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 ...

CHAP. III. They shall lose all things that are com∣fortable, as well as Heaven.

SECT. I.* 1.1

HAving shewed you those considerations which will then aggravate their misery, I am next to shew you their Additonall losses which will aggravate it. For as God∣liness hath the promise both of this life and that which is to come, and as God hath said, that if we first seek his Kingdom and Righteousness, all things else shall be added to us: so also are the ungodly threated with the loss both of spiritual and of corporal blessings; and because they sought not first Christs Kingdom and righteousness, therefore shall they lose both it, and that which they did seek; and there shall be taken from them even that little which they have. If they could but have kept their present enjoyments, they would not much have cared for the loss of Heaven: let them take it that have more minde of it; But catching at the shadow and loosing the sub∣stance, they now finde that they have lost both, and that when

they rejected Christ, they rejected all things. If they had lost and forsaken all for Christ, they would have found all again in him; for he would have been all in all to them: But now they have forsaken Christ for other things, they shall lose Christ and that al∣so for which they did forsake him.

But I will particularly open to you some of their other losses.

* 1.2SECT. II.

FIrst, They shall lose their present presumptuous conceit and belief, of their Interest in God, and of his favour towards them, and of their part in the merits and sufferings of Christ. This false Belief doth now support their spirits, and defend them from the terrors that else would seiz upon them; and fortifie them against the fears of the wrath to come. Even as true Faith doth afford the soul a true and grounded support and consolation, and enableth us to look to Eternity with undaunted courage: So also a false ungrounded Faith doth afford a false ungrounded comfort; and abates the trouble of the considerations of Judg∣ment and damnation. But alas, this is but a palliat salve, a deceitful comfort; what will ease their trouble when this is gone? VVhen they can Believe no longer, they will be quieted in minde no long∣er, and rejoyce no longer. If a man be neer to the greatest mischief, and yet strongly conceit that he is in safety; his conceit may make him as cheerfull as if all were well indeed, till his misery comes, and then both his conceit and comforts vanish. An ungrounded per∣swasion of happiness, is a poor cure for reall misery. VVhen the mischief comes, it will cure the mis-belief; but that belief can nei∣ther prevent nor cure the mischief. If there were no more to make a man happy, but to believe that he is so, or shall be so, happiness would be far commonner then now it is like to be. It is a won∣der, that any man who is not a stranger both to Gospel and Reason, should be of the Antinomian faith in this; who tell us that faith is but the believing that God loveth us, and that our sins are already pardoned through Christ; that this is the cheif thing that Ministers should preach; that our Ministers preach not Christ, because they preach not this; that every man ought thus to believe, but no man to question his Faith, whether he

believe truly or not, &c. But if all men must believe that their sins are pardoned, then most of the world must believe a lye; And if no man ought to question the truth of his faith, then most men shall rest deluded with an ungrounded belief. The Scripture command∣eth us first to believe for remission of sins, before we believe that our sins are remitted: If we believe in Christ, that is, accept him cor∣dially for our Saviour, and our King, then we shall receive the par∣don of sins. The truth is, we have more ado to Preach down this Antinomian faith, then they have to Preach it up; and to Preach our people from such a believing, then they have to preach them to it. I see no need to perswade people so to believe, the generality are strong and confident in such a belief already. Take a congregation of 5000. persons, and how few among them all will you finde, that do not believe that their sins are pardoned, and that God loves them? Especially of the vilest sinners, who have least cause to believe it? Indeed, as it is all the work of those men to perswade people to this belief•• so is it the hardest task almost that we meet with, to con∣vince men 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the ungroundedness of this belief, and to break that peace 〈…〉〈…〉 maintaineth in their souls. Neither do I know a 〈…〉〈…〉 of mens destruction, then such a misbelief. Who will ••eek for that which he believes he hath already? This is the great engine of Hell, to make men go merrily to their own perdi∣tion. I know men cannot believe Christ, or believe in, or upon Christ, either too soon, or too much. But they may believe, or judg that themselves are pardoned, adopted, and in favour with God, too soon, and too much. For a false judgment is always too much and too soon. As true grounded Faith is the master grace in the Re∣generate, and of greatest use in the Kingdom of Christ; so is a false ungrounded faith, the master vice in the unregenerate soul, and of greatest use in the Kingdom of Satan. Why do such a multitude sit still, when they might have pardon for the seeking? but that they verily think they are pardoned already? Why do men live so con∣tentedly in the power of the devil, & walk so carelesly in the certain way to Hel? but that they think their way wil have no such end, and that the Divel hath nothing to do with them? they defie him, they spit at the mention of his name. If you could aske so many 1000 as are now in Hell, What madness could cause you to come hither vo∣luntarily? or to follow Satan to this place of torment? when you might follow Christ to the land of Rest? They would most of them

answer you, VVe believed that we had followed towards Salvati∣on; and that the way which we were in, would have brought us to Heaven: VVe made sure account of being saved, till we found our selves damned; and never feared Hell, till we were suddenly in it▪ we would have renounced our sinfull courses and companions, but that we thought we might have them, and heaven too; VVe would have sought after Christ more heartily, but that we thought we had part in him already; VVe would have been more earn∣est seekers of Regeneration, and the power of godliness, but that we verily thought we were Christians before O if we had known as much as now we know! what lives would we have led! what persons would we have been! But we have flattered our selves in∣to these unsufferable torments: VVe were told of this before from the word of God: but we would not believe it, till we felt it; and now there is no remedy. — Reader, do but stop, and think here with thy self, how sad a Case this is? That men should so resolutely cheat themselves of their Everlasting Rest? The Lord grant it never prove thy own case. I would be very loath to weaken the true faith of the meanest Christian, or to perswade any man that his faith is false, when it is true: God forbid, that I should so disparage that pretious grace which hath the stamp of the spirit! or so trouble the soul that Christ would have to be comforted! But I must needs in faithfullness tell thee, that the confident belief of their good estate and of the pardon of their sins, which the careless, unholy, unhumbled multitude amongst us, do so commonly boast of, will prove in the end but a soul-damning delusion. It hath made me ready to tremble many a time, to hear a drunken, ungodly, unfaithful Minister, as confi∣dently in his formall prayers in the Pulpit, give God thanks for Vocation, Justification, Sanctification, and assured hope of Glori∣fication, as if he had been a most assured Saint! when it may be his Sermon was intended to reproch the Saints,* 1.3 and to jeer at Sancti∣fication! Me thoughts I even heard the Pharisee say, I thank thee that I am not as other men: Or Corah; Are not all the people holy, every one? How commonly do men thank God for these, which they never received, nor ever shall do? How many have thanked God for pardon of sin, who are now tormented for it! and for Sanctification and assured hope of Glory, who are now shut out of that Inheritance of the Sanctified? I warrant you,

ther's none of this believing in hell: nor any perswasions of pardon or happiness, nor any boasting of their honesty, nor ju∣stifying of themselves: This was but Satans stratagem, that being blindfold they might follow him the more boldly, but then he will uncover their eyes, and they shall see where they are.

SECT. III.* 1.4

2. ANother addition to the misery of the damned will be this; That with the loss of heaven, they shall lose also all their hopes. In this life, though they were threatned with the wrath of God, yet their hope of escaping it did bear up their hearts; And when they were wounded with the terrors of the Word, they lick't all whole again with their groundless hopes; but then they shall part with their hopes and heaven together: We can now scarce speak with the vilest Drunkard, or Swearer, or covetous Wordling, or scorner at Godliness, but he hopes to be saved for all this: If you should go to all the Congregation, or Town, or Countrey, and ask them one by one, whether they hope to be saved? how few shall you meet with, that will not say yea? or that make any great question of it? But, O happy world, if Salvation were as common as this Hope! Even those whose hellish nature is written in the face of their conversation, that he that runs may read it, whose tongues plead the cause of the devil, and speak the language of hell▪ and whose delight is in nothing but the works of the flesh, yet these do strongly hope for heaven, though the God of heaven hath told them over and over again in his Word, that no such as they shall ever come there. Though most of the world shall eternally perish, and the Judg of the world himself hath told us, that of the many that are called, yet but few are chosen, yet almost all do hope for it, and cannot endure any man that doth but question their hopes: Let but their Minister Preach against their false hopes; or their best friend come to them, and say. I am afraid your present hopes of heaven will deceive you, I see you minde not your soul, your heart is not set upon Christ and heaven, you do not so much as pray to God, and worship him in your Family; and the Scripture gives you not the least hope of being saved in such a condition as this is: How ill would they take such an admonition as this? and bid the Admonisher look to himself, and let them alone,

he should not answer for them, they hope to be saved as soon as these preciser men, that pray, and talk of heaven so much.—Nay, so strong are these mens hopes, that they will dispute the case with Christ himself at Judgment, and plead their eating and drinking in his presence, their Preaching in his Name, and casting out de∣vils, (and these are more probable Arguments, then our Baptism, and common Profession, and name of Christians) they will stifly deny that ever they neglected Christ in hunger, nakedness, prison, &c. (and if they did, yet that is less then stripping, imprisoning, banishing, or killing Christ in his Members,) till Christ confute them with the sentence of their condemnation: Though the heart of their hopes will be broken at their death, and particular Judg∣ment, yet it seems they would fain plead for some hope at the general Judgment. But O the sad state of these men, when they must bid farewell to all their Hopes! when their Hopes shall all perish with them! Reader, if thou wilt not believe this, it is because thou wilt not believe the Scriptures. The holy Ghost hath spoke it as plain as can be spoken, Prov. 11.7. When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish, and the hope of unjust men perisheth, Prov. 10.28. The hope of the righteous shall be gladness, but the ex∣pectation of the wicked shall perish. See Isai. 28.15, 18. Job 27.8, 9. For what is the hope of the Hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? Job 8.12, 13, 14. Can the Rush grow up without mire? Can the Flag grow without water? whilst it is yet in its greeness, not cut down, it withereth before any other herb; So are the paths of all that forget God, and the Hypocrites hope shall perish; whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a Spiders Web; He shall leane upon his house, but it shall not stand, he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure. Job 11.20. But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the Ghost: The giving up of the Ghost is a fit, but terrible re∣semblance of a wicked mans giving up of his hopes. For first, As the soul departeth not from the body without the greatest terror and pain, so also doth the hope of the wicked depart. O the dire∣ful gripes and pangs of horror that seize upon the soul of the sinner at Death and Judgment, when he is parting with all his former hopes! Secondly, The soul departeth from the body sud∣denly, in a moment, which hath there delightfully continued so

many years; Just so doth the hope of the wicked depart. Thirdly, The soul which then departeth, will never return to live with the body in this world any more; and the hope of the wicked when it departeth, taketh an everlasting Farewel of his soul. A miracle of Resurrection shall again conjoyn the soul and body, but there shall be no such miraculous Resurrection of the damned's hope. Me thinks it is the most doleful Spectacle that this world affords, to see such an ungodly person dying, and to think of his soul, and his hopes departing together! and with what a sad change he pre∣sently appeares in another world? Then if a man could but speak with that hopeless soul, and ask it; what, are you now as confident of salvation as you were wont to be? Do you now hope to be sa∣ved as soon as the most godly? O what a sad answer would he re∣turn▪ They are just like Corah Dathan, and their Companions; while they are confident in their Rebellion against the Lord▪ and cry out, Are not all the people holy? They are suddenly swallowed up, and their hopes with them: Or like Ahah, who hating and imprisoning the Prophet for foretelling his danger, while he is in confident hopes to return in peace, is suddenly smitten with that mortal Arrow, which let out those hopes, together with his soul: Or like a Thief upon the Gallows, who hath a strong conceit that he shall receive a Pardon, and so hopes, and hopes, till the Ladder is turned: Or like the unbelieving sinners of the world before the Flood, who would not believe the threatnings of Noah, but per∣haps deride him for preparing his Ark so many years together, when no danger appeared, till suddenly the Flood came and swept them all away. If a man, had asked these men when they were climbing up into the tops of Trees and Mountains, VVhere is now your hope of escaping? Or your merry deriding at the painful preventing preparations of godly Noah? Or your contemptuous unbelief of the warnings of God? What do you think these men would then say? when the waters still pursued them from place to place, till it devoured their hopes and them together? Or if one had asked Ahab, when he had received his wound, and turned out of the battel to die; what think you now of the Prophesie of Micaiah? will you release him out of prison? do you now hope to return in peace? Why, such a sudden overthrow of their hopes will every unregenerate sinner receive. While they were upon earth, they frustrated the expectations (as I may say) of God and man:

God sent his messengers to tell them plainly of their danger, and said, It may be they will hear, and return and escape: but they stiffened their necks and hardened their hearts: The Mini∣ster studied, and instructed and perswaded, in hope: And when one Sermon prevailed not, he laboured to speak more plainly and piercingly in the next, in hope that at last they would be perswad∣ed and return: till their hopes were frustrate, and their labor lost, and they were fain to turn their exhortation to lamentation, and to sit down in sorrow for mens wilful misery; and take up the sad exclamation of the Prophet, Isai. 53.1. Who hath be∣lieved our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? So did godly parents also instruct their children in Hope; and watch over them, and pray for them, hoping that at last their hearts would turn to Christ. And is it not meet that God should frustrate all their hopes, who have frustrated the hopes of all that desired their welfare? O that careless sinners would be awaked to think of this in time? If thou be one of them, who art reading these lines, I do here as a friend advise thee from the word of the Lord, that, as thou wouldst not have all thy Hopes deceive thee when thou hast most need of them, thou presently try them whether they will prove currant at the touchstone of the Scripture; and if thou finde them unsound, let them go, what sorrow soever it cost thee. Rest not till thou canst give a reason of all thy hopes:* 1.5 till thou canst prove that they are the hopes which grace and not nature only hath wrought,* 1.6 that they are grounded upon Scripture-pro∣mises and sound evidences, that they purifie thy heart: that they quicken, and not cool thy endeavours in godliness; that the more thou hopest, the lesse thou sinnest; and the more pain∣ful thou art in following on the work; and not grow more loose and careless by the increasing of thy hopes: that they make thee set lighter by all things on earth, because thou hast such hopes of higher possessions: that thou art willing to have them tryed, and fearfull of being deceived: that they stir up they desires of en∣joying what thou hopest for, and the deferring thereof is the trouble of thy heart, Prov. 13.12. If thou be sure that thy hopes be such as these; God forbid that I should speak a word against them, or discourage thee from proceeding to hope thus to the end: No, I rather perswade thee to go on in the strength of the Lord; and what ever men or devils, or thy own unbelieving

heart shall say against it, go on, and hold fast thy hope, and be sure, it shall never make thee ashamed. But if thy hope be not of this spiritual nature, and if thou art able to give no better reason why thou hopest, then the worst in the world may give, That God is mercifull; and thou must speed as well as thou canst, or the like; and hast not one sound evidence of a saving work of grace upon thy soul to shew for thy hopes; but only hopest that thou shalt be saved because thou wouldest have it so, and because it is a terrible thing to despaire; If this be thy case, delay not an hour; but presently cast away those hopes, that thou mayest get into a capacity of having better in their stead. But it may be thou wilt think this strange doctrine, and say, VVhat, would you per∣swade me directly to despaire? Answ. Sinner; I would be loath to have thy soul destroyed by wilful self-delusion. The truth is, There is a hope (such as I have before shewed thee of) which is a singular grace and duty▪ and there is a hope which is a noto∣rious dangerous sin. So consequentely there is a despaire which is a grievous sin: and there is a despaire which is absolutely neces∣sary to thy salvation. I would not have thee, despaire of the suffi••ciency of the blood of Christ to save thee, if thou believe and heartily obey him: Nor of the willingness of God to pardon and save thee, if thou be such a one: Nor yet absolutely of thy own salvation; because while there is life and time, there is some hope of thy conversion, and so of thy salvation, Nor would I draw thee to despaire of finding Christ, if thou do but heartily seek him: Or of Gods acceptance of any sincere endeavors, nor of thy suc∣cesse against Satan, or any corruption which thou shalt heartily oppose, nor of any thing whatsoever God hath promised to do, either to all men in generall, or to such as thou art. I would not have thee doubt of any of these in the least measure, much less despaire.* 1.7 But this is the despaire that I would perswade thee to, as thou lovest thy soul: That thou despaire of ever being saved, except thou be born again; or of seeing God without Ho∣liness: or of escaping perishing, except thou soundly Repent: Or of ever having part in Christ, or salvation by him, or ever being one of his true Disciples, except thou love him above Father, mother, or thy own life: Or of ever having a Treasure in Heaven, except thy very heart be there: Or of ever scaping eternal death, if thou walk after the flesh, and dost not by the spirit mortify the

deeds of the flesh; or of ever truly loving God, or being his ser∣vant, while thou lovest the world, and servest it. These things I would have thee despair of; and what ever else God hath told thee shall never come to passe. And when thou hast sadly searched into thy own heart, and findest thy self in any of these cases, I would have thee despair thy self of ever being saved in that state thou art in; Never stick at the sadness of the con∣clusion, man, but acknowledg plainly, If I die before I get out of this estate, I am lost for ever. It is as good deal truly with thy self as not: God will not flatter thee, he will deal plainly, whe∣ther thou do or not. The very truth is, This kinde of despair is one of the first steps to Heaven. Consider, if a man be quite out of his way, what must be the first means to bring him in again? Why, a despair of ever coming to his journies end in the way that he is in. If his home be Eastward, and he be going Westward, as long as he hopes he is the right, he will go on; and as long as he so goes on hoping▪ he goes further amiss. Therefore when he meets with some body who assures him that he is clean out of his way, and brings him to despair of coming home, except he turn back again; then he will return, and then he may hope and spare not. Why, sinner, Just so it is with thy soul: Thou art born out of the way to Heaven; and in that way thou hast proceeded many a yeer; Yet thou goest on quietly, and hopest to be saved, because thou art not so bad as many others. Why, I tell thee, ex¦cept thou be brought to throw away those hopes, and see that thou hast all this while been quite out of the way to Heaven, and hast been a childe of wrath, and a servant of Satan, unpardoned, unsanctified, and if thou hadst dyed in this state, hadst been certain∣ly damned; I say, till thou be brought to this, thou wilt never return and be saved. Who will turn out of his way, while he hopes he is right? And let me once again tell thee, that if ever God mean good to thy soul, and intend to save thee, this is one of the first things he will work upon thee: Remember what I say, till thou feel God convincing thee, that the way which thou hast lived in, will not serve the turn, and so breaking down thy for∣mer hopes, there is yet no saving work wrought upon thee; how well soever thou mayest hope of thy self. Yea, this much more, If any thing keep thy soul out of Heaven (which God forbid) there is nothing in the world liker to do it, then thy false hopes of being

saved, while thou art out of the way to salvation. Why else is it that God cryes down such hopes in his word? Why is it that every faithful, skilful Minister doth bend all his strength against the false faith and hope of sinners? as if he were to fight against neither small nor great, but this prince of iniquity? Why alas, they know that these are the main pillars of Satans Kingdom; Bring down but them two, and the house will fall. They know also the deceit and vanity of such hopes: that they are directly contrary to the Truth of God, and what a sad case that soul is in, who hath no other hope, but that Gods word will prove false: when the truth of God is the only ground of true hope. Alas, it is no pleasure to a Minister to speak to people on such an unwel∣come subject; no more then it is to a pitifull Physitian, to tell his patient; I do despair of your life, except you let blood, or there is no hope of the cure, except the gangren'd member be cut off. If it be true, and of flat necessity, though it be displeasing, there is no remedy.* 1.8 Why, I beseech you think on it reasonably without prejudice or passion, and tell me, Where doth God give any hope of your salvation till you are new Creatures? Gal. 6.15. Nay, I have shewed you where he flatly overthroweth all such hope. And will it do you any good for a Minister to give you hope, where God gives you none? or would you desire them to do so? Why, what would you think of such a Minister, when those hopes forsake you? or what thanks will you give him, when you finde your self in Hell? would you not there lye and curse him for a deceiver for ever? I know this to be true, and therefore I had rather you were displeased with me here, then curse me there. For my own part, if I had but one Sermon to preach while I lived, I think this should be it; to perswade down all your un∣grounded hopes of Heaven; not to leave you there in despair, but that you may hope upon better grounds which will never deceive you. God hath told us what we shall say, Isai. 3.10, 11. Say to the Righteous, It shall be well with him, and to the wicked, It shall be ill with him And if I shall say, it shall be well with thee, when God hath said, it shall be ill with thee, what the better were thou for this? Whose word would stand, think you, Gods or mine? O, little do carnall Ministers know what they do, who strengthen the hopes of ungodly men? They work as hard as they can against God, while they stand there to speak in the

name of God. God layeth his battery against these false hopes, as knowing that they must now down, or the sinner must perish: And these teachers build up what God is pulling down: I know not what they can do worse to destroy mens souls. There are false teachers in regard of application, though they are true in re∣gard of doctrine. This is partly through their flattering men-pleasing temper, partly because they are guilty themselves, and so should destroy their own hopes, as well as others; and partly be∣cause being graceless, they want that experience which should help them to discern betwixt hope and hope. The same may be said of carnall friends. If they see a poor sinner but doubting whether all be well with him, and but troubled for fear least he be out of the way: What paines do they take to keep up his old hopes? What, say they, If you should not be saved, God help a great many: You have lived honestly, &c. Never doubt, man; God is mercifull. — Alas silly creatures! You think you per∣form an office of friendship, and do him much good! Even as much as to give cold water to a man in a Feaver, you may ease him at the present, but it afterward inflames him. What thanks will he give you hereafter, if you settle him upon his former hopes again? Did you never read Prov. 24.24. He that saith to the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, Nations shall abhorre him. If you were faithful friends indeed, you should ra∣ther say thus to him; Friend, if you perceive the soundness of your hopes for Heaven to be doubtful, O do not smother those doubts; but go and open them to your Minister, or some able friend; and try them throughly in time; and hold no more of them now, then will hold good at Judgment: It is better they break while they may be built more surely, then when the disco∣very will be your torment, but not your remedy. — This were friendly & faithful counsel indeed. The Proverb is, If it were not for hope, the heart would break: And Scripture tels us, that the heart must break that Christ will save. How can it be bound up, till it be broken first? So that the hope which keeps their hearts from breaking, doth keep them also from healing and saving.

Well, if these unwise men (who are as we say, penny wise, and pound foolish, who are wise to keep off the smart of a short, con∣ditional, necessary, curable despaire, but not wise to prevent an

eternal, absolute, tormenting, uncurable despair) do not change their condition speedily, these Hopes will leave them, which they would not leave; and then they that were now resolved to hold fast their Hopes, let all the Preachers in the world say what they would, shall let them go whether they will or no. Then let them hope for heaven if they can.

So that you see it will aggravate the misery of the damned, that with the loss of heaven, they shall lose all that hope of it, which now supporteth them.

SECT. IV.* 1.9

THirdly, Another Additional loss will be this. They will lose-all that false peace of Conscience, which maketh their present life so easie. The loss of this must necessarily follow the loss of the former. When Presumption and Hope are gone, Peace can∣not tarry. Who would think now that sees how quietly the mul∣titude of the ungodly live, that they must very shortly lye roaring in everlasting flames? They lye down, and rise, and sleep as quiet∣ly, they eat and drink as quietly; they go about their work as cheerfully, they talk as pleasantly as if nothing ailed them, or as if they were as far out of danger as an obedient Believer; like a man that hath the Falling-sickness, you would little think while he is labouring as strongly, and talking as heartily as another man, how he will presently fall down, and lye gasping, and foaming, and beating his brest in torment; So it is with these men: They are as free from the fears of Hell as others, as free from any vexing sorrows, not so much as troubled with any cares for the state of their souls, nor with any sad or serious thoughts of what shall be∣come of them in another world; yea, and for the most part they have less doubts or disquiet of minde, then those who shall be sa∣ved. O happy men, if it would be always thus! and if this peace would prove a lasting peace! But alas, there's the misery, it will not. They are now in their own Element, as the Fish in the water, but little knows that silly creature, when he is most fearlesly and delightfully swallowing down the Baite, how suddenly he shall be snatched out, and lye dead upon the Bank! And as little think these careless sinners, what a change they are near. The Sheep, or

the Ox is driven quietly to the slaughter, because he knows not whither he goes; if he knew it were to his death, you could not drive him so easily. How contented is the Swine, when the Butchers Knife is shaving his throat? little thinking that it is to prepare for his death. Why, it is even so with these sensual care∣less men: they fear the mischief least, when they are nearest to it, because they feel it not, or see it not with their eyes: As in the dayes of Noah (saith Christ) they were eating and drinking,* 1.10 marrying, and giving in marriage, till the day that Noah entered into the Ark, and knew not till the Flood came and took them all away; So will the coming of Christ be; and so will the coming of their particular judgment be: For (saith the Apostle) when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travel upon a woman with childe, and they shall not escape, 1 Thes. 5.3. O cruel Peace, which ends in such a War! Reader, If this be thy own case; if thou hast no other peace in thy Conscience then this ungrounded, self-created peace; I could heartily wish for thy own sake that thou wouldst cast it off. As I would not have any humble gratious soul to vex their own consciences needlesly, nor to dis∣quiet, and discompose their spirits by troubles of their own ma∣king, nor to unfit themselves for duty, nor interrupt their com∣fortable communion with God, nor to weaken their bodies, or cast themselves into Melancholy distempers to the scandal of Re∣ligion: so would I not have a miserable wretch, who lives in daily and hourly danger of dropping into Hell, to be as merry and as quiet, as if all were well with him: It is both unseemly and un∣safe; more unseemly then to see a man go laughing to the Gallows; and more unsafe then to favor the Gangren'd member which must be cut off, or to be making merry when the enemy is entring our Habitations: Mens first peace is usually a false peace; it is a second peace which is brought into the soul upon the casting out of the first, which will stand good, and yet not alway that neither; for where the change is by the halves, the second or third peace may be unsound as well as the first: as many a man that casteth away the peace of his Prophaness, doth take up the peace of meer Civility and morality, or if he yet discover the unsoundness of that, and is cast into trouble, then he healeth all with outward Religiousness, or with a half Christianity, and there he taketh up with peace: This is but driving Satan out of one

room into another, but till he be cast out of possession, the peace is unsound. Hear what Christ saith, Luke 11.21.22. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace; but when a stronger then he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his Armour wherein he trusted, and devideth his spoils. The soul of every man by nature is Satans Garrison; all is at peace in such a man, till Christ comes; when Christ storms this heart, he breaks the peace, he giveth it most terrible Alarms of Judgment and Hell, he battereth it with the Ordnance of his Threatnings and Terrors; he sets all in a combustion of Fear and Sorrow, till he have forced it to yield to his meer mercy, and take him for the Governor, and Satan is cast out; and then doth he establish a firm and lasting Peace. If therefore thou art yet but in that first peace, and thy heart was never yet either taken by storm, or delivered up freely to Jesus Christ, never think that thy peace will indure. Can the soul have peace which is at enmity with Christ, or stands out against him, or thinks his Government too severe, and his Conditions hard? Can he have peace against whom God proclaimeth war? I may say to thee, as Jehu to Joram, when he asked, Is it peace? What peace while the whordoms of thy mother Jezabel remain? So thou art desirous to hear nothing from the mouth of a Minister but peace; but what peace can there be till thou hast cast away thy wickedness, and thy first peace, and made thy peace with God through Christ? Wilt thou believe God him∣self in this Case? Why, read then what he saith twice over, Isai. 48.22. and 57.21. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. And hath he said it? and shall it not stand? Sinner, Though thou maist now harden and fortifie thy heart against Fear, and Grief, and Trouble, yet as true as God is true, they will batter down thy proud and fortified spirit, and seize upon it, and drive thee to a∣mazement: This will be done either here or hereafter. My coun∣sel therefore to thee is, that thou presently examine the grounds of thy peace, and say, I am now at ease and quiet in my minde; but is it grounded? and will it be lasting? Is the danger of eternal Judgment over? Am I sure my sins are pardoned, and my soul shall be saved? If not, alas, what cause of peace? I may be in hell before the next day for ought I know. —Certainly, a man that stands upon the Pinacle of a Steeple, or that sleeps on the top of the main Mast, or that is in the heat of the most bloody fight, hath

more cause of peace and carelesness then thou. Why, thou livest under the wrath of God continually, thou art already sentenced to eternal death, and maist every hour expect the execution, till thou have sued out a pardon through Christ. I can shew thee a hundred threatnings in Scripture which are yet in force against thee; but canst thou shew me one Promise for thy safety an hour? What as∣surance hast thou when thou goest forth of thy doors, that thou shalt ever come in again? I should wonder, but that I know the desperate hardness of the heart of man, how a man that is not sure of his peace with God, could eat, or drink, or sleep, or live in peace! That thou art not afraid when thou liest down, lest thou shouldst awake in hell; or when thou risest up, lest thou shouldest be in hell before night; or when thou sittest in thy house, that thou still fearest not the approach of death, or some fearful Judg∣ment seizing upon thee, and that the threats and sentence are not alwayes sounding in thy ears. Well, if thou were the nearest friend that I have in the world, in this case that thou art in, I could wish thee no greater good, then that God would break in upon thy careless heart, and shake thee out of thy false peace, and cast thee into trouble; that when thou feelest thy heart at ease, thou wouldest remember thy misery, that when thou art pleasing thy self with thy estate, or business, or labours, thou wouldest still re∣member the approaching wo; that thou wouldest cry out in the midst of thy pleasant discourse and merry company, O how neer is the great and dreadful change; that what ever thou art doing, God would make thee read thy sentence, as if it were still written be∣fore thine eyes: and which way soever thou goest, he would still meet thee full in the face with the sense of his wrath, as the Angel did Balaam with a drawn sword, till he had made thee cast away thy groundless peace, and lye down at the feet of Christ whom thou hast resisted, and say, Lord, what wouldest thou have me to do and so receive from him a surer and better peace, which will never be quite broken, but will be the beginning of thy ever∣lasting Peace, and not perish in thy perishing, as the groundless peace of the world will do.

SECT. V.* 1.11

FOurthly, Another additionall loss, aggravating their loss of Heaven, is this; They shall lose all their carnall Mirth. Their merry vein will then be opened and emptied: They will say themselves (as Solomon doth) of their laughter, Thou wast mad; and of their Mirth, What didst thou? Eccl. 2.2. Their witty jests, and pleasant conceits are then ended, and their merry tales are all told. Their mirth was but as the crackling of throns un∣der a pot, Eccles. 7.6. It made a great blaze and unseemly noise for a little while, but it was presently gone, and will return no more. They scorned to entertain any saddening thoughts; the talk of death and Judgment was irksome to them, because it dampt their mirth; they could not endure to think of their sin or danger, because these thoughts did sad their spirits: They knew not what it was to weep for sin; or to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God: They could laugh away sorrow, and sing away cares, and drive away these Melancholy thoughts: They thought, if they should live so austerely, and meditate, and pray, and mourn, as the godly do, their lives would be a continu∣all misery, and it were enough to make them run mad. Alas, poor souls! VVhat a misery then will that life be, where you shall have nothing but sorrow? Intense, heart-piercing, multiplied sorrow? VVhen you shall have neither the Joyes of the Saints, nor your own former Joyes? Do you think there is one merry heart in hell? or one joyfull countenance? or jesting tongue? You cry now, A little mirth is worth a great deal of sorrow: But sure a little godly sorrow, which would have ended in eternal Joy, had been more worth then a great deal of your foolish mirth, which will end in sorrow. Can men of gravity run laughing and playing in the streets, as little children do? or wise men laugh at a mischief, as fools and mad men? Or men that are sound in the brain,* 1.12 fall a dauncing, as they will do in a Viti Saltus, till they fall down dead with it? No more pleasure have wise men in your pit∣tifull mirth: For the end of such mirth is sorrow.

* 1.13SECT. VI.

FIfthly, Another additional loss will be this, They shall lose all their sensuall contentments and delights. That which they esteemed their chiefest good, their heaven, their God, that must they lose as well as Heaven and God himself. They shall then in despite of them fulfil that command,* 1.14 which here they would not be perswaded to obey, Rom. 13.14. of making no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. O what a fall will the proud ambitious man have, from the top of his honors! As his dust and bones will not be known from the dust and bones of the poorest beggar; so neither will his soul be honoured or favoured any more then theirs. VVhat a number of Right Honourable Lords, Right VVorshipful Kinghts and Gentlemen, Right Reverend Fathers and Learned Doctors are now shut out of the presence of Christ? If you say, How can I tell that? VVhy I answer, be∣cause their judg hath told me so: Hath he not said by his Apostle, 1 Cor. 1.26. That not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called? And if they be not called, they be not predestinate, or justified, or glorified. Rom. 8.30. Sure that rich man, Luk. 16. hath now no humble obeysance done him, nor titles of honor put upon him; nor do the poor now wait at his gates to receive of his scraps. They must be shut out of their wel-contrived houses, and sumptuous buildings; their comely Chambers, with costly hangings, their soft beds, and easie couches. They shall not finde there their gallant walks, their curious Gar∣dens, with varity of beauteous odoriferous fruits and flowers; their rich Pastures and pleasant Meadows, and plenteous Harvest, and Flocks, and Herds. Their tables will not be so spread and fur∣nished, nor they so punctually attended and observed. They have not there variety of Dainty fare, now severall courses, nor tempt∣ing dishes, prepared to please their appetites to the full: the rich man there fareth not deliciously every day: Neither shall he wear there his purple and fine linnen: The jetting gorgeous well drest gallant, that must not have a pin amiss, that stands as a picture

set to sale, that take themselves more beholden to the Tailor or Semster for their comeliness, then to God, they shall then be quite in a different garb; There is no powdering or curling of the hair, nor eying of themselves, nor desirous expecting the admiration of beholders. Sure our voluptuous youths must leave their Cards and Dice behinde them; as also their Hawks, and Hounds, and Bowls, and all their former pleasant sports: They shall then spend their time in a more sad imployment, and not in such pa∣stimes as these. Where will then be your Maygames, and your Morrice daunces? your Stage Playes, and your Shewes? What mirth will you have in remembring all the Games, and Sports, and Dauncings which you had on the Lords Days, when you should have been delighting your selves in God and his work? O, what an alteration will our Joviall roaring swaggerers then finde? What bitter draughts they will have in stead of their Wine and Ale? If there were any drinking of healths, the Rich man would not have begged so hard for a drop of water: The heat of their lust will be then abated: They shall not spend their time in courting their Mistresses, in lascivious discourse, in amorous songs, in wanton dalliance, in their lustful embracements, or brutish de∣filements: Yet they are like enough to have each others company there; But they will have no more comfort in that company, then Zimri and Cosbi, in dying together; or then lewd companions have in being hanged together on the same Gallows: O the dole∣ful meeting that these lustful wantons will have there? How it will even cut them to the heart to look each other in the face! And to remember that beastly pleasure for which they now must pay so dear! So will it be with the Fellowship of Drunkards, and all others that were play-fellows together in sin, who got not their pardon in the time of their lives: VVhat a direful greeting will there then be? Cursing the day that ever they saw the faces of one another! Remembring and ripping up all their lewdness, to the aggravation of their torment? O that sinners would re••member this in the midst of their pleasure and jollity! And say to one another. VVe must shortly reckon for this before the jealous God. VVill the remembrance of it then be comfortable, or terrible? VVill these delights accompany us to another world? How shall we look each other in the faces, if we meet in Hell to∣gether for these things? VVill not the memoriall of them be

then our torment? Shall we then take these for friendly actions? Or rather wish we had spent this time in praying together, o•• admonishing one another? O, why should we sell such a lasting, incomprehensible Joy, for one tast of a seeming pleasure? Come, as we have sinned together, let us pray together before we stir, that God would pardon us: And let us enter into a promise to one another, that we will do thus no more, but will meet toge∣ther with the godly in the worship of God, and help one ano∣ther toward Heaven, as oft as we have met for our sinfull metri∣ments, in helping to deceive and destroy each other.—This would be the way to prevent this sorrow, and a course that would comfort you when you look back upon it hereafter. VVho would spend so many dayes and yeers, and thoughts, and cares, and be at so much cost and pains, and all to please this flesh for a moment, which must shortly be most loathsome stinking rotten∣ness; and in the mean time neglect our pretious souls, and that state which we must trust to for ever and ever? To be at such pains for that pleasure which dyes in the enjoying, and is almost as soon gone as come, and when we have most need of comfort will be so far from following us as our happiness, that it will be perpe∣tual fuel to the flames which shall torment us! O that men knew but what they desire, when they would so fain have all things suited to the desires of the flesh! They would have Buildings, VValks, Lands, Cloathes, Diet, and all so fitted as may be most pleasing and delightful. VVhy, this is but to desire their tempta∣tions to be increased, and their snare strengthened: Their Joyes will be more carnall; and how great an enemy carnal Joy is to spiritual, experienced men can quickly tell you. If we took the flesh so much for your enemy as we do professe, we could not so earnestly desire, and contrive to accommodate it, and so congratu∣late all its contentments as we do.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 1.
• * 1.2

  §. 2.
• * 1.3

  Luk. 18.11. Num. 16.3.5.
• * 1.4

  §. 3.
• * 1.5

  1 Pet. 3.15.
• * 1.6

  Markes of sound Hope.
• * 1.7

  John 3.3. Heb 12.14. Luke 13.3, 5. Luke 14.24, 25, 26, 27, &c. Mat. 6.21. Rom. 8.6, 7, 8, 13. 1 John 2.15. Luke 16.13.
• * 1.8

  Gal. 5.18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. 2 Cor. 5.17.
• * 1.9

  §. 4.
• * 1.10

  Matth. 24 37, 38 39.
• * 1.11

  §. 5.
• * 1.12

  Vid. Platerum observat. lib. 1. pag. 92.
• * 1.13

  §. 6.
• * 1.14

  Tunc edax flamma combu∣rit, quos nunc carnalis dele∣ctatio polluit: Tunc infinitum patens inserni barathrum de∣vorat, quos in∣anis elatio nunc exaltat: et qui olim ex vitio volunt••tem ca∣••d•• praesuaso••is explev••••unt, tunc cum duce suo reprobi ad tormenta 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Gre∣gor. Moral. 9. Quid enim con••••letur eos qui suam ha∣bent consola∣tionem? Non consolatur Christ, infantia ga••rulos: non consolantur Christi 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cachin∣nantes; non con∣sola••tur p••nni ejus ambulan∣tes in stolis: Non consolan∣tur p••es••pe & stabulum amantes primas cathedras in Synagogis: sed aequanimiter sorte uni∣ve••••am h••n•• consolationem expectantibus in silentio dominum: ••ug••••tibus, pannosis, pauperibus cre∣dere videbantur. Bernard, Serm. 22.