The Saints Sacrifice, Section 102 – Section 103
§. 102. Of the vigour which is preſerved in faith by the conſtancy of Gods favour.
IIII. *§ 98.FAith is much ſtrengthened by constant evidences of Gods favour. Herewith did hee ſupport his faith that ſaid to God, aPſal. 2…. 9, 10▪Thou art he that tooke mee out of the wombe: thou didſt make me hope when I was upon my mothers breaſt: I was caſt upon thee from the wombe: thou art my God from my mothers bellie. b—7…. 5, 6.Thou art my trust from my youth: by thee have I beene holden up from the wombe: thou art he that took me ont from my mothers bowels. It was not only the diſpoſition of Obadiah towards God, but alſo the evidence that thereby he had of Gods affection towards him, that made him with confidence ſay to Eliah, c1 King. 18. 12.I feare the Lord from my youth.
By long continuance of ancient favour many demonſtrations are given of a faſt, fixed, and unremoveable affection. So as if by reaſon of temptations one or more evidences ſhould be queſtioned, yet others would remaine to uphold faith, and to keep it from an utter languiſhing, and a totall falling away. As when an houſe is ſupported by many pillars, though ſome be taken away, yet by the ſupport of them which remaine, the houſe will ſtand.
Admonition to parents betimes to dedicate their children to God. Of parents duty in this kind, See Domeſticall Duties. Treat. …. § 4, 17, 37.1 Be admoniſhed hereby, O Parents, to initiate your children betimes▪ and from the cradle, yea from the wombe to dedicate them to the Lord, and to bring them up in the nurtuoe and admonition of the Lord, ſo ſoone as they are capable of inſtruction, that when they are growne even unto manhood, th… may on all occaſions with much comfort and ſtrong confidence ſay in the ſame ſenſe that the Prophet here doth, I am the ſonne of thine hand maid; being borne under the covenant, and having in their infancy received the ſeale of the covenant, and from their child-hood knowne the holy Scriptures, being taught when they were tender, and thereby brought from their youth to feare the Lord. It is a glorious and bleſſed prerogative to be *foreign Verna.borne a ſervant in Gods houſe. This is no ſlaviſh condition: but the beſt freedome, and moſt happy immunity that poſſibly can be. Such Qui hominis ſervus eſt, liber eſt D…, & qui h…minibus liber …st, ſervus eſt Chriſti: Ambo …r go unum ſunt. Hier. Com. 1 Cor. 7. Exhortation to children.as are borne ſervants in Gods houſe, are by vertue of that their birth ſons, and free, from the inſtant of that their birth. Chriſts ſervant, and the Lords freeman, are reciprocall terms: either may bee ſaid of the other. Chriſts ſervant is the Lords freeman: and the Lords freeman is Chriſts ſervant, (1 Cor. 7. 22.) A good inducement this is to provoke parents to ſuffer this word of exhortation.
2 Be ye alſo, O Children, exhorted and perſwaded, to yeeld your ſelves pliable (from the time that you have any capacity) to the good inſtruction of your parents: that by your continuing to grow in grace, anſwerably to the means which by the divine providence have been afforded you, you may with the greater comfort, and ſtronger confidence, both in time of humiliation when for preventing or averting ſome judgement, or obtaining or regaining ſome bleſſing, you powre forth your ſoules to God, or in time of gratulation for ſome judgement removed, or ſome bleſſing beſtowed, you enlarge your hearts, and open your mouths, you may ſay to God, I am the ſonne of thine hand-maid: and thou haſt beene my God from my mothers wombe. Take heed that being borne in Gods houſe, and by your parent, the ſon of his hand-maid, you become not a bond▪ ſlave, and have the fleſh, a bond-woman for your mother. They that ſerve the fleſh in the luſts thereof are ſuch: What can ſuch expect but the doome denounced againſt the bond▪woman and her ſonne, which was this, *Gal. 4. 30. Lij…e ancillam hinc & ſi…ium eius. D…ſca…, iuquit, iam quod nihil commune habebit filius ancillae cum filio m…o Iſaac. Chryſ Hom. 46. in Gen. 21Caſt out the bond-woman and her ſonne: for the ſonne of the bondwoman ſhall not bee heire with the ſonne of the free▪woman. A wofull doome for ſuch as are borne in Gods houſe, to be ſo caſt out. Thereby they may know that they have nothing common with the true ſonnes of God. Nothing, I ſay, in regard of thoſe ſpirituall priviledges which belong to Gods free-borne children. So walke therefore, O children, that are borne in the Church, ſo carie your ſelves all your daies, as you may on all occaſions ſay to the Lord, I am the ſonne of thine hand maid.
§. 103. Of childrens honour by pious parents.
V. *§. 98.IT is an honour to children to deſcend from pious parents. This is true in relation to ancient progenitors. For it was a greater honour to the Iewes in all ſucceeding ages, that they deſcended from the pious Patriarchs. But the nearer ſuch parents are, the more honourable it is to children. Moſt of all honourable, when their immediate parents, from whoſe loines, and out of whoſe wombe they proceed, are pious. Of ſuch an one the Prophet here ſpeaketh, I am the ſonne of thine hand-maid. For queſtionleſſe he here calleth his mother Gods hand-maid, as hee called himſelfe Gods ſervant: in a ſpirituall reſpect, in regard of Gods grace to her, and in her. Such were Salomons parents, of whom, for honour ſake, he maketh aProv 4 3.—31. 1. 1 King 8. 17.frequent mention. b2 Tim. 1. 5. Summa apud Deum eſt nobilitas, clarum eſſe virtutibus, Quid apud Deum in viris nobilius Petro, qui piſcator & pauper ſuit? Quid in ſoeminis beata Maria illuſtrius, quae ſpon…a fabri deſcribitur? Hier. ad Celant. de Iuſtit. Matris fam. Direction, for parents how to leave an honourable memoriall.Such was as Lois the grandmother, ſo Eunice the mother of Timothy.
Nothing in truth can make any more honourable then piety. Whatſoever mens outward condition bee in this world, though never ſo meane, yet if they excell in vertue, they are moſt honourable in Gods eye. What man before God more noble then Peter, who was but a poore fiſherman? What woman more illuſtrious then bleſſed Mary, who is ſet out to be a carpenters wife? Pious perſons for birth, are borne of God: For dignities they are Gods favourites, of Gods Court, the moſt honourable therein: they are the ſpouſe of his ſonne. For revenewes, the exchequer of Gods treaſures is alwayes open for them to have out of it his moſt precious jewels: yea they are the true heires of this world, and of the world to come.
1 Such parents as deſire that their children ſhould all their daies make an honourable mention of them, let them here take notice of the onelyonly right courſe to have their deſire accompliſhed. Let them ſo walke before their children, as they may have ſure evidences that they are Gods ſervants: that when children make mention of their father before the Lord, they may have cauſe to ſay of him as Salomon did of his father, c1 King. 8. 25.Thy ſervant my father: and of their mother, dPſal. 86. 16.Thy hand-maid. For a child to ſtile himſelfe the ſonne of a Duke and Dutches, Earle and Counteſſe, Lord and Lady, or any other like, is not in truth ſuch an honour as this, Sonne of Gods ſervant and hand-maid. By this, poore, meane, deſpiſed parents in this world may make their children honourable: and may make their owne names honourable to their children.Direction to children in what parents to glory.
2 Such children as would have juſt cauſe not vaine-gloriouſly to bragge, but divinely to glory in their parents, let them here know what kind of parents doe give that juſt cauſe. If indeed their father be Gods ſervant, and their mother Gods hand-maid, let them not be aſhamed of them, becauſe they be poore, of meane condition, not eſteemed in this world, but heartily thanke God that they are borne of ſuch parents as may give them occaſion to ſay, I am the child of Gods ſervant, and of Gods hand-maid. It is an hard taske to perſwade moſt children hereunto. But they that know God, and the dignities and immunities of his ſervants, will without all queſtion yeeld to the truth and equity hereof.