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.

BEing thus provided,* 1.1 then set to the business: and therein ob∣serve these Directions following; (which I will mention briefly, that lying close together, you may be able to view and ob∣serve them the more easily.)

1. Empty thy minde of all thy other cares and thoughts, that they do not distract or divide thy mind: This work will be enough at once of it self, without joyning others with it.

2. Then fall down before God, and in hearty prayer desire the assistance of his Spirit, to discover to thee the plain truth of thy Condition; and to enlighten thee in thy whole progress in the work.

3. Make choyce of the most convenient Time and Place. I shall not stand upon the particular Directions about these, because I shall mention them more largely when I come to direct you in the duty of Contemplation: Only thus in brief. 1. Let the Place be the most private, that you may be free from distractions. 2. For the Time, thus. 1. When you are most solitary and at leasure: You cannot cast accounts, especially of such a nature as these, either in a croud of company, or of imployments. 2. Let it be a set and cho••en Time, when you have nothing to hinder you. 3. But, if it may be, let it be the present Time, especially if thou have been a stranger hitherto to the work. There is no delaying in matters of such weight. 4. Especially when you have a more special call to search

your selves: as in publique calamities, in time of sickness, before Sacrament, &c. 5. When God is Trying you by some Affliction, and (as Job saith) is searching after your sin,* 1.2 then set in with him, and search after them your selves. 6. Lastly, You should specially take such a Time when you are most fit for the work: when you are not secure and stupid on one hand; nor yet under deep deserti∣ons or Melancholly on the other hand: for else you will be unfit Judges of your own states.

4. When you have thus chosen the fittest Time and Place, then draw forth, either from thy Memory, or in writing, the foremen∣tioned Marks, or Gospel-Conditions, or Descriptions of the Saints: Try them by Scripture, and convince thy Soul throughly of their infallible Truth.

5. Proceed then to put the Question to thy self: But be sure to state it right. Let it not be, Whether there be any Good in thee at all? (for so thou wilt err on the one hand:) Nor yet, Whe∣ther thou have such or such a degree and measure of Grace? (for so thou wilt err on the other hand:) But, Whether such or such a Saving Grace be in thee at all in sincerity, or not?

6. If thy heart draw back, and be loath to the work; suffer it not so to give thee the slip: but force it on: Lay thy command upon it: let Reason interpose, and use its authority: Look over the fore-going Arguments, and press them home: Yea, lay the Command of God upon it; and charge it to obey upon pain of his displeasure: Set Conscience a work also: let it do its office, till thy lazy heart be spurred up to the work: For if thou suffer it to break away once and twice, &c. it will grow so head-strong, that thou canst not master it.

7. Let not thy Heart trifle away the Time, when it should be diligently at the work: Put the Question to it seriously: Is it thus and t••us with me, or no? Force it here to an Answer: suffer it not to be silent: nor to jangle and think of other matters: If the Question be hard, through the darkness of thy Heart; yet do not give it over so: but search the closer: and study the case the more exactly: And if it be possible, let not thy Heart give over, till it have Resolved the Question, and told thee off or on, in what case thou art: Ask it strictly (as Joseph examined his Brethren, Gen. 43.7.) how it stands affected: Do as David, Psal. 77.6. My spirit made Diligent Search: If thy Heart strive to break away

before thou art resolved; wrestle with it, till thou hast prevailed, and say, I will not let thee go, till thou hast Answered. He that can prevail with his own Heart, shall also be a prevailer with God.

8. If thou finde the work beyond thy strength, so that after all thy pains thou art never the more resolved; then seek out for help: Go to some that is Godly, experienced, able, and faithful; and tell him thy case, and desire his best advice and help. Not that any can know thy heart, so well as thy self: But if thou deal faith∣fully, and tell him what thou knowest by thy self; he can tell thee whether they be sound Evidences, or not; and shew thee Scrip∣ture how to prove them so; and direct thee in the right use of such Evidences; and shew thee how to conclude from them. Yea, when thou canst get no further, the very Judgment of an able Godly man should take much with thee, as a probable Argument; as the Judgment of a Physician concerning the state of thy body: Though this can afford thee no full certainty, yet it may be a great help to stay and direct thee. But be sure thou do not make this a pretence to put off thy own duty of Examining: But onely use it as one of the last remedies, when thou findest thy own endevors will not serve. Neither be thou forward to open thy case to every one: or to a carnal, flattering, unskilful person: But to one that hath wisdom to conceal thy secrets, and tenderness to compassi∣onate thee, and skill to direct thee, and faithfulness to deal truly and plainly with thee.

9. When by all this pains and means thou hast discovered the truth of thy state, then pass the Sentence on thy self accordingly. A meer examination will do thee little good, if it proceed not to a Judgment. Conclude as thou findest: Either that thou art a true Beleever: or that thou art not. But pass not this Sentence rashly; nor with self-flattery, nor from Melancholly terrors and fears: But do it groundedly and deliberately; and truly as thou findest, according to thy Conscience. Do not conclude, as some do, [I am a good Christian,] or as others do, [I am a Reprobate, or a Hypocrite, and shall be damned,] when thou hast no ground for what thou sayst, but thy own fancy, or hopes, or fears; nay, when thou art convinced by Scripture and Reason of the contrary; and hast nothing to say against the Arguments. Let not thy Judg∣ment be any way by assed, or bribed; and so fore-stalled from sen∣tencing aright.

10. Labor to get thy heart kindly Affected with its discovered condition, according to the sentence passed on it. Do not think it enough to know: but labor to feel, what God hath made thee see. If thou finde thy self undoubtedly graceless, Oh get this to thy heart; and think what a doleful Condition it is: To be an Enemy to God! to be unpardoned! unsanctified! and if thou shouldst so dye, to be Eternally damned! One would think such a thought should make a heart of stone to quake! On the contrary: If thou finde thy self renewed and sanctified indeed; Oh get this warm and close to thy heart. Bethink thy self; What a blessed state the Lord hath brought thee into! To be his Childe! his Friend! to be pardoned, justified, and sure to be saved! Why what needest thou fear? but sinning against him? Come war, or plague, or sickness, or death, thou art sure they can but thrust thee into Heaven.

Thus follow these Meditations, till they have left their impres∣sion on thy heart.

11. Be sure to Record this Sentence, so passed, write it down: or at least write it in thy Memory: At such a time upon through Examination, I found my state to be thus or thus: This Record will be very useful to thee hereafter. If thou be ungodly: what a damp will it be to thy presumption and security, to go and read the Sentence of thy Misery under thy own hand? If thou be god∣ly: what a help will it be against the next Temptation to doubt∣ing and fear, to go and read under thy hand this Record? Mayst thou not think; If at such a time I found the Truth of Grace, is it not likely to be now the same? and these my doubts to come from the Enemy of my Peace?

12. Yet would I not have thee so trust to once discovery, as to Try no more: Especially if thou have made any foul Defection from Christ, and play'd the backslider; See then that thou renew the Search again.

13. Neither would I have this hinder thee in the dayly Search of thy ways; or of thy increase in Grace, and fellowship with Christ: It is an ill sign, and desperate vile sin, for a man when he thinks he hath found himself Gracious, and in a happy state, to let down his watch, and grow negligent of his heart and ways, and scarce look after them any more.

14. Neither would I have thee give over in discouragement, if

thou canst not at once or twice, or ten times trying, discover thy Case: But follow it on till thou hast discovered. If one hours la∣bor will not serve, take another: If one day, or moneth, or year be too little; follow it still. If one Min••ster cannot direct thee sufficiently, go to another. The Issue will answer all thy pains. There is no sitting down discouraged in a work that must be done.

15. Lastly, above all take heed, if thou finde thy self to be yet unregenerate, that thou do not conclude of thy Future estate by thy present: nor say, Because I am ungodly, I shall dye so: or be∣cause I am an Hypocrite, I shall continue so. No: thou hast ano∣ther work to do: And that is, To resolve presently to cleave to Christ, and break off thy Hypocrisie, and thy Wickedness. If thou finde that thou hast been all this while out of the way, do not sit down in despair; but make so much the more haste to turn into it. If thou have been an Hypocrite, or ungodly person all thy life, yet is the promise offered thee by Christ; and he tendereth him∣self to be thy Lord and Saviour: Neither canst thou possibly be so Willing to Accept of him, as he is to Accept thee. Nothing but thy own unwillingness can keep thy Soul from Christ, though thou hast hitherto abused him, and dissembled with him.

Object. But if I have gone so far, and been a professor so long, and yet finde my self an Hypocrite now after all; what hope is there that I should now become sincere? Answ. Dost thou hear∣tily Desire to be Sincere? Thy Sincerity doth lie especially in thy Will: As long as thou art unwilling, I confess thy case is sad: But if thou be willing to receive Christ as he is offered to thee, and so to be a Christian indeed, then thou art sincere. Neither hath Christ restrained his Spirit, or Promises, to any set time; or said to thee, Thou shalt finde grace, if thou sin but so much, or so long: But if thou be heartily Willing at any time, I know not who can hin∣der thy happiness. (Yet is this no diminution of the sin or danger of delaying.)

Thus I have given you these Directions for Examination; which conscionably practised, will be of singular advantage and use to discover your states: But it is not the bare reading of them that will do it. I fear, of many that will approve of this advice, there will but few be brought to use it. However, those that are will∣ing, may finde help by it: and the rest will be left more unexcuse∣able in Judgment.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 2.
• * 1.2

  Job 10.6.