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. XII.* 1.1

LEt us next hear what is usually objected against this by negli∣gent men.

Object. 1. We do not see but those children prove as bad as others, that are taught the Scriptures and brought up so holily: And those prove as honest men and good neighbors, that have none of this ado with them.

Answ. 1. O who art thou man that disputest against God? Hath God charged you to teach your children diligently his word, speaking of it as you sit at home, and as you walk abroad, as you lye down and as you rise up, Deut. 6.6, 7, 8. and dare you reply that it is as good let it alone? VVhy this is to set God at defiance; and as it were to spit in his face, and give him the lye. VVill you take it well at your servants, if when you command them to do a thing, they should return you such an answer, that they do not see but it were as good let it alone? VVretched worm! darest thou thus lift up thy head against the Lord that made thee and must judg thee? Is it not he that commandeth thee? If thou dost not believe that this Scripture is his word, thou dost not believe in Je∣sus Christ: for thou hast nothing else to tell thee that there is a Christ. And if thou do believe that this is the word of God, how darest thou say, It is as good disobey it? This is devillish pride in∣deed, when such sottish sinful dust shall think themselves wiser then the living God, & take upon them to reprove and cancel his word.

2. But alas, you know not what honesty is, when you say, that the ignorant are as honest as others: You think those are the honestest men, that best please you: But I know those are the most honest, that best please God. Christ saith in Luk 8.15. that an ho∣nest heart is that which keepeth the word of God; and you say, they are as honest that reject it. God made men to please him∣self, and not to please you: And you may know by his Laws who please him best. The Commandments have two Tables; and the first is, Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart: and the se∣cond, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self. First seek the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, Mat. 6.33.

3. And what if some prove naught that are well brought up? It is not the generality of them: will you say that Noahs family was no better then the drowned world, because there was one Chaus in it? Nor Davids, because there was one Absalom? Nor Christs, be∣cause there was one Judas?

4. But what if it were so? Have men need of the less teaching, or the more? you have more wit in the matters of this world: you will not say, I see many labor hard, and yet are poor, and therefore it is as good never labor at all; you will not say, Many that go to School learn nothing, and therefore they may learn as much though they never go. Or, many that are great trades∣men break, and therefore it is as good never trade at all. Or many great eaters are as lean as others, and many sick men recover no strength, though they eat; and therefore it is as good for men ne∣ver to eat more. Or, many plow and sow, and have nothing comes up; and therefore it is as go 〈…〉〈…〉 to plow more. VVhat a fool were he that should reaso•• thus? And is not he a thousand times worse, that shall reason thus for mens souls? Peter reasons the clean contrary way, If the righteous be scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 1 Pet. 4.18. And so doth Christ, Luk. 13.24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many shall seek to enter, and not be able. Other mens miscariages should quicken our diligence; and not make us cast away all. VVhat would you think of that man, that should look over into his neighbors garden, and because he sees here and there a nettle or weed among much better stuffe should say; Why, you may see, these men that bestow so much pains in digging and weeding, have weeds in their garden as well as I that do nothing, and therefore

who would be at so much pains? Just thus doth the mad world talk. You may see now, those that pray, and read, and follow Ser∣mons, have their faults as well as we, and have wicked persons among them as well as we; Yea, but that is not the whole garden, as yours is, it is but here and there a weed, and as soon as they spy it, they pluck it up, and cast it away.

4. But however, if such men be as wicked as you im∣agine, can you for shame lay the fault upon the Scrip∣ture, or Ordinances of God? Do they finde any thing in the Scriptures to encourage them to sin? You may far better say, It is long of the Judg and the Law which hangs them, that there are so many Theeves. Did you ever read a word for sin in the Scripture? Or ever hear a Minister, or godly man perswade people to sin, or from it rather? (I speak not of Sectaries, who usually grow to be enemies to Scripture) Lord, what horrible im∣pudence is in the faces of ungodly men? When a Minister hath spent himself in studying and perswading his people from sin; or when Parents have done all they can to reform their children, yet people will say, it is long of this that they are so bad. What? will reproving and correcting for sin bring them soonest to it? I dare challenge any man breathing, to name any one Ruler that ever was in the world, that was so severe against sin as Jesus Christ, or to shew me any Law that ever was made in the world so severe against sin as the Laws of God! And yet must it be long of Christ and Scripture that men are evil? When he threatneth damnation against impenitent sinners, is it yet long of him? Yea, see how these wicked men contradict themselves? What is it that they hate the Scripture for, but that it is so strict and precise, and forbids them their pleasures and fleshly liberties? that is, their sins. And yet if any fall into sin, they will blame the Scripture, that forbids it. I know in these late yeers of licenciousness and Apostacy, many that talk much of Religion, prove guilty of grievous crimes: But then they turn away so far from Christ and Scripture. As bad as the godly are, I dare yet challenge you to shew me any society un∣der Heaven like them that most study and delight in the Scriptures: or any School like the Scholars of Christ. Because parents cannot by all their diligence get their children to be as good as they should be, shall they therefore leave them to be as bad as they will? Be∣cause they cannot get them to be perfect Saints, shall they there∣fore

leave them to be as incarnate divels? Certainly your children untaught, will be little better.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 12.