Richard Baxter - Our friends here and in heaven

Friendship is one of the more rational pleasures enjoyed in this body, and from which I must depart. He that believes not that there are far more and better friends in Heaven, than there are on earth, believes not, as he ought, that there is a Heaven. Our friends here are wise; but they are also unwise. They are faithful; but partly unfaithful. They are holy; but alas! too sinful. They have the image of God; but it is blotted and dishonoured by their faults. They do God and his Church much service; but they also do too much for Satan, even when they intend the honour of God. They promote the Gospel; but they also hinder it by their weakness and ignorance, their selfishness, pride, and passion, their divisions and contentions. They are our helpers and comforters; but how often are they also our hindrance, trouble and grief? In Heaven they are perfectly wise, and holy, and faithful; and there is nothing in them, nor done by them, but what is amiable to God and man. - With out faithful friends we have here a mixture of those that are useless and burdensome, or hypocritical and malicious. But in Heaven there are none but the wise and the holy; no hypocrites, no burdensome neighbours, no treacherous, oppressive, or persecuting enemies. - Christ loves his disciples, his kindred, and all mankind, and took pleasure in doing good to all; and so did his apostles; but how poor a recompence had he or they from any, but from God? Christ's brethren believed not on him. Peter denied him. All his disciples forsook him and fled. And what then could be expected from others? - No friends have a perfect suitableness to each other; and those inequalities that are nearest to us, are most troublesome. So various and contrary are our apprehensions, interests, and educations, our tempers, inclinations, and temptations, that instead of wondering at the discord and confusions of the world, we may rather admire the providence of God, which maintains so much order and concord. The greatest crimes that have been charged upon me, have been those things, which I thought to be my greatest duties; and for  those parts of my obedience to God and my conscience, which cost me dearest; and where I pleased my flesh least, I pleased the world least. And is this tumultuous, militant world, a place that I should be loth to leave?


- Richard Baxter (Dying Thoughts, Chapter 3)