A View of Mans Estate, Tract 1 · Chapter 14
The fourtenth Chapter.
¶The ſweeteneſse of Gods louelove, fealt by a true and liuely fayth.
THis was the price paid for our redēption, this was the purchaſe of our pardon, euen the moſt precious bloudſhéeding of the only begottē ſon of God: ſo hath the merciful Lord ſtretched his louelove towards the world in Chriſt, euen to the top of the croſſe, and ſo to the bowels of the earth, the bottome of the graue, from whence he is riſen to the right hand of the father ther to reigne, vntill he hauehave troden his enimies cleane vnderunder his féete. Now we to whome belonged nothing but ſhame and reproch, may fréely glory without all ſuſpition of vanitie: we that in ourſelues had no cauſe but to lament, hauehave nowe good leaue to reioice, reioicing in ye Lord, now may we withoute all feare triumph ouer our enimies with that ſure Souldier of Chriſt,1. Corin. 15. & ſay: O death wher is thy ſting? O graue where is thy victorie? May we now ſtay ourſelues, but to fal in admiration of gods infinite merciemercy, and ſay with the Apoſtle: O the déepeneſſe of the riches of God: with the Prophet, O Lorde, what is man that thou viſiteſt him? or what is the ſonne of man that thou ſo regardeſt him?Iohn. 15. No man can hauehave greater louelove than to giuegive his life for hys friendes. What then mighte we now aſke more at Gods hands?Iohn. 10. what péece of louelove is there nowe left which god hath not fully beſtowed vppon vsus? for Chriſt is that good ſhephearde which layth downe his life for his ſhéepe: O Lord what is man that thou ſhouldeſt ſo regard him? O that mē would conſider this louelove of God which S. Iohn maketh ſo much of, that he repeateth it again and againe: In this (ſaith he) appeared the louelove of God toward vsus, bycauſe God ſente hys only begotten ſonne into the world,1. Epist. 4. that we might liue through him. And agayne, herein is louelove (ſaith he) not that we loued him, but that he loued vsus, and hath ſente hys ſonne to be a reconciliation for our ſinnes. Let this ſentence be well weighed: The louelove of God is a well conteyning the water of life, whoſe operation is reconciliation, whoſe riuers are righteouſneſſe, whoſe ſtreames wipe awaye the ſands of ſinne, whoſe little drops refreſh the hote hart of man, flaming and boyling with the ſmoking fire of Gods furie: and beſides this, it is a fountaine not forced but fréely ſpringing of it ſelfe: ſo ſaythe S. Iohn: it is not a reward for a deſert, it is not louelove for louelove, one for another, but it is louelove for hatred, mercy without merite, fauoure for falſhoode, pitie for obſtinacie, pardon for rebellion, the payment of honoure for the debte of ſhame, bringing hope for deſperation, and lyfe vnlooked for in place of deſerued death: thus dothe S. Iohn lay foorth the louelove of GOD before vsus, as it were ſtill harping on thys one ſtring, (God ſo loueth the vvorlde) and on thys playeth S. Paule alſo, not without great pleaſure, & in ſuch ſort that I thinke where it entreth the eare, it may not but muche moue the hart: for firſt he putteth the Epheſians in mind of their old eſtate, in what caſe they ſtoode before they were called to the grace of the goſpell, that they ſo knowing them ſelues, might the better knowe God & hys goodneſſe towardes them: ye were (ſaith he) dead in treſpaſſes and in ſinnes, yée in time paſt walked according to the courſe of the world, and after the Prince that ruleth in the aire, euen the ſpirite that worketh in the children of diſobedience: and here ioyning himſelfe and his fellowes with the Epheſians, among whome we alſo had our conuerſation in times paſt in the luſts of our fleſh, and were by nature, what were they? the children of wrath as well as others. Such were they, ſuch children are we all as we are the children of Adam, withoute the louelove and the beloued ſon of God. But now Chriſt is come, what news bringeth he? But God (ſaith the Apoſtle) which is rich in merciemercy through his greate louelove wherewith he loued vsus, euen when we were deade by ſinnes, hath quickened vsus togither in Chriſte, by whoſe grace ye are ſaued, and hathe rayſed vsus vp togither and made vsus ſit togither in the heauenly places in Chriſt Ieſus O what is man that God ſhould ſo louelove him, as thus to poure vponupon vsus the whole ſtore and riches of his mercy, and to beſtow vponupon vsus his chiefe iewell, his only begotten ſonne, and by him to exalt vsus euē from the déepe hel to the high heauēs? Surely God hathe maruellouſly ſhewed hys gracious goodneſſe vponupon the children of men, but in this that he ſo loued ye world as to giuegive vsus hys ſon, euē as the heauens, the earth, ſo dothe this farre ſurmount al the proſperity that any people, al the felicitie that any mā at any time hath euer enioyed: it was much that God bleſſed Abraham ſo as to gyue him the deaw of heauen, ye fat of the earth, enriching him with great ſtore of treaſure and flocks of cattell: but what was this to the bleſſed ſéede that bleſſeth all nations? and Salomō in al his royaltie, what was he but a lilie in the garden, and a floure in the fielde, but that he was aſſured of that promiſe made vntounto hys father, that vntounto Dauid ſhuld be rayſed a righteous branch and a king ſhould reigne and ſit vponupon hys ſeate, whome we ſhould call the Lord our righteouſneſſe? God as he had before the comming of our Meſſias, choſen to hymſelf the Iſraelites a peculiar people, whōe he tendered as the huſbandman his vine, ſo his hande wrought maruellouſly wyth them, and beſtowed innumerable benefits vponupon them: goodly and glorious were the frutes and floures that God cauſed to flouriſh in that vine, but if we be braunches well graffed in the true vine, then may Englande well compare with Iſraell. For whatſoeuer they receiued otherwiſe, we hauehave receiued as fully and wyth as large conditions in Chriſt the ſonne of God: they had but the figure more than we, we hauehave the body and ſubſtance repreſented as well as they: theirs was the ſhales, but we hauehave parte in the kirnell: they had the ſhadow aboue vsus, but we enioy the true ſunne of righteouſneſſe equall with them: there was a greate iubilie no doubt among the Iſraelites, when that voice was firſte heard on the mount Sinai: I hauehave ſéene the affliction of my people whiche is in Egypt,Exod. 9. and I am come downe to deliuer them: but what was this to the ioyfull tidings brought of the Aungell? vntounto you is borne in the Citie of Dauid a Sauioure, and by another Aungell,Math, 1. he ſhall ſaue his people from their ſinnes. Herein was louelove as Sainte Iohn ſayth: farre in deede mighte that people ſéeme to be in the fauoure of God, that he did ſo mightily by his ſeruante Moſes deliuer them out of the hands of hardharted Pharao and that cruell countrie of Egypte: But O Lorde what is man that thou ſo loueſt him, as by the croſſe of thy Chriſte, to plucke him out of the bloudy clammes of that roring and rauening Lion Satan, and to ſaue vsus from that hote burning Egypte the fiery furnace of hell? God made Moyſes a maruell and a mirroure before his people: but he neuer gaue hym thys commendation: Thys is my beloued ſonne.Heb. 1. Naye to which of the Angels ſaid he at any time: Thou arte my ſonne, this daye begat I thee? yet thys beloued ſonne whome the father maketh ſo much of, is made our Moſes to fulfill the lawe, and our Meſſias to fill vsus full of grace: he hathe broughte vsus out of all bondage,Iohn. 8. it is he that hath led captiuitie captiue: and nowe are we free in déede when the ſonne hathe made vsus frée: Dauid refreſheth hymſelfe maruellouſly wyth the memorie of thoſe benefytes of GOD whyche hée beſtowed vponupon hys people when they were nowe paſſing from Egypt toward the promiſed land: wherefore he vttereth ſuch ſayings in hys pſalmes and ſongs,Pſal. 78. recording therin the goodneſſe of God: he deuided the Sea and led them through: In the daye alſo he led them with the cloude. This was theyr Baptiſme vnderunder Moyſes, as Sainte Paule ſaythe: Nowe if we be baptiſed in Chriſte Ieſus with water and the holy Ghoſt: then hauehave we drowned Pharao in the floud, and hauehave buried vp Sathan ſafe in the Sea: then are we couered and clothed with the true cloude, ſo that the heate of hell may not hurt vsus: ſo ſaithe S. Paule:Galath. 3. All ye that are baptiſed into Chriſt hauehave put on Chriſt, and ſo ſaithe S. Iohn of the water falling frō that cloude:1. Epist. 2. The bloud of Ieſus Chriſte cleanſeth vsus from all ſinne: Dauid goeth forward and ſaith: as he led them in the daye tyme with a cloud, ſo he did all the nighte with a light of fire.Iohn. 8. This was a great token that God was with them: but this was but a ſhadow of him that ſaythe: I am the light of the world, he that followeth me ſhall not walke in darkneſſe, but ſhall hauehave the lighte of life: This is the lyght,Iohn. 1. that is the lyfe of men, this is the light that ſhineth in the darkeneſſe: here hathe the Gentile gotten as muche as the Iewe: for this is the true light that lighteth eueryevery man that commeth into the world. Againe ſaithe Dauid, for the glory of the Iewe he claue the rocke in the wilderneſſe, and gaue them drinke as of the great depthes:1. Corin. 10 but Paule ſaithe alſo, for the comforte of the Gentile, the rocke was Chriſte: for out of the rocke rent on the croſſe guſhed out that plentifull aqua vitae whyche ſerueth to ſatiſfie the thirſt of eueryevery ſoule: that is it, which ſhall waſh away all our vncleanneſſe.Eſay. 1. That although our ſins were as crimſin, they ſhall now be made white as ſnowe: though they were red lyke Scarlet,Pſal. 68. they ſhall be as wooll: though they be ruſty for ſinne, as thoſe that hauehave lyen among pottes, yet ſhall we be as the wings of a Doue that is couered with ſiluer, and whoſe feathers are lyke vntounto the yellowe golde. Wherefore without this water, was that nothing in compariſon, but as our Sauiour ſayth in hys reaſoning wyth the woman of Samaria concerning Iacobs well:Iohn. 4. Whoſoeuer ſhall drinke of thys water ſhall thirſt agayne, but who ſo drinketh of the water which I ſhall gyue him ſhall neuer thirſt agayne, and it ſhall be vntounto him a well of water ſpringing vp into eternall lyfe. Another maruellous benefite of God doth Dauid glory in, ſaying: God opened the dores of heauen, and rayned downe Manna vponupon them for to eate, and gaue them of the Wheat of heauen, and ſo man did eate Aungels foode: this was a ſure token of Gods ſingular louelove towardes them: but this was but a ſhadowe to that which Chriſte bringeth with him: for ſo he himſelfe maketh compariſon: I am the breade of life: your fathers did eate Manna in the wilderneſſe and are deade:Iohn. 6. I am the liuing bread whiche came downe from heauen: if any mā eate of this breade he ſhall liue for euer: finally that God by the hande of his ſeruant Ioſua conducted his people and ſette them ſafe in the poſſeſſion of Canaā, that lande ſo long looked for, ſo commended, that it ſhould flow with milke and hony, therein did he ſhew himſelfe, as a mightie ſo a moſt mercyfull God:1. Peter. 1. but bleſſed be the father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, whiche according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten vsus againe vntounto a liuely hope, by the reſurrectiō of our Lorde Ieſus Chriſt from the deade, to an inheritance immortall and vndefiled, and that fadeth not away. This is that eternal poſſeſſion whiche Chriſt hath purchaſed for vsus with the price of his precious bloude, euen the eternall and glorious kingdome of his heauenly father. O bleſſed Bées that may be ſo happy as to ſwarme about Chriſt, and to ſuck the ſwéete hony flowing from the floures of that Canaan: verily there is heauenly hony, euē ſuch as the eye hath not ſéen, the eare hath not heard, neyther yet hath euer entred into the heart of man: that is it which God hath prouided for his beloued: it was vndoubtedly a great loſſe which we had in Adam. But thankes be vntounto God we hauehave founde more in Chriſt than we enioyed before.Rom. 5. So ſaint Paule maketh conference of both eſtates: for if by the offence of one, death reigned through one, much more ſhall they which receyue the aboundance of grace and of the gifte of righteouſneſſe reigne in life through one, that is Ieſus Chriſte. O Lorde what is man that thou ſhouldeſt be ſo mindfull of him? But herein is louelove, that Chriſte hath purchaſed vsus a newe Paradiſe, & is gone to prouide vsus a kingdome, euen of his own kingdome doth he make vsus fellow heires, he rayſeth vsus togyther with him to the heauēly places, and with his crowne of thornes he hath gotten vsus the crowne of glorie that euer floriſheth and neuer fadeth: although we eate not the fruite of the trée of the knowledge of good and badde, yet may we be ſure to auoyd ye ch…king peare (I meane) to periſh: althogh we meete not with the trée of life which ſtood in the old Paradiſe, yet in the high pillar of ye Almightie God, comming to Chriſte his heauenly table, we ſhal not miſſe ye worthy fruit to hauehave life euerlaſting.