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. II.* 1.1

1. THe great Instrument that this Work is done by, is Ratio∣cination, Reasoning the case with your selves, Discourse of minde, Cogitation, or Thinking, or, if you will, call it Conside∣ration. I here suppose you to know the things to be considered, and therefore shall wholly pass over tha•• Meditation of Students, which tends onely to Speculation or Knowing; They are known Truths that I perswade you to consider; for the grossly ignorant that know not the Doctrine of everlasting Life, are, for the pre∣sent, uncapable of this duty.

Mans soul as it receives and retains the Idea's or Shapes of things, so hath it a power to chuse out any of these deposited Idea's, and draw them forth, and act upon them again and again; even as a Sheep can fetch up his meat for rumination; otherwise nothing would affect us, but while the sense is receiving it, and so we should be somewhat below the Bruits. This is the power that here you must use: To this choice of Idea's or subjects for your Co∣gitation, there must necessarily concur the act of the Will, which indeed must go along in the whole Work; for this must be a vo∣luntary,

not a forced Cogitation; Some men do consider whether they will or no, and are not able to turn away their own thoughts, so will God make the wicked consider of their sins when he shall set them all in order before them, Psal. 50.21.22. And so shall the damned consider of Heaven, and of the excellency of Christ whom they once despised, and of the eternal joyes which they have fool∣ishly lost. But this forced Consideration, is not that I mean, but that which thou dost willingly and purposely chose; but though they will be here requisite, yet still Consideration is the instrument of the Work.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 2.