Meditations, Meditation 53 – Meditation 54
53
The roote of all obedience and fulfilling the law, is the louelove of God: if wee louelove God truly, we keepe the first Table, and we will doe what wee can to keepe the second. For how loueth any man God whome hee hath not seene, who loueth not his brother whome he hath seene? And who loueth God yt will not please him & keepe his commandements? That this work of louelove which of it selfe is pleasant, & whose yoke is light, may by vsus pleasantly and easily to be performed, let vsus consider partly, (for wee cannot fully) wherfore God is bee loued. God is to be loued first for himselfe. For he onelyonly is the fulnesse of happinesse, and all sufficiencie, since in him onelyonly is Being, Light, Life, Wisedome, Glory, Power, Goodnesse. Other things which carry these things names, hauehave them not indeed; for nothing created hath any of these of their owne, but in him and his they hauehave all that they hauehave, and they be that which they be. So God is, and there is nothing beside him. Secondly, God is to bee loued for the louelove which he hath expressed to vsus; for louelove deserueth louelove, and chiefely a great louelove deserueth a little louelove; but most chiefely that greatest louelove of the Creator, deserues the greatest louelove (which at greatest is but little in comparison of the other) of the creature. Now if I shold go about to shew the louelove of God to man, I should labour to bring infinitenesse within measure, and to bound within the knowledge of man a law incomprehensible. This in summe may be conceiued: That God loued vsus when he had but foreknown and foreappointed our beeing, when we were not at al, but only in his purpose: Then he loued vsus with a louelove that marked and sealed vsus to eternall happines. This louelove produced our Creation in an excellent image, & this louelove to man falne from that created image, gaue him the greatest gift that is or may be, euen his owne Son to cleare him from the guilt of his fall by a bitter satisfaction; and to imprint a begotten image stedfast and permanent, instead of the created image mooueable and decayed, by a pretious regeneration. Thus from God the Father with the gift of the Sonne, hauehave we also the holy Ghost: so is the whole Trinity imparted to vsus, and what more can he doe for his beloued? Yet his louelove ceaseth not, but proceeds to guide, to purge, to increase, to defend, to cherish, as a father nurtureth his sonne, and as an Eagle stirreth ouer her yong. Much is our weakenesse, & much he strengthneth vsus; many are our fals, and he forgiueth vsus much: many are our dangers, and troubles, and the Lord deliuers vsus out of all. Let vsus therefore louelove the Lord our strength, let vsus louelove him much who forgiueth vsus much: Let vsus louelove the Lord because hee receiueth our Prayers, and deliuers vsus in the time of trouble. Let vsus louelove him first for that which he is, for he only is worthie of louelove; his courts only are truely delectable, and his presence amiable: There only dwelleth the fulnesse of ioy, & the pleasures of eternitie. Next, let vsus louelove God for his louelove to vsus, and be glad that so great a louelove will bee contented with a louelove so narrow and scant. Let our louelove be raised to the highest, and let vsus fit it to him as much as wee may, that the narrownesse may bee caused rather by the lownesse of our condition and beeing, then the straitnesse of our will: so let it be with all the soule, and all the strength. Againe, since our louelove is chiefely expressed in pleasing him, and hee is chiefely pleased in keeping his commandements: Let vsus as much as we louelove him so much desire to please him, in a proportionable obseruation of his commandements. If this we doe, we shall hauehave comfortable assurance of enioying him whom we louelove, and then are wee happie aboue our fellowes: the oyle of gladnesse is powred vponupon vsus, and according to Saint Paul, we may reioyce continually. For if we be assured to see and enioy God our perfect hapines, what sorrow can ouer-way this ioy, what losse can counteruaile this gaine? Surely we may be contented with whatsoeuer wee hauehave, for godlinesse hath brought vsus, the chiefest and most incomparable gaine. If wee shall hauehave the greatest happinesse, how can any temporall thing make vsus miserable? If then wee grieue much, we esteeme not this happinesse as we should, or we turne our eyes from the assurance thereof. But theron our eyes beeing fixed, and not on any thing betweene vsus and it, let vsus goe on couragiously, louing God, pleasing God, and reioycing in God; in whom wee may continually and cōstantly through all changes behold as ours, perfect ioy and absolute felicity.
54
In a Christian when he becomes a sonne of God, the forme and character of a Christian and of a sonne is created in him. This character is the roote of him, frō whence floweth whatsoeuer fruit of good-works issueth from him. Beeing thus animated, the Spirit which hath animated vsus, doth not then leaue vsus, but seconds this his first worke, with a continuall supply of strength and increase of grace, vntill we appeare before God in Sion. For this roote is rooted in Christ, from whose Spirit it sucketh stil new strength. So we are not as Adam, left to our selues; for then wee should prooue accidents without a substance, and perish into nothing. But being grounded in Christ, the Rock and the Life, wee cannot perish, or be annihilated; and herein is our excellency aboue Adam. Indeed sometimes Christ drawes in his Spirit, and doth not water vsus with fresh grace; and then the soule drie and withering, cries as forsaken, Cast mee not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me. In all this is matter for humilitie against presumption, and for comfort against desperation. Thy goodnesse is altogether of God, hee first powred it into thee, when he new begat thee Againe, the continuance and continuall increase thereof is from God. So what hast thou of thine owne, or what hast thou, that thou hast not receiued of God? Therfore be humble, as a thing which in it selfe hath no goodnesse; and if thou wilt not, know farder, that God will take this goodnes from thee for a time, in which thou gloriest as thine own: and by the lamentable experience of that time, will plainely shew thee thy own weakenesse and corruption. For when he takes his from thee, thine is onelyonly left, and that will lothsomely appeare to thee to be nothing but dregs of sin and corruption. Then shalt thou be humbled by miserie, which wouldest not by bounty; and thy own deadnesse, which before thou wouldst not see, now thou shalt feele. Yet is here also matter for consolation; for being rooted in Christ, though hee draw in his breath, and leaue vsus so farre, that we feele not the power thereof, yet our vnion still remaineth with him, and wee are not parted from Christ, though his vertue somewhat depart from vsus; wee are grounded on the Rocke, and hell gates cannot preuaile against vsus; we are one with life, and life cannot wholly forsake vsus. Yea after desertions, when God hath drawne vsus to giuegive him the glory, which is his owne, and so instructed and bettered vsus by his chastisements (for punish vsus meerely hee will not because wee are his sonnes) hee addeth to this benefit another, euen an increase of grace beyond the old bounds. So that though out of our selues, he giues vsus humiliation; yet from our vnion with him, he giueth vsus exaltation, that he which glorieth, may glorie in the Lord; and that hee which wanteth, may seeke him onelyonly, who onelyonly filleth the hungrie with goodnesse.