The Happiness of the Church, Biblical commentary 1 · Part 4 – Part 5
Of the liuing God.
This hath beene an ancient attribute to God; liuing: and it is added heere partly for distinction, partly for demonstration. First, it distinguisheth the owner of this Citie from other titular gods. For n1. Cor. 8. 5.there bee gods many, and lords many. The name of gods hath beene giuen to men, to Idols, to lusts. Homines Dij mortales, Idola dij mortui, Libidines dij mortiferi. Men are gods dying, Idols dead, lusts deadly. There are
1. Dij deputati; reputed and deputed gods: such are Magistrates and Princes. oPsal. 82 6.I hauehave said, Yee are gods: but these are mortall gods; ye shall die like men. You hauehave your life from this liuing GOD: both the life of nature common with others, and the life of power superiour to others. pRom. 13. 1.The powers that be, are ordained of God. Pilate receiued that power from God, whereby hee vniustly condemned the Sonne of God. qIoh. 19. 11.Thou couldest hauehave no power against me, except it were giuen thee from aboue. Wee must giuegive to those gods obedience, eyther actiue or passiue: actiue when they command well, passiue though they command ill. Otherwise we incurre rRom. 13. 2.damnation for obstinate disobeying, as themselues hauehave damnation for vniust commanding. These are momentany gods, as men are Kings on the stage, till the play is done.
2. Dij fictitij, fayned gods, as Mars the god of warre, Neptune the god of the sea, &c. They were strange gods, that ran a whoring after women, made way to their lusts, if not by flattery, by bloud. Scarce ranker villany in the Deuils, then was found in those gods. This the Philosophers obiected against Paul, that he was sActs 17. 18.a setter forth of strange gods. The superstitious Lystrians tooke Paul and Barnabas for such gods; Dij descenderunt: tActs 14. 11.the gods are come downe to vsus in the likenesse of men. But Paul, vers. 15. points them to the liuing GOD that made heauen and earth. Those fayned gods are confounded by this liuing GOD.
3. Dij manufacti, gods made with mens hands; Idols, but these are uPsal. 106. 28.dead gods. Yea, not onelyonly dead, but nothing. x1. Cor. 8. 4.An Idol is nothing in the world. It is true that they hauehave matter and forme: the gold, brasse, wood, or stone whereof they are made, be substances: they hauehave something in esse naturae, nothing in esse vitae: they hauehave stuffe, but no life in them. yPsal. 135. 17.They hauehave eyes and see not, there is no breath in their mouthes. S. Paul commends in the Thessalonians this happy conuersion, a1. Thes. 1. 9.from dead idols to the liuing God. O that it were as easie to confute Idolaters, as it is to confound Idols. Res hominis conculcat talem Deum. No Idol is so great a god, but the foote of man can kicke it downe.
4. Dij vsurpantes, vsurping gods, deuils. So Paul calls Satan b2. Cor. 4. 4.the god of this world. Of the whole world? What is then left for God? Not so, he is Deus improborum, not elementorum: God of the wicked, not of the frame, of the world. cIohn 16. 11.The Prince of this world is already iudged. A goodly god that is already iudged! dRom. 16. 20.The God of peace shall tread Satan vnderunder your feet. Not you, but God shall tread him down (to your comfort) vnderunder your feet. Therefore eEph. 4. 27.give no place to the Deuill: for there is no place for the Deuill, but where it is giuen him.
5. Dij sensuales, sensuall gods. Some make their belly their god, and delicate cheare his sacrifices. f…. Cor. 6. 13.Meates for the belly, and the belly for meates, but God shall destroy both it and them. Others make gold and siluer their gods: worse then Pagan Idolatrie: they had gods of corne, and of wine, But gEsa. 2. 20.These idols of siluer, and of gold, which they made for themselues to worship, they shall one day castaway with malediction. Some make their wife a goddesse, dote vponupon her with the extremest Idolatry: a faire coloured peece of clay hath more worship then the Lord of heauen. To some their Patron is a god: they more quake at his frowne, then at all the curses in the Bible. These are not onelyonly dead, but deadly gods.
For demonstration, the owner of this City is the liuing God: both formaliter in himselfe, and effectiuè to others, *1. Tim 6. 16.who onelyonly hath immortality. OnelyOnly? Are not Angels and mens soules immortall? But God giues to them this immortality; onelyonly he hath it in himselfe. Therefore hee is called the liuing God, and the God of life: there be three degrees of life, all giuen by this liuing God. 1. Vniuersall, which consists of sense and motion: of this the beasts participate. hPsal 104. 3.Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, and they are created. 2. Rationall, a life proper to man, not to other earthly creatures. 3. Supernaturall, which belongs onelyonly to the faithfull. Christ himselfe is this life in vsus. iGal. 2. 20.Now liue not I, but Christ liueth in mee. Haec vita reponitur, deponitur nunquam. This life is laid vp, but neuer lost. The world sees it not, because kCol. 3. 3.it is hid with Christ in God. We now feele it, liue by it. lVer. 4.But when Christ, who is our life, shall appeare, then shall we appeare with him in glory.
Behold here with comfort the master wee serue, the liuing God. Riches is a flying Master; it hasts away mProu. 23. 5.with the wings of an Eagle. Honour is a dying master, it brings a man to the sepulcher, and then goes backe with the Heralds. Pleasure is a spilling Master; nLuk. 6. 25.Wo to them that laugh, for they shall weepe. Satan is a killing master, his wages is hell fire. But all in grace is liuing and enliuing. Idols are dead, and neuer were aliue: men are aliue, but shall bee dead: pleasures are neyther aliue nor dead: Deuils are both aliue and dead; for they shall liue a dying life, and dye a liuing death. OnelyOnly the liuing God giues euerlasting life.
Ierusalem.
This is the appellation of the Citie. As Canaan was a figure of heauen; either of them called the Land of Promise: so locall Ierusalem is a type of this mysticall Citie. There are many conceits concerning the denomination of Ierusalem. Hierom thinks that the former part of the word comes from the Greeke foreign, Holy: because Ierusalem is called oMat. 27. 53.the holy Citie: But then there should bee a mixture of two seuerall languages, Greek and Hebrew, to the making vp of the word. The Hebrewes deriue it better: they say, Sem called it Salem, Peace: and Abraham Iireh. The place where he attempted the sacrifice of his sonne, he called pGene. 22. 14.Iehouah-Iireh: The Lord will see. Thus put together it is Ierusalem, visiopacis. This is more probable, then from the Greek foreign, as Ierom: or from Iebus, as Pererius. This is euident from the 76. Psalme. ver. 2. In Salem is his Tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Sion. So that Salem & Sion were both in one place. The Iewes hauehave a Tradition; that in one and the same place Cain and Abel offred, in the same place Noah comming out of the Arke sacrificed, in the same place Abraham offered Isaac, in the same place stood Areunah's threshing floore which Dauid bought, in the same place Melchisedek the Priest dwelt, in the same place Salomon built the Temple, and our Lord Iesus Christ was crucified.
But to let goe ambiguities, Ierusalem is a City of Peace. This is plaine, qHeb. 7. 2.Melchisedek was King of Salem, that is, King of Peace. Gods Church is a Church of peace. That of Plato ouer his dore, is worth our remembrance. Nemo nisi veritatis et pacis studiosus …trabit. Let none enter, but such as louelove peace and truth. Saint Paul is bold to his Galathians; rGala. 5. 12.I would to God they were euen cut off that trouble you. Contra rationem nemo sobrius, contra Scripturas nemo Christianus, contra Ecclesiam nemo pacificus senserit. No sober man speakes against reason, no Christian against the Scriptures, no peaceable man against the Church. Hee that is not a man of peace, is not a man of GOD. Peace is the effect of patience: if men would beare iniuries, and offer none, all would be peace. It is the greatest honour for a man to suffer himselfe conquered in that, wherin he should yeeld. s2. Cor. 13. 11.Be of one mind, liue in peace, and the God of louelove and peace be with you. A iust reward; if we hauehave one mind, and liue in louelove and peace, the God of louelove and peace shall be with vsus.