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. I.

HAving thus performed my first task of Describing and explicating the Saints Rest, it remains, that now I proceed unto the second, and shew you what these [People of God] are, and why so called; for whom this Blessed Rest remaineth. And I shall suit my speech unto the quality of the subject. While I was in the Mount, I felt it was good being there, and therefore tarried there the longer; and were there not an extream disproportion between my conceivings, and that Subject, yet much longer had I been. And could my capacity have contained, what was there to be seen,

I could have been contented to have built me a Tabernacle there: Can a prospect of that happy Land, be tedious? or a discourse of eternity be too long? except it should detain us from actual pos∣session, and our absence move us to impatiency. But now I am de∣scended from Heaven to Earth, from God to man; and must dis∣course of a Worm not six foot long, whose life is but a span, and his yeers as a post that hasteth by; my discourse also shall be but a span, and in a brief touch I will post it over. Having read of such a high and unspeakable Glory, a stranger would wonder for what rare Creature this Mighty Preparation should be, and expect some illustrious Sun should now break forth; but behold onely a shell full of Dust, animated with an invisible rational soul, and that rectified with as unseen a restored power of Grace; and this is the Creature that must possess such Glory. You would think, it must needs be some deserving piece, or one that bringeth a valuable price: But behold, One that hath nothing, and can deserve no∣thing, and confesseth this; yet cannot of himself confess it nei∣ther, yea, that deserveth the contrary misery, and would if he might, proceed in that deserving; but being apprehended by Love, he is brought to him that is All, and hath done, and deserved All, and suffered for all that we deserved; and most affectionate∣ly receiving him, and resting on him, he doth, in, and through him, receive All this. But let us see more particularly yet, what these People of God are.

[They are a small part of lost mankinde,* 1.2 whom God hath from Eternity predestinated to this Rest, for the Glory of his Mercy; and given to his Son, to be by him in a special maner Redeemed, and fully recovered from their lost estate, and advanced to this higher Glory; all which, Christ doth in due time accomplish ac∣cordingly by himself for them, and by his Spirit upon them.] To open all the parts of this half-description to the full, will take up more time and room then is allowed me; therefore briefly thus.

1. I meddle onely with [Mankinde] not with Angels; nor will I curiously enquire, whether there were any other World of men created and destroyed before this had Being; nor whether there shall be any other, when this is ended. All this is quite above us, and so nothing to us. Nor say I [the sons of Adam] onely, because Adam himself is one of them.

2. And as its no more excellent a creature then Man that must have this possession; so is it that man who once was lost, and had scarcely left himself so much as man. The heirs of this Kingdom were taken,* 1.3 even from the Tree of execution, and rescued by the strong hand of love from the power of the Prince of Darkness, who having taken them in his snares, did lead them captive at his will: They were once within a step of Hell, who must be now advanced as high as Heaven. And though I mention their lost condition before their predestination, yet I hereby intend not to signifie any precedency it hath, either in it self, or in the divine consideration. Though I cannot see yet, how Dr. Twisses Argu∣ments against the corrupted mass being the object of predestinati∣on, can be well Answered upon the common acknowledged grounds; Yet that Question I dare not touch, as being very sus∣picious that its high Arrogancy in us to dispute of precedency in the Divine Consideration; and that we no more know what we talk of, then this paper knows what I write of: VVhen we con∣fess, that all these Acts in God are truly one, and that there is no difference of time with him; Its folly to dispute of priority or posteriority in nature.

3. That they are but a small part of this lost Generation, is too apparent in Scripture and experience. Its the little flock to whom its the fathers good pleasure to give the Kingdom. If the sancti∣fied are few,* 1.4 the saved must needs be few. Fewer they are then the world imagines; yet not so few as some drooping Spirits deem, who are doubtful that God will cast off them, who would not reject Him for all the world; and are suspitious that God is unwilling to be their God, when yet they know themselves will∣ing to be his people.

4. It is the design of Gods eternal decree to glorifie his Mercy and Grace to the highest in this their salvation; and therfore needs must it be a great salvation. Every step of mercy to it was great, how much more this end of all those mercies; which stands next to Gods ultimate end, his Glory? God cannot make any low or meane worke to be the great business of an eternal purpose.

* 1.55. God hath given all things to his Son, but not as he hath given his chosen to him; The difference is clearly expressed by the Apostle. He hath made him Head over all things, to his Church▪ Ephes. 1.21.22. And though Christ is in some sense, A Ransome

for All, yet not in that special maner, as for his people. He hath brought others under the Conditional Gospel-Covenant; but them under the Absolute. He hath according to the tenor of his Covenant, procured Salvation for All, If they will believe; but he hath procured for his Chosen even this * 1.6 Condition of believing.

6. Nor is the Redeeming of them by death his whole task; but also the effecting of their full Recovery: He may send his Spirit to perswade others, but he intends absolutely his prevailing only with his Chosen. And as truly as he hath accomplished his part on the cross for them, so truly will he accomplish his part in Heaven for them, and his part by his Spirit also upon them. * 1.7 And of all that the Father hath thus given him, he will lose nothing.

Notes

• * 1.1

  § 1.
• * 1.2

  Description.
• * 1.3

  2 Tim. 2.26.
• * 1.4

  Luke. 12.32.
• * 1.5

  See John 17.2. a clear place.
• * 1.6

  That faith is properly called the Condition of the Covenant, and Justifieth as a Conditi∣on, Besides what I have said in my Aphorisms of Justification▪ I refer you to Mr. Wotton de Reconcil. part. 1. l. 2. c. 19. where you have the attestation of our chief Divines▪ John 6.39.
• * 1.7

  That faith is properly called the Condition of the Covenant, and Justifieth as a Conditi∣on, Besides what I have said in my Aphorisms of Justification▪ I refer you to Mr. Wotton de Reconcil. part. 1. l. 2. c. 19. where you have the attestation of our chief Divines▪ John 6.39.