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 ...

* 1.1SECT. VI.

[ 3] THe third thing that I am to prove, is this; That meer nature and creatures, contain no sufficient revelation of the fore∣mentioned end and means. This appears thus. First, Nature by the help of creatures, though it tell us that there is a God, yet what he is, or how he will be worshipped, or how he came to be so displeased with the world, or how he must be reconciled, of all this it tels us nothing. Again, though it may possibly acquaint us with an immortall state, yet what the happiness there is, and what the misery, or how we are naturally deprived of that happiness, and how it must be recovered, and who they be that shall enjoy it, of all this it tels us little: Much less of the Resurrection of our bodies from the grave. So also, though nature may possibly finde it self depraved, yet how it came to be so, or how to be healed, or how to be pardoned, it cannot tell. Secondly, If nature, by the meer book of the creatures could learn all things ne∣cessary, yet first it would be so slow, and by so long study, Second∣ly, and so doubtfully and uncertainly, Thirdly, and so rarely, that it appears by this, the means of revelation is not sufficient. All this is apparent by event and successe. For what nature and creatures do sufficiently teach, that their Scholars have certainly learned.

First, Then observe, how long did the most learned Philoso∣phers study, before they could know those few rude imperfect notions, which some of them did attain to concerning eternity?

They were gray with age and study, before they could come to know that which a childe of seven year old may now know by the benefit of ••cripture. But all men live not to such an age, therefore this is no sufficient means.

Secondly, Observe also how uncertain they were, when all was done; what they speak rightly concerning God, or the life to come in one breath, they are ready to unsay it again in another, as if their speeches had faln from them against their wils, or as Caiphas his confession of Christ. They raise their Conclusions from such uncertain Premises, that the Conclusions also must needs be uncertain.

Thirdly, Observe also how rare that Knowledg was among them. It may be in all the world there may be a few hundreds of learned Philosophers, and among those there is one part Epicures, another Peripateticks, &c. that acknowledg not a future Happi∣ness or Misery: And of those few that do acknowledg it, none knows it truly, nor the way that leads to it. How few of them could tell what was mans chief good? And those few, how im∣perfectly? with what mixtures of falshood? we have no certain∣ty of any of them that did know so much, as that there was but one God. For though Socrates dyed for deriding the multitude of gods, yet there is no certain Record of his right belief of the Unity of the Godhead. Besides, what Plato and a 1.2 Plotinus did write of this, that was found, there is far greater probability that they had it from Scripture, then meerly from Nature and Creatures. For b 1.3 that Plato had read the VVritings of Moses, is proved already by divers Authors. The like may be said of c 1.4 Seneca, and many others. So that if this means had contained any sufficiency in it for salvati∣on, yet it would have extended but to some few of all the learned Philosophers: And what is this to an universal sufficiency to all mankinde? Nay, there is not one of all their exactest Moralists, that have not mistaken Vice for Vertue; yea, most of them give the names of Vertue to the foulest Villanies, such as Self-murder in several cases, Revenge, a proud and vainglorious affectation of Ho∣nor and Applause, with other the like; so far have these few learned Philosophers been from the true Knowledg of things

Spiritual and Divine, that they could never reach to know the principles of common honesty. Varro saith, That there were in his days two hundred eighty eight Sects or Opinions among Phi∣losophers concerning the chief good: VVhat then should the multitudes of the vulgar do, who have neither strength of wit to know, nor time, and books, and means to study, that they might attain to the height of these learned men? So that I conclude with Aquinas, that if possibly Nature and Creatures might teach some few,* 1.5 enough to salvation, yet were the Scriptures of flat necessity; for first, the more commonness: secondly, and more easiness, and speediness: thirdly, and the more certainty of Knowledg and Salvation.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 6.
• a 1.2

  Sir Walter Raleigh, Hist. of the World, sheweth that Pythagoras, Orphaeus, and Plato had their doctrine of God from Scripture, but durst not pro∣fess it.

  Plotinus was Origens con∣disciple of Ammonius, therefore no wonder if he be liker a Di∣vine then the rest.

  See Pemble Vind. Grat. of this, pag 60.61, 62. &c.
• b 1.3

  Therefore Numenius ci∣ted by Orig. against Celsus, doth call him Moses Atticus. And divers of Numenius his Books do recite with great reverence many texts out of Moses and the Prophets.
• c 1.4

  Though the Epistles betwixt Paul and Seneca may be fained, yet it is more then probable that he had heard or read Pauls Do∣ctrine.
• * 1.5

  Aquin. Sum. prima 1^ae. Art. 1. Q. 1. & 2^a. 2^ae. Q 2. Art. 3 4.