Light from Heaven, Part 25 – Part 26
Peace on Earth.
The same holy affection in the Angels, that moved them to wish God to have his due of glory from the creature, it moves them to wish peace to men likewise, to shew this (by the way) that, There can be no true zeale of Gods glory,They that glorifie God, also love men. but with love to man-kind.
They were not so ravished with the glory of God, as to forget poore man on earth, oh no; they have sweet, pure affections to man, a poorer creature then themselves. Therfore let them that are injurious and violent in their dispositions, and insolent in their carriage, never talke of glorifying God, when they despise and wrong men: there are some that overthrow all peace in the earth, for their owne glory; but he that seekes Gods glory, will procure peace, what he can, for they goe both together, as we see here, Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth.
Now their end of wishing peace upon earth, it is, that men might thereby glorifie God, that God being reconciled, and peace being stablished in mens consciences,We cannot glorifie God till we know we are at peace with him. they might glorifie God; hence observe this likewise, that We cannot glorifie God, till we have some knowledge of our peace with him in Christ.
We must have the first act, to cast our selves upon Gods mercy in Christ, and adhere, and cleave to that mercy, and then we shall feele so much comfort, as shall make us glorifie God, though we may question it in desertion sometimes: here the Angels intending, that God should have glory of all, they wish peace on earth, in the consciences of men especially.
Whence peace comes.The reason is, peace comes from righteousnesse: Christ, is first the King of righteousnesse, and then King of peace, righteousnesse causeth peace; now, unlesse the soule be assured of righteousnesse in Christ, it can have no peace; what saith the Virgin Mary? My soule doth magnifie the Lord, and my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour, she begins with magnifying the Lord, but what was the ground? she rejoyced in God, as a Saviour, therefore, she magnified him, so in the Lords Prayer, wee say, Our Father, which is a word of the Covenant of grace, when the soule conceives of God as a gracious Father reconciled in Christ; and then comes, Hallowed be thy Name: insinuating that, till we know in some measure God, to be our Father, we cannot with a gracious spirit say, Hallowed be thy Name; for can we heartily wish, for the manifestation of the glory of him, that we thinke is our enemy, and him that wee have no interest in his greatnesse, and goodnesse? the heart of man will never doe it, therefore God must first speake peace to the soule, (the Angels knew that well enough) and then we are fit to glorifie God▪
Peace on Earth.
What is peace?Peace what. It is the best thing that man can attaine unto, to have peace with his Maker and Creator. Peace, in generall, is a harmony and an agreement of different things. This peace, here you may know what it is by the contrary, as the Apostle saith, Ephes. 1.10.Ephes. 1.10. foreign. the word there is very significant Anakephaliosis, there is a recapitulation, or gathering all to a head in Christ: out of Christ, Out of Christ a separation.there is a division, a separation and a skattering, a breach, that is five-fold.
First,1Betweene man and God. there is a skattering, and a division from God; the Fountaine of good, with whom we had communion in our first creation, and his delight was in his creature; we lost that blessed communion, and our sinnes have separated betweene God and us, as the Prophet saith.
Then there is a separation betweene the good Angels and us;2Betweene man and Angels. for they being good subjects, tak part with their Prince, and therefore joyne against Rebels, as we are… hence it is, that upon the sight of Angels, the very hearts of good men, have sometimes beene stricken, considering that there is no very good termes betweene us, and the Angels, till we come to Christ againe.
Then there is a division,3Betweene man and man. and skattering between man, & man: no common Spirt of God, will keep men together, till they be in Christ, as it is said, God sent an evill spirit, a spirit of division betweene the men of Sichem; so since the fall, there is an ill spirit of division among men, till the Gospell againe bring peace, especially there is no sound peace betweene men, in the state of nature, and others that are Gods children: nor with the ordinances of God, for men apprehend the ordinances of God as enemies; the word cuts and lanceth him: it is as the sentence of a Judge, to condemne him, therefore he feares and trembles, at the powerfull opening of the word. The ordinance of God speakes no comfort to a carnall man; he is as Ahab, he never had a word of peace from the Prophet: the word alway speakes ill to him, he is under the Law, and it speakes nothing but terrour and curses to him.
4Betweene man and other creatures.And then there is a division, and separation betweene a man and the creature, which is ready to be in armes against any man that is in the state of nature, to take Gods quarrell, as we see in the plagues of Egypt, and other examples; if God doe but give them leave, they presently make an end of sinfull man, and they would glory in it too, to serve their Creator, it is part of their vanity to be subject to wicked men; they have no peace with the creature.
5Betweene man and himselfe.And they have no peace with themselves, they speake peace to themselves, but alas God speaks none to them, they make a Covenant with death and hell, but death and hell make no Covenant with them, so it is a forced sleepy peace, it is a dead sl…ep, the peace they have, it is but ad…ersion to oth…r things, they … selves, and the warre the… themselves, and … …uce that they take up for a time; when God opens their conscience, there is a hell in their hearts and soules, that when it is loosed, makes them to suffer a hell upon earth, they enter into the paines of hell before their time, so there is no peace to the wicked at all, there is since the fall, a separation betweene God and man, betweene Angels and man, betweene man and the creatures, betweene man and himselfe.
Now,Christ our peace. Christ at his comming, taking our nature upon him, brings all into one againe, hee brings God and man together againe, by offering himselfe a Sacrifice, by making full satisfaction to the Justice of God; and sinne, which is the cause of his displeasure, being taken away, God being gracious, and mercifull, his mercy runnes amaine on us, sinne onelyonly separates between God and us, and that Christ takes away, therefore he is called by Saint Paul, Christ our peace, Ephes. 2.Ephes. 2. Esay 9.7. and the Prince of peace: he was qualified to be our peace, hee was a friend to both parties, having marryed our nature of purpose, that hee might, in our nature bring God, and us together, as it is 1 Pet. 3.18. Hi… whole worke, was to bring us backe againe to God, from whom wee fell at the first.
Then if wee be at peace with God, all other peace will follow: fo… good subjects will be at peace with rebels, when they are brought in subjection to their King, and all joyne in one obe…ience; therefore the Angels are brought to … againe by Christ.
And so for men, there is a spirit of union betweene them, the same spirit that knits us to God by faith, knits us one to another by love.
And we have peace with the creature, for when God, who is the Lords of Hosts, is made peacefull to us, hee makes all other things peaceable. The Heathen could say, Tranquillus Deus, tranquidat omnia; when God is at peace, he makes all so.
So there is peace in our owne hearts we are assured by the Spirit of God, that he is our Father, he seales it to our conscience by his Spirit, because the blood of Christ is set on by the Spirit of God, and not by our owne, so that now God and we are brought to one, and Angels and we, and all other things: therefore now the Angels say, Peace on earth, when Christ was borne.
Peace founded on Christ.Now, we will shew that this blessed peace, in all the branches of it, is founded in Christ; Christ is the cause and the foundation of it: for though these words were spoken at the Incarnation of Christ, yet wee referre them to the whole worke of his Mediator-ship, in the state of his abasement, and his state of exaltation, our peace is wholly founded upon him: for he was borne, and became man, and became sinne, that is, a Sacrifice for sinne for us, he became a curse for us, to stablish a peace, and to satisfie Gods anger; and then hee rose againe, to shew that he had fully satisfied God anger, and that peace was fully established: therefore the holy Ghost was sent after the Resurrection, as a testimony, that God was appeased, and now in heaven, he is ever there as a Priest, to make Intercession for us: so that Christ is our peace, from his Incarnation to his death, from thence to his Resurrection and Ascension, and Intercession, all peace with God, with Angels, and with creatures is stablished in Christ ▪
And why in Christ?Question.
Christ is every way fitted for it:Answer. for he is the Mediator betweene God and man,Why peace is wrought by Christ. therefore by office he is fit to make peace betweene God and man, he is Emanuel, himselfe God and man in one nature, therefore his office is to bring God and man together.
It is fit it should be so in regard of God,1In regard of God. who being a consuming fire, will no peace with the creature without a Mediator, it stands not with his Majestie, neither can there euer be peace with us otherwise. Now Christ is a fit Mediator, being a friend to God, as the Son of God, and a friend to us, taking our nature upon him, to be a mercifull Redeemer.
It was also fit in respect of us,2In respect of us. it should be so: Alas! who can dwell with everlasting burnings? who can have communion with God, who is a consuming fire? No, we cannot indure the sight of an Angell, the Israelites could not indure the sight of Moses, when he came from the mout, his face shone so; & can we indure the glorious presence of God, who dwelleth in light, that none can attaine unto? Therefore God derives all good to us in our flesh, that though we cannot see God directly in duplicate page duplicate page himselfe, yet in the flesh we can see God Incarnate: we may see the Sunne in the water, though we cannot directly looke on that creature without hazard. It was a comfort to the Patriarches, that they had Ioseph their brother, the second man in the Kingdome: So it may be to every Christian, that now we have the second Person in heaven, our brother, in our nature; he is the Steward of heaven and earth, to dispense all Gods treasures to us. Will not he acknowledge us, that are bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh? When he tooke our nature for this end, to be a mercifull Redeemer. It is most suteable to our condition, that Christ should be the foundation of our peace.
3In regard of Christ.If we looke to Christ himselfe, he being Gods Sonne, and the Sonne of his love: for him to make us sonnes, and sonnes of Gods love, is it not most agreeable, that he that is the Image of God, should againe renew the Image of God, that we lost? Iacobs Ladder knit heaven and earth together;Simile. so Christ knits heaven and earth, God and us together. You know if a Ladder lye upon the ground it doth no good, or if it be kept above it serves for nothing, so if Christ were onelyonly God, or onelyonly man, there could be no Union wrought betweene God and man; but now being both, he is a fit Mediator betweene both. Christ is the foundation of our peace, (in the gracious Covenant that God hath made with us) in all his Offices. For as a Prophet, he proclaimes peace, he preached before … the time of Noah, he published peace as the Prophet of his Church; in himselfe when hee lived, and by his Ministers, when he left the world. And as a Priest, he did worke our reconciliation, offering himselfe a Sacrifice, he made a peace betweene God and us, and is now in heaven, to make intercession betweene God and us. And as a King, he subdues the corruptions of our soules, he puls downe the pride of our thoughts, to bring the heart into subjection to him by his mighty power, (which indeed requires an almighty power,) also by his Kingly office, he rules, and governes, and subdues all the enemies of his Church, without and within. You see then, without further illustration, that Christ is the foundation of our peace, by his Incarnation, death, Resurrection and Ascension.
This should teach us,No entercourse with God, without Christ. first, that whatsoever entercourse we have with God the Father, wee should take Christ, take our Benjamin, our beloved with us: we must not offer Sacrifice without the high Priest: let us offer nothing to God without Christ: there is no entercourse betweene God and us, till wee be reconciled in Christ, in whom we must offer all our Sacrifices and indeavours. Therefore let us not owne an absolute God in our devotious, let us thinke of God reconciled in Christ and at peace with us, and a Father in Covenant in Christ, and then our persons and prayers, and all shall be accepted for the Sacrifice of Christ, in whom he smells a sweet savour, as it is said concerning Noah, hee offered a Sacrifice to God, a sweet smelling Sacrifice of rest, so doth God in Christ; he is the true mercy seate in Christ, in looking to whom, God frees us from the curse of the Law. Ierusalem was the glory of the world, and the Temple was the glory of Ierusalem, but the mercy-seate was the glory of the Temple, because that pointed to Christ, the mercy-seate, in whom we have intercourse with God the Father.
We conceive not high enough of the Majestie of God, when wee goe to him immediatly, we must goe to him in his Sonne, whom he hath sent, and annoynted, and set forth, as the Propitiation for our sinnes, and him hath God the Father sealed▪ he commeth with authority: therefore God will be reconciled in Christ; we may bind God himselfe, when we offer Christ, he is the foundation of reconciliation, and peace, by Gods appointment, he is The Prince of peace, of his owne annointing, therefore we may goe boldly to God, to the Throne of grace in Christ.
Meditate of this peace.And let us often seriously meditate of the sweet favour and reconciliation stablished now betweene God and us, through Christ; it is the sweetest meditation.
First, to thinke in what ill tearmes we are with God, by nature, and then thinke how neare wee are now to God in Christ, that wee are at peace with him. Me thinks the word is too short, there is more meant then is spoken. At peace with God in Christ, nay, nay now we are friends, nay we are sonnes and heires, fellow heres, fellow Kings with Christ: for Gods favours are compleat as a God, he stablisheth not a peace as men doe, onelyonly to doe them no harme, that they are at peace with, but where he makes a peace, he conferres all that is good, reconciliation, adoption, giving us the liberty of sonnes, and friends, to goe boldly to God as a Father in all our wants: let us thinke more of this, and improve this blessed priviledge every day.