Seven Treatises, Treatise 6 · Chapter 1
CHAP. 1. Of the ſumme of this Treatiſe: the reaſons why it is ſet out: the order of it: and of the diuers kindes of priuiledges.
THe next thing which commeth in place to be ſpoken of, is concerning the priuiledges and liberties, which God hath bequeathed vntounto and freely beſtowed vponupon his people and beloued ſeruants. I do not meane any of his benefits which he ſuffereth the vngodly to enioy, (which yet are farre more ſweet and ſauoury to his children than to them) but I meane thoſe which are peculiar to the faithfull, whereof the other hauehave no part nor portion. The which,The wicked hauehave no part in the priuiledges of the faithfull. although all the faithfull enioy not, and therefore feele not ſo great contentation in their liues as they might doe, yet they hauehave free grant and liberty of the Lord ſo to doe, if they knew the will of God in that behalfe; or if knowing it, they be not holden backe through vnbeliefe, as being ſtrongly perſwaded that they doe not belong vntounto them.Some of them proper to ſome of the faithfull in reſpect of their calling. I know that of thoſe many and great bleſſings which the children of God partake, ſome are peculiar and proper to ſome in reſpect of their callings, offices and places, which are not common to all: but I intend to make mention onelyonly of thoſe, which one may poſſeſſe (although not in a like meaſure) aſwell as an other.
And this I do for ſundry and diuers cauſes: partly,Three reaſons why this doctrine is handled. that the godly may ſee their riches in ſome ſort aſwell as other men know theirs; and knowing them, may enioy them to their great contentation, which few of them doe as they might: and that if by any occaſion they ſhould be,The firſt reaſon. either by the baits of this world, by their owne forgetfulneſſe, faint-heartedneſſe, diſtruſt or other weakneſſe of their owne, or by Sathans malice, put out of the poſſeſſion of them, or any of them; yet by conſidering and remembring theſe or ſome of them, they might be able to returne home againe from whence they ſtraied, and that more eaſily and willingly than many do, or thinke it poſſible for them to doe by any meanes; eſpecially when they ſhall ſee that whereſoeuer they caſt their delight, yet they ſhall be driuen with wearineſſe to ſay, that they finde no where ſo good liking and ſafetie, as at home, I meane in Gods houſe, that is, vnderunder his nourture and gouernment.
The ſecond reaſon.Another cauſe why I ſet downe theſe priuiledges of Gods ſeruants, is, that the wicked which wander from God, and are not in his fauour, may ſee, what they goe without, and what great good things they depriue themſelues of, by their ſinnes. By forgoing of the which, (to ſay nothing of the deceiueable and miſerable eſtate wherein they liue) if they ſhould but weigh and conſider what they loſe and forgoe, which others enioy, and they likewiſe might, it would deeply vexe their hearts as oft as they ſhould thinke of it: euen as in hell the reprobate ſhall finde this not the leaſt part of their torment, to ſee others in ſo happy condition, which they are vtterly cut off from all hope of attaining to.
The third reaſon.Laſtly, that I may hereby (if poſſibly) helpe to bring the Chriſtian life into ſome better credit & account, both with the one and with the other: which to my no leſſe griefe than admiration, I ſee to lie as dead wares little asked after, in the world. For many, euen of the godly, do not eſteeme of the Chriſtian life, and of the wiſdome which ſhould governe vsus, as they ought to doe, that is to ſay,Prou. 8.11. as of a treaſure more to be deſired than any earthly thing, be it honour, wealth, pleaſure, and that at all times. And as for the vngodly they hauehave no liking of it, but the moſt of them ſcorne, deface, abhorre, and diſſwade from it, counting it preciſme and puritaniſme, truly and conſcionably to go about to practiſe it, and thorowout their liues to ſet themſelues to bring foorth the fruits of it, when yet there is no happineſſe in any other eſtate; for into it alone, (as hath beene ſaid) do all the heauenly and excellent priuiledges fall.
If any, on whom this rebuke doth iuſtly take holde, ſhall contrarily anſwer, that they doe honour the Chriſtian life and delight in it, although they doe miſlike indeed (they ſay) that men ſhould be to preciſe in vrging others to duty, and in framing themſelues to a certeine kinde of excellency and ſingularity aboue others: I ſay, let ſuch cleare themſelues from fault by this, that they acknowledge that God hath bequeathed to his deare children better things than the world hath; and therefore that ſuch as beleeue this, and hauehave a part in it, cannot content themſelues to honour God ſo ſleightly as they doe which hauehave them not, but acknowledge that they owe much more than they can performe, when they hauehave done all that they can: alſo let them indeuour to hauehave in common theſe priuiledges with the reſt of Gods ſeruants, and let them thus prooue, that they delight in godlineſſe indeed: ſo ſhall they ceaſe from their ſpeeches, and agree with vsus, and hauehave good warrant of their ſafetie and welfare; and otherwiſe, I meane vntill they doe ſo, they ſhall but bite at them who are in better caſe than themſelues. This ſhall ſuffice in generall, to hauehave ſpoken of the priuiledges of the faithfull, and of the reaſons why I make this Treatiſe of them.
Now particularly I will ſet downe ſome of the chiefe (for who can mention all?) of the which though ſome hauehave beene made mention of by occaſion in other places of this booke: yet ſeeing they hauehave not beene handled of purpoſe, and that eueryevery Reader can not gather them together, nor know them to be ſo, nor hauehave them before him in view at once, except they be ſpoken of to this end, to ſhew the beauty and price of them; therefore they being ſo neceſſary to be knowne and inioied, I count it no loſt labour to doe it. And for more eaſe and leſſe tediouſneſſe in reading of them, becauſe they are many, I will bring them all to theſe two heads.
The firſt kinde of our priuiledges and prerogatiues,The kindes of the priuiledges. which true Chriſtians hauehave allowed and allotted to them of God, are ſuch as be inioied in this preſent world, wherein they hauehave many things to incourage them to a chearefull honoring of God. The ſecond ſort, is of thoſe liberties and peculiar bleſſings, which God hath in ſtore for them in the life to come: which with the former being daily weighed and duly conſidered, doe in marueilous maner ſet before them and commend to them the ſingular louelove of God, and make them ſee themſelues ſo beholding to him, that they are ſet forward with exceeding cheerefulneſſe in their chriſtian courſe and warfare.