Seven Treatises, Treatise 6 · Chapter 3
CHAP. 3. Of the ſecond Priuiledge: namely, That God is with his alwaies after he hath aſſured them of his fauour.
BVt to paſſe to the ſecond: if they might onelyonly know, that they ſhall be ſaued after they depart out of this world, and ſhould in the meane while be neglected and left as orphans, deſolate and expoſed to all iniuries and diſcomforts, the priuiledge, which I hauehave ſpoken of, ſhould be the leſſe (although nothing is to be compared vntounto it:) but God hath promiſed ouer and beſide that,God hath a ſpeciall care of his, euen in this world. Rom. 5.5. Pſ. 30.6.7. Luc. 13.34. Deut. 32.10. to hauehave a fatherly care ouer them, euen in this life alſo, and to teſtifie his louelove plentifully vntounto them many other waies: which ſpecial care he hath not of other, though he ſuffereth them to liue. 1. Tim. 4.10. Alſo he is their ſhelter from tempeſts and ſtormes of troubles; and keepeth them ſafe vnderunder his protection, as the hen doth the chickens vnderunder her wing: yea, he keepeth them as the apple of his eie; and counteth them his friends, communicating with them his ſecrets,1. Tim. 4.10. & Mat. 10.30. Pſ. 1.3. and declaring and making knowen to them the hidden treaſures of his kingdome, and in eueryevery eſtate will ſaue and vpholde them by his prouidence: ſo that they may proſper and be well liking in reſpect of other, though they hauehave all outward abundance. And if God who is rich in all good things and hath all power in his hands, be their ſhepheard, what can they want?Pſ. 23.1. if he be with them (as he is) who can be againſt them? if he honour them,Rom. 8.31. 1. Sam. 2.30. Pſ. 1.1. whoſe diſgracing of them can hurt them? yea, if he make them bleſſed, who can depriue them of it?
But when I hauehave ſaid what I can of their eſtate, I muſt confeſſe I hauehave ſaid little, ſo great and precious are the particular prerogatiues which they hauehave bequeathed vntounto them. And yet beholde,And in this ſafety they are, when his anger is kindled againſt others. Pſ. 2.12. Beholde the greatneſſe of this priuiledge in one part of it: Hebr. 1.14. Namely, the honour that they are in thereby. in this high account they are with God alwaies, when his anger is kindled againſt other which are his enemies. And what comfort may be conceiued by the beleeuing, conſidering and applying of all theſe unto the faithfull heart? And that I may the eaſilier perſwade the weake Chriſtian, that theſe things are not little, conſider if any one of theſe commodities, which I hauehave ſaid, doe, by Gods free grant, pertaine to the beleeuers, that by ſome one they may value and eſteeme the reſt: conſider therefore, firſt the honor that they hauehave in being called The ſeruants of God (than the which title and name the angels hauehave no greater) to declare the honour that goeth with it: which partly may appeare by another compariſon, and that alſo more familiar to vsus. For looke, how high and honourable the office and place is, that is inioyed vnderunder a Prince (whither it be L. Chancellor, Treaſurer, or the like) more than the ſame is vnderunder an inferior perſon:The greatneſſe of this priuilege is ſet forth alſo by this title that Chriſt giueth them, of being called not ſeruants but friends. Ioh. 15.15. Alſo in that we are ſonnes, heires & fellow heires with Chriſt. Rom 8.17. Exod. 19.5. Furthermore, the godly are the treaſure of the Lord, and therefore the delight of his heart. euen ſo by many degrees, the honour of being ſeruant vntounto the moſt high, is farre greater than all other which here may be attained.
And yet as though this were not enough to be called The ſeruants of the Almighty, Chriſt himſelfe ſetteth out their eſtate to be yet more glorious, when he ſaith: I hauehave not called you ſeruants but friends, to whom I hauehave communicated my ſecrets and minde, vntounto the which a ſeruant is not commonly admitted. And yet euen this is not ſo admirable, if it be laied with that which in another place is written: That God hath adopted vsus to be his ſonnes and heires, yea fellow-heires with Chriſt himſelfe. Not much vnlike hereunto, is that which is written in another place: If ye will keepe my commandements, ye ſhall be to me the moſt precious of all the earth, though all the earth be mine. If the godly be his precious treaſure, how can they but be delighted in of him, ſafely kept alſo, and preſerued from all that might annoy them? and being ſo deare vntounto him, how will he ſuffer them to want any thing that is good? And therefore Kings for their honour they are called, though not earthly, inferior to the angels indeed; but yet, through hope, the moſt precious people among all nations, though all the earth be his:The godly are alſo called kings for their honor. Exod. 19.5. whereby they rule ouer Sathan the prince of this world, by faith, and tread vnderunder their feet the kingdome of darkneſſe and ſinne, and ſo become conquerors ouer him and the world. For the Scripture teacheth them this wiſdome, the ſpirit giueth them this grace, and witneſſeth this to be true,1. Ioh. 5.4. that he which hath faith, ouercommeth the world: that is, maketh that, which is in it, as the luſt of the fleſh, the luſt of the eye, and the pride of life, to be ſubiect to him. An honour which Kings and Princes, for the moſt part, attaine not vntounto: for many of them aſwell as of others, worſhip the beaſt, and offer to him their crowne, and willingly ſubmit themſelues to his ſlauery. And this honour which he bequeatheth to his faithfull ones, is one commodity and fruite of his provident care and fatherly regard that he hath over them.
And yet in that there is no end of this, but that he will continue it towards them throughout their life,God will continue this honour to them. and that in more certainty and aſſurance, it is ſo much the more to be had in admiration: whereas in the meane while, they who are none of his, nor nourtered in his family, which is his church, cannot inioy the leaſt part of this liberty, they cannot beleeue nor be perſwaded of any ſuch thing at any time, neither dare they promiſe to themſelues, that he will be with them, and be a ſhelter vntounto them; but for want thereof they ſmart, being hardened in their hearts, and let looſe after their owne deſire, to commit any ſinne that their heart luſteth after, euen with greedineſſe; and that, becauſe the lord hath not that eſpeciall care ouer them, that he hath ouer his owne beloued ones to keepe them from it.
This prerogatiue (I ſay) the wicked men of the world, and vnregenerate, not onelyonly hauehave not while they remaine in that eſtate,The wicked hauehave no part in it. neither doe ſo much as fervently and conſtantly deſire it, nor cannot; being no more able, then the blind man is to ſee, or the new borne child to walke: and therefore in ſtead of theſe liberties they are ſtill in bondage, and for the moſt ſweet dainties of gods children, they are fedde with draffe, euen with fancies, dreames and deceiuable pleaſures. But contrariwiſe, that which was ſpoken to Mary the mother of Ieſus, Luc. 1.28.thou being freely beloued of the lord, he is euer with thee afterwards, to preſerue thee whom he hath loued: the ſame may be verified of all gods children; after he hath once receiued them into fauour, forgiuing them all their ſinns,Whom God once loueth, he loueth vntounto the end. he is with them euer after, to watch ouer and care for them; that ſo they may be preſented ſafe before him, when he ſhall appeare for their euerlaſting deliuerance.
By which it may be ſeene, how excellent and how much to be deſired, the eſtate of the pooreſt of Gods children is,The eſtate of the pooreſt child of God, is farre better that the beſt of the vngodly. Experience teacheth the trueth of theſe things. Eph. 3.19. aboue the flouriſhing youth that liueth at hearts caſe, or the mightieſt monarch or prince that is vnreformed. It might ſeeme therefore, that euen this honour that God giveth to his ſervants, which I have already ſpoken of, were enough. And I confeſſe, that if I might hauehave had my choiſe, when I was in the depth of helliſh anguiſh and miſery, I ſhould not hauehave asked the tenth part of it: the lord hath therefore giuen more, then we could hauehave asked or thought: yet theſe are not all the priuiledges, which God hath beſtowed vponupon his beloued ones, as ſhall be ſeene. For heereby they walke in greater ſafety, then if they were guarded with an army of men: yea, if whole armies of enimies came againſt them, as againſt Eliſha, yet have they more with them, then againſt them.2. King. 6.16. For the angels of God doe pitch their tents about them to keepe them.Pſal. 34.7. And how great a prerogatiue this is, they can beſt tell who beleeue it, although they muſt needs commend it who doe but heare the report of it. For they know and hauehave experience of it, who receive theſe promiſes into their hearts by faith, and beleeue that God will performe the ſame vntounto them, who are not at any time depriued of them but onelyonly through their vnbeliefe.
I graunt, that all gods children inioy not this, neither ſay I any ſuch thing: but this I ſay and affirme freely, that to every age in Chriſt, both the weake,Why they inioy not this conſtantly. the ſtrong and the middle age, there is more granted by God, then is inioied of them: not that God doth in words ſeeme to offer that,Note. which he meaneth not to performe, but becauſe men either know not, or beleeue not through ſathans malice, what their liberties are: or if they doe,Men not knowing, or but faintly beleeuing the liberties of the children of God, depriue themſelues of much comfort that they might conſtantly enioy. yet it is ſo faintly beleeued, that they are holden backe by eueryevery occaſion almoſt, to forgoe and be diſpoſſeſſed of them. Which all muſt grant to be through their owne fault, which may eaſily appeare to him who is willing to ſee it, thus: whereas the ſpirituall riches, which beautifie the ſoule, are the greateſt riches, and therefore ſhould moſt be ſought after, eſteemed and delighted in: many euen of good hope, which will grant this with vsus, will not yet beſtow any more trauell for the ſame (be they neuer ſo great priuiledges which god offereth them) then they did in times paſt; that is, with leſſe delight and feruency, then they ſhew in following and looking after their earthly commodities. They cannot (I ſay) be brought to ſet an higher price vponupon the graces of God, and the heauenly liberties, which belong to Chriſtians, then vponupon tranſitory things, which ſoone paſſe away.
And this in few words is the chiefe cauſe, why not only earthly minded men attaine to nothing, but euen ſome ſuch as hauehave receiued the firſt fruites of the ſpirit, grow not to any great experience what the excellent eſtate of a chriſtian is, and how great priuiledges God granteth many of them to inioy. Alas,Note. if men taſt but a little of beliefe that their ſinnes ſhall be forgiuen them, they hardly goe any further to daily proceedings in their faith (though they are taught that they ſhould grow from faith to faith) and ſo to liue by it,Rom. 1.16. but ſtand at a ſtay for the moſt part, euer ready to call into queſtion, whether they hauehave it or no. What are ſuch the better for the infinit good things, which God hath in ſtore for his, which alſo diuers of their brethren inioy already, in reſpect of that which they may attaine to? but rather as though they were no ſuch, they walke either heauily, nothing able to beare off the diſcouragements which they meet with, by ſpirituall helpes and incouragements which they hauehave not; or rather in worſe caſe, that is, not ſeeing, when they are hindred at all. I deny not, that the diuill doth ſubtilely and vigilantly ſeeke to blindefold them, weaken their faith, and ſet manifold ſtoppes in their way: but wherefore hauehave they beene taught this, that the ſcripture giueth greater grace,Iam. 4.6. 1. Ioh. 4.4. but that the eie ſhould beleeue it, and finde it ſo then? And againe the greater is he which is in them, namely the ſpirit of god, then he that is in the world, that is the diuill?
And yet al theſe & other ſuch excellent priuiledges which appertaine unto them,All the priuiledges of the godly are no more then God ſaw needfull for them. 1. Pet. 1.6. are no more then God did ſee they ſhould ſtand in need of to helpe them beare the burden of tribulation, reproch and other diſcouragements which heere of neceſſity muſt meet with them: which would ſhake them ſo, as they would make them to faint vtterly, if they were not vpholden with props and ſtaies moſt mighty. Conſider this yee that forget God and aske not after him: but eſpecially, yee ſeruants of his who deſire to doe his will. For theſe things doth God indeed: I meane, he bequeatheth many goodly and ſweet liberties to his, and many of his beloued ones find them and feele them; and you that doe not ſo, behold what yee looſe and goe without. Claime therefore with reuerence that which is your due, I meane which god hath beſtowed vponupon you; and beware, leſt through your default, the priuiledges of Chriſtians ſhould not be thought as great as the Lorde in his word affirmeth them to be, whiles you inioy them not, as though they were no ſuch.
Pſal. 87.3. Rom. 5.5.The Lord hath done great things for vsus, as it is written: Honorable things are reported of thee, O thou citty of God. And if it were not ſo, and if the louelove of God were not ſweetly ſhed in our hearts through the holy ghoſt; yea, if we were not perſwaded that the Lord is a plentifull rewarder of them that ſeeke him,Heb. 11.6. and that all the afflictions of this life are not worthy the glory which ſhall be ſhewed vponupon us, we might ſoone be cauſed to caſt downe our countenance and be diſcouraged:1. Ioh. 3.3. Reuel. 2.13. who are not onelyonly ſtrangers heere and therefore not knowen nor regarded, but we are among profeſſed enimies, who, the more we differ from them, the more we are hated of them, and therefore in feare of continuall and infinite dangers by reaſon of them and their captaine; and, but for that the Lord hath promiſed to be with vsus and guide vsus, we ſhould vtterly faint and be diſcouraged.