The Saints Everlasting Rest, Treatise 2 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Rest for none but the people of God, proved.
§. 1.SECT. I.
IT may here be expected, that as I have proved, That this Rest remaineth for the people of God, so I should now prove, that it remaineth onelyonly for them, and that the rest of the world shall have no part in it. But the Scripture is so full and plain in this, that I suppose it needless to those who believe Scripture. Christ hath resolved, that those who make light of him, and the offers of his Grace,Matth. 22.5, 6, 7. Luke 14 24. Heb. 12.14. shall never taste of his Supper; And that without holiness none shall see God: And that except a man be regenerate and born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That he that believes not, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him: That no unclean person, Joh. 3.3.nor covetous, nor railer, nor drunkard, &c. shall enter into the Kingdom of Christ, and of God, Ephes. 5.4, 5. That the wicked shall be turned into hell, Joh 3 18.36. 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. Gal. 5.21. Psal 9.17.and all they that forget God: That all they shall be damned that obey not the Truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thes. 2.12. That Christ will come in flaming fire, 2 Thes 1.8▪ 9, 10.to take vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. And Christ himself hath opened the very maner of their process in judgment, and the sentence of their condemnation to eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his Angels, Matth. 25. So that here is no Rest for any but the people of God, except you will call the intollerable everlasting flames of Hell, a Rest.
And it were easie to manifest this also by Reason: For first, Gods Justice requires an inequality of mens state hereafter as there was of their lives here. And secondly, They that walk not in the way of Rest, and use not the means, are never like to obtain the End; They would not follow Christ in the Regeneration, nor accept of Rest upon his conditions; they thought him to be too hard a Master, and his way too narrow, and his Laws too strict: They chose the pleasures of sin for a season, rather then to suffer affliction with the people of God: They would not suffer with Christ, that so they might raign with him. What they made choise of, that they did injoy: They had their good things in this life; and what they did refuse, it is but reason they should want: How oft would Christ have gathered them to him, and they would not? And he useth to make men willing before he save them, and not to save them against their wils.
Therefore will the mouths of the wicked be stopped for ever, and all the world shall acknowledg the Justice of God. Had the ungodly but returned before their life was expired, and been heartily willing to accept of Christ for their Saviour and their King, and to be saved by him in his way, and upon his most reasonable tearms, they might have been saved.
Object. But may not God be better then his Word, and save those that he doth not promise to save?
Answ. But not false of his word, in saving those whom he hath said he will not save. Mens souls are in a doleful case when they have no hope of Happiness, except the Word of God prove false. To venture a mans eternal salvation upon Hope that God will be better then his word, (that is in plain English, that the God of Truth will prove a lyer) is somewhat beyond stark madness, which hath no name bad enough to express it.
Yet I do believe that the description of Gods people in England, and in America must not be the same; because, as Gods Revelations are not the same, so neither is the actual Faith which is required in both, the same; and as the Written and Positive Laws in the Church were never given them, so obedience to those meer Positives is not required of them. Whether then the threats against unbelievers be meant of Unbelief privative and positive only, and not negative? (such as is all non-believing that which was never revealed) Or whether their believing that God is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that seek him, will serve the turn there? Or whether God hath no people there? I acknowledg again is yet past my understanding.