The Souls Conflict With Itself, Chapter 31
CHAP. XXXI.
Meanes of proving and evidencing to our soules, that God is our God.
NOw we prove it to our soules, that 1.God is ours, when we take him at his offer; when wee bring nothing but a sense of our owne emptinesse with us, and a good conceit of his faithfulnesse and ability to doe us good; when we answer God in the particular passages of salvation, which we cannot doe, till …e begins first unto us. Therefore if …e be Gods, it is a certaine signe that God is ours. If we chuse him, wee may conclude he hath chosen us first. If wee love him, we may know that he hath loved 1 Ioh. 4. 19us first. If we apprehend him, it is because he hath apprehended us first. Whatsoever affection we shew to God, it is but a reflection of his first to us. If cold and dark bodies have light and heat in them, it is because the Sun hath shined upon them first. Mary answers not Rabboni, till Christ said Mary to 1 Iohn 20. 16.her. If we say to God I am thine, it is because he hath first said unto us, thou Dicat anima, secura dicat, Deus meus es …u, qui dicit ani… nostra Salus tua ego sum. Aug. in Psal. 132. Cant. 6. 3.art mine; after which, the voice of the faithfull soule is, I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine. We may know Gods minde to us in heaven, by the returne of our hearts upwards againe to him: OnelyOnly as the reflected beames are weaker then the direct, so our affections in their returne to God, are farre weaker then his love falling upon us. God will be to us whatsoever wee make him by our faith to be; when by grace we answer his condition of trusting, then he becomes ours to use for our good.
2. Wee may know God to be [… 2.God] when wee pitch and plant all our happinesse in him, when the desires of our soules are towards him, and wee place all our contentment in him. As this word [my] is a terme of appropriati… springing from a speciall faith, so it is a word of love and peculiar affection, shewing that the soule doth repose and rest it selfe quietly and securely upon God. Thus David proves God to bee his God, by early seeking of him, by thirsting, Psal 63. 1, 2, 3. &c.and longing after his presence, and that upon good reason, because Gods loving kindnesse was better to him then life; This he knew would satisfie his soule as …ith marrow and fatnesse. So S. Paul proved Christ to be his Lord, by accounting Phil. 3. 8.all things else as dung and drosse in …parison of him.
Then we make God our God, and set a Crowne of Majesty upon his head, when we set up a Throne for him in our hearts, where selfe-love before had set up the creature above him; when the heart is so unloosed from the world, that it is ready to part with any thing for Gods sake, giving him now the supremacy in our hearts, and bringing downe every high thought in captivity to him; making him our trust, our love, our joy, our delight, our feare, our all; and whatsoever we esteem or affect else, to esteem and affect it under him, in him, and for him; When we cleave to him above all, depending upon him as our chiefe good, and contenting our selves in him, as all-sufficient to give our soules fit and full satisfaction. When we resigne up our selves to his gracious government, to doe and suffer what he will, offering our selves and all our spirituall services as sacrifices to him. When faith brings God into the soule as ours, we not onelyonly love him, but love him dearely, making it appeare, that when wee are at good tearmes with God, we are at a point for other things. How many are there that will adventure the losse of the love of God, for a thing of nothing? and redeeme the favour of men with the losse of Gods. Certaine it is whatsoever we esteeme, or affect most, that whatsoever it be in Amor tuus, Deus tuus.it selfe, yet we make it our God. The best of us all may take shame to our selves herein, in that we doe not give God his due place in us, but set up some Idoll or other in our hearts above him.
When the soule can without hypocrisie say [My God] it ingageth us to universall 3.and unlimited obedience, we shall be ambitious of doing that which may be acceptable and well pleasing to him; and therefore this is prefixed as a ground before the Commandements, enforcing obedience; I am the Lord thy Exod. 20.God, therefore thou shalt have no other Gods before me; whomsoever else wee they, it must be in the Lord, because wee see a beam of Gods authority in them; and it is no prejudice to any inferiour authority, to preferre Gods authority before it, in case of difference one from Nemini fit injuria cui praeponitur Deus.the other.
When we know we are a peculiar people, wee cannot but bee Zealous of good Tit. 2. 14.workes. If I be a Father, where is mine bo…r? Speciall relations are speciall enforcements Mal. 1. 6.to duty.
4. The spirit of God which knowes the deep things of God, and the depths 4.of our hearts, doth reveale this mutuall interest betwixt God, and those that are his, it being a principall worke of the spirit to seale this unto the soule, by discovering such a cleare and particular light in the use of meanes, as swaieth the soule to yeeld up it selfe wholy to God. When we truly trust, wee may say with S. Paul, I know whom I 2 Tim. 1. 12.have trusted, he knew both that he trusted, and whom he trusted. The spirit of God that reveales God to be ours, and stirres up faith in him, both reveales this trust to our soules, and the interest we have in God thereby. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul: but God said so Lam. 3. 24to it first. If instinct of nature teaches dammes to know their young ones, and their yong ones them, in the middest of those that are alike; shall not the spirit of God much more teach the soule to know its owne father? As none knowes what is in man, but the spirit of man, so none knowes what love God beares to those that are his, but the spirit of God in his: All the light in the world cannot discover the Sunne unto us, onelyonly it discovers it selfe by its own …eames. So all the Angels and Saints … heaven cannot discover to our soules …he love that is in the breast of God towards us, but onelyonly the spirit of God, which sheds it into our hearts. The spirit Rom. 5. 5.onelyonly teaches this language to say my God. It is infused onelyonly into sanctified hearts, and therefore oft-times meane Mat. 11. 25men enjoy it, when great, wise, and learned persons are strangers to it.
5. The spirit when it witnesseth 5.this to us, is called the spirit of adoption, and hath alwayes accompanying of it a spirit of supplication, whereby with a familiar, yet reverent boldnesse, wee lay open our hearts to God as to a deere Father; All others are strangers to this heavenly intercourse. In straits they run to their friends and carnall shifts, whereas an heire of heaven runs to his Father and tells him of all.
6. Those that are Gods, are known 6. Special favours shew God to be our God.to be his, by speciall love-tokens, that …e bestowes upon them. As 1. the speciall graces of his spirit. Princes children are knowne by their costly jewels, 1.and rich ornaments. It is not common gifts, and glorious parts that set a character upon us to be Gods, but grace to use those gifts, in humility and love, to the glory of the giver.
2. There is in them a sutablenesse and connaturalnesse of heart to all that 2.is spirituall, to whatsoever hath Gods stampe upon it, as his truth and his children, and that because they are his. By this likenesse of disposition, wee are fashioned to a communion with him: Can two walke together and not be agreed? It is a certaine evidence that we are Gods in Christ, if the spirit of God hath wrought in us any impression like unto Christ, who is the image of his Father; both Christs looking upon us, and our looking upon Christ by faith (as ours) hath a transforming and conforming power.
3. Spirituall comforts in distresse, such as the world can neither give, nor 3.take away, shew that God lookes upon the soules of his with another eye, then he beholdeth others. He sends a secret messenger that reports his peculiar love to their hearts. He knowes their soules, and feeds them with his hidden Manna; the inward peace they feele, is not in freedome from trouble, but in freenesse with God in the midst of trouble.
4. Seasonable and sanctified corrections 4.wherby we are kept from being led away by the errour of the wicked, shew Gods fatherly care over us as his. Who will trouble himselfe in correcting another mans childe? yet we oftner complaine of the smart wee feele, then thinke of the tender heart and hand that smites us, untill our spirits be subdued, and then we reape the quiet fruit of righteousnesse. Where crosses worke together for the best, we may know Rom. 8. 28.that we love God, and are loved of him. Thriving in a sinfull course, is a black marke of one that is not Gods.
7. Then wee make it appeare that 7.God is our God, when wee side with him, and are for him and his cause in ill times. When God seems to cry out unto us, who is on my side, who? Then if wee can say as those in Esay, whereof one 2 Reg 9. 32sayes, I am the Lords, and another calls himselfe by the name of Jacob, and another subscribes with his hand unto the Esay 44. 6.Lord, its a blessed signe. Thus the Patriarchs, and Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs, were not ashamed of God, and God was not ashamed to own thē. Provided Heb. 11. 16that this boldnesse for God proceed not onelyonly from a conviction of the judgement, but from spirituall experience of the goodnesse of the cause, whereby we can justifie in heart what we justifie in words. Otherwise men may contend for that with others, which they have no interest in themselves. The life must witnesse for God, as well as the tongue; it is oft easier for corrupt nature to part with life, then with lust.
This siding with God, is with a separation from whatsoever is contrary. God useth this as an argument to come out of Babylon, because we are his people, Come out of her My people. Religion is Rev. 18. 4.nothing else, but a gathering and a binding of the soule close to God; that fire which gathers together the gold, separates the drosse. Nature drawes out that which is wholesome in meates, …nd severs the contrary. The good …hat is to be had by God, is by clea…ing to him and him onelyonly. God loves … ingenuous and full protestation, if …alled to it. It shewes the coldnesse of …he times whē there is not heat enough …f zeale to separate from a contrary …ith. God is a jealous God; and so wee …all finde him at last. When the day of severing comes, then they that have …ood for him, shall not onelyonly be his, but his treasure and his jewels.Mal. 3. 17.
There is none of us all, but may some time or other fall into such a great extremity, that when wee looke …bout us, we shall finde none to help …s: at which time we shall throughly …now, what it is to have comfort from heaven, and a God to goe unto. If there be any thing in the world worth labouring for, it is the getting sound evidence to our soules that God is ours. What madnesse is it to spend all our labour, to possesse our selves of the Cisterne, when the fountaine is offered to …s? O beloved, the whole world cannot weigh against this one comfort, that God is ours. All things laid in the other ballance, would be too light. A Moath may corrupt, a theefe may take away that we have here, but who can take our God away? Though God doth convey some comfort to us by these things, yet when they are gone, he reserves the comfort in himself still, and can convey that, and more in a purer and sweeter way, where hee plants the grace of faith to fetch it from him. Why then should we weaken our interest in God, for any thing this earth affords? What unworthy wretches are those, that to please a sinfull man, or to feede a base lust, or to yeeld to a wicked custome, will (as much as in them lyeth) lose their interest in God? Such little consider what an excellent priviledge it is to have a sure refuge to flye unto in time of trouble. God wants not wayes to maintaine his, without being beholding to the devill. He hath all help hid in himselfe, and will then most shew it, when it shall make most for his owne glory. If God be ours, it is a shame to bee beholding to the devill, that ever it should bee said Sathan by base courses hath made us rich. God thinkes any outward thing too meane for his children, severed from himselfe, therefore he gives his Son the expresse …age of himselfe unto them. For which cause David when he had even studied to reckon up the number of Gods choise blessings, concludes with advancing of this above all, yea rather happy Ps. 144. 15.…e they whose God is the Lord. If this will not satisfie the soule, what can? Labour therefore to bring thy soule to this point with God, Lord if thou seest it …t, take away all from me, so thou leavest …e thy selfe, whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth that I de…re Psal. 73. 25.in comparison of thee.