The Saint's Everlasting Rest: A Treatise of the Blessed State of the Saints in Their Enjoyment of God in HeavenBaxter, Richard
Religion
The Saint's Everlasting Rest: A Treatise of the Blessed State of the Saints in Their Enjoyment of God in Heaven
Baxter, Richard
Devotional literature
Especially take heed, if unregenerate, not to conclude of thy
future state by the present. Do not say, "because I am ungodly, I shall
die so; because I am an hypocrite, I shall continue so." Do not despair.
Nothing but thy unwillingness can keep thee from Christ, though thou
hast hitherto abused him, and dissembled with him.
§ 13. (5.) Now let me add some marks by which you may try your title to
the saint's rest. I will only mention these two—taking God for thy chief
good—and heartily accepting Christ for thy only Savior and Lord.
§ 14. Every soul that hath a title to this rest, doth place his chief
happiness in God. This rest consisteth in the full and glorious
enjoyment of God. He that maketh not God his chief good, and ultimate
end, is in heart a pagan and a vile idolater. Let me ask then, dost thou
truly account it thy chief happiness to enjoy the Lord in glory, or dost
thou not? Canst thou say, _the Lord is my portion? Whom have I in heaven
but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee._ If
thou be an heir of rest, it is thus with thee. Though the flesh will be
pleading for its own delights, and the world will be creeping into thine
affections; yet in thy ordinary, settled, prevailing judgment and
affections, thou preferrest God before all things in the world. Thou
makest him the very end of thy desires and endeavors. The very reason
why thou hearest and prayest, and desirest to live on earth, is chiefly
this, that thou mayest seek the Lord, and make sure of thy rest. Though
thou dost not seek it so zealously as thou shouldst; yet hath it the
chief of thy desires and endeavors; so that nothing else is desired or
preferred before it. Thou wilt think no labor or suffering too great to
obtain it. And though the flesh may sometimes shrink, yet thou art
resolved and contented to go through all. Thy esteem for it will also be
so high, and thy affections to it so great, that thou wouldst not
exchange thy title to it, and hopes of it, for any worldly good
whatsoever. If God should set before thee an eternity of earthly
pleasure on one hand, and the saint's rest on the other, and bid thee
take thy choice; thou wouldst refuse the world and choose this rest. But
if thou art yet unsanctified, then thou dost in thy heart prefer thy
worldly happiness before God; and though thy tongue may say, that God is
thy chief good, yet thy heart doth not so esteem him. For the world is
the chief end of thy desires and endeavors. Thy very heart is set upon
it. Thy greatest care and labor is to maintain thy credit, or fleshly
delights. But the life to come hath little of thy care or labor. Thou
didst never perceive so much excellency in that unseen glory of another
world, as to draw thy heart after it, and set thee a laboring heartily
for it. The little pains thou bestowest that way, is but in the second
place. God hath but the world's leavings, only that time and labor which
thou canst spare from the world, or those few, cold, and careless
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