N17286:78
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
Part 1 › Chapter 4: The four great Preparatives to our Rest.
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.
Come then, fellow-christians, let us commit these carcasses to the dust: that prison shall not long contain them. Let us lie down in peace and take our rest: it will not be an everlasting night, or endless sleep. What if we go out of the troubles and stirs of the world, and enter into those chambers of dust, and the doors be shut upon us, and we hide ourselves, at it were, for a little moment until the indignation be overpast? Yet, behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: and then the earth shall disclose us, and the dust shall hide us no more. As sure as we awake in the morning, when we have slept out the night, so sure shall we then awake.
Come then, fellow-christians, let us commit these carcases to the dust: that prison shall not long contain them. Let us lie down in peace and take our rest: it will not be an everlasting night, or endless sleep. What if we go out of the troubles and stirs of the world, and enter into those chambers of dust, and the doors be shut upon us, and we hide ourselves, at it were, for a little moment until the indignation be overpast? Yet, behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: and then the earth shall disclose us, and the dust shall hide us no more. As sure as we awake in the morning, when we have slept out the night, so sure shall we then awake.
Lay down then cheerfully this lump of corruption: thou shalt undoubtedly receive it again in incorruption. Lay down freely this terrestrial, this natural body: thou shalt receive it again a celestial, a spiritual body. Though thou lay it down with great dishonour, thou shalt receive it in glory: and though thou art separated from it through weakness, it shall be raised again in mighty power. When the trumpet of GOD shall sound the call, Come away, rise ye dead; who shall then stay behind? Who can resist the powerful command of our LORD? When he shall call to the earth and sea. O earth, O sea, give up thy dead: ⟨p. 36⟩the first that shall be called are the saints that sleep; and then the saints that are alive shall be changed. For they which are alive, and remain till the coming of the LORD, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the LORD himself shall descend from heaven with a should, with the wi of the arch-angel, and with the trump of GOD; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then they which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the LORD in the ir; and so shall we ever be with the LORD. Triumph now, O christian! in these promises: thou shalt shortly triumph in their performance: for this is the day that the LORD will make; We shall be glad and rejoice therein. The grave that could not keep our LORD, cannot keep us: he arose for us, and by the same power will cause us to arise. For if we believe that JESUS died and rose again; even so them also which slee JESUS, will GOD bring with him. Therefore let our hearts be glad, and our glory rejoice, and our flesh also rest in hope; for he will not leave us in the grave, nor suffer us still to see corruption. Yea, therefore let us be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the LORD, for as much as we know our labour is not in vain in the LORD.