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. XXIII.* 1.1

OBject. 2. O, but the Churches necessities are great, and God hath made me useful in my place; so that the loss vvill be to many, or else, me thinks, I could vvillingly die.

Answ. This may be the case of some; but yet remember, the heart is deceitful: God is oft pretended, vvhen our selves are in∣••ended. But if this be it that sticks vvith thee indeed, consider, VVilt thou pretend to be vviser then God? doth not he knovv hovv ••o provide for his Church? Cannot he do his vvork vvithout thee?

or finde out instruments enough besides thee? Think not too high∣ly of thy self, because God hath made thee useful. Must the Church needs fall when thou art gone? Art thou the foundation on which its built? Could God take away a Moses, an Aaron, David, Elias, &c. and finde supply for all their places? and cannot he also finde supply for thine? This is to derogate from God too much, and to arrogate too much unto thy self. Neither art thou so merciful as God; nor canst love the Church so well as he: As his interest is infinitely beyond thine, so is his tender care and bounty. But of this before.

Yet mistake me not in all that I have said: I deny not but that it is lawful and necessary for a Christian upon both the foremen∣tioned grounds, to desire God to delay his death; both for a fur∣ther opportunity of gaining assurance, and also to be further ser∣viceable to the Church.* 1.2 But first, This is nothing to their case who are still delaying, and never willing; whose true discontents are at death it self, more then at the unseasonableness of dying. Secondly, Though such desires are sometimes lawful, yet must they be carefully bounded and moderated; to which end are the form∣er considerations. We must not be too absolute and peremptory in our desires; but cheerfully yield to Gods disposal. The rightest temper is that of Pauls, to be in a streight between two; desiring to depart,* 1.3 and be with Christ, and yet to stay while God will have us, to do the Church the utmost service. But alas, we are seldom in this streight: Our desires run out all one way, and that for the flesh, and not the Church: Our streights are onely for fear of dy∣ing; and not betwixt the earnest desires of dying, and of living.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 23.
• * 1.2

  See Phil. 2.26, 27.
• * 1.3

  Phil. 1.23.