A27017:2050
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.
What thinkest thou, O my soul, of this most blessed state? What! Dost thou stagger at the Promise of God through unbelief? Though thou say nothing, or profess belief; yet thou speakest so coldly and so customarily, that I much suspect thee: I know thy infidelity is thy natural vice. Didst thou believe indeed, thou wouldst be more affected with it? Why, hast thou not it under the hand and seal, and oath of God? Can God lie? or he that is the Truth it self, be false? Foolish wretch! What need hath God to flatter thee, or deceive thee? why should he promise thee more, then he will perform? Art thou not his Creature? a little crumb of dust? a scrawling worm? ten thousand times more below him, then this fly or worm is below thee? wouldst thou flatter a flea, or a worm? what need hast thou of them? If they do not please thee, thou wilt crush them dead, and never accuse thy self of cruelty: Why yet they are thy Fellow Creatures, made of as good metal as thy self; and thou hast no Authority over them, but what thou hast received: How much less need hath God of thee? or why should he care, if thou perish in thy folly? Cannot he govern thee without either flattery or falsehood? cannot he easily make thee obey his will? and as easily make thee suffer for thy disobedience? Wretched unbelieving heart! Tell a fool, or tell a Tyrant, or tell some false and flattering man of drawing their subjects by false promises, and procuring obedience by deceitful means: But do thou not dare to charge the Wise, Almighty, Faithful God, with this. Above all men it beseems not thee to ⟨p. 794⟩[…] ⟨p. 795⟩[…] ⟨p. 794⟩[…] ⟨p. 795⟩[…] ⟨p. 796⟩doubt, either of this Scripture being his infallible Word, or of the performance of this Word to thy self. Hath not Argument convinced thee? may not thy own experience utterly silence thee? How oft hath this Scripture been verified for thy good? how many of the promises have been performed to thee? hath it not quickened thee? and converted thee? hast not thou felt in it something more then humane? would God perform another's promise? or would he so powerfully concur with a feigned word? If thou hadst seen the miracles that Christ and his Apostles wrought, thou wouldst never sure have questioned the truth of their doctrine: why they delivered it down by such undoubted testimony, that it may be called Divine as well as Humane. Nay, hast thou not seen its Prophecies fulfilled?