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. VIII.* 1.1

EIghtly.8 1.2 Another excellency of our Rest will be this, That it will be absolutely perfect and compleat; and this both in the sincerity and universality of it.1 1.3 We shall then have Joy without sorrow, and Rest without weariness: As there is no mixture of our corruption with our Graces, so no mixture of sufferings with our solace: there is none of those waves in that Harbor, which now so toss us up and down: VVe are now sometime at the Gates of Heaven, and presently almost as low as Hell; we wonder at those changes of Providence toward us, being scarcely two days together in a like condition. To day we are well, and conclude the bitterness of death is past; to morrow sick, and conclude we shall shortly perish by our distempers; to day in esteem, to mor∣row in disgrace; to day we have friends, to morrow none; to

day in gladness, to morrow in sadness; na••▪ we have VVine and Vinegar in the same Cup, and our pleasantest Food hath a taste of the Gall.* 1.4 If Revelations should raise us to the third Heaven, the messenger of Satan must presently buffet us, and the prick in the flesh will fetch us down: But there is none of this unconstancy, nor mixtures in Heaven.* 1.5 If perfect Love cast out fear, then per∣fect Joy must needs cast out sorrow; and perfect happiness ex∣clude all the reliques of misery.2 1.6 There will be an universal perfect∣ing of all our parts and powers, and a universal removal of all our evils.1 1.7 And though the positive part be the sweetest, and that which draws the other after it, even as the rising of the Sun ex∣cludes the darkness;2 1.8 yet is not the negative part to be slighted, even our freedom from so many and great Calamities. Let us therefore look over these more punctually, and see what it is that we shall there Rest from. In general, It is from all evil. Particular∣ly, First, from the evil of Sin; secondly, and of suffering.

1 1.9First, It excludeth nothing more directly then sin; whether original, and of Nature; or actual, and of Conversation: For there entereth nothing that defileth, nor that worketh abomina∣tion, nor that maketh a lie; when they are there, the Saints are Saints indeed. He that will wash them with his heart blood, rather then suffer them to enter unclean, will now perfectly see to that; he who hath undertaken to present them to his Father,* 1.10 not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but perfectly holy, and without blemish, will now most certainly perform his undertaking. What need Christ at all to have died, if Heaven could have contained imperfect souls.* 1.11 For to this end came he into the world, that he might put away the works of the divel. His Blood and Spirit have not done all this,* 1.12 to leave us after all defiled. For what commu∣nion hath light with darkness? and what fellowship hath Christ with Belial? He that hath prepared for sin the torments of Hell, will never admit it into the Blessedness of Heaven. Therefore Christian, never fear this; if thou be once in Heaven, thou shalt sin no more. Is not this glad news to thee, who hast prayed, and watched and labored against it so long? I know if it were offer∣ed to thy choice, thou wouldst rather chuse to be freed from sin, then to be made heir of all the world: VVhy wait till then, and thou shalt have thy desire: That hard heart, those vile thoughts, which did lie down and rise with thee, which did accompany thee

to every duty, which thou couldst no more leave behinde thee, then leave thy self behinde thee, shall now be left behinde for ever. They might accompany thee to death, but they cannot pro∣ceed a step further.1 1.13 Thy understanding shall never more be trou∣bled with darkness: Ignorance and Error are inconsistent with this Light. Now thou walkest like a man in the twilight, ever a∣fraid of being out of the way: Thou seest so many Religions in the VVorld, that thou fearest thy one cannot be onely the right among all these * 1.14: Thou seest the Scripture so exceeding difficult, and every one pleading it for his own cause, and bringing such specious Arguments for so contrary Opinions, that it intangleth thee in a Labarinth of perplexities: Thou seest so many godly men on this side, and so many on that, and each zealous for his own way, that thou art amazed, not knowing which way to take. And thus do doubtings and fears accompany darkness, and we are ready to stumble at every thing in our way. But then will all this darkness be dispelled, and our blinde understandings fully open∣ed, and we shall have no more doubts of our way: VVe shall know which was the right side, and which the wrong; which was the Truth, and which the Error. O what would we give to know cleerly, all the profound Mysteries in the Doctrine of Decree, of Redemption, of Justification, of the nature of Grace, of the Covenants, of the Divine Attributes, &c. VVhat would we not give to see all dark Scriptures made plain, to see all seeming con∣tradictions reconciled! Why when Glory hath taken the vail from our eyes, all this will be known in a moment; we shall then see clearly into all the controversies about Doctrine or Discipline that now perplex us. The poorest Christian is presently there a more perfect Divine, then any is here. We are now through our Igno∣rance, subject to such mutability; that in points not fundamental, we change as the Moon; that it is cast as a just reproach upon us; that we profess our Religion with Reserves, and resolvedly settle upon almost nothing; that we are to day of one opinion, and

within this week, or moneth, or yeer, of another; and yet alas! we cannot help it: The reproach may fall upon all mankinde, as long as we have need of daily growth: Would they have us be∣leeve before we understand? or say, we beleeve when indeed we do not? shall we profess our selves resolved, before we ever throughly studied? or say, we are certain, when we are conscious that we are not? But when once our Ignorance is perfectly heal∣ed, then shall we be setled, resolved men; then shall our reproach be taken from us, and we shall never change our judgment more; then shall we be clear and certain in all, and cease to be Scepticks any more. Our Ignorance now doth lead us into Error, to the grief of our more knowing Brethren, to the disturbing of the Churches quiet, and interrupting her desireable harmonious consent, to the scandalizing of others, and weakning of our selves. How many an humble faithful Soul, is seduced into Error, and little knows it? Loath they are to erre, God knows, and therefore read, and pray, and confer, and yet erre still, and con∣firmed in it more and more: And in lesser and more difficult points, how should it be otherwise? He that is acquainted amongst men, and knows the quality of Professors in England, must needs know, the generality of them are no great Scholars, nor have much read, or studied Controversies, nor are men of profoundest natural parts, nor have the Ministers of England much preached Con∣troversies to them, but were glad if their hearers were brought to Christ, and got so much knowledg as might help to Salvation, as knowing that to be their great work. And can it be expected, That men voyd of Learning, and strength of parts, unstudied and untaught, should at the first on set know those Truths, which they are almost uncapable of knowing at all? when the greatest Di¦vines of clearest Judgment, acknowledg so much difficulty, That they could almost finde in their hearts, sometimes to profess them quite beyond their reach? Except we will allow them to lay aside their divine Faith, and take up an humane, and see with other mens eyes, the weight and weakness of Arguments, and not with their own; It cannot be thought, That the most of Christians, no, nor the most Divines, should be free from erring in those difficult points, where we know they have not Head-peeces able to reach. Indeed, if it were the way of the Spirit to teach us miraculously, as the Apostles were taught the knowledg of Tongues, without

the intervening use of Reason; or if the Spirit infused the acts of Knowledg, as he doth the immediate knowing Power, then he that had most of the Spirit, would not onely know best, but al∣so know most; but we have enough to convince us of the con∣trary to this. But O that happy approaching day, when Error shall vanish away for ever! VVhen our understandings shall be filled with God himself, whose light will leave no darkness in us! His face shall be the Scripture, where we shall read the Truth; and himself instead of Teachers and Councels, to perfect our un∣derstandings, and acquaint us with himself, who is the perfect Truth. No more Error, no more Scandal to others, no more Dis∣quiet to our own spirits, no more mistaking zeal for falshood, because our understandings have no more sin. Many a Godly man hath here in his mistaken zeal, been a means to deceive and pervert his Brethren, and when he sees his own Error, cannot again tell how to undeceive them. But there we shall all conspire in one Truth, as being one in him, who is that Truth.

And as we shall rest from all the sin of our understandings,2 1.15 so of our wills, affection and conversation: VVe shall no more retain this rebelling principle, which is still withdrawing us from God, and addicting us to backsliding: Doubtless we shall no more be oppressed with the power of our corruptions, nor vexed with their presence: No Pride, Passion, Sloathfulness, Senselesness shall enter with us; no strangness to God, and the things of God; no coldness of affections, nor imperfection in our love; no uneven walking, nor grieving of the Spirit; no scandalous action, or un∣holy conversation; we shall Rest from all these for ever. Then shall our understandings receive their Light from the face of God, as the full Moon from the open Sun, where there is no Earth to interpose betwixt them; then shall our wills correspond to the Divine VVill, as face answers face in a Glass; and the same his will shall be our Law and Rule, from which we shall never swerve again. Now our corruptions, as the Anakims, dismay us; and as the Canaanites in Israel,* 1.16 they are left for pricks in our sides, and thorns in our eyes; and as the bond-woman and her son in Abra∣hams house,* 1.17 they do but abuse us, and make our lives a burden to us: But then shall the bond-woman and her son be cast out, and shall not be heirs with us in our Rest. As Moses said to Israel, Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every

one whatsoever is right in his own eyes: For ye are not as yet come to the Rest, and to the Inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you. Deut. 12.8, 9. I conclude therefore with the words next to my Text.* 1.18 For he that is entered into his Rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God from his. So that there is a perfect Rest from sin.

Notes

• * 1.1

  § 8.
• 8 1.2

  It will be a perfect Rest.
• 1 1.3

  In the sin∣cerity of it.
• * 1.4

  1 Cor. 12.7.
• * 1.5

  1 Joh 4.18.
• 2 1.6

  In the Uni∣versality of it.
• 1 1.7

  In regard of good en∣joyed.
• 2 1.8

  In regard of the evils we shall be freed from.
• 1 1.9

  We shall Rest from sin. Revel. 21.27.
• * 1.10

  Ephes. 5.27.
• * 1.11

  1 Joh. 3▪ 8.
• * 1.12

  2 Cor. 6.14.
• 1 1.13

  From sin in the under∣standing.
• * 1.14

  If a man should defer his Study of any Art or Science, till the Writers thereof did fully, and uni∣tedly consent, It would be as vain a thing, as if a man did purpose his journey from London to York, but should make a vow not to set forward till all the Clocks in London strike together. Ful∣becks Directi∣ons to study the Law, pag. 26.

  The Writers in all ••ciences differ not from the un∣certainty of the Sciences, but thei•• own imperfection; yea, in History, which reporteth matter of Fact. Livy against P••l••b••us▪ Plutarch against Livy, Sigonius against Plutarch, Ziphilinus against Dio, whom he interpreted and abridgeth. Non est litigiosa Juris Scientia sed Ignorantia, Cicero de Finibus, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 2. The best and most grave Man will confess, That he is ignorant of many things, saith Cicero. Tuscul. 3. Selon was not ashamed to say, That in his old age he was a Learner. And Ju••••••an the Lawyer said, That when he had one Foot in the Grave, yet he would have the other in the school.
• 2 1.15

  From sin of Will, Af∣fection, and Conversation.
• * 1.16

  Josh 23.13.
• * 1.17

  Gen. 21.9.
• * 1.18

  Heb. 4.10.