The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 2 · Meditation 7
7. As man from the earth, maketh God to heare and see: so shall God make man at length to heare, to see, and to feele.
WO is me, wo is me, ô my soule, that I should heare my God thus speaking vntounto Moses touching his Israel. Let me alone that my wrath may waxe hot against them, for I will surely consume them. Sure I am, ô my soule, would a man (sensible of God) compare that resolution taken by our God against Israel heere, with that resolution taken by his Maiestie about them in the 8. verse of the 3. of Exodus; it will draw some heauie groanes out of his heart, and some bitter teares out of his eyes. Speakes not our God Exodus, 3. 8. thus vntounto Moses. I am come downe to deliuer them out of the hands of the Egyptians & to bring them out of that land into a good land and a large: and saith not the same God vntounto the same Moses touching the same Israel Exodus 32. 10. I will consume them. Exod. 32. 10.O what an alteration, ye, ô what a fearefull change, ô what a fearefull alteration? Surely, surely, could this change be well considered, it would assuredly confound men, and make them to stand amazed. Whereof alwayes comes this, ô my soule? for sure I am with Abraham that the Iudge of the world cannot do but right. Hearken, hearken, ô my soule, I pray thee: there is not a greater difference betwixt that resolution taken by our God concerning Israel, Exodus 3. 8. and that he takes concerning them, Exodus 32. 10. then there is betwixt that sight our God saw when he looked on them, Exodus 3. and that sight he saw when he looked on them, Exodus 32. Yea, sure I am there is not a greater difference betweene the one resolution and the other, then there is betwixt that noyse our God hearkening vntounto Israel Exod. 3. heard, and that to one, his Maiestie hearkening vntounto him, Exod. 32. heard. In the 3. of Exodus our God looking vponupon Israel, sees their oppression and trouble. In the 32. of Exodus our God looking on him sees a molten calfe made by them, worshipped by them, sacrificed vntounto, by them. In the third of Exodus our God hearkning to Israel, heares the tune and sound of their bitter cries and groanes, because of their fierce task-makers, but in the 32. of Exodus he heares his Israel blasphemously crying touching the calfe. These be the Gods ô Israel that brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Yea, he heares the noise of the Israelites licentiously and wantonly pyping and dancing before their calfe. In the 3. of Exodus it is no wonder that the God of pitie and merciemercy, and power, seeing the trouble, and hearing the groanes of his distressed children comes downe to deliuer them▪ and it cannot be thought a wonder that our God who is truth, iustice, and strength it selfe, in the 32. of Exodus seeing the calfe set vp by them, and hearing the pyping about it, resolued to come downe to destroy these he concluded before to saue. Would to God herefore, ô my soule, that all these who dwell beneath here vnderunder the peofession of the Gospell, could in time learne to make conscience of that which they make their great God from the heauens to see, from the heauens to heare: for as they make his Maiestie to heare and to see; so shall his Maiestie make them to heare, to see, and to find afterwards. Againe, when I reade the 28. verse of the 1. of Genesis, I see and heare our God reioycing in man, and aduancing him aboue all the workes of his hands saying: Bring forth fruite and multiplie and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foules of the heauen, and ouer euerie beast that moueth vponupon the earth. But when I reade the 6. verse of the 6. of Genesis, I heare Moses warranted by God, speaking thus touching man: It repented the Lord that he had made man vponupon the earth, and he was sorie in his heart. But wherof came this so great an alteration? When our God looked vppon man in the 1. of Genesis he was cloathed with his image, and therefore with him all the workes of his hands are verie good in his eyes, when he saw him and them. But when he looked on him as Moses speakes of man in the 6. of Exodus, he was depriued of Gods image within, all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were onelyonly euill continually; and without he was fearefully and foully couered with that red coate of crueltie, and blacke coate of lecherie; and therefore no wonder that the God of pietie, and pouertie, repented that he had made him. In the 17. verse of the 9. Chapter of the 1. of Samuel, I heare God speaking to Samuel touching Saul. This is the man of whom I spake to thee, he shall rule my people. But how speakes our God to the same Samuel touching the same Saul, 1. of Samuel 13. 35. It repent…th me that I hauehave made Saul King ouer Israe…. Alwayes no wonder: for did not Saul stubbornely lift vp himselfe against the Lord, disdaining to hearken to his voice, and licentiously following his owne conceites, dreaming that his owne foolish imaginations would proue a better rule to serue God by, and to procure peace and wealth to himselfe, then the verie word of God brought to his eares by Samuel. Oh, ô my soule, when shall the presumptuous sinners of this our time, learne to make vse of this? O when shall that sentence be so heard by the eares of men, that it may take some roote in their hearts.Gen. 18. 10 I will go downe and see whither they of Sodome and Gomorrha hauehave done altogether according to that crie which is come to me. For heere I must tell thee, ô my soule, albeit the Atheist be silent, yet his Atheisme cries to heauen for vengeance; albeit the whoremaister, and the whore be quiet, yet their whoredome crieth; albeit the drunkard drinke till he can neither go, nor stand, nor speake; yet his drunkennesse fleeth vp to heauen, and standing there before God cries out against him; and so in a word, albeit all the sinners of the earth should couenant and agree among themselues to lay their hands vponupon their mouthes, neuer speaking one word of their sinne, and albeit they should take themselues to the secretest deepe holes when they commit their sinnes, to the end, that others not seeing them, be not able to speake of them, yet sinne committed by them, in despite of their couenant shall crie out vppon them, and draw downe God against them. The sense of this, ô my soule, moued Crysostome to say,Chrysost. Peccatum nemine arguente hominem prodit: nemine accusante condemnat. Sinne betrayes a man albeit no man reproue him: sinne condemnes a man albeit no man accuse him.