The Saints Everlasting Rest, Introduction
The Introduction.
IN the former Part, I have chiefly pressed those Duties, which must be used for the attainment of this Everlasting Rest. In this, I shall chiefly handle those, which are necessary to raise the heart to God, and to our Heavenly and comfortable life on Earth. It is a Truth too evident, which an inconsiderate Zealot reprehended in Master CULVERWELL as an Error, That many of Gods Children do not enjoy that sweet Life, and blessed Estate in this World, which God their Father hath provided for them: That is, Which he offereth them in his Promises, and chargeth upon them as their duty in his Precepts, and bringeth even to their hands in all his Means and Mercies. God hath set open Heaven to us in his Word, and told every humble sincere Christian, That they shall shortly there live with himself, in unconceiveable Glory; and yet where is the person that is affected with this Promise? whose heart leaps for joy, at the hearing of the news? or that is willing, in hopes of Heaven, to leave this World? But even the godly have as strange unsavory thoughts of it, as if God did but delude us, and there were no such Glory? and are almost as loath to die, as men without hope. The consideration of this strange disagreement, between our Professions and Affections, caused me to suspect, that there was some secret lurking unbelief in all our hearts; and therefore I wrote those Arguments in the second Part, for the Divine Authority of the Scripture. And because I finde another cause to be the carelesness, forgetfulness, and idleness of the Soul, and not keeping in action that Faith which we have: I have here attempted the removal of that cause, by prescribing a course for the daily acting of those Graces, which must fetch in the Celestial Delights into the heart. O the Princely, joyful, blessed Life, that the godly lose through meer idleness? As the Papists have wronged the merits of Christ, by their ascribing too much to our own Works; so it is almost incredible, how much they on the other extream, have wronged the safety and consolation of mens Souls, by telling them, that their own endevors are onelyonly for Obedience and Gratitude, but are not so much as Conditions of their Salvation, or Means of their increased Sanctification or Consolation. And while some tell them, That they must look at nothing in themselves, for Acceptation with God, or Comfort, (and so make that Acceptance and Comfort to be equally belonging to a Christian, and a Turk:) And others tell them, That they must look at nothing in themselves, but onelyonly as signes of their good Estate: This hath caused some to expect onelyonly Enthusiastick Cons…lations; and others to spend their days in enquiring after signes of their sincerity: Had these poor Souls well understood, that Gods way to perswade their wills, and to excite and actuate their Affections, is by the Discourse, Reasoning, or Consideration of their Vnderstandings, upon the Nature and Qualifications of the Objects which are presented to them: And had they bestowed but that time, in exercising holy Affections, and in serious Thoughts of the promised Happiness, which they have spent in enquiring onelyonly after Signes; I am confident, according to the ordinary Workings of God, they would have been better provided, both with Assurance, and with Joyes. How should the Heir of a Kingdom, have the comfort of his Title, but by fore-thinking on it? Its true, God must give us our Comforts by his Spirit: But how? by quickening up our souls to beleeve and consider of the promised Glory; and not, by comforting us we know not how, nor why; or by giving men the foretasts of Heaven, when they never think of it.
I have here prescribed thee, Reader, the delightfullest task to the Spirit, and the most ted…ous to the Flesh, that ever men on Earth were imployed in. I did it first onelyonly for my self, but am loath to conceal the means that I have found so consola…ory. If thou be one that wilt not be perswaded to a course so laborious, but wilt onelyonly go on in thy task of common formal duties: thou mayest let it alone, and so be destitute of delights, except such as the World, and thy Forms can afford thee; but then do not for shame complain for want of comfort, when thou dost wilfully reject it: And be not such an Hypocrite as to pray for it, while thou dost refuse to labor for it. If thou say, Thy comfort is all in Christ; I must tell thee, it is a Christ remembred and loved, and not a Christ forgotten, or onelyonly talked of, that will solidly comfort. Though the Directory for Contemplation was onelyonly intended for this Part, yet I have now premised two other Uses. The heart must be taken off from Resting on Earth, before it will be fit to converse above. The first Part of saving Religion, is the taking God onelyonly for our End and Rest.