N17286:115
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: extracted from the works of Mr. Richard Baxter, by John Wesley, M.A. late fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford.
Philadelphia: printed by Prichard & Hall, 1790
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.
Can it be expected, that men void of learning and strength of parts, unstudied and untaught, should at the first onset know those truths, which they are almost incapable of knowing at all? When the greatest divines of clearest judgment acknowledge so much difficulty, that they could almost find in their hearts, sometimes to profess them quite beyond their reach. But O that happy approaching day, when error shall vanish away for-ever, when our understanding shall be filled with GOD himself, whose light will leave no darkness in us! His face shall be the scripture, where we shall read the truth: and himself instead of teachers and counsellors, to perfect our understandings, and acquaint us with himself. No more error, no more scandal to others, no more disquiet to our own spirits, no more mistaken zeal for falsehood. Many a good man hath here in his mistaken zeal, been a means to deceive and pervert his brethren; and when he sees his own error, cannot again tell how to undeceive them: but there we shall all conspire in one truth, as being one in him who is the truth.
And as we shall rest from all the sin of our understandings, so of our wills, affection and conversation. We shall no more retain this rebelling principle, which is still withdrawing us from GOD. We shall no more be oppressed with the power of our corruptions, nor vexed with their presence: no pride, passion, slothfulness, senselessness shall enter with us; no strangeness to GOD, and the things of GOD; no coldness of affections, nor imperfection in our love; no uneven walking, nor grieving of the spirit; no scandalous ⟨p. 60⟩action, or unholy conversation: we shall rest from all these for-ever. Then shall our understandings receive their light from the face of GOD, as the full moon from the open sun: then shall our wills correspond to the divine will, as face answers face in the glass; and his will shall be our law and rule, from which we shall never swerve again. I conclude therefore with the words next my text, He that is entered into his rest, hath ceased from his own works, as GOD from his. So that there is a perfect rest from sin.