A27017:2053
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.
Draw nearer yet then,1 O my soul; bring forth thy strongest burning Love; here's matter for it to work upon; here's something truly worth thy loving. O see what beauty presents it self: Is it not exceeding lovely? is not all the beauty in the world contracted here? is not all other beauty deformity to it? Dost thou need to be persuaded now to love? Here's a feast for thine eyes; a feast for all the powers of thy soul: dost thou need to be entreated to feed upon it? Canst thou love a little shining Earth? canst thou love a walking piece of clay? and canst thou not love that God, that Christ, that Glory, which is so truly and unmeasurably lovely? Thou canst love thy friend, because he loves thee: And is the love of thy friend, like the love of Christ? Their weeping or bleeding for thee, doth not ease thee, nor stay the course of thy tears or blood: But the tears and blood that fell from thy Lord, have all a sovereign healing virtue, and are waters of Life, and Balsam to thy faintings, and thy sores. O my soul! If love deserve, and should procure love, what incomprehensible love is here before thee? Pour out all the store of thy affections here; and all is too little. O that it were more! O that it were many thousand times more! Let him be first served, that served thee first; let him have the first born, and strength of thy love, who parted with strength and life in love to thee: If thou hast any to spare when he hath his part, let it be imparted then to standers-by. See what a Sea of love is here before thee; cast thy self in, and swim with the arms of thy love in this Ocean of his ⟨p. 796⟩[…] ⟨p. 797⟩[…] ⟨p. 798⟩love: Fear not least thou shouldst be drowned, or confirmed in it; Though it seem as the scalding *furnace of lead, yet thou will find it but mollifying oil; Though it seem a furnace of fire, and the hottest that ever was kindled upon earth, yet is it the fire of love and not of wrath; a fire most effectual to extinguish fire; never intended to consume, but to glorify thee: venture into it then in thy believing meditations, and walk in these flames with the Son of God; when thou art once in, thou wilt be sorry to come forth again. O my soul! what wantest thou here to provoke thy love? Dost thou love for excellency? why thou seest nothing below but baseness, except as they relate to thy enjoyments above.