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. XVII.

* 1.18. BUt though it be useless in respect of good, yet to Sathan is it very serviceable. Our ••ears of dying ensnare our souls and add strength to many temptations. Nay when we are called to dye for Christ, and put to it in a day of tryal, it may draw us to deny the known truth, and forsake the Lord God himself. You look upon it now as a small sin, a common frailty of humane na∣ture: But if you look to the dangerous consequents of it, me thinks it should move you to other thoughts. What made Peter deny his Lord? what makes Apostates in suffering times forsake the truth? and the green blade of unrooted faith, to wither before the heat of persecution? Fear of imprisoment and poverty may do much, but fear of death will do much more. When you see the Gibbet, or hear the sentence, if this fear of dying prevail in you, you'l strait begin to say as Peter, I know not the man. When you see the fa∣gots set, and fire ready, you'l say as that Apostate to the Martyr, O the fire is hot, and nature's frail, forgeting that the fire of hell is hotter. Sirs, as light as you make of it, you know not of what force these fears are to separate your souls from Jesus Christ. Have we not lately had frequent experience of it? How many thousand have fled in fight, and turned their back on a good cause, where they knew the honour of God was concerned, and their countreys welfare was the prize for which they fought, and the hopes of their posterity did lye at the sta••e, and all through un∣worthy fear of dying? Have we not known those, who lying un∣der a wounded conscience, and living in the practice of some known sin, durst scarce look the enemy in the face, because they durst not look death in the face? but have trembled and drawn back, and cryed, alas I dare not dye, If I were in the case of such or such, I durst dye. He that dare not dye, dare scarce fight valiant∣ly. Therefore we have seen in our late wars, that there is none more valiant then these two sorts.

1. Those who have conquered the fear of death by the power of Faith.

2. And those who have extinguisht it by desperate prophanness,

and cast it away through stupid security. So much fear as we have of death, usually so much cowardize in the cause of God: How∣ever its an evident temptation and snare. Beside the multitude of unbelieving contrivances, and discontents at the wise disposals of God, and hard thoughts of most of his providences, which this sin doth make us guilty of: Besides also it looseth us much precious time, and that for the most part neer our end. When time should be most precious of all to us; and when it should be imployed to better purpose, then do we vainly and sinfully wast it, in the fruit∣less issues of these distracting fears: So that you see how danger∣ous a snare these fears are, and how fruitful a parent of many evils.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 17.