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 ...

SECT. II.* 1.1

SEcondly, Consider next what strange providences have been exercised for particular Churches. I cannot stand to heap up particular examples: You may finde them frequent in the Histo∣ries of the Church. What deliverances, Cities and Countries have had, what Victories those Princes have had, who have been their Defenders: as Constantine the great, and many since: and what apparent manifestations of Gods hand in all. Yea, he that reads but the Histories of latter times, where wars have been managed

for defence of the Doctrine of this Scripture, and obedience thereto, against the corruptions and persecutions of * 1.2 Rome, may see most apparent discoveries of the hand of God, yea even in those wars where the enemy hath at last prevailed, as in Bohemia, in Zisca's time, in France at Merindol and Cabriers. The History of Belgia will shew it clearly: so will the strange preservation of the poor City of Geneva. But all these are further from us: God hath brought such experiments home to our hands. If we should overlooke the strange providences that produced the reformation in the times of Henry the eight, Edward the sixt, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and King James; yet even the strange passages of these yeers past, have been such, that might silence an Atheist, or an Antiscripturist; To see the various streights that God hath brought his people through! The unlikly means by which he still performed it. The unexpected events of most undertakings! The uncontrived and unthought-of wayes which men have been lead in! The strange managing of our counsels and our actions! The plain appearance of an extraordinary providence, and the plain inter∣position of an Almighty arme, which hath appeared in almost every fight, even where it went against us was this apparent; and our overthrows were but preparatives to some eminent good; and the means of carrying on the designs of God, whose Issues shewed us what we could not see before. VVe have as plainly discerned the successe of prayer, and our unsuccessfulness when we grew secure, almost, as if we had stood by Moses, Aaron and Hur in the Mount. How confident were the enemies still before their overthrows? When did we win a field (for the most part) but we lost it first? How little did we prosper when our Armies were fresh, and flourishing, and strong? When was it that we were revived, but when we took our selves for dead? And when we gave up all for lost, then did God most evidently restore it. When it was thought about a yeer or two before; that the whole Kingdome would not have afforded enough, to have resisted the power of the persecuters in one County, they were so oppressed and banished into America; then did God arise and his enemies did flie before him; they melted as the waxe before the fire, they were scattered as the chaffe before the wind.

Not that I make a meer successe, any evidence of a good cause;

But successes that have the apparent finger of God, and are brought about by such wonders of providence, I am sure do teach us much of God, and tend exceedingly to confirm us, in the ve∣rity of his promises. Some men are so strongly possest with pre∣judice, and others so unobservant of Divine providence, and o∣thers such Atheists, that they think all things fall out by chance, that it is no wonder if nothing work upon them: Miracles from Heaven had no better successe with most of the beholders in times of old. Sure the strange providences for the Church in the times of Judges, of the Kings, of Hester, of Nehemiah, were very convinc∣ing, though they were not miracles. And ours have been as strange as most of theirs. For my own part, having been an eye witness of a very great part of these eminent providences, from the first of the war; I have plainly seen something above the course of nature, and ordinary way of Gods workings, in almost every fight that I have beheld. And many of the adversaries that be∣fore would not see, yet have seen the hand of God, and have been ashamed, because of their envyings at his people, Isay 26.10. Many do yet suspend their judgement of all this, till they see the full Issue: so cannot I: whatever the end may yet prove, I am sure I have seen the Lord in the means: And we may yet set up Samuels stone,* 1.3 and say, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Hither∣to the end hath not been such as the enemy hoped. If we will see the end before we judg, for ought I know you may stay till the end of the world; and till you are judged your selves. For Gods work is a chaine of many links: every age hath one link, but the last reacheth to eternity, and you cannot see the end till then. If you wait to know the full Issue, why, you shall not see it till the Issue of all things: This folly causeth a succession of enemies to the Church, and of men of deluded and perverse understandings; who will become wiser altogether, when they see the full end indeed: but then it will be too late. It is true, that things are still in a sad confusion, and in the eye of the carnal, worse then they were: But I have so often seen such a cloudy morning to go be∣fore a Sunshine day, and that God delighteth to work by con∣traries, and to walk in the clouds, and to hide the birth in the womb, till the very hour of deliverance, that I am the less afraid of all this: Our unbelief hath been silenced with wonders so oft, that I hope we shall trust him the better while we live. I know the

Sword is a most heavy plague; and War is naturally an enemy to Vertue and Civility, and wo be to them that delight in bloud, or use the Sword, but as the last remedy, and that promote not Peace to the utmost of their power: I know also how unsatisfied many are, concerning the lawfulness of the war which hath been man∣aged. This is not a time or place to satisfie such, I have attempt∣ed that largely in another audience. And as I cannot yet perceive by any thing which they object, but that we undertook our de∣fence upon most warrantable grounds; so am I most certaine that God hath wonderfully appeared through the whole. And as I am certain by sight and sense, that the extirpation of Piety was the enemies great designe; which had so far succeeded, that the generality of the most able Ministers were silenced, Lectures and Evening Sermons on the Lords Day suppressed, Christians imprisoned, dismembred, and banished, the Lords Day reproach∣ed, and devoted to Pastimes, that it was as much as a mans estate at lest was worth, to hear a Sermon abroad, when he had none (or worse) at home; to meet for prayer, or any godly exercise, and that it was a matter of credit, and a way to preferment, to revile at, and be enemies against those that were most consciencious; and every where safer to be a Drunkard, or an adulterer, then a painfull Christian; and that multitudes of humane Ceremonies took place, when the worship of Christs institution was cast out (besides the slavery that invaded us in civil respects) so am I most certain, that this was the work which we took up Arms to resist; and these were the offenders whom we endeavoured to offend. And the generality of those that scruple the lawfulness of our war, did never scruple the lawfulness of destroying us, nor of that dolefull havock and subversion that was made in the Churches of Christ among us; though now perhaps they will ac∣knowledg some of our persecutors miscariages. The fault was, that we would not dye quietly; nor lay down our necks more gently on the block; nor more willingly change the Gospel for the Mass-book, and our Religion for a fardle of Ceremonies; nor be∣tray the hopes of our Posterity to their wils As Dalilah by Samp∣son, so do they by us: They accuse us, that we do not love them, because we will not deliver up our strength, that they may put out our eyes, and make us their slaves. Now the former dangers and miseries are forgotten, and the groans of the godly under

persecution, and of the land under the departure of their free∣domes, are not heard, men begin to forget the state they were in, and to be incompetent judges of the former engagement. And as bad as they deeme the successe hath yet been; sure I am many hundred congregations that were in darknesse, and are now in light; and multitudes of souls who by these means have been al∣ready converted and brought to the knowledge and love of Christ, are real Testimenies of our happy change: Beside the high hopes of the far greater * 1.4 spreading of the Gospel; and the foundation that is laid for the happiness of Posterity. I am no Prophet: nor well skilled in the interpretation of Scripture pro∣phesies: yet the clear and deep engagements of God in this work which I have so evidently discerned, do strongly perswade me, that in despite of all the policy and hopes of our enemies; and of all our own unworthiness, folly, miscarriages and errors, yet God will end this work in mercy, and make the Birth which we travell with more beautifull, then our slanderous enemies or our unbelieving hearts do yet imagine: and that the records of the wonders of this our Age, shall even convince the world of the truth of the Promises, and consequently, That the Scripture is the very word of God. In the mean time, me thinks I hear Christ, as it were, saying to me (as in my personall, so) in the Churches dangers and distresses, as he did to Peter, What I do thou know∣est not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 2.
• * 1.2

  Cum Romani in victoriosae antiquitatis memoriam templum singu∣lari schemate a facere decrevis∣sent, ab omni il∣lâ deorum, im∣mo daemonio∣rum multitu∣din•• quaesierunt usquequo du∣rare pusset, tam excellentis ope∣ris tam operosa constructio; Responsum est, Donec virgo pareret. Illi ad impossibilita∣tem Oraculum retorquentes, templum aeter∣num solennem illam machinam vocaverunt. Nocte autem cum virginali thalamo virgi∣nius flos Ma∣riae egressus est, ita cecidit & confractum est illud mirabile et columnarium opus, ut vix appareant vestigia ruina∣rum. Bernard. in Natal. Do∣mini. Serm. 23.
• * 1.3

  1 Sam. 7.12.
• * 1.4

  To speak my heart. All that I fear is lest Master Her∣bert be a true Prophet, and the Gospel be in its solar motion tra∣velling for the West and A∣merican parts, and qultting its present places of resi∣dence, and un∣worthy pro∣fessours and possessours: And then fare∣well England, But else not.