health of sickness.

Directive 7 - 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 - which is fittest to resist sin; but it is the encouraging sense of the lover of God, and thankful sense of grace received.

Directive 8 - Be always suspicious of carnal self-love, and watch against it. For that is the 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 to our own sins. 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. But we should be best acquainted with our own selves and sins - and therefore hate our own sins most.

Directive 9 - Bestow your first and chief labor to kill sins at the root. 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 expend your greatest care and industry to mortify these. They are especially these: 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.

Directive 10 - Account the world and all its pleasures, wealth, and honors, no better than indeed they are, and then satan will find no bait to catch you. Esteem all as dung with Paul (Philippians 3:8). No man will sin and sell his soul - for that which he accounts but as dung.

Directive 11 - 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.

Directive 12 - Make God's Word your only rule and labor diligently to understand it.

Directive 13 - In doubtful cases be not passionate or rash, but proceed deliberately, and prove things well before you fasten on them.

Directive 14 - Wait patiently on Christ until He has finished the cure, which will not be until this trying life be finished. Persevere in attendance on His Spirit and means; for He will come in season, and will not tarry. "Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to take us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. (Hosea 6:3). Though you have often said, "There is no healing." (Jeremiah 14:19). "He will heal your backslidings, and love you freely." (Hosea 14:4). "Blessed are those who wait for Him" (Isaiah 30:18).

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

~Richard Baxter~

(The End)