The Souls Conflict With Itself, Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX.
Of Gods manifold salvation for his people. And why open, or expressed in the countenance.
Proceed.
[Hee is the salvation of my countenance.]
As David strengthens his trust in God, by reason fetcht from the future goodnesse of God apprehended by faith, so hee strengthens that reason with another reason fetcht from God, whom he apprehends here as the salvation of his countenance. Wee need reason against reason, and reason upon reason, to steele and strengthen the soule against the on-set of contrary reasons.
He is the salvation of my countenance, that is, He will so save as I shall see, and my enemies shall see it; and upon seeing, my countenance shall bee cheared and lifted up; Gods saving kindnesse shall be read in my countenance, so that all who looke on mee, shall say, God hath spoken peace to my soule, as well as brought peace to my condition.
He saith not salvation, but salvations: That God is not onelyonly salvation, but salvations to his people.because as our life is subject to many miseries, in soule, body, and state, publique and private, &c. so God hath ma ny salvations: If we have a thousand troubles, he hath a thousand wayes of Mille mali species, mille salutis erunthelp; as he hath more blessings then one, so hee hath more salvations then one. He saves our soules from sin, our bodies from danger, and our estates from trouble. He is the redeemer of his people, and not onelyonly so, but with him is plenteous redemption of all persons, of Psal. 130. 7all parts both of body and soule, from all ill, both of sinne and misery, for all times, both now and hereafter. He is an everlasting salvation.
David doth not say, God will save me; but God is salvation it self, and nothing but salvation. Our sinnes onelyonly stop the current of his mercy, but it being above all our sinnes, will soone scatter that cloud, remove that stop, and then we shall see and feele nothing but salvation from the Lord. All his Psal. 25. 10vayes are mercy and peace to a repentant soule that casts it selfe upon him.
Christ himselfe is nothing else but salvation clothed in our flesh. So olde Luke 2. 29.Simeon conceived of him, when he had him in his armes, and was willing thereupon to yeeld up his spirit to God, having seen Christ the salvation of God: when we embrace Christ in the armes of our Faith, we embrace nothing but salvation. Hee makes up that sweet name given him by his Father, and brought from heaven by an Angell to Luke 2. 14the full: a name in the Faith of which, it is impossible for any beleeving soule to sinke.
The devill in trouble presents God to us, as a revenging destroyer, and unbeleefe presents him under a false vizard; but the skill of faith is, to present him as a Saviour clothed with salvation. Wee should not so much looke Thinke of God as a Saviour in trouble.what destruction the devill and his threaten, as what salvation God promiseth. To God belongs the issues of death, and of all other troubles which Psal. 68. 20.are lesser deathes. Cannot he that hath vouchsafed an issue in Christ from eternall death, vouchsafe an issue from all temporall evills? If hee will raise our bodies, can he not raise our conditions? He that brought us into trouble, can easily make a way out of it when hee pleaseth. This should bee a ground of resolute and absolute obedience, even in our greatest extremities, considering God will either deliver us (from death, or by death, and) at length out of death.
So then, when we are in any danger, we see whither to goe for salvation, even Whither to flye in our troubles.to him that is nothing else but salvation; but then we must trust in him (as David doth) and conceive of him as salvation, that we may trust in him. If we will not trust in salvation, what will we trust in? and if salvation it self cannot save us, what can? out of salvation there is nothing but destruction, which those that seeke it any where out of God, are sure to meet with. How pittifull then is their case, who goe to a destroyer for salvation? that seeke for help from hell?
Here also we see to whom to return Whom to returne Praise to in all our deliverances.praise in all our deliverances, even to the God of our salvation. The virgin Mary was stirred up to magnifie the Lord, but why? Her spirit rejoyced in God her Saviour. Whosoever is the instrument Luke 1.of any good, yet salvation is of the Lord; whatsoever brings it, hee sends it. Hence in their holy feasts for any deliverance, the cup they drank of, was called the Cup of salvation: and therefore David when he summons his thoughts, what to render unto God? hee Ps. 116. 13.resolves upon this, to take the Cup of salvation. But alwayes remember this, that when we thinke of God as salvation, wee must thinke of him as hee is in Christ to his. For, so every thing in God is saving, even his most terrible attributes of justice and power: out of Christ, the sweetest things in God are terrible. Salvation it selfe will not save out of Christ; who is the onelyonly way of salvation, called the way, the truth, Iohn 14. 6.and the life.
David addeth (He is the salvations of God first cheeres the heart, and then the outward man.my countenance) that is, hee will first speake salvation to my soule, and say, I am thy salvation; and when the heart is cheered (which is as it were the S… of this little world) the beames of that joy will shine in the countenance. True joy begins … the center, and so passeth to the circumference the outward man. The countenance is as the glasse of the soul, wherein you may see the naked face of the soule, according as the severall affections thereof stand. In the coutenance of an understanding creature, you may see more then a bare countenance. The spirit of one man may see the countenance of anothers inner man in his outward countenance: which hath a speech of its owne, and declares what the heart saith, and how it is affected.
But how comes God to be the salvation Quest.of our countenance?
Answ. I answer: God onelyonly graciously …nes in the face of Jesus Christ, which … with the eye of faith beholding, receive those beames of his grace, and re…ct them backe againe. God shineth …on us first, and we shine in that light …f his countenance upon us. The joy of Psal. 51. 12salvation, (especially of spirituall and …all salvation) is the onelyonly true joy: all other salvations end at last in destruction, and are no further comfortable then they issue from Gods saving love.
God will have the body partake with 1. Why God will have the salvation of his people appeare openly.the soule; as in matter of griefe, so in matter of joy, the lanthorne shines in the light of the Candle within.
Againe, God brings forth the joy of the heart into the countenance, for the further …eading and multiplying of joy to others. 2.Next unto the sight of the sweet countenance of God, is the beholding of the cheerefull countenance of a Christian friend, rejoycing from true grounds. Whence it is that the joy of one becomes the joy of ma…, and the joy of many meet in one; by which meanes, as many lights together make the greater light, so many lightsome spirits make the greater light of spirit: and so God receiveth the more praise, which makes him so much to delight in the prosperity of his children. Hence it is, that in any deliverance of Gods people, the righteous doe compasse them about, to Psal. 142. 7know what God hath done for their soules; and keep a spirituall Feast with them in partaking of their joy. And the godly have cause to joy in the deliverance of other Christians, because they suffered in their afflictions, and it may be in their sinnes the cause of them, which made them somewhat ashamed. Whence it is, that Davids great desire was; that those who feared God might not Psal. 69. 6be ashamed because of him: insinuating that those who feare Gods name, are ashamed of the falls of Gods people. Now when God delivers them, this reproach is removed, and those that had part in their sorow, have part in their joy.
Againe, God will have salvation so open, that it shall appeare in the countenance 3.of his people, the more to daunt and vexe the enemies. Cainish hypocrites hang downe their heads, when God lifts up the countenance of their brethren; when the countenance of Gods children cleares up, then their enemies hearts and looks are cloudy. Ierusalems joy is Babylons sorow. It it with the Church & her enemies as it is with a ballance, the scales whereof when one is up the other is downe. Whilst Gods people are under a cloud, carnall people insult over them, as if they were men deserted of God. Wherupon they hang down their heads, & the rather, because they think that by reason of their sins, Christ & his Religion will suffer with them. Hence Davids care was, that the 2 Sam. 1. 20.miseries of Gods people should not be told in Gath. The chief reason why the enemies of the Church gnash their teeth at the sight of Gods gracious dealing, is, that they take the rising of the Church, to bee a presage of their ruine. A lesson which Hamans wife had Esth. 6. 13.learned.
This is a comfort to us in these times of Iacobs trouble and Zions sorrow: The captivity of the Church shall returne, as rivers in the South. Therefore the Church may say, Reioyce not over me O Psa. 126. 1.my enemy, though I am fallen, I shall rise Micah. 7. 8.againe. Though Christs Spouse be now as black as the Pots, yet shee shall be white as the Dove. If there were not great dangers, where were the glory of Gods great deliverance? The Church at length will be as a Cup of trembling, and as a burthensome stone. The blood of Zach. 12. 2the Saints cry, their enemies violence cryes, the prayers of the Church cry for deliverance, and vengeance upon the enemies of the Church: and (as that importunate widow) will at length prevaile. Shall the importunity of one Luke 18. 5.poore woman prevaile with an unrighteous Iudge? and shall not the prayers of many that cry unto the righteous God take effect? If there were Armies of Prayers, as there are Armies of men, wee should see the streame of things turned another way. A few Moses… the Mount, would doe more good then many souldiers in the valley. If wee would lift up our hearts and hands to God, he would lift up our countenance. But alas, wee either pray not, or crosse our owne prayers for want of love to the truth of God and his people.
It is wee that keepe Antichrist and his faction alive, to plague the unthankfull world. The strength he hath is not from his owne cause, but from our want of zeale; we hinder those Hal…luiahs by private brabbles, coldnesse and indifferency in Religion. The Church begins at this time a little to lift up her head again: Now is the time to follow God with prayers, that hee would perfect his owne worke, and plead his owne cause; that he would be revenged not onelyonly of ours, but his enemies: that he would wholly free his Church from that miserable bondage. These beginnings give our faith some …old to be encouraged to goe to God, for the fulfilling of his gracious promise, that the Church may rejoyce in the salvation of the Lord. God doth but look for some to seek unto him: Christ doth but stay untill hee is awaked by our prayers. But it is to be feared, that God hath not yet perfected his worke in Zion. The Church is not yet fully prepared for a full and glorious deliverance. If God had once his ends in the humiliation of the Church for sinnes past, with resolution of reformation for the time to come, then this age perhaps might see the salvation of the Lord, which the generations to come shall be witnesse of: wee should see Zion in her perfect beauty. The generations of those that came out of Egypt, saw and enjoyed the pleasant land which their progenitors were shut out of: who by reason of their murmuring, and looking back to Egypt, and forgetfulnesse of the wonders which God had done for, and before them, perished in the wildernesse.
There is little cause therefore of envying the present flourishing of the Vseenemies of the Church, and of joyning and colluding with them; for it will prove the wisest resolution to resolve to fall and rise with the Church of Christ, considering the enemies themselves shall say, God hath done great things for them: Kings shall lay their Crowns at Christs feet, and bring all their Rev. 21. 24glory to the Church.
And for every Christian, this may be a comfort, that though their light for a time may be eclipsed, yet it shall break forth. David at this time was accounted … enemie of the State, & had a world of false imputations laid upon him, which hee was very sensible of; yet (wee see here) he knew at length God would bee the salvation of his countenance.
But some (as Gideon) may object, if Object.… intend to be so gracious, why is it thus with us?
The answer is, Salvation is Gods own Answ.worke, humbling and casting downe is his strange worke, whereby he comes to his owne worke. For, when hee intends to save, he will seeme to destroy first: and when hee will justifie, he will condemne first: whom hee will revive, hee will kill first. Grace and goodnesse countenanced by God, have a native …red Majesty in them, which maketh …e face to shine, and borroweth not its lustre from without, which God at length will have to appeare in its owne likenesse, howsoever malice may cast a vaile thereon, and disguise it for a time. And though wickednesse (as it is base borne, and a child of darknesse) may shelter it selfe under authority a while, yet it shall hide it selfe and runne into corners. The comfort of comforts is, that at that great day, (the day of all dayes) that day of the Revelation of the righteous Iudgement of God; the rightous shall then shine as the Sunne in the Dan. 12.firmament, then Christ will come to be glorious in his Saints, and will be the salvation of the countenance of all …. Then all the workes of darknesse shall be driven out of countenance, and adjudged to the place from whence they came. In the meane time let us (with David) support our selves with the hopes of these times.