A27017:1298
The Saints' Everlasting Rest
The saints everlasting rest, or, A treatise of the blessed state of the saints in their enjoyment of God in glory wherein is showed its excellency and certainty, the misery of those that lose it, the way to attain it, and assurance of it, and how to live in the continual delightful forecasts of it and now published by Richard Baxter ...The saints everlasting rest, or, A treatise of the blessed state of the saints in their enjoyment of God in glory wherein is shewed its excellency and certainty, the misery of those that lose it, the way to attain it, and assurance of it, and how to live in the continual delightful forecasts of it and now published by Richard Baxter ...
London: printed by Rob. White for Thomas Underhil and Francis Tyton, 1650
THE SAINTS Everlasting REST. PART. III. › Chapter 11 › Section 6
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
SECT. VI.
13. Let thy Exhortation proceed from Compassion and Love: and let the manner of it clearly show the person thou dealest with, that it hence proceedeth. It is not jeering, or scorning, or reproaching a man for his faults, that is a likely way to work his reformation: Nor is it the right way to convert him to God, to rail at him, and vilify him with words of disgrace. Men will take them for their enemies that thus deal with them: And the words of an enemy are little persuading. Lay by your Passion therefore, and take up compassion, and go to poor sinners with tears in your eyes, that they may see you indeed believe them to be miserable; and that you do unfeignedly pity their case: Deal with them with earnest humble entreatings: Let them see that your very bowels do yearn over them, and that it is the very desire of your hearts to do them good: Let them perceive that you have no other end but the procuring of their everlasting Happiness; and that it is your sense of their danger, and your love to their Souls that forceth you to speak; even because you know the terrors of the Lord, and for fear lest you should see them in eternal torments. Say to them: Why friend, you know it is no advantage of my own that I seek: The way to please you, and to keep your friendship, were to sooth you in your way, or to speak well of you, or to let you alone: but Love will not suffer me to see you perish, and be silent: I seek nothing at your hands, but that which is necessary to your own happiness: It is your self that will have the gain and comfort if you come in to Christ, &c. — If men should thus go to every ignorant wicked neighbour they have, and thus deal with them, Oh what blessed fruits should we quickly see! I am ashamed to hear some lazy hypocritical wretches, to revile their poor ignorant neighbours, and separate from their company and communion, and proudly to judg them unfit for their society, before ever they once tried with them this compassionate Exhortation! Oh you little know what a prevailing course this were like to prove!