A27017:891
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 4 › Section 10
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.
5. If all this be nothing, go try thy strength by some corporal torment: As Bilney before he went to the stake, would first try his finger in the candle: so do thou; Hold thy finger a while in the fire, and feel there whether thou canst endure the fire of Hell: Austin mentioneth a chaste Christian woman who being tempted to uncleanness by a lewd Ruffian, she desireth him for her sake to hold his finger an hour in the fire; he answereth, It is an unreasonable request; How much more unreasonable is it (saith she) that I should burn in Hell for the satisfying of your lust? Lo say I to thee: If it be an intolerable thing to suffer the heat of the fire for a year, or a day, or an hour, what will it be to suffer ten thousand times more for ever? What if thou were to suffer Lawrence his death, to be roasted upon a Gridiron? or to be scraped or pricked to death as other Martyrs were? Or if thou were to feed upon toads for a year together? If thou couldest not endure such things as these, how wilt thou endure the eternal flames?
5. If all this be nothing, go try thy strength by some corporall torment: As Bilney before he went to the stake, would first try his finger in the candle: so do thou; Hold thy finger a while in the fire, and feel there whether thou canst endure the fire of Hell: Austin men•tioneth a chast Christian woman who being tempted to uncleanness by a lewd Ruffian, she desireth him for her sake to hold his finger an hour in the fire; he answereth, It is an unreasonable request; How much more unreasonable is it (saith she) that I should burn in Hell for the satisfying of your lust? Lo say I to thee: If it be an intollerable thing to suffer the heat of the fire for a yeer, or a day, or an hour, what will it be to suffer ten thousand times more for ever? VVhat if thou were to suffer Lawrence his death, to be rosted upon a Gridiron? or to be scraped or pricked to death as other Martyrs were? Or if thou were to feed upon toads for a yeer together? If thou couldest not endure such things as these, how wilt thou endure the eeternal flames?
6. Tell me yet again, if Hell be so small a matter, why canst thou not endure so much as the thoughts or the mention of it? If thou be alone, thou darest scarcely think of Hell, for fear of raising disquietness in thy spirit: If thou being company, thou canst not endure to have any serious speech of it, lest it spoil the sport and mar the mirth, and make thee tremble as Faelix did when Paul was discoursing of the Judgement to come. Thou canst not endure to hear a Minister preach of Hell, but thou gnashest thy teeth; and disdainest him, and reproachest his Sermon, as enough to drive men to desperation or make them mad. And canst thou endure the Torments, when thou canst not endure so much as to hear of them? Alas, man, to hear thy Judgment from the mouth of Christ, and to feel the execution, will be another kind of matter them to hear it from a Minister.