Meditations, Meditation 16 – Meditation 26
16
There is a great craft of Satan, which passeth too much vnmarked, or vnresisted, and this it is; That he seekes by all meanes to keepe his owne kingdome whole and vndeuided, and to diuide by schismes and contentions, the kingdome and body of Christ; that by the malice of such contentions, the flocke of Christ may bite one another, and consequently deuoure one another, and so doe Satans busines for him. But it behoueth Christians to note this his cunning, and with detestation to beware, that they be not Satans in struments, nor become those mad members which fight and strike one at another, and seek to teare that asunder, which God hath vnseparably ioyned together. And lamentable indeed is this madnesse and folly: for the main busines of Christ, effected by a bloudy death, and bitter passion, is, to set in vnitie and peace, the things in heauen and earth. Besides, he hath left as a legacie to his Church, the preseruation and continuance of the vnitie which himselfe began; As I hauehave loued you, so louelove yee one another. Againe, Christ hath prayed to his Father, that we may be one, as hee and his Father is one. Now cursed is hee that goes about to breake this three-fold cord, and endeuours to frustrate the death of Christ, the cōmandement of Christ, and the prayer of Christ. But thou wilt say, I diuide my selfe from him, and oppose my selfe against him, because he opposeth himselfe against Christ in some vncurable errour. But take thou heed that this error separate him frō Christ, and remooue the foundation, else thou canst not hate him. For when men agree in the sauing foundation, they become one body and one building, vnited vponupon that foundation, and vntounto it. Now when men acknowledge Christ, in whom is the Trinitie vnited to man, to be happinesse, and the onelyonly meanes of happinesse, euen the Doore, the Way, and the Life; and to this Christ wholly resigne and surrender themselues, to be iustified, to be sanctified by him; these hauehave receiued into themselues, the roote of Life; they are one with Christ, and one among themselues. But that these vnited members, because one receiued this faith of Paul, another of Peter; because one beleeueth something more, another somthing lesse in matters not absolutely necessarie to saluation, nor directly ouerthrowing the foundation; should mutually hate and reuile one another, should shunne mutuall conuersation, should prosecute and persecute one another with enuenomed tongues, is most vnreasonable and lamentable. Is not the solide vnion betweene them a more cause of louelove, then the slight difference a cause of hate? Nay, will Christ allow, that there is any cause sufficiēt, to make his members hate one another, whom he hath tied in the bond of peace, by such mighty knots? Especially right lothsome is it to him, to hauehave his name vsed for a pretence of such hatred, which aboue all names, is the name of louelove and peace. Surely Christ knowes, that when men in this kind pretend to serue Christ, they indeede serue Satan. Hee knowes that vnitie is the preseruation of his kingdome, and diuision, the destruction of all kingdomes. Therfore if thou wilt please Christ, preserue his Kingdome by preseruing vnity; it pleaseth not the head, to hauehave his member, brused, bitten, or hurt. He allowes not the member of greater knowledge, to bee proud ouer a member of lesse knowledge, much lesse to make their difference of knowledge, a ground of hatred. He himselfe forgiues this ignorance and errour, for which thou hatest thy brother, and offers vp his bloud to the Father that he may be forgiuen. Yea hee loueth this brother notwithstanding his error, and what art thou then to hate one whom Christ loueth? Euen thy selfe also (though perchance thou thinke it not) art by Christ, borne with, and forgiuen for greater errours and ignorances; for of thee and vsus stil, Christ knowes this to be true, that yet wee know but in part. Therefore thou that pretendest to please thy Head, bee truly conformable to him, and thou shalt indeed please him. LoueLove where he loues, and beare with him with whom he beareth. Obey that new commandement of his, That yee louelove one another. Expresse this louelove in instructing thy brother, if he be ignorant; and hate him not, though he be so weake, that hee cannot receiue thy instruction. He is yet grounded on Christ, hee is yet a liuing member of Christ, he is still a souldier for Christ; therefore still ioyne with him, and comfort him in the battels of the Lord. Take heed thou quench not that which smoketh, nor beate downe the weake hands, which should be lifted vp against Satan, and that thou diminish not one of Christs Band. But assemble rather, incourage, and vnite the army of God, perswading them to grow strong by growing on; that so being mutually strengthened by vnion, we may be more victorious in our fighting for God; and ouercomming, may be admitted to eate of the Manna which is hid, and to reigne with Christ for euermore. Let vsus bee glad of company in this our pilgrimage to heauen, and farre bee it from vsus to lessen it by diuision. But let vsus reioyce when any saith, though in some infirmitie, Let vsus goe vp to the house of the Lord, to the Citie of the liuing God.
17
God is one and immutable, so may we as certainely know what he will be hereafter, as what he hath been alreadie. Heretofore if men feared him, they might bee without all other feare, for he was their Father, Defender and Maintainer. This hauing been tride, we say it is certaine, and with as much certaintie may wee pronounce of the time to come, that if we feare him, he will also to vsus be a mercifull God. Let vsus not therfore doubt any change in him, but in our selues; and striuing by all holy contention, praier, fasting aud watching, to keepe our selues stedfast toward him, let vsus assure our selues, that hee is the Rocke immoueable, whom we shall euer find in one and the same place.
18
If God commands vsus to doe a thing, and all worldly profits and pleasures mustering themselues together, like the kingdomes of the world before Christ, perswade the contrary, wee must then winke with the eie of flesh, and so not see, or at least, not regard any of them. But then looking wide open with the eye of faith, let vsus stedfastly behold God and his glory, remembring our dutie to him, our couenant with him, our happinesse in him. If thus we can guide the eie of our soule, that it looke on the things eternall which are not seene, and not vponupon the things temporall, which may be seene, we shall be allured forward toward that Kingdome of rest, where our hope is fixed, and wee shal passe along as pilgrims, through this world of lusts, vnhurt and vnhindred by them.
19
Christ as he tooke flesh of the Virgin, so was he the sonne of Adam, which hee was, to bee subiect to the Law laid on Adam; that by subiection to it, hee might fulfill and satisfie it. But Christ as he was begotten of God, and one with the second person, so was he an Adam himselfe, euen a father of mankinde, by a new kinde of generation; and the first Adam from whom Christ came, must by Christ be begotten if he will liue in the new world, euen the new heauens, and the new earth. Thus wee see two rootes of generation, one carnall another spirituall, one ingendring to bondage and death, another to life and happinesse. Wee must pray to the great Husbandman, that hee will cut vsus off from the first roote, and ingraffe vsus into the second; for he that commeth after, is preferred before, for he was before. Then are we translated from death to life, then are we Citizens of the new Ierusalem, wee are passed from the old things which must be blotted out, and are come into the new world, which abideth for euer. Where bee now these pedegrees from Adam, and the sonnes of Adam with their swelling glory? They often come forth to amate Gods children of low degree, yet are these the pedegrees of death, they prooue their owners to be the glorious sonnes of sinne and mortalitie. But, O the infinite happinesse, and priuiledge of the sons of God, borne of the best Father, in the best image, to the best inheritance! God their Father begets them to his owne image, and becomes their inheritance, in whom is the fulnesse of glory, beyond whome is nothing, and therfore nothing to be sought beyond him. Let vsus in comparison of this new birth and life, despise the glory of earthly birth, and earthly life, not as if we had neither eminence of birth, nor pleasures of life, (which perchance was a reason to Philosophers, but must not be to Christians and to many it needs not) but because they are grosse, miserable, and base in respect of the other. For this cause let vsus especially dote on our heauenly pedegree, and celestiall happinesse, growing still stronger in louelove with heauen, as we grow nearer vntounto it. Let vsus refuse to be called the sonnes of Pharaohs daughter, in respect of being the sonnes of Pharaohs Creator. And though this descent and inheritance be inuisible, yet therefore are they the better; for that which may be seene, shall vanish away, but that which may not bee seene endures for euer; that which may be seene, is grosse, but that which may not be seene is pure and glorious, and only discernable by a glorified sight.
20
Gods time and our time are often different; but surely he that is wisest, appointeth the fittest times. Accordingly, God who is wisedome, giueth both meate and all things in due season. Let vsus therfore with patience surrēder our selues vp to him in all our necessities, suffering willingly his time, to be ours. For he will come though he seeme to tarry, and that in the fittest time, (Luk. 18.) his comming being quicke enough in his iudgement, when sometimes it seemes slow to ours.
21
The children of Anak and Achitophel, out of the acknowledgement of their owne strength, and cunning, thinke that if God would hauehave any seruants, he would chuse such able men as themselues, and not the meaner sort whome they despise with the Pharisies, saying; Doth any of the Pharisies beleeue in him, but this base people which is accursed? Againe, they are perswaded, that if God would not finde out them, they could finde out God, sooner then the simple swaine, that beleeues, as they thinke, only out of a low spirited feare. But let them know, that the more earthen the vessell is, the more is the glory of him, that doth great workes in it. For the basenesse of the vessell puts away all the glory from it selfe, vntounto God. Therefore according to Gods speech of Gideons armie; They are too many for me, to ouercome Midian by them, wee may say of these iolly men: They are too good for God to worke his glory by them: yet humility acknowledging all sufficiency to bee from God, and to bee nothing without him, might take them downe, and so make them fit for God. But as for the finding of God in Christ without his owne light, surely they may as well finde the Sunne in the night, and the secrets of the spirit of man, when the man himselfe is silent. God must shine, if hee will bee seene; he must both tell his secrets, and giuegive an vnderstanding to conceiue them, if man shall receiue them. As no man can see God & liue, so no naturall man can see Christ who is God, as long as he liues a meere naturall man. He must dy; and especially to his owne wisedome; and his very sight, which hee magnifies, for clearnes, must be acknowledged for blindnesse, and be brought to be cured by the lightsome Spirit of Christ, which then will shew him from whome it selfe proceeded.
22
We are gods, and not our owne; so are our children, by creation, if not by sealing. Why should we doubt that God will not prouide for his owne, and in this doubt seeke to piece out his prouidence, with a distrustfull prouidence of our owne, which indeed at the best, is but a shrid of his. Surely our selues and our children, being more his then ours, and his louelove to his owne, being purer, and wiser then ours, we might rest well contented with that portion which is granted by him, to our lawfull endeauours. For the heauenly Father, giueth good, yea the best gifts though the earthly fathers would faine sometimes giuegive greater ones. But the greatnesse which the earthly desire, is earthly, but the good (which also is great) that the heauenly giues, is heauēly; And this God knows to be a substantiall blessing, for it is blessednesse it selfe, stretching beyond time, & reaching in place aboue moth and rust. Be we then thankesgiuers, & not murmurers, when wee or our children, hauehave store of grace, though with little wealth; for we are then very rich in the true treasure, though not in the vanishing; and our Father hath prouided for vsus many cities, and a large inheritance (Luk. 19. 17.) in the land of the liuing.
23
The Scripture hath authority, & selfe-vpholding in it selfe, because it is the word of God; and this it hath, and is, whether men receiue it or not. Truth is as much truth whē it is not acknowledged, as when it is. But the true manner of receiuing it is this. At first the Church inlightned by Gods Spirit, saw & beheld in it the truth of God, receiued it, and commended it to all to be beleeued. Now the learners of Christianity, receiue it first on this commendation of the Church, before by it they receiue the Spirit to discerne it; As children beleeue rules giuen by their Masters vponupon trust, before that by the rules, they come to the knowledge that they are right rules. But after hauing beene inlightned by the Spirit, they receiue it then, vpō their own knowledge, as the first Church did. And thus proceeding they come at last to iudge the Church it selfe, by that word, which before they receiued from the Church. So while I am a naturall man, I receiue the word of men; but when I become a spirituall man, which discerneth all things, I then discerne it to be the word by the Spirit. And the beleefe which comes from this spirituall discerning, is truly and onelyonly faith, the former is only credence and trust; the one hath the very word for the obiect thereof, the other, the persons of men. Now miserable is the estate of that Church that hedgeth in men within that trust, and neuer doth suffer them, or at least incourage them to proceede to faith. Where it is taught that it is sufficient to beleeue the Church, there mans minde is perswaded to rest in that beleefe, and careth not to beleeue the word for it selfe. Such a perswasion fastneth the eye on men, and turneth it from the word of light which giueth light to the simple, and might, and would be seene it selfe. Indeede it is an excellent couer for a bad Religion, for it keepes men within the pale of securitie since they must aske their teachers only whether their teachers bee deceiued. By the same rule may the Alcoran also be established, or any the most pestilent Herisie, if men must bee bounded by their teachers, and not looke beyond their teaching. But farre more blessed are they, if they be also blessed with thankfulnesse, who may looke Diuine truth in the face, and louelove it for the beauty which themselues behold in it. And as men hauehave happinesse hereby, so hath God his glory, who scorneth that his word should hauehave men to giuegive their word for it. It is a word that standeth by it selfe, it approoueth it selfe. And lest men should say, that the former trust helpes the weakenesse of men, and not of the word; they shold know, that God hath taken course himselfe, that man should not still continue in such a weaknesse, that still might neede such helpe. For as he giues the word to shine from without, so hee giues his Spirit to shine within, that the light of the Spirit might apprehend the light of the word. Let vsus not therefore forsake this inuincible rocke of Christian religion, euen a self-approuing, and selfe-establishing authority of the word. For as hreby it is strong in it own strength, & so beareth it selfe vnmoueable, against all exception, so herein it excelleth all errors and heresies, since none of them can stand in their own power. Bee this then the priuiledge of the word, neuer to be lost.
24
There are in man naturally, three knowledges of good and euill: one of reason, which is true, as farre as reason guides it. Another of instinct, imprinted into the nature of man at his creation; such a knowledge thinks it good to louelove our children, to relieue the distressed, and thinks the contrarie euill. Hereto is ioyned that naturall affection, which Paul commends, Rom. 1. but in this sometimes is excesse, sometimes defect; and therfore it must be aduanced or lessened, as the measure of reason requires. A third is of lust, and somtimes called by vsus humour, which esteemes things good or euill, out of some blind affection, not for any reason or iust cause. So some louelove killing, and hate mercy, some louelove trouble, and hate quietnes, some louelove nothing but wealth, some vtterly neglect it, some thinke fame to be good, and honestie foolishnesse. This came with the fall, and hereof we must take heed in all our actions: for this is that darknesse, which brings foorth the workes of darknes, and leades to eternall darknes.
25
The things of the next world, are as certaine as these heere: for the same word that said, Let these be, and they were; saith also, There are such incomprehensible things prepared for them that louelove God. They are as certainely known by faith, as these by sight; as truly, though not so largely. For Moses saw them certainely; else perchance for them would he not hauehave forsaken the certaine pleasures of sin. And the Word saith, that his faith truly saw God; and no one true thing, is more true, then another. Againe, the things inuisible, are certainly better then the visible: for holy men hauehave euer despised the present for those to come. The hart can conceiue temporall things, but not eternal; and that which is of God, is infinitely inferior to God himselfe. But what is the reason then that we chuse them not, being certainly knowne, and farre better? The reason is, because our station is natural, elementarie and grosse, and likenesse makes louelove onelyonly to like. Therefore also the things aboue being supernatural and pure, must hauehave a minde of like temper to louelove them. There must be a new station, a second worke, euen stinting and crossing nature. Yea, wee must hauehave a minde lifted aboue nature, to louelove things aboue nature, wee must bee raised aboue flesh into an heauenly knowledge, to see heauenly truth, not sinking with beasts into the low region of seeing, touching, and tasting. Thus lifted vp and made spirituall, we shal discerne and approue spirituall things, as the naturall man doth the obiects of nature. Therefore let vsus importune God, the Father of this better nature, that hee will distill into vsus some drops of that heauēly dew, which may giuegive vsus heauenly mindes, and make vsus to louelove the things of heauen, as much as flesh and blood doth things of earth. Surely vntill then, the wise Naturalist, thinks happinesse folly; and then the spirituall man demonstrably seeth and prooueth all present things to bee vaine vanitie. Vntil then we are but great children, or brute beasts concluded vnderunder the senses; and we then onelyonly are men, whē we get the image of God our Father, which both knowes him, and is knowne of him. Such were they whom God made at first, & such are they whom God now makes againe.
26
If eueryevery thing bee desirable according to the benefit thereof, then either prosperitie or aduersity may be loued, and neither determinately hated or cōdemned. For either is very profitable to a man, and most commonly, aduersitie. Let vsus therefore cease to despise it in others, or impatiently to beare it in our selues, since aduersitie hath whipt many to heauen, when prosperity hath coached more to hell. Let vsus leaue off, with children onelyonly to desire pleasant things, and growne into men in Christ, let vsus desire wholesome things. It is better in good sadnesse to be saued, then in good fellowship to be damned.