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. V.

5. AS you value the comforts of a heavenly Life, take heed of a proud and lofty spirit. There is such an Antipathy between this sin and God, that thou wilt never get thy heart neer him, nor get him neer thy heart, as long as this prevaileth in it. If it cast the Angels from heaven that were in it, it must needs keep thy heart estranged from it: If it cast our first parents out of Pa∣radise, and separated between the Lord and us, and brought his curse on all the creatures here below; it must needs then keep our hearts from Paradise, and increase the cursed seperation from our God. Believe it, hearers, a proud heart and a Heavenly heart, are exceeding contrary. Entercourse with God will keep men low

and that lowliness will further their entercourse: when a man is used to be much with God, and taken up in the study of his glo∣rious attributes, he abhors himself in dust and ashes: and that self-abhorrance is his best preparative, to obtain admittance to God a∣gain. Therefore after a soul-humbling day, or in times of trouble, when the soul is lowest, it useth to have freest access to God, and savour most of the life above: He will bring them into the wil∣derness, and there he will speak comfortably to them, Hos. 2.14. The delight of God is in a humble soul even him that is contrite and trembleth at his word; and the delight of a Humble soul is in God:* 1.2 and sure where there is mutual delight, there will be freest admittance, and heartiest welcome, and most frequent converse. Heaven would not hold God and the proud Angels together; but a humble soul he makes his dwelling: and surely if our dwelling be with him, and in him, and his dwelling also be with us and in us, there must needs be a most neer and sweet familiarity▪ But the soul that is proud cannot plead this priviledg; God is so far from dwelling in it, that he will not admit it to any neer access, but looks upon it afar off. Psal. 138.6. The proud he resisteth (and the proud resisteth him) but to the humble he gives this and o∣ther Graces. 1 Pet. 5.5. A proud minde is a high minde in con∣ceit, self-esteem, and carnal-aspiring: A heavenly minde is a high minde indeed,* 1.3 in Gods esteem, and in higher (yet holy) aspiring, These two sorts of high-mindedness, are more adverse to one another, then a high minde and a low: As we see that most wars and bloodshed is between Princes and Princes, and not between a Prince and a Plowman. A low spirit and a humble, is not so contrary to a high and heavenly, as is a high and a proud. A grain of Mustard Seed may come to be a tree; A small Acorn may be a great Oake. The sail of the windmil that is now down, may presently be the highest of all; A Subject that is low may be raised high, and he that is high may be yet higher, as long as he stands in subordination to his Prince, who is the fountain of honor but if he break out of that subordination, and become a com∣petitor, or will assume and arrogate honor to himself; he will finde this prove the falling way. A man that is swelled in a Dropsie with winde or water, is as far from a sound well fleshed constitution,* 1.4 as he that is in a consuming Atrophy. Well then; art thou a man of worth in thine own eyes? and very tender of

thine esteem with others? Art thou one that much valuest the applause of the people? and feelest thy heart tickled with delight when thou hearest of thy great esteem with men? and much de∣jected when thou hearest that men sleight thee? Do thou love those best who most highly honour thee? and doth thy heart bear a grudg at those that thou thinkest do undervalue thee, and entertain mean thoughts of thee,* 1.5 though they be otherwise men of godliness and honesty? Art thou one that must needs have thy humors fulfilled? and thy judgment must be a rule to the Judg∣ments of others? and thy word a law to all about thee? Art thou ready to quarrel with every man, that lets fall a word in deroga∣tion from thy honor? Are thy passions kindled if thy word or will be crossed? Art thou ready to judg humility to be sordid baseness? and knowest not how to stoop and submit? and wilt not be brought to shame thy self, by humble confession, when thou hast sinned against God, or injured thy brother? Art thou one that honourest the godly that are rich? and thinkest thy self somebody if they value and own thee? but lookest strangely at the godly poor, and art almost ashamed to be their companion? Art thou one that canst not serve God in a low place, as well as in a high? and thinkest thy self the fittest for offices and honors? and lovest Gods service when it stands with preferment? Hast thou thine eye and thy speech much on thy own deservings? and are thy boastings restained more by wit then by humility? * 1.6 Dost thou delight in opportunities of setting forth thy parts? and lov∣est to have thy name made publike to the world? and wouldst fain leave behinde thee some monument of thy worth, that poste∣rity may admire thee when thou art dead and gone? Hast thou witty circumlocutions to commend thy self, while thou seemest to debase thy self, and deny thy worth? Dost thou desire to have all mens eyes upon thee? and to hear men observing thee, say, This is he? Is this the end of thy studies and learning, of thy la∣bors and duties, of seeking degrees and titles and places, that thou maist be taken for somebody abroad in the world? Art thou un∣acquainted with the deceitfulness and wickedness of thy heart? or knowest thy self to be vile only by reading and by hear-say, but not by experience and feeling of thy vileness? Art thou readier to de∣fend thy self and maintain thine innocency, then to accuse thy self, or confess thy fault? Canst thou hardly hear a close reproof,

and dost digest plain dealing with difficulty and distaste? Art thou readier in thy discourse to teach then to learn? and to dictate to others, then to hearken to their instructions? Art thou bold and confident of thy own opinions, and little suspitious of the weak∣ness of thy understanding? but a sleighter of the judgments of all that are against thee? Is thy spirit more disposed to command and govern, then it is to obey and be ruled by others? Art thou ready to censure the Doctrine of thy Teachers, the actions of thy Rulers? and the persons of thy brethren? and to think, if thou were a Judg, thou wouldst be more just, or if thou were a Minister thou wouldst be more fruitful in Doctrine, and more faithful in overseeing? Or if thou hadst had the managing of other mens business, thou wouldst have carried it more honestly and wisely? If these Symtomes be undeniably in thy heart, beyond doubt thou art a proud person. I will not talk of thy following the fashions, of thy bravery and comportment, thy proud gestures, and arrogant speeces, thy living at a rate above thy abilities: Perhaps thy in∣competency of estate, or thy competency of wit, may suffice to restrain these unmanly fooleries; perhaps thou maist rather seem sordid to others, and to live at a rate below thy worth, and yet if thou be guilty of the former accusations, be it known to thee, thou art a person abominably proud, it hath seized on thy heart, which is the principall Fort; there's too much of hell abiding in thee, for thee to have any acquaintance at heaven; thy soul is too like the devil, for thee to have any familiarity with God: A proud man is all in the flesh, and he that will be heavenly must be much in the Spirit. Is it likely that the man whom I have here described, hath either will or skill to go out of Himself, and out of the Flesh, as it were, and out of the world, that so he may have freedom for con∣verse above? A proud man make himself his God, and admires and sets up himself as his Idol; how then can he have his affections set on God? As the humble godly man, is the Zealot in forward worshipping of God, so the Ambitious man is the great zealot in Idolatry; for what is his Ambition, but a more hearty and earnest desire after his Idol, then the common and calmer Idolaters do reach? And can this man possibly have his heart in heaven? Its possible his invention and memory may furnish his tongue both with humble and heavenly expressions, but in his spirit the•••• is no more heaven then there is humility.

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I intreat you Readers, be very jealous of your souls in this point; There's nothing in the world will more estrange you from God. I speak the more of it, because it is the most common and dange∣rous sin in Morality, and most promoting the great sin of Infideli∣ty: you would little think (yea, and the owners do little think) what humble carriage, what exclaiming against pride, what moan∣ful self-accusing may stand with this divelish sin of pride: O Chri∣stian, if thou wouldest live continually in the presence of thy Lord, lie in the dust, and he will thence take thee up; descend first with him into the grave, and thence thou maist ascend with him to glory. Learn of him to be meek and lowly,* 1.7 and then thou maist taste of this Rest to thy soul. Thy soul else will be as the troubled Sea, still casting out mire and dirt, which cannot rest: And in stead of these sweet delights in God, thy pride will fill thee with perpetual disquietness.* 1.8 It is the humble soul that forgets not God, and God will not forget the humble, Psal. 10.12. and 9.12. As he that humbleth himself as a little childe, shall hereafter be greatest in the Kingdom of God, Matth. 18.4. So shall he now be greatest in the forecastes of the Kingdom: For as whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; so he that humbleth himself shall be (in both these respects) exalted, Matth. 23.12. God therefore dwelleth with him that is humble and contrite, to revive the Spirit of such with his presence, Isai. 57.15. I conclude with that coun∣sel of James and Peter, Humble your selves therefore in the sight of the Lord, and he shall (now in the Spirit) lift you up, Jam. 4 10. and in due time shall (perfectly) exalt you,* 1.9 1 Pet. 5.6. And when others are cast down, then shalt thou say, There is lifting up, and he shall save the humble person, Job 22.29.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 5.
• * 1.2

  Isa. 57.15. and 66.2. Psal. 34.18. and 51.17.
• * 1.3

  James 4.6.
• * 1.4

  Description of a proud man.
• * 1.5

  Nemo pluris aest••mavit vir∣tutem, quam qui boni viri famam perdidit ne conscienti∣am perderet: ut Seneca admo∣dum Theologicè.
• * 1.6

  Optimè Chy∣traeus: Amp∣lum nomen & claritatem po∣pularem, in his terris plaerique nescimus, an∣tequam paeni∣tere caepit, con∣temnere: Vsi∣bus denique e∣docti, cum sae∣vum praelustre fulmen ab arce ferit, serò nobis & Christo vi∣vere optamus.
• * 1.7

  Matth. 11.28, 29. Isai. 57.20.
• * 1.8

  Scitum est illud Rabbi Levitae: Maximè humi∣li spiritu esto: Expectatio ••••im hominis sunt vermes.
• * 1.9

  Prov. 15.33. and 18.12.