BARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY
SHELDON FUND
JULY 10. 1640

Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by
ALEXANDER W. MITCHELL, M. D., in the office of the Clerk of
the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Printed by
WM. S. MARTIEN.

Stereotyped by

S. DOUGLAS WYETH,

No. 7 Pear St. Philadelphia.

CONTENTS.

BOOK I.

OF THE HEAVENLY REST.

CHAPTER I. Of the Nature of the Heavenly Rest,

II. The Preparatives to the Heavenly Rest,

III. The Excellencies of the Heavenly Rest,

IV. The Certainty of the Heavenly Rest,

V. The Persons for whom the Heavenly Rest

remains, -

VI. The reasons why the Heavenly Rest re-

mains,

VII. Whether Departed Souls enjoy the Heavenly

Res, before the Resurrection,

BOOK II.

OF THE PRACTICAL USES OF THE DOCTRINE OF

HEAVENLY REST.

CHAPTER I. The Misery of those who Lose the Heavenly

Rest,

SECTION I. The Nature of their Loss,

II. The Aggravations of the Sinner's Loss,

III. They shall lose all things that are comfortable

on Earth, as well as in Heaven,

IV. The Greatness of the Torments of the Damned

in Hell,

V

CHAPTER II. Reprehending the General Neglect of the

Heavenly Rest, and exciting to Diligence

in seeking it,

-

SECTION I. Reproof of Different Classes for their Neglect

of the Heavenly Rest,

II. Exhortation to Diligence in Seeking the Hea-

venly Rest,

CHAPTER III. Persuading all Men to try their Title to the

Heavenly Rest,

-

SECTION I. The Possibility of Knowing our State by Self-

Examination,

II. Hinderances of Self-Examination,

Part 1. Impediments to Self-Examination,

II. Causes of Self-Deception,

III. Causes of Doubting among Christians,

SECTION III. Motives to Self-Examination,

IV. Directions for Self-Examination,

V. Marks by which to Examine Ourselves,

CHAPTER IV. The Reasons of the Saint's Afflictions on

Earth,

V. Reproving our Expectations of Rest on Earth, 179

VI. Reproving our Unwillingness to Die,

SECTION I. The Aggravations of this Sin,

II. Reasons why we should be Willing to Die,

CHAPTER VII. An Exhortation to those that have got As-

surance of Heavenly Rest, to do all they

can to help others to it,

SECTION I. The Nature of this Duty,

II. Hinderances to this Duty,

III. Motives to this duty,

IV. Exhortations to this Duty,

BOOK III.

185

- 186

190

A DIRECTORY FOR GETTING AND KEEPING THE HEART IN

HEAVEN, BY THE PRACTICE OF THAT EXCELLENT DUTY

OF HEAVENLY MEDITATION.

CHAPTER I. Motives to Heavenly Mindedness,

II. Hinderances to Heavenly Mindedness,

III. Helps to Heavenly Mindedness,

IV. The Nature of Heavenly Contemplation,

V. Of the Time and Place for Heavenly Con-

templation, and the Preparation of the

Heart unto it,

VI. Of the Faculties which are exercised in Hea-

venly Contemplation,

VII. Helps for exciting the Affections in Heavenly

Contemplation, -

VIII. Of the Management of the Heart in Hea-

venly Contemplation,

IX. An Example of Heavenly Contemplation,

SECTION I. Actings of Judgment,

II. Actings of Faith,

III. Actings of Love,

IV. Actings of Joy,

V. Actings of Desire,

Conclusion,

PREFACE.

"THE Saints' Everlasting Rest" was written by the author during a season of protracted bodily illness, and in its original form was a quarto volume of considerable size. After it had gone through a number of editions in this form, it was abridged in 1759, by the Rev. Benjamin Fawcett, and since that period, the abridgment has entirely superseded the original work. A literal reprint of the work, as left by its distinguished author, would not, on many accounts, be desirable; and particularly for the reason that it would find few readers. It is verbose, repetitious and loosely written, faults of which the author himself became aware: and hence the abridgment by Fawcett, of which numerous editions have been published, was a real blessing to the world.

When the Presbyterian Board of Publication had resolved to place this work on their catalogue, it was determined to present an abridg

ment which should materially differ from that in common use. Fawcett often took too great liberties with his author in altering his language, in transposing his matter, and in expunging the arrangement which he had adopted. Besides, in some parts he retained, as it was thought, too much of the merely hortatory remarks of the author. An improvement, in this new abridgment, has been attempted; and it is thought that the strongest parts of the book have been retained, and the arrangement of the author so preserved, as to render it much more probable that the "Saints' Everlasting Rest" will be read with intelligence and profit.

Editor of the Pres. Board of Publication.