A27017:838
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. III. › Chapter 3 › 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.
Why, I tell thee, except thou be brought to throw away those hopes, and see that thou hast all this while been quite out of the way to Heaven, and hast been a child of wrath, and a servant of Satan, unpardoned, unsanctified, and if thou hadst dyed in this state, hadst been certainly damned; I say, till thou be brought to this, thou wilt never return and be saved. Who will turn out of his way, while he hopes he is right? And let me once again tell thee, that if ever God mean good to thy soul, and intend to save thee, this is one of the first things he will work upon thee: Remember what I say, till thou feel God convincing thee, that the way which thou hast lived in, will not serve the turn, and so breaking down thy former hopes, there is yet no saving work wrought upon thee; how well soever thou mayest hope of thy self. Yea, this much more, If any thing keep thy soul out of Heaven (which God forbid) there is nothing in the world liker to do it, then thy false hopes of being ⟨p. 309⟩saved, while thou art out of the way to salvation. Why else is it that God cries down such hopes in his word? Why is it that every faithful, skilful Minister doth bend all his strength against the false faith and hope of sinners? as if he were to fight against neither small nor great, but this prince of iniquity? Why alas, they know that these are the main pillars of Satan's Kingdom; Bring down but them two, and the house will fall. They know also the deceit and vanity of such hopes: that they are directly contrary to the Truth of God, and what a sad case that soul is in, who hath no other hope, but that Gods word will prove false: when the truth of God is the only ground of true hope. Alas, it is no pleasure to a Minister to speak to people on such an unwelcome subject; no more then it is to a pitiful Physician, to tell his patient; I do despair of your life, except you let blood, or there is no hope of the cure, except the gangrened member be cut off. If it be true, and of flat necessity, though it be displeasing, there is no remedy.1 Why, I beseech you think on it reasonably without prejudice or passion, and tell me, Where doth God give any hope of your salvation till you are new Creatures? Gal. 6.15. Nay, I have showed you where he flatly overthroweth all such hope. And will it do you any good for a Minister to give you hope, where God gives you none?