Joy in Tribulation, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. The more speciall comforts which are in God: And first in the Father.
NOw as that glorious one God is distinguished into three persons, so may we discerne in Scripture a threefold relation betweene us, and every person; full of unspeakable joy and sweetnesse: God the Father vouchsafeth to bee our father; God the Sonne hath undertaken to be our Saviour; The blessed Spirit giveth himselfe unto us to be peculiarly, and in more specialty, our Comforter.
First, then God the Father maybe considered in this relation either to God, or the creature: In the first kinde he is a Father onelyonly to the Sonne, by an essential communication of his substance. In the second, he is a Father either generally to all reasonable creatures, by creation; to Angels (Iob 1.6.) who are there called the children of God: Esa. 64.8.to men, Thou art our Father, and wee the worke of thy hands: and hence Adam stiled the Sonne of God: Luk. 3. 38.or else more particularly he is a Father to the faithfull by grace, and that as well by adoption as by regeneration. For the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ culleth out from amōg the families of worldly men those whom before hee hath predestinated, and bringeth them into his owne family, setteth out for them, and instateth them into a portion of grace, and inheritance of glory:) Read Gal. 4. 4,5,6. and Ephes. 1.4,5.) and then by that immortall seed of his Word begetteth them to that divine nature; 1 Pet. 1.3.Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us. Iam. 1. 17, 1….Of his own will the Father of lights hath begotten us.
It is altogether impossible in this land of darknesse to behold the infinite light of heavenly comfort which floweth from this relation. For what comparison betweene any earthly estate, and our adoption into heaven? The children of Nobles, and of the greatest Princes in revolution of no long time fall backe into as meane a condition as the lowest: Ioseph and Marie lineally descended from David (a great and potent Monarch) how soone could they slide downe in the current of this world into a very low estate? Hee a poore Carpenter, Shee his Spouse: Thus is it in all earthly creatures: Looke as in plants many little threeds grow up into a bigge roote, and that shoots forth into a strong and mighty body, which yet being divided into many armes and branches, at length endeth in small twigs: So is it with all the glory of this world; gloriously it seemeth to glister for a short time in a fleshly eye, and to flame and glitter to the admiration of silly men, but as it is blowne up from a poore sparke, so it quickly sinketh into a little dust and ashes. But in this spirituall estate there is no measure in the glory, or time: but as their Father, and elder Brother, so are they Kings: for glory, unspeakeable; for durance, eternall.
For when the Almighty, All-wise God, accepteth, and adopteth us for children unto himselfe, he entreth into an everlasting Covenant with us of grace and love, and bindeth up our unstable, starting, and warping soules in the bundle of life with a double tye; first, of his love to us; secondly, of our love to him; I will never turne away from them to doe them good: yea,I…r. 32.40, 41. I wil delight in them to doe them good: and I will put my feare into their hearts, that they shall never depart from me.
Doe but consider what Spring-tides of infinite consolations flow into our empty soules from this Sea of comfort. Certainly, children recejve some comfort from bad parents, much more from good. But what earthly comfort can that child wāt (which is in the power of mā to give) whose Parent aboundeth in love, wisedome and riches. Were a Father onelyonly loving, or onelyonly rich, or wise onelyonly, yet even from any of these …ingle in a parent some benefit would be reaped by the children; but when they all meet page missing sed with much evill in this world? nay, are any men so full of wants and griefes? Surely they neither want any true good, or are oppressed with any thing which indeed is evill, whose wants on earth are richly supplied with excellent treasures of grace and glory, and evils of sense made fruitfull in all spirituall bles…ings. For this is an especiall privilege of Gods children, that as the wicked are ever cursed, even in their blessings, Mal. 2.2. so the faithfull are ever blessed, even in earthly curses;Rom… 8.28. all things working together for their good; and that they know, Phil. 1.19.
Doe but observe what a strong foundation is here laid for every faithfull Christian to build up his soule in unspeakeable comfort, and to solace himselfe even in his worst estate. Can any reasonable man deny, but that such a condition is good, comfortable, nay, best, and most happy for a man, which commeth to him from infinite love, assisted with infinite power and wisedome: Now then thus will a faithful Christian conclude in his most grievous aff…ictions & crosses. Have not I a sure word, and infallible, that all these things come unto me, not only from Gods power aud wisedome, but from his love?P…a. …36.5. He maketh the heavens by his wisedome: Ps. 104.24.In wisedome hath hee done all his workes. Heb. 12.6, 7.Come not all his chastisements from love, from his fatherly love?
So againe, an afflicted soule will hence cheere up it selfe in the midst of all troubles. Howsoever these grievances are bitter in the mouth, and seeme (when they are tasted by sense and carnall reason) very unpleasant and evill; yet indeede, if I better consider them, & their nature, looking on them with a spirituall eye, I shall discerne nothing but an outside, and shew of evill, but full within of much sweetnesse, and precious treasure. As that Heathens staffe which hee dedicated to his Idoll, made of horne without, but within filled with gold; or as some fruites bitter in the rine, but pleasant in the pulpe of them: So is there here an appearance of evill covering a world of good; when I have taken away the paring, I shall taste the fruit very delightfull and wholesome: they seeme messengers of death, but they bring life; they seeme full of sorrow, yet cause much rejoycing; they threaten poverty, but fill with riches. The evill is in seeming onelyonly, but the good and profit reall. It was a prerogative not proper to the Apostle, but common to all the members of Christ, that they are as dying, but (certainly, nay, eternally) living; as sorrowfull, yet alwaies rejoicing, as having nothing, but indeede possessing all things. Read 2 Cor. 6. 9,10…