N17286:617
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.
Is there a rest, and such a rest remaining for us? Why then are our thoughts no more upon it? Why are not our hearts continually there? Why dwell we not there in constant contemplation? Ask your hearts in good earnest, What is the cause of this neglect? Hath the eternal GOD provided us such a glory, and promised to take us up to dwell with himself? And is not this worth the thinking on? Should not the st•••gest desires of our hearts be after it; and the daily delights of our souls be there? Can we forget and neglect it? What is the matter? Will not GOD give us leave to approach this light? Or will he not suffer our souls to taste and see it? Then what mean all his earnest invitations? Why doth he so condemn our earthly-mindedness, and command us to set our affections above? If the fore-thoughts of glory were forbidden fruits, perhaps we should be sooner drawn unto them. Sure I am, where GOD hath forbidden us to place our thoughts and our delights, thither it is easy enough to draw them. If he say, love not the world, nor the things of the world, we dote upon it nevertheless. How unweariedly can we think of vanity, and day after day employ our minds about it! And have we no thoughts of this our rest? How ⟨p. 276⟩freely and how frequently can we think of our pleasures, our friends, our labours, our flesh, our studies, our news; yea, our very miseries, our wrongs, our sufferings, and our fears! But where is the christian whose heart is on this rest? What is the matter? Why are we not taken up with the views of glory, and our souls more accustomed to these delightful meditations? Are we so full of joy that we need no more; or is there no matter in heaven for our joyous thoughts; or rather, are not our hearts carnal and blockish? Earth will tend to earth. Had we more spirit, it would be otherwise with us. As St. Augustin cast by Cicero's writings, because they contained not the name of Jesus; so let us humble and cast down these sensual hearts, that have in them no more of Christ and glory. As we should not own our duties any further than somewhat of Christ is in them, so should we no further own our hearts: and as we should delight in the creatures no longer than they have reference to Christ and eternity, so no further should we approve of our own hearts.
Is there a rest, and such a rest remaining for us? Why then are our thoughts no more upon it? Why are not our hearts continually there? Why dwell we not there in constant contemplation? Ask your hearts in good earnest, What is the cause of this neglect? Hath the eternal GOD provided us such a glory, and promised to take us up to dwell with himself? And is not this worth the thinking on? Should not the stgest desires of our hearts be after it; and the daily delights of our souls be there? Can we forget and neglect it? What is the matter? Will not GOD give us leave to approach this light? Or will he not suffer our souls to taste and see it? Then what mean all his earnest invitations? Why doth he so condemn our earthly-mindedness, and command us to set our affections above? If the fore-thoughts of glory were forbidden fruits, perhaps we should be sooner drawn unto them. Sure I am, where GOD hath forbidden us to place our thoughts and our delights, thither it is easy enough to draw them. If he say, love not the world, nor the things of the world, we doat upon it nevertheless. How unweariedly can we think of vanity, and day after day employ our minds about it! And have we no thoughts of this our rest? How