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 ...

* 1.1SECT. XIX.

10. COnsider, thou hast had a competency of the comforts of life, and not of naked time alone. God might have made thy life a misery; till thou hadst been as weary of possessing it, as thou art now afraid of loosing it. If he had denyed thee the benefits and ends of living, thy life would have been but a slender comfort. They in Hell have life as well as we, and longer far then they desire: God might have suffered thee to have consumed thy days in ignorance, or to have spent thy life to the last hour, before he brought thee home to himself, and given thee the saving Know∣ledg of Christ; and then thy life had been short, though thy time long. But he hath opened thine eyes in the morning of thy days,

and acquainted thee betimes with the trade of thy life. I know the best are but negligent loyterers, and spend not their time ac∣cording to its worth; but yet he that hath an hundred yeers time, and looseth it all, lives not so long as he that hath but twenty, and bestows it well. Its too soon to go to Hell at an hundred yeers old, and not too soon to go to Heaven at twenty. The means are to be valued in reference to their end: Thats the best means, which speediliest and surest obtaineth the end. He that hath en∣joyed most of the ends of life, hath had the best life, and not he that hath lived longest. You that are acquainted with the life of Grace▪ what if you live but twenty or thirty yeers? would you change it for a thousand yeers of wickedness? God might have let you have lived like the ungodly world, and then you would have had cause to be afraid of dying. We have lived in a place and time of light; in Europe, not in Asia, Africa or America; in England, not in Spain or Italy; in the Age when Knowledg doth most abound, and not in our forefathers days of darkness; we have lived among Bibles, Sermons, Books, and Christians. As one Ac••e of fruitful soyl, is better then many of barren Commons; as the possession of a Kingdom for one yeer, is better then a lease of a Cottage for twenty; so twenty or thirty yeers living in such a place, or age, as we, is better then Methuselahs age, in the case of most of the world besides. And shall we not then be contented with our proportion? If we who are Ministers of the Gospel, have seen abundant fruit of our labors; if God hath blessed our labors in seven yeers▪ more then some others in twenty or thirty; if God have made us the happy, (though unworthy) means, of converting and saving more souls at a Sermon, then some better men in all their lives; what cause have we to complain of the shortness of our time in the work of God? would unprofitable, unsuccessful preaching have been comfortable? will it do us good to labor to little purpose, so we may but labor long? If our desires of living, are for the service of the Church, as our deceitful hearts are still pretending, then 〈◊〉〈◊〉 if God honor us to do the more service, though in the lesser time, we have our desire. God will have each to have his share; when we have had ours, let us rest contented. Perswade then thy backward soul to its duty, and argue down these dreadful thoughts: Unworthy wretch! Hath thy Father allowed thee so large a part, and caused thy lot to fall

so well? and given thee thine abode in pleasant places? and fill∣ed up all thy life with mercies? and dost thou now think thy share too small? is not that which thy life doth want in length, made up in bredth, and weight, and sweetness? Lay all together, and look about thee, and tell me; how many of thy neighbors have more? how many in all the Town or Countrey, have had a better share then thou? why mightest not thou have been one of the thousands, whose carkasses thou hast seen scattered as Dung on the Earth? or why mightest not thou have been one thats useless in the Church? and an unprofitable burden to the place thou livest in? What a multitude of hours of consolation? of delightful Sabbaths? of pleasant studies? of precious companions? of won∣derous deliverances? of excellent opportunities? of fruitful la∣bors? of joyful tidings? of sweet experiences? of astonishing providences hath thy life partaked of? so that many a hundred who have each of them lived an hundred yeers, have not altoge∣ther enjoyed so much. And yet art thou not satisfied with thy lot? Hath thy life been so sweet, that thou art loth to leave it? is that the thanks thou returnest to him, who sweetned it to draw thee to his own sweetness? Indeed, if this had been all thy portion, I could not blame thee to be discontented: And yet let me tell thee too, That of all these poor souls, who have no other portion, but receive all their good things in this life, there is few or none even of them, who ever had so full a share as thy self. And hast thou not then had a fair proportion, for one that must shortly have Heaven besides? O foolish Soul! would thou wert as covetous after eternity, as thou art for a fading perishing life! and after the blessed presence of God, as thou art for continuance with Earth and Sin!* 1.2 Then thou vvouldst rather look through the windows, and cry through the lattises, Why is his chariot so long a coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots? Hovv long Lord! Hovv long!

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 19.
• * 1.2

  Judges 5.28.