Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 32
CHAP. XXXII. Simile.Of Gods free Grace, Iustice and MercieMercy, and how we may trie our louelove to God.
GOd (saith the Apostle) is a consuming fire, Hebrues 12. 29. Fire and water are mercilesse, who shall quench him, when hee burneth? there is nothing so cold as lead and nothing so scalding, if it be heated: there is nothing so blunt as yron; if it bee sharpened,Simile. Simile. Simile. nothing so sharpe: there is nothing so calme as the sea, in a boistrous weather nothing so tempestuous: nothing so mercifull …s God, and if he be prouoked, nothing so terrible to sinners. And if his mercy were seuen times more than it is, I know and am sure, that hee is prouoked. Well, as the Lord will hauehave his power knowen in creating the world, & his wisdome in gouerning, and his truth in his word, and his mercy in redeeming mankinde, so necessarily must his iustice be knowne in punishing, especially those, who seeing his creatures marke them not, feeling his gouernance acknowledge it not, hauing his word regard it not, enioying his mercies inful measure, wilfully resist them all▪ If we so lie vnderunder sinne, and fancie to our selues the Gospell and promises, and merciemercy, we deceiue our selues, for as those that hauehave the fruites of the spirite, hauehave no lawe written against them; so they, thatFruits of the spirit. hauehave not such fruites, hauehave no Gospell written for them. It is not the vniust man, that shall liue by faith (for hee lyeth vnderunder the law) but the iust, Gala. 3. Rom. 1. 17. Heb. 10. 38. Might not a man, thinke you, pen a Psalme of as many verses, wherin the foote might run in this tenour, For his Iustice endureth for euer, as Dauid had done of his MercieMercy, Psalme. 136. The Lord will not part from any drop of his mercy to them which first hauehave not binMercieMercy and Iustice. swallowed vp of his iudgements, which hauehave not laboured and been heauie laden, which hauehave not beene locked vp in hell for a season, and felt for a time the fire thereof in their bones, which hauehave not been baptized with the baptisme of their owne teares. He that feeles not these things in some measure here, elsewhere shall he feele them. It is the iudgement of Abraham. The diuels policie in youth, in health, in prosperitie is to sing vsus songs of God his mercy: but in age, in sicknes, in tribulation, vponupon thy death-bed, he will make such reasons for his iustice, as we shall neuer be able to answere. Wherefore the Lord hath (to make it more terrible in our eyes) put vponupon it the name of his most wrathfull indignation, fierce and heauie displeasure. It is not for vsus, as we do, to put the remembrance of this farre from vsus, or to shift it lightly by turning ouer to a Psalme of mercy, but to terrifie our owne soules with it, and to cast our selues downe with the trembling consideration of his iudgements. Of one example without a precept nothing is to be concluded, and therefore in great wisedome that men at the last gaspe should not vtterly despaire, the Lord hath left vsus but one example of exceeding & extraordinary mercy by sauing the theefe on the crosseTh… theefe on the Crosse by faith onelyonly: yet the peruersnes of all our nature may be seene by this, in that this one serueth vsus to loosnes of life in hope of the like, whereas we might better reason, that is but one and that extraordinary, and that besides this one there is not one moe in all the Bible; and that for this one that sped, a thousand thousands hauehave missed: & what folly is it to put our selues in a way, where so many hauehave miscarried? To put our selues in the hand of that Physition, that hath murthered so many, going cleane against our owne sense and reason, whereas in other cases we alwaies leane to that which is most ordinary, and conclude not the spring of one swallow. It is as if a man should spur his asse till he speake, because Balaams asse did once speake: so grossely hath the diuell bewitched vsus. And yet, if we mark in that example which the diuell so oft tempteth vsus with, we shall see euen in that little timeSimile. he liued, sundry good works, as many as in that time & case would be required: first, prayer, secondly, confession: thirdly, glorifying of Christ: fourthly, humilitie, remēber me▪ fifthly,Notes and markes of faith in the theefe on the crosse. reprouing of his fellow: sixtly, acknowledging of his own deserts: seuenthly, patience. And it is to be thought by these few, that if he had liued, he would not hauehave been behind any of the Saints. The root being holy, the brāches must needs be like vntounto it. My sentēce is, that a man lying now at the point of death, hauing the snares of death vpō him; in that streight of feare and paine may hauehave a sorrow for his life past, but because the weaknes of flesh, and the bitternes of death doth most commonly procure it, we ought to suspect our selues if we neuer sorrow till then. And therfore let vsus store our selues with good things against the euill day come vponupon vsus, for our life past: for as that man, which in his health and good successeThe ioy of a good conscience vnderunder the crosse. 2. Cor. 1. 12. hath been diligent to feare God, and to do good, feeles in his sicknes an vnspeakable comfort, which he would not misse for all the world, and a mighty boldnes to speake vntounto God, towards whom he knoweth he hath not beene vnkind, doth not feare at all: so that man, which whiles the world prospered with him, neuer thought of God, nor regarded his word, nor the preaching thereof, when the visitation of the Lord is vponupon him, when God shall take his soule from him, his case is most miserable, feeling no comfort, nor daring to speake to God, whom he hath neglected. And sorrow such a one neuer so much, yet heSorrow. doubteth, and must needs doubt, for that he knoweth not, whether his remorse be of the loath somnes of sin, or for the feare of death, & whether he be humbled before the Lord, or before sicknes. It is good policie to print his iudgements first in our bowels, and to diet our selues more sparingly with his mercies, least making vp our sins in the remembrance of his mercies, they breake forth & flame to our confusion in body & soule euerlastingly, Eccles. 12. Psal. 73. Heb. 12. Rom. 11. Thy iudgements are as the great deeps. Then to feare God when he sheweth mercy, and to louelove him when he executeth iudgements are two hard things, yet necessarie. Howsoeuer God doth now forbeare, he will not doe so alwaies,How to prepare our selues against the day of death and iudgement. but he will set him downe in his iudgement seate and throne of iustice, and our chiefe care must be, how we may appeare without feare and trembling before him. This is it that we must thinke of at midnight, what we shall answere that dreadfull Iudge, when he shall aske for our account. Let vsus set him before our eyes, not as our fond braine is wont to imagine of him, but as the Scriptures describe him. When he will arise to commaund the Angell to blow his trumpe: such a God as the Seraphins hide their faces at his glorie; at whose presence the mountaines smoke and melt away; whose wrath shall shake the foundations of the earth; who ouertaketh the wise in their policie; who wil not account the guiltie innocent; at whose purenesse all our innocencie is as a stained cloth; whose iustice the Angels themselues dare not call for; whose iudgement when it is once k…dled, burneth to the bottome of hell. Let this God take his place, let him trie our hearts, andTo appeare before God without a m…diator how fearefull. examine our thoughts; let him call for the account and take his reckoning: let vsus thinke how we shall stand before him quietly with peace of conscience, who is it that can doe it, Esa. 33. 4. let him of vsus come forth? Alas none shall dare to doe it. If the Lord in his owne person should appeare vntounto vsus without Christ a redeemer, we should flie from him with horrour and feare, and neuer be able to stand in his sight.
2 He that searcheth the maiestie of God, shall be ouerwhelmed with glory, but he that searcheth out the mercy, how much more shall he be ouerwhelmed of …? His iudgements be as a great deepe, but the deepe of his mercy swallowes vp that deepe. Wherefore well said Chrysostome, Great is the hell of my sinnes, but greater is the deepenesse of thy mercyGods merciemercy. O God. The Scriptures attribute to Gods mercy all dimensions. First, depth; it fetched Dauids soule from the neather most hell, ergo it reacheth thither. Secondly, breadth; forPsalm. 103. that he setteth our sinnes vsus farre from, as the East is from the West. Thirdly, length; for it extendeth it selfe not to the cloudes only, but to the stars, which (as Iob saith) are not cleane in his sight, yea euen to the Angels, in whom he hath found folly, so that but for his mercy they could not abide his triall. Nay God is able to forgiue vsus more, than we are able to sinne. And indeed mercy is the gate of the Almightie. By no other qualitie of his can we be suffered to hauehave entrance or to approch vntounto him. All other things hath the Lord done in measure, number, and weight, sauing his mercy in our redemption, wherein without measure & beyond all number and weight he was mercifull: two drops of bloud had beene sufficient, or one cup of his bloud, but the whip pierced his skin, the thornes hisChrist suffered in soule. flesh, the nayles his bones, the speare his heart, and his very soule was made a sacrifice for sinne.
2 When we loose an outward benefit, we must not so thinke of it as of the losse of GodsGrace. fauour: but what doe blinde people regard Gods grace? So they hauehave plentie of corne and oyle, they respect not the losse of their soules: whereas if all the creatures of the world,The couetous desire of riches. should weepe for the losse but of one soule, it were too little. Yet our people, so they may eate of the Lords bread, and enioy the fat of the earth, care not whether the Lord shew a lightsome, or a fearefull countenance vponupon them. Wherefore because we set so little by that which the Lord sets at so high a price, the Lord will take from vsus that which we esteeme so highly, and bring vponupon vsus some sodaine desolation.
4 We must euer desire the first fruits of the Spirit, but hauing attained the first beginnings2. Pet. 3. 18. of Gods grace, we must euer waite for the increase of it by degrees.
5 When we hauehave receiued mortification and sanctification as hansels of Gods mercies, then may we hope for heauen: for they that hauehave receiued grace, shall also receiue glorie.
6 The graces of God are not in his children as morning mistes, but as well buildedSimile. towers to continue all assaults.Preseuerāce. Gifts of the spirit.
7 Diuersitie of gifts should not make vsus disagree, or to enuy one another, but rather should binde vsus in louelove to embrace one another, that so we might be profitable one to another.
8 The Lord hath such respect to his glory that he will giuegive gifts when he might iustly punish, therfore we ought not so much to reioyce in the possessiō of earthly blessings: for the Lord giueth many blessings to stop the mouthes of vnbeleeuers, and to call sinners toRom. 2. 4. repentance: which if they neglect, then assuredly the Lords wrath will be more fierce against them. The wicked hauehave no cause to reioyce, that the Lord smites them not, for he lets them prosper for a while, that their cōdemnation may be more iust when it commeth. Trie thy selfe thus: if thou profitest by Gods correction, it is a signe of grace: againe, if by his patience thou takest (as a good sonne) occasion to repent, and doest studie to come outGods patiēce. of thy sinne, it is likewise a good argument of Gods fauour.
9 God is slow to wrath, yet let vsus euer remember that albeit he suffered Israel long, yet at the last he destroyed them all, that none of the vnbeleeuers entred into the promised land. Wherefore we may not conclude, that because the Lord punisheth not as yet, therefore he will not punish at all: but confider that all such as respect not his mercies in time, shall at the last feele his iustice.
10 The thing loued is much desired and sought after, whereby we may take a triall ofHow we may trie our louelove 1 to God, or rather to the world. our louelove to God, or of our louelove to the world. First looke, what we louelove indeed, we spend much time in it, and can be content to affoord houres, daies, weekes, yeares, yea and age… too in it. And yet with all the contentions we may, we get not to the worship of God, Dauids seuen times a day, nor his morning, noonetide, and euening exercises, hardly we affoord the Lord his Sabbath. Secondly, we bestow our thoughts and our affections much2 and liberally on the thing we louelove: the Apostles were so troubled with bread, that they could not vnderstand Christ speaking of the leauen of hypocrisie. Thirdly, our louelove to a3 thing is shewed, when we are skilfull and painfull in commending the thing loued. The Spouse in the song of Salomon was very perfect in setting forth the parts of her beloued: she knew the time of his going, she was acquainted with his attire: she was rauished with his beautie: she was priuy to his cōming to her. Men shew forth their louelove to earthly things in their great skill in buying and selling, Amos. 8. in the signes of heauen & colours of the skie Matth. 16. in our statutes & penall lawes. Micah. 6. but in the law of God they be scarsly wained. Fourthly, a man shall see his louelove by his great zeale, whereby he is caried to bring4 the thing to that he loueth, as Esay 9. 7. when the zeale of the Lord is said to bring our redemption to passe. Certainly, eueryevery man is eaten vp with one zeale or other. The godly seeke gaine by honest meanes if they can, but rather than the wicked wil loose their gaine, away with honestie, away, say they, with Christ, as Iudas. Fiftly, the great reioycing which5 we hauehave, bewrayeth our louelove, as Dauid doth, Psal. 4▪ 7. after that he had the thing he desired, the countenance of the Lord, he saith, he had more ioy of heart, than they of the world had, when their wheat and their wine did abound. But immortalitie, the blessing of the right hand, is lesse esteemed among vsus, than riches, which are the blessings but on the left hand, Prouer. 3. Blessed indeed are the people, which are in such a case, but more blessedPsal. 144. are the people, which hauehave the Lord for their God. Sixtly what we feare to forgo, that we louelove6 to hauehave. Pilat cared not to forgoe Christ, but he was afraide to loose Caesars fauour. Lastly7 we louelove that well, which we are grieued to part with, so did the young man in the Gospell shew his louelove to riches, who hauing a discipleship, offered himselfe freely; but when he saw he should forgoe all he had, he rather forsooke Christ than his riches. We must looke where we louelove. The purest thing mingled with an impure and base thing is made most corrupt, as gold mingled with drosse, wine mixed with water, what more precious than the soule of man remaining pure? what more base being corrupted with the mixture of the vilest things, than it? The world knoweth no good but riches, which are yet not so purely good, for God himselfe possesseth neither gold nor siluer, and if they were things meerely good, he would not want them, because he hath all good, that is, those things, which are alwaies good.
11 Christ is not as a Well locked vp or drie spring head, but an open and plentifullZich. 13. 1. fountaine, from whence runne streames on eueryevery side to the lowest vallies, euen the pleasant riuers of grace.