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. II.

* 1.2BUt let me turn my Reprehension to Exhortation, That you would turn this Conviction into Reformation. And I have the more hope, because I here address my self to men of Con∣science, that dare not wilfully disobey God, and to men whose Re∣lations to God are many and neer, and therefore methinks there should need the fewer words to perswade their hearts to him: Yea, because I speak to no other men, but onely them whose portion is there, whose hopes are there, and who have forsaken, all that they may enjoy this glory; and shall I be discouraged from perswading such to be heavenly-minded? why, fellow Christians; if you will not hear and obey, who will? well may we be discouraged to ex∣hort, the poor, blinde, ungodly world, and may say, as Moses, Exod. 6.12. Behold the Children of Israel have not hearkned unto me, how then shall Pharoah hear me? Who ever thou art therefore that readest these lines, I require thee, as thou tendrest thine Allegiance to the God of Heaven, as ever thou hopest for a part in this glory, that thou presently take thy heart to task: chide it for its wilful strangeness to God; turn thy thoughts from the pursuit of Vanity, bend thy soul to study Eternity, busie it about the life to come; habituate thy self to such contemplations, and let not those

thoughts be seldom and cursory, but settle upon them, dwell here, bathe thy soul in heavens Delights, drench thine affections in these rivers of pleasure, or rather in this sea of Consolation; and if thy backward soul begin to flag, and thy loose thoughts to fly a∣broad, call them back, hold them to their work, put them on, bear not with their lasiness, do not connive at one neglect; and when thou hast once in obedience to God tried this work, and fol∣lowed on till thou hast got acquainted with it, and kept a close guard upon thy thoughts till they are accustomed to obey, and till thou hast got some mastery over them, thou wilt then finde thy self in the suburbs of Heaven, and as it were in a new world, thou wilt then finde indeed, that there is sweetness in the work and way of God, and that the life of Christianity is a life of Joy; Thou wilt meet with those abundant consolations, which thou hast prayed, and panted, and groaned after, and which so few Christians do ever here obtain, because they know not this way to them, or else make not conscience of walking in it.

You see the work now before you: This, this is it that I would fain perswade your souls to practise: Beloved friends and Chri∣stian neighbors, who hear me this day, let me bespeak your con∣sciences in the name of Christ, and command you by the Autho∣rity I have received from Christ, that you faithfully set upon this weighty duty, and fix your eye more stedfastly on your Rest, and daily delight in the fore-thoughts thereof. I have perswaded you to many other duties, and (I bless God) many of you have obeyed, and I hope never to finde you at that pass, as to say when you per∣ceive the command of the Lord, that you will not be perswaded, nor obey; if I should, it were high time to bewail your misery: Why, you may almost as well say, we will not obey, as sit still and not obey. Christians, I beseech you, as you take me for your Teacher, and have called me thereto, so hearken to this Doctrine; if ever I shall prevail with you in any thing, let me prevail with you in this, to set your heart where you expect a Rest and Trea∣sure. Do you not remember, that when you called me to be your Teacher, you promised me under your hands, that you would faithfully and conscionably endeavor the receiving every truth, and obeying every command, which I should from the Word of God manifest to you? I now charge your promise upon you; I never delivered to you a more apparent Truth, nor prest

upon you a more apparent duty, then this? If I knew you would not obey, what should I do here preaching? Not that I desire you to receive it chiefly as from me, but as from Christ, on whose Mes∣sage I come. Me thinks, if a childe should shew you Scripture, and speak to you the Word of God, you should not dare to disobey it. Do not wonder that I perswade you so earnestly; though indeed if we were truly reasonable in spiritual things, as we are in com∣mon, it would be a real wonder that men should need so much perswasion, to so sweet and plain a duty; but I know the emply∣ment is high, the heart is earthly, and will still draw back, the temptations and hinderances will be many and great, and there∣fore I fear, before we have done, and laid open more fully the na∣ture of the Duty, that you will confess all these perswasions little enough; The Lord grant they prove not so too little, as to fail of success, and leave you as they finde you: Say not, we are unable to set our own hearts on heaven, this must be the work of God onely, and therefore all your Exhortation is in vain; for I tell you, though God be the chief disposer of your hearts, yet next under him you have the greatest command of them your selves, and a great power in the ordering of your own thoughts, and for de∣termining your own wills in their choice; though without Christ you can do nothing, yet under him you may do much, and must do much, or else it will be undone, and you undone through your neglect; Do your own parts, and you have no cause to distrust whe∣ther Christ will do his: Do not your own consciences tell you, when your thoughts fly abroad, that you might do more then you do to restrain them? and when your hearts lye flat, and neglect Eternity, and seldom minde the Joys before you that most of this neglect is wilful? If you be to study a set Speech, you can force your thoughts to the intended Subject; if a Minister be to study a Sermon, he can force his thoughts to the most saving Truths, and that without any speciall grace: might not a true Christian ther minde more the things of the life to come, if he did not neglect to exerci••e that authority over his own thoughts, which God hath given him? especially in such a work as this, where he may more confidently expect the assistance of Christ, who useth not to for¦sake his people in the work he sets them on. If a carnal Minister can make it his work, to study about Christ and heaven, through all his life time, and all because it is the trade he lives by, and knows

not how to subsist without it; why then, me thinks a spiritual Chri∣stian should study as constantly the Joys of heaven, because it is the very business he lives for, and that the place he must be in for ever: If the Cook can finde in his heart to labor and sweat about your meat, because it is the trade that maintains him, though perhaps he taste it not himself: Me thinks then, you for whom it is pre∣pared, should willingly bestow that daily pains, to taste its sweet∣ness, and feed upon it; and if it were about your bodily food, you would think it no great pains neither; a good stomack takes it for no great labor to eat and drink of the best till it be satisfied, nor needs it any great invitation thereto: Christians, if your souls were sound and right, they would perceive incomparably more delight and sweetness, in Knowing, Thinking, Believing, Loving, and Rejoycing in your future Blessedness in the fruition of God, then the soundest stomack findes in its food, or the strongest senses in the enjoyment of their objects; so little painful would this work be to you, and so little should I need to press you to it: its no great pains to you to think of a friend, or any thing else that you dearly love, and as little would it be to think of Glory, if your love and delight were truly there: if you do but see some Jewel, or Trea∣sure, you need not long exhortations to stir up your desires, the very sight of it is motive enough; if you see the fire when you are cold, or see a house in a stormy day, or see a safe harbor from the tempestuous seas, you need not be told what use to make of it: the sight doth presently direct your thoughts: you think, you look, you long, till you do obtain it. Why should it not be so in the present case? Sirs, one would think, to shew you this Crown and Glory of the Saints, should be motive enough to make you desire it; to shew you that Harbor where you may be safe from all dangers, should soon teach you what use to make of it, and should bend your daily studies towards it; but because I know while we have fl••sh about us, and any remnants of that car∣nal minde, which is enmity to God, and to this noble work, that all motives are little enough; And because my own, and others sad experiences tell me how hardly the best are drawn to a constancy and faithfulness in this duty; I vvill here lay down some moving Considerations, vvhich if you vvill but vouchsafe to ponder throughly, and deliberately vveigh vvith an impartial judgment, I doubt not but they vvill prove effectuall vvith your hearts, and

make you resolve upon this excellent duty. I pray you friends, let them not fall to the ground, but take them up, and try them, and if you finde they concern you, make much of them, and obey them accordingly.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 2.
• * 1.2

  Exhort.