A Christian Directory: A Sum of Practical Theology and Cases of Conscience. Directing Christians How to Use Their Knowledge and Faith; How to Improve all Helps and Means, and to Perform all Duties; How to Overcome Temptations, and to Escape or Mortify Every Sin. In Four Parts: 1.) Christian Ethics (or Private Duties); 2.) Christian Economics (or Family Duties); 3.) Christian Ecclesiatics (or Church Duties); 4.) Christian politics (or Duties to Our Rulers and Neighbors)

Dr. Timothy Keller calls this "the greatest manual on Biblical counseling ever produced."

John MacAurthur writes, "We have long waited for a purely Biblical treatment of the spiritual ills and cures of men which is untainted by the views of psychology. Since Baxter lived about 200 years before psychology arrived, his deep work is completely void of its encroachment -- thankfully!"

The sub-titles gives a good summary of the book, being, "A Sum of Practical Theology and Cases of Conscience. Directing Christians How to Use Their Knowledge and Faith; How to Improve all Helps and Means, and to Perform all Duties; How to Overcome Temptations, and to Escape or Mortify Every Sin.

In Four Parts:

• 1. Christian Ethics (or Private Duties)
• 2. Christian Economics (or Family Duties)
• 3. Christian Ecclesiatics (or Church Duties)
• 4. Christian politics (or Duties to Our Rulers and Neighbors)

Ptacek, in Family Worship (pp. 51-52), supplies the following information in regard to Baxter and this book. He notes that after the Episcopalians ejected numerous "nonconformists," in what is know as the "great ejection,' in 1662, "Baxter pastored from house to house, visiting families of his parish in their homes. These visits contributed to Baxter's A Christian Directory, a large and still very relevant manual of pastoral care."

Focusing on just one area of great importance, Ptacek demonstrates how this book's relevance is not limited by time or culture, though sometimes the use of specific words are.