The Saint's Everlasting Rest

Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.4

Word count: 675K words
Chapters: 68

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Saint's Everlasting Rest by Richard BaxterAuthor: Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691,Language: English, Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship, Release Date: Oct 19, 2018

Editor's review

The Saint's Everlasting Rest is a Christian devotional work by the seventeenth-century English Puritan writer Richard Baxter, belonging to the category of practical theology and godly devotion. Baxter spent long years in pastoral ministry and writing; this book centers on the believer's hope of eternal rest and bears the clear mark of the Puritan devotional tradition. It combines theological reflection with exhortation and guidance for everyday faith life, and is suited to readers willing to read slowly and reflect. For readers studying Puritan literature, the history of Christian devotion, or seventeenth-century English religious writing, the book has documentary and intellectual value. There is no need to read quickly; notes and meditation can be combined to appreciate its exhortative style. Because it was written long ago, its language, manner of citing Scripture, and structure of argument all differ from contemporary works, requiring some patience and background knowledge.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the Christian devotional tradition
Those studying Puritan literature and seventeenth-century religious writing
Readers willing to read slowly, meditate, and take notes
Readers with a Christian background seeking devotional reading

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking quick, popular inspirational content
Readers uninterested in or averse to religious topics
Beginners unfamiliar with early English expression

Reading tips

Read a short section each day and take notes on sentences and questions that strike you.
Learn about Baxter's Puritan context first; the main text will then be easier to enter.
Combine reading with meditation; there is no need to finish it in one go.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a theological work?

This is a Christian devotional and theological work, not a novel. It offers exhortation and reflection on the believer's hope of eternal rest and belongs to practical theology and godly devotion; some religious background knowledge is helpful for reading.

Can someone without a Christian background read this book?

Yes, but it takes patience. The book refers extensively to Scripture and Puritan theological concepts, which may feel remote to readers without that background. It is advisable to learn the basics of the seventeenth-century Puritan movement before trying it.

How difficult is the language?

Written in the seventeenth century, the book's English expression, sentence structure, and manner of citing Scripture differ markedly from modern English, so the language is quite difficult. An annotated edition is recommended, or readers with some experience of early English.

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About the author

Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691 Author

Richard Baxter (1615–1691) was a seventeenth-century English Puritan minister and theological writer. Public information about his life is limited; the holdings here show only four works, all in the field of Christian faith and practical living. His best-known work, The Saint's Everlasting Rest, treats meditation on heaven and the hope of the life to come in earnest, devotional prose, and was among the more widely read works of Puritan devotional literature. A Christian Directory is divided into sections on Christian ethics, church government, and family life, systematically discussing the conduct of believers in everyday morality, church order, and domestic responsibility. His writing is practical and detailed, concerned with turning theology into workable rules of life, and has had some influence on later English-speaking Puritan ethics and devotional tradition.