A27017:1644
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
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.
David professeth that the light of Gods countenance would make his heart more glad then theirs that have Corn, and Wine, and Oil, Psal. 4.6, 7. & Act. 2.28. out of Psal. 16. Thou shalt fill me full of Joy with thy countenance. If it be the countenance of God that fills us with Joy; then sure they that draw nearest, and most behold it, must needs be fullest of these Joys. Sirs, if you never tried this Art, nor lived this life of heavenly contemplation, I never wonder that you walk uncomfortably, that you are all complaining, and live in sorrows, & know not what the Joy of the Saints means: Can you have comfort from God, and never think of him? Can Heaven rejoice you, when you do not remember it? Doth any thing in the world glad you, when you think not on it? Must not every thing first enter your judgment and consideration, before it can delight your heart and affection? If you were possest of all the treasure of the earth; if you had title ⟨p. 608⟩to the highest dignities and dominions, and never think on it, sure it would never rejoice you. Whom should we blame then, that we are so void of consolation, but our own negligent unskilful hearts? God hath provided us a Crown of Glory, and promised to set it shortly on our heads and we will so much as think on it: He holdeth it out in the Gospel to us, and biddeth us, Behold and Rejoice; & we will not so much as look at it: And yet we complain for want of Comfort. What a perverse course is this, both against God and our own Joys? I confess, though in fleshly things, the presenting of a comforting object, is sufficient to produce an answerable delight, yet in spirituals we are more disabled: God must give the Joy it self, as well as afford us matter for Joy: But yet withal, it must be remembered, that God doth work upon us as men, and in a rational way doth raise our comforts: He enableth and exciteth us to mind and study these delightful objects, and from thence to gather our own comforts, as the Bee doth gather her honey from the flowers: Therefore he that is most skilful and painful in this gathering Act, is usually the fullest of this spiritual sweetness. Where is the man that can tell me from experience, that he hath had solid and usual Joy, in any other way but this? and that God worketh it immediately on his affections, without the means of his understanding and considering?