Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Of the knowledge of God and our ſelues in generall.
Queſtion.
LEt me (I pray you) in the beginning of this our conference heere ſhortly declared, what wee are to propound for our chiefeſt end in this preſent diſcourſe: and then ſhew me therewithall, wherein the full and whole dutie of eueryevery true Christian doth ſummarily conſiſt.
Anſ. The maine and chiefe end ſhould be, our better learning how to feare God, and keepe his commandements: Eccleſ. 12. 13.for this ought to be the whole of eueryevery mans chiefe endeauours, and beſt imployments; whoſe duties all, if they be ſummed vp together, may well be reduced vntounto theſe two heads, of Knowledge, and of Practice.
Q. May not one of theſe be thought ſufficient to ſhew what a mans dutie is, that you name both?
A. Both are neceſſary to expreſſe all that is required:foreign, Mark. 5. 12 quaſi foreign, skilfull or knowing. for knowledge without practice makes men no better then diuels; who know more then we doe, but doe not as they know: and practice without knowledge, makesPſal 49 20 & 73 22 & 32. 9. Iob 35. 11. Pſal. 147. 15. Iſal 48. 13. Pſal. 148. 8. men differ little from brute beaſts, yea, from the inſenſible creatures, who in their kind are more obedient; for the fier and haile, the ſnow and vapour, and ſtormie wind, they do his will, though they know not what they doe.
Q. What things are neceſſary for vsus to know?
A. God and our ſelues, his workes and our duties.All the tongues of Men and Angels are not able to vtter ſo ſignificant a word, as ſhould fully expreſſe what God is.
Q. What are we to know concerning God?
A. Wee are to know what God is in himſelfe, and what he is to vsus.
Q. What are we to know, as touching what God is in himſelfe?
A. We are taught out of the Scriptures, that he is aExod. 3. 14. & 11. 7. 1. Tim. 6. 16. Iob 37. 23. Acts 17. 28. 1. Cor. 86. diuine eſſence of vnſpeakable maieſtie and glorie; who hath his being of himſelf, and doth giuegive life and being to all things elſe that are; who is ſo high and excellent, omnipotent, eternal and infinit, as to the greateſt vnderſtanding of the wiſeſt and beſt of al his creatures, he is in gloriousGod good without qualitie, great without quantitie, infinite without place, and euerlaſting without time. maieſtie moſt incomprehenſible; and yet hee hath made himſelfe knowne to his creatures, to be onelyonly one God ouer all, diſtinct in three perſons, the Father our Creatour, the Sonne our Redeemer, and the holy Ghoſt our Comfortor, inſtructor and guider in all our waies.
Q. What are we to know that God is to vsus?
A. That God in the ſecond Perſon in the Trinitie, isMatth 28. 19. Mat. 1. 23. 1. Tim. 3. 16. Heb. 1. 3. Col. 1. 15. Ioh. 14. 7. & 1. 18. Exod. 23 21. Gal. 4. 5, 6. & 1. 4. ſo reconciled vntounto vsus in him, he is become God with vsus, euen God manifeſted in the fleſh, and made knowne vntounto vsus in the face of Chriſt Ieſus; who being the brightnes of his glorie, and the expreſſe image of his perſon, he that hath ſeene and knowne him, hath ſeene and knowne the Father; yea, in and by him knoweth God alſo to bee his Father, through the operation of the holy Ghoſt.
Q. What are we to know touching the workes of God?
A. Generally that they are perfect and holy, all doneDeut. 32. 4. Eccleſ. 3. 14. Pſal. 145. 17. Pſal. 33. 4. & 111. 8. Pſal. 111. 3. Pſal 92. 5. Pſal. 139. 14. Iob 9. 10. Pſal. 104. 24. in truth and equitie, that they are moſt honourable and glorious; yea, that maruelous are his workes, and that in wiſedome he hath made them all.
Particularly, that they are either ſecret, and hidden from all other creatures, and onelyonly knowne to himſelfe alone; or openly manifeſt and reuealed in the world, and ſo appertaining to vsus to take knowledge of them.
Q. What manner of workes are thoſe, which you doe call the ſecret and hidden workes of God, knowne to himſelfe alone?
A. Such as was his eternall decree and purpoſe withEpheſ. 1. 11. Pſal. 33. 11. & Rom. 11. 34. Rom. 9. 11. 22 23. 1. Pet. 2. 8. Acts 4. 28. Acts 17. 31. Mark. 13. 32. Mat. 24. 36. himſelfe before all beginnings, of making the whole world in the beginning, and of determining all that hee ſhould make, to ſuch ſeuerall ends as he had appointed.
Such alſo, as is the appointment of time for the ende of the world, and for the bringing all to iudgement, the day and houre whereof is not knowne to the Angels; no, nor to the Sonne of man himſelfe.
Q. What are the reuealed workes of God, manifested and made knowne in the world, which it behoueth vsus to regard, and to take knowledge of?
A. The workes both of the creation of all things, outHeb. 11. 3. Iſai. 44. 24. & 42. 5. Acts 17. 24. Gen. 1. 31. Luke 19. 10. Rom. 3. 23, 24. 25. 2. Cor. 5. 19. Coloſ. 1. 20. Ioh. 5. 17. Eccleſ. 3. 11. Prou. 16. 4. of nothing made good in the beginning; as alſo the works of daily gouerning, ordering and diſpoſing al things once made (whether they keepe their goodneſſe they were firſt made in, or hauehave loſt it, and are fallen from the ſame), ſo as yet out of all by his infinite wiſedome, he neuer faileth to bring honour, and gaine glory to his name.
Q. What are we to know touching our ſelues?
A. We are to know what we were, and what we now are.
Q. What is to be knowne touching what we were?
A. We are to know, that wee were once happy creatures,Eccleſ. 7. 29. o…. 31. made good in the beginning; yea, excelling in goodneſſe many other creatures that were alſo made good; for we were made after the image of God: and ſo were no otherGen. 1. 27. creatures vponupon earth beſide.
Q. What is to be knowne of our ſelues, touching what wee now are?
A. Two things in that reſpect are to be conſidered of vsus, namely, what we now are by nature, and what wee are by grace.
Q. What is that we now are by nature?
A. That hauing loſt our happineſſe by the fall of Adam, Rom. 3 23. Iob. 14. 1. 2. Epheſ. 2. 3.we are become moſt miſerable, and are all by nature the children of wrath one as well as another.
Q. What may we know, that we are now by grace?
A. That being iuſtified freely by the grace of God,Rom. 3. 24. through the redemption that is in Chriſt Ieſus our Lord, power is now giuen vntounto vsus by him, to become the ſonnes Iohn, 1. 12. Rom. 8. 17.of God; yea, heires and fellow-heires with him of life and glorie.
Q. So much of the knowledge of our ſelues; come now to ſhew, what we are to know to be our duties, and wherein they do conſiſt.
A. Our duties doe conſiſt, in performing due obedience1. Sam. 15. 22. Ier. 7. 23. to Gods holy will in all things.
Q. What kind of obedience is it, which God requireth as our hands?
A. Both actiue, in readily doing all that he hath commandedDeut. 6. 24. 25. & 10. 12. 13. Apoc. 3. 10. Marke, 8. 34. Luke, 21. 19. to be done; and paſſiue, in patiently ſuffering and enduring all that he hath appointed to be abidden.
Q. What is it that God hath commanded vsus to doe?
A. He hath commanded vsus to keepe his precepts diligently; and thoſe are either Legall precepts, commandingPſal. 119. 4. Exod. 20. 23. …. Iohn, 3. 23. Marke, 1. 15. vsus to fulfill the righteouſneſſe of the Law; or Euangelicall, commanding vsus to beleeue on the name of his Sonne Ieſus Christ, and to embrace and beleeue the promiſes of the Goſpell.
Q. What is it that God hath appointed vsus contentedly and patiently to ſuffer?
A. Whatſoeuer either by his owne hand immediately ſhall be laid vponupon vsus, or through his prouidence and ſufferancePſalm. 39. 9. Leuit. 10. 3. Iob 2. 10. 1. King. 12. 24. 1. Cor. 11. 32. Iob 37. 13. 1. Pet. 4. 12. Heb. 5. 8. by any other meanes ſhall befall vntounto vsus, either for our chaſtiſement, or our triall; and that we learne obedience by all that we ſo doe ſuffer.