The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 3
THE BLESSED CHARIOTS MAN OF THE HEAVENLY CHARIOT.
THe Soueraigne Coachmaister, who is also the onelyonly supreme, and absolute director, leader, and keeper of that Chariot, within the which the babes of God are transported from sinfull time, towards eternitie; is that blessed Spirit of the Father,Heb. 10. 19. and of his dearest sonne Iesus Christ, ô my soule, who is the Spirit of grace, by whom the babes of God, depriued of his grace by sinne in Adam, and with Adam, are made partakers of that grace which God the Father hath promised vntounto them by the force of that new couenant made with them; and God their Soueraigne hath purchased vntounto them according to the Fathers promise. The spirit of repentance by whom these babes being of themselues the verie limmes of the deuill (whom euerie one of vsus do by nature as liuely resēble as any man doth his parents) are made the members of Christ, and so the children of God. And therefore truly doth our Maister say;Iohn 3. 3. 5. Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God: Eph. 1. 17.and againe; Except a man be borne of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter in the kingdome of God. The spirit of wisedome, by whom these babes (no wayes perceiuing the things that be of the Spirit of God,1. Cor. 2. 14 neither being able to know them) are made wise to saluation, and able to discerne all things.Ioh. 14. 17. The Spirit of truth, by whom vntounto the babes of God; Satans lies, and mens, employed by Satan, are discouered in their owne colour and nature, least they should be snared and entrapped by them; and by whom they are led to the knowledge of that onelyonly sauing truth of God, which is able to saue their soules.Rom. 1. 4. The Spirit of sanctification, by whom these babes of God poysoned from their first shaping in their mothers wombe through sinne, and by reason of this poyson so defiled within their soules, and in all the powers of them without, in their bodies, and in euerie duplicate page duplicate page member of them, that there is nothing whole in them from top to toe, are so sanctified that they are made to louelove that their God loues, to hate that their God hates, to will that their God willeth, to abhorre that their God abhorreth; yea, that where before their members were weapons of vnrighteousnesse to sinne, they are made weapons of righteousnesse to God.Rom. 6. 13. The spirit of Promise: by whom with these maine,1. Cor. 6. 11. large and glorious promises,Eph. 1. 13. made by God their Father in his dearest Sonne their sole Sauiour, the truth of the said promises and so the vndoubted performance of them in Gods owne appointed time, is not only brought to their eares, but settled in their hearts, for comforting of them against their manie troubles,Rom. 8. 15. and confirming of them against their often feares. The spirit of adoption: by whom these babes of God hauehave their royall pterogatiue, hidde vp from the world, in the minds of all their inward and outward crosses and griefes sounded in their eares, whereby they are made to crie from a ioyfull heart, and with a chearefull conntenance (defying all their troubles & griefes) Abba Father. Io. 14. 16.The spirit of comfort: by whō these babes of God inuironed with all apparēt matter of confusion, are easedand incouraged vnderunder and against all distresses & crosses, for the which cause also this blessed spirit is stiled by himselfe.Psal. 45. 7. The oyle of gladnesse, the spirit of libertie: Psal 51. 12.by whom these babes of God, being bound in the iron chaines of Satan, and of sinne by nature, are not onelyonly loosed from these irons of sinne, and from that tyrannie which sometimes detained them in bondage, but are giuen ouer to God the Father, and his dearest Sonne not onelyonly to seeke and to serue him, but to seeke and serue him with a most franke,Zach. 12. 10. free, and a readie heart. The spirit of supplication: because by him alone, the senslesse and sensuall hearts of the verie babes of God, naturally frozen in the foule dregges of sin, and of earthly things, are stirred vp and made fit to pray vntounto God truly and feruently: And therefore the Apostle doth say:Rom. 8. 26. The spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray as we ought, but the spirit it selfe maketh requests for vsus with sighes that cannot be expressed. Esay 11. 2.The spirit of strength: because by him alone these babes of God in themselues beyond measure weake, vnable to resist euill, vnable to performe any good thing, subiect with this to a thousand tentations, and inuironed with a world of enemies; are strengthened & enabled, not onelyonly ioyfully to desire to do the good will of God in their seuerall callings, but also in some measure to discharge that debt which their God craues of them, euen with the hazard and losse of all that they hauehave;1. Ioh. 4. 4. this good spirit which dwelleth in them, being alwayes stronger then that euill spirit which dwelleth in the world.2. Tim. 1. 7. The spirit of louelove, for it is by this spirit alone, by whom these babes are acquainted with, and certified of, that louelove the Father hath vndeseruedly borne to them, in promising and giuing his Sonne for them;Rom. 5. 5. by whom, that louelove, the Sonne hath carried to them, in contenting to be giuen for them, is spread abroad in their hearts: out of the which louelove alone all these spirituall gifts wherewith they are inriched for the gracing of them here, and for the glorifying hereafter, do flow. For if thou wouldst inquire me, ô my soule, how it is come to passe, that thou, dead in sinne, and for sinne adiudged to endlesse death, are graced, regenerate, and made wise to saluation, through the knowledge of that sauing truth of God, contained in holy Scripture; in some measure sanctified, acquainted with, and certified, of the promises of God; and so that thou art adopted in his dearest & naturall Sonne, to be his Sonne through grace, reioycing in the midst of troubles, glad whensoeuer thou arr seeking and seruing him, powring prayers vntounto him whensoeuer thou art any wayes pricked, praysing him whensoeuer thou art eased; standing in the euill day, and withstanding Gods & thy owne euill enemies? behouest thou not to answer, because God hath loued me, and that freely and constantly in that blessed Sonne of his louelove, my onelyonly louelove Iesus; as his spirit, by whom this louelove is shed abroad in my heart,Rom. 5. 5. testifies vntounto me? Now this blessed Spirit, ô my soule, is proclaimed by himselfe, to our cleare resolution and rarest consolation, to be the verie fellow and companion of these babes of God, iourneying towards heauen, accompanying them in eueryevery estate, and in all places; and therefore not without his speciall inspiration, and direction was that prayer of drawing vp by the Apostle for the Corinthians:1. Cor. 13. 13. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, the louelove of God, aud the fellowship of the holy Ghost be with you all. Yea this Spirit is proclaimed to be that Ghost who alwayes lodgeth and dwelleth within these babes of God soiourning here,1. Cor. 3. 16. as in his temple and cabinate: yea, he is proclaimed to be the Gouernor,Rom. 8. 9. and leader of these babes of God; and good reason since he dwelleth in them as in his owne house: for the which cause the Apostle doth say, They that are the sonnes of God are led by the Spirit. Rom. 8. 14.But here, ô my soule, I must necessarily require thee one thing: how canst thou be certified that this blessed Spirit dwelleth in thee, accompanies thee, directs thee, and gouernes thee?Eph. 4. 30. This Spirit, ô my soule, is a seale, and who can receiue a seale, and not feele the impression of it? This Spirit is an earnest,2. Cor. 1. 2…. and who receiuing an earnest pennie doth not know that he hath receiued it?Eph. 1. 17. 18. This Spirit is that heauenly light, by whom our darke vnderstandings are illuminate, and who cannot discerne betwixt light and darknesse? This Spirit is that holy fire, inflaming our frozen hearts with the zeale of Gods glorie,Acts 2. 3. and the louelove of his children: and can fire carried by vsus in the verie bosome be hidde? Yea, this Spirit is that purging fire which purgeth the babes of God from the drosse of sinne dwelling in them, to the end that at length they may proue pure gold, to be layed vp in the treasure of endlesse glorie?Mat. 3. 11. This Spirit is that precious oyle wherby our hard stonie hearts are mollified and made plyable vntounto the good will of God, which before were so obdured against it,Psal. 45. 7. that they would rather hauehave broken then bended vntounto any spirituall dutie.1. Ioh. 27. He is that oyle, who beside this, supples as it were our sti…e members and ioints, making vsus actiue and nimble for the workes of grace, and so for the seruice of our God. Yea he is that oyle which maketh the whole child of God within and without, so to shine in the eyes of God his Father, that he can glorie and ioy of them euen before the diuels,Iob. 1. 8. as he boasted of Iob when he said to him: Hast thou considered my seruant Iob, how none is like him in the earth, an vpright man and one that feareth God and escheweth euill? And may we not sensibly perceiue this alteration in vsus, vnlesse we be both dead and senslesse, and so altogether destitute of this Spirit?Esay 44. 4. 61. 3. Yea, this Spirit if that water which not onelyonly washeth vsus, but being powred as it were on the day ground of our hearts, maketh the good seed of the good word of God to grow in them as the willowes by the riuers of waters:Iohn. 3. 5. for the which cause the babes of God be styled the trees of righteousnesse, and that planting the Lord hath appointed for the glorifying of him.Esay 61. 3. And these trees do bring forth the fruites of the spirit: which be principally nine. LoueLove, ioy, peace, long suffering, gentlenesse,Gal. 5. 22. 23. goodnesse, faith, meekenesse, temperance. Hath thy God, ô my soule, fo farre aduanced thee, that he hath made this his blessed Spirit to be thy maister, director, leader, and keeper, whilst thou so iurneth here. And wilt thou not crie with Augustine, Aug. in Ps. 91.out of a sense of this thy estate, and happinesse which accompanies, and shall alwayes accompanie thee here? Desideremus, & amemus, & flagremus, si sponsa sumus, sponsus abest, sustinemus veiet quem desideramus, tantum pignus dedit non time at sponsa, ne desideretur a sponso, Non dimitit pignus suum: quod pignus dedit? sanguinem suam fudit, spiritum suum misit, talia pegnor a non amitiet ille sponsus. Si non amaret talia pignor a non daret, I am amat, ô si amaremus. If we be the spouse of Iesus, let vsus long for him, let vsus louelove him, yea let vsus burne in louelove after him. Our husband is absent from vsus, if we beare that patiently, he whom we long for will come. O how great a pledge of his louelove hath he giuen, let not the spouse be affrayed least the husband forsake her; he will not leaue his owne pledge: what pledge hath he giuen? He hath shed his owne bloud, he hath sent vntounto vsus his owne holy Spirit, that our husband will not leaue, nor forsake such pledges. If he loued vsus not he would not hauehave giuen vsus such pledges. Now he loues vsus, ô would to God we could louelove him.