N17286:455
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.
2. Neither do I persuade you to a zealous promoting of factions and parties, and venting of uncertain opinions, which men's salvation is little concerned in. Alas, what advantage hath the devil always got in the church by this imposture! The time that should be employed in drawing men's souls from sin to Christ, is employed in drawing them to opinions and parties: when men are fallen in love with their own conceits, and think themselves the wisest, how diligently do they labour to get them followers? as if to make a man a proselyte to their opinions, were as happy a work as to convert him to Christ! and when they fall among the lighter, ignorant sort of men, whose religion is all in the brain, and on their tongue, they ⟨p. 197⟩seldom fail of success. These men shall shortly know, that to bring a man to the knowledge and love of Christ, is another kind of work, than to bring him to be baptized again, or to be of such a church, or such a side. Unhappy are the souls that are tal• […] their snare; who when they have spent their lives in contending for the circumstantials of religion, which should have been spent in studying and loving the LORD JESUS, do in the end reap an empty harvest, suitable to their empty profession.
2. Neither do I persuade you to a zealous promoting of factions and parties, and venting of uncertain opinions, which men's salvation is little concerned in. Alas, what advantage hath the devil always got in the church by this imposture! The time that should be employed in drawing men's souls from sin to Christ, is employed in drawing them to opinions and parties: when men are fallen in love with their own conceits, and think themselves the wisest, how diligently do they labour to get them followers? as if to make a man a proselyte to their opinions, were as happy a work as to convert him to Christ! and when they fall among the lighter, ignorant sort of men, whose religion is all in the brain, and on their tongue, they ⟨p. 197⟩seldom fail of success. These men shall shortly know, that to bring a man to the knowledge and love of Christ, is another kind of work, than to bring him to be baptized again, or to be of such a church, or such a side. Unhappy are the souls that are tal• 〈…〉 their snare; who when they have spent their lives in contending for the circumstantials of religion, which should have been spent in studying and loving the LORD JESUS, do in the end reap an empty harvest, suitable to their empty profession.