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. XXIV.

1 Quest.* 1.1 IF you could grow Rich by Religion, or get Lands and Lordships by being diligent in godliness; or if you could get honor or preferment by it in the world; or could be re∣covered

from sickness by it, or could live for ever in prosperity on Earth; What kind of lives would you then lead? and what pains would you take in the Service of God? And is not the Rest of the Saints a more excellent Happiness then all this?

2 Quest. If the Law of the Land did punish every breach of the Sabbath, or every omission of family duties, or secret duties, or eve∣ry cold and heartless prayer with Death; If it were Felony or Trea∣son to be ungodly and negligent in Worship▪ and loose in your lives; What manner of persons would you then be? and what lives would you lead? And is not Eternal death more terrible then temporal.

3 Quest. If it were Gods ordinary course to punish every sin with some present Judgment, so that every time a man swears, or is drunk, or speaks a lye, or back-biteth his neighbor, he should be struck dead, or blind, or lame in the place; If God did punish eve∣ry cold prayer, or neglect of duty with some remarkable plague; what manner of persons would you then be? If you should sud∣denly fall down dead like Ananias and Saphira with the sin in your hands, or the plague of God should seize upon you as upon the Israelites,* 1.2 while their sweet morsels were yet in their mouths; If but a Mark should be set in the forehead of every one that neg∣lected a duty, or committed a sin; What kind of lives would you then lead? And is not Eternal Wrath more terrible then all this? Give but Reason leave to speak.

4 Quest. If one of your old acquaintance and companions in sin, should come from the dead, and tell you, that he suffereth the Torments of Hell for those sins that you are guilty of, and for neg∣lecting those duties which you neglect, and for living such a careless, worldly, ungodly life as you now live, & should therfore advise you to take another course; If you should meet such a one in your Cham∣ber when you are going to bed, and he should say to you, Oh take heed of this carnal unholy life! Set your self to seek the Lord with all your might; neglect not your Soul, Prepare for Eternity, that you

come not to the place of Torment that I am in: How would this take with you? and what manner of persons would you af∣terwards be? It is written in the life of Bruno, that a Doctor of great note for learning and godliness being dead, and being brought to the Church to be buried, while they were in their Popish Devo∣tions, and came to the words Responde mihi, the Corps arose in the Beir, and with a terrible voyce cryed out, Justo Dei Judicio accu∣satus sum, I am accused at the Just Judgment of God: At which voyce the people run all out of Church affrighted. On the morrow when they came again to perform the Obsequies, at the same words as before, the Corps arose again, and cryed with a hideous voyce, Justo Dei Judicio Judicatus sum, I am Judged at the righteous Judgment of God: Whereupon the people run away again ama∣zed. The third day almost all the City came together, and when they came to the same words as before, the Corps rose again, and cryed with a more doleful voyce then before, Justo Dei Judicio Condemnatus sum, I am Condemned at the Just Judgment of God. The consideration whereof, that a man reputed so upright should yet by his own confession be damned, caused Bruno, and the rest of his companions, to enter into that strict order of the Carthusians. If the voyce of the dead man could affright them into Superstition, should not the warnings of God affright thee into true Devotion?

5 Quest. If you knew that this were the last day you had to live in the world, how would you spend this day? If you were sure when you go to bed that you should never rise again, would not your thoughts of another life be more serious that night? If you knew when you are praying that you should never pray more, would you not be more earnest and importunate in that prayer? Or if you knew when you are preaching, or hearing, or exhorting, your sinful acquaintance, that this were the last opportunity you should have, would you not ply it more closely then usually you do? Why you do not know but it may be the last; and you are sure your last is near at hand.

6 Quest. If you had seen the general dissolution of the world, and all the pomp and glory of it consumed to ashes; If you saw all

on a fire about you, sumptuous buildings, Cities, Kingdoms, Land, Water, Earth, Heaven, all flaming about your ears▪ If you had seen all that men labored for, and sold their Souls for, gone; friends gone, the place of your former abode gone, the history ended, and all come down, what would such a sight as this perswade you to do? Why such a sight thou shalt certainly see. I put my Question to thee in the words of the Apostle,* 1.3 2 Pet. 3.11. Seeing all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? As if he should say, We cannot possibly conceive or express what manner of persons we should be in all holiness and godliness, when we do but think of the sudden, and certain, and terrible dissolution of all things below?

7 Quest. What if you had seen the process of the Judgment of the great day? If you had seen the Judgment set, and the Books opened, and the most stand trembling on the left hand of the Judg, and Christ himself accusing them of their rebellions and neglects, and remembring them of all their former slightings of his grace, and at last condemning them to perpetual perdition? If you had seen the godly standing on the right hand, and Jesus Christ ac∣knowledging their faithful obedience, and adjudging them to the possession of the Joy of their Lord? What manner of persons would you have been after such a sight as this? Why this sight thou shalt one day see, as sure as thou livest. And why then should not the fore-knowledg of such a day awake thee to thy duty?

8 Quest. What if you had once seen Hell open, and all the damn∣ed there in their easeless Torments? and had heard them crying out of their sloathfulness in the day of their visitation? and wishing that they had but another life to live, and that God would but try them once again? One crying out of his neglect of duty; and another of his loitering and trifling when he should have been labouring for his life? What manner of persons would you have been after such

a sight as this? What if you had seen Heaven opened, as Stephen did? and all the Saints there triumphing in Glory? and enjoying the End of their labours and sufferings? What a life would you lead after such a sight as this? Why you will see this with your eyes before it be long.

9 Quest. What if you had lien in Hell but one year, or one day, or hour? and there felt all those Torments that now you do but hear of? and God should turn you into the world again, and try you with another life's time, and say, I will see whether yet thou wilt be any better: What manner of persons would you be? If you were to live a thousand years, would you not gladly live as strictly as the precisest Saints? and spend all those years in prayer and duty, so you might but scape the Torment which you suffered? How seriously then would you speak of Hell! and pray against it! and hear, and read, and watch, and obey! How earnestly would you admonish the car••less to take heed, and look about them to pre∣vent their ruine! And will you not take Gods Word for the truth of this except you feel it? Is it not your wisdom to do as much now to prevent it, as you would do to remove it when it is too late? Is it not more wisdom to spend this life in labouring for Heaven while you have it, then to lie in Torment wishing for more time in Vain?

10 Quest. What if you had been possessed but one year of the Glory of Heaven? and there joyned with the Saints and Angels in the beholding of God, and singing his Praise? and afterwards should be turned into the world again? What a life would you lead? What pains would you take rather then be deprived of such incomparable Glory? Would you think any cost too great, or di∣ligence too much? If one of those that are now in Heaven should come to live on the Earth again, what persons would they be? What a stir would they make? How seriously would they drive on the business of their Salvation? The Country would ring of their ex∣ceeding Holy and Strict Conversations. They would as far excel the Holiest Persons on Earth, as they excel the careless world. Be∣fore they would lose that Blessed Estate, they would follow God

with cries both day and night, and throw away all, and suffer every day a Death. And should not we do as much to obtain it, as they would do to keep it?

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 24.
• * 1.2

  Psalm 78.30:
• * 1.3

  2 Pet. 3.11.12