A27017:557
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 II. › Chapter 4 › Section 3
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.
Furthermore, The Histories of the Enemies do frequently mention that these Scriptures have been still maintained to the flames. Though they revile the Christians, yet they report this their attestation, which proves the constant succession thereof, and the faithful delivery of Christianity, and its Records to us. It would be but labour in vain, to heap up here the several reports of Pagan Historians, of the numbers of Christians, their obstinacy in their Religion, their Calamities and Torments. 16. These Records, and their Attestations are yet visible over the world, and that in such a form as cannot possibly be counterfeit. Is it not enough to put me out of doubt, whether Homer ever wrote his Iliads, or Demosthenes his Orations, or Virgil and Ovi• their several Works, or Aristotle his Volumes of so many the Sciences, when I see and read these Books yet extant; and when I find them such, that I think can hardly now be counterfeited, no nor imitated? but if they could, who would have been at that excessive pains, as to have spent his life in compiling such Books, that he might deceive the world, and make men believe they were the Works of Aristotle, Ovid? &c. would not any man rather have taken the honour to himself; so here the case is alike: Yea, these Scriptures though they have less of Arts and Sciences, yet are incomparably more difficult to have been counterfeited then the other; I mean before the first Copies were drawn. I would here stand to show the utter impossibility of any mans forging these Writings, but that I intend to make up in a peculiar Argument.
Furthermore, The Histories of the Enemies do frequently mention that these Scriptures have been still maintained to the flames. Though they revile the Christians, yet they report this their attestation, which proves the constant succession thereof, and the faithful delivery of Christianity, and its Records to us. It would be but labour in vain, to heap up here the several reports of Pagan Historians, of the numbers of Christians, their obstinacy in their Religion, their Calamities and Torments. 16. These Records, and their Attestations are yet visible over the world, and that in such a form as cannot possibly be counterfeit. Is it not enough to put me out of doubt, whether Homer ever wrote his Iliads, or Demosthenes his Orations, or Virgil and Ovi• their several Works, or Aristotle his Volums of so many the Sciences, when I see and read these Books yet extant; and when I finde them such, that I think can hardly now be counterfeited, no nor imitated? but if they could, who would have been at that excessive pains, as to have spent his life in compiling such Books, that he might deceive the world, and make men believe they were the Works of Aristotle, Ovid? &c. would not any man rather have taken the honor to himself; so here the case is alike: Yea, these Scriptures though they have less of Arts and Sciences, yet are incomparably more difficult to have been counterfeited then the other; I mean before the first Copies were drawn. I would here stand to shew the utter impossibility of any mans forging these VVritings, but that I intend to make up in a peculiar Argument.