A27017:397
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.
There is a twofold sin; One against God himself, as well as his Laws; when he is cast out of the heart, and something else doth take his place: This is it that I intend in this place. The other is, when a man doth take the Lord for his God, but yet swerveth in some things from his commands; of this before. It is a vain distinction that some make, That the soul must be turned, first from sin; secondly, from the Creature to God: For the sin that ⟨p. 155⟩is thus set up against God, is the choice of something below in his stead; and no Creature in it self is evil but the abuse of it is the sin.1 Therefore to turn from the Creature, is only to turn from that sinful abuse.
There is a twofold sin; One against God himself, as well as his Laws; when he is cast out of the heart, and something else doth take his place: This is it that I intend in this place. The other is, when a man doth take the Lord for his God, but yet swerveth in some things from his commands; of this before. It is a vain distinction that some make, That the soul must be turned, first from sin; secondly, from the Creature to God: For the sin that ⟨p. 155⟩is thus set up against God, is the choice of something below in his stead; and no Creature in it self is evil but the abuse of it is the sin.1 Therefore to turn from the Creature, is onely to turn from that sinful abuse.
- 1In what sense we turn from the Creature.
Yet hath the Creature here a twofold consideration. First, As it is vain and insufficient to perform what the Idolater expecteth; and so I handle it here. Secondly, As it is the object of such sinful abuse, and the occasion of sin; and so it falls under the former branch, of our [turning from sin,] and in this sense their division may be granted: but this is only a various respect; for indeed it is still only our sinful abuse of the Creature, in our vain admirations, undue estimations, too strong affections, and false expectations, which we turn from.