Christian Observations and Resolutions, Observations · Observation 65 – Observation 72
65. The Scriptures vnspeakable profite.
IT is impossible to liue either Christianlie or comfortablie, without the daylie vse of Scripture: It is absolutelie necessar for our direction in all our wayes, before wee beginne them, and for the tryall of our wayes, when we hauehave done: For the warrand of our approbation of them, for resolu…ng of our doubts, and comforting vsus in our griefes: Without it our conscience is a blinde guide, and leadeth vsus in mist of ignorance, error, and confusion. Therein wee heare God speaking to vsus, declaring his will to vsus concerning our Saluation, and the way of our obedience, to meete him in that his good will.
What Booke can wee read with such profite and comfort: For matter, it is Wisedome: For authoritie, it is diuine and absolute: For Majestie, GOD himselfe vnderunder common wordes and Letters expressing an vnspeakable power, to stamp our heart: And where shall wee find our mindes so enlightned, our heartes so deepelie affected, our Conscience so moued, both for casting vsus downe, and raising vsus vp: I cannot finde in all the Bookes of the worlde, such an one speak to me, as in Scripture, with so absolute a conquesh of all the powers of my soule.
Contemners of Scriptures want food for their soule, a light for their life, and the sword of their spirituall warre-fare: But the louers of Scripture, hauehave all that Furniture: Therein wee heare the voyce of our Beloued, wee smell the sauour of his Oyntments; and hauehave daylie accesse vntounto the Arke of propitiation: If in our knowledge wee desire Diuinitie, Excellencie, Antiquitie and Efficacie; wee cannot finde it, but in Gods Worde alone. It is the extract of heauenly Wisedome, which Christ the eternall Word of God brought out of the bosome of his Father.
Oft-times on this Meditation, I doe both pittie the Pagans, who hauehave not this sacred Booke, and were without warrand of their doing or comfort in their trouble: And I wonder at many Ch…istians, whō God hath blessed with this Booke, but they know not their bl…ssing hereein; they find more delight in other books thā in this: And some affect such Treatises, as may be instrumēts of their vncleannesse or ambition, and trifling complementing: Filthie and obscene Pamphlets are bought and reade more greedilie, than this sacred VVryte. But this is a discouerie of mens profane disposition.
It is a token of profannesse, to loath Scripture; but a note of true Grace to delight into it: And of a growing grace, to grow in that delight. The happie man that walketh not in the way of the wicked, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seate of the scornefull, commeth to all this blessednesse, because his delight is in the Law of God, and hee meditateth therein night and day, Let good Christians choose our these Pearles, while the Swine eat vp their husks. It seasoneth the heart with an heauenly taste, and inducth it with diuine p…operties.
If the Iewes did recei…e an odde temper of body and Spirite, because of Manna, shall wee not hauehave a greater excellencie by this heauenlie Manna, and Iesus Christ in it, If wee would be sure of the life of God in vsus, let vsus continually drink in these heauenly Oracles. The daylie seasoning of our Soules by holy Scripture, keepeth in vsus the vigour of that life, and fostereth our Soule constantlie in a spirituall taste.
66. The fearfull calamitie of Warres.
AS the Earth-quake to Earth, so is VVarre to Mankinde, a fearefull commotion: The calamities of it destroyeth Ciuilitie, Libertie, Lawes, Religigion, and Humanitie it selfe. It is a grieuous thing to see man made for the good of man, so earnestly to destroy his neighbour, and that with the hazard of himselfe: For the desire of the life and blood of his Brother, to be prodigal of his own: And for the opinion of most manfull men, to turne beastes, voyd of humanitie, in destroying their owne kynde, and deuils in defacing the Image of God: God commanded man to increase and multiplie, but they turne it in diminishing of mankynde, and make a craft of it▪ to destroy one another. I cannot thinke, but mankinde mourne more to finde such rent in her bowels, than the persons so disposed.
It is one worke, but hath diuerse respects in it: Some thereby ambitiously seeketh preferment, some avaritiouslie hunt for gaine: Others cruelly seeke the sythment of a reuengfull heart, and others in that loosing of all order seeke a licence to all wickednesse. But God both intendeth and worketh his good ends into it.
It is his Chirurgrie to draw some superfluous blood of mankynde: And his discipline to such as are dissolute: Doubtlesse God hath some as Cornelius, warriours fearing God, but it is as sure that many are voyde of the feare God: they initiate themselues for warres in the Aile house and Bordell: And so soone as as they are girded with the Souldiers girdle, they loose themselues to all profannesse: God disciplineth them with the Muscat, Canon, and Sword, in the fielde, who would neither abide the admonition, nor censure of Pastors at home: It is his ehastening of his Church, she abuseth her peace in warring against him by sin, therfore he maketh mā to war against her, to bring her to repentance.
No warres are so cruell as these for Religion: In ciuill jarres it is but as one Deuill smiting another, the strokes will bee soft: But heere Sathan is smiting the Light and the bearers of it; and that with certaine victorie to Gods enemies, so long as Gods quarell remaineth against his Church: It is a parte of his processe against her, and his enemies are a scourge in his hand, therefore, they must preuaile, till his Church be sufficiently humbled.
Heere the case of the victor, is worse than of these who are ouercome; for the one are corrected in a wrath mixed with merciemercy, but the other is imployed in that seruice, in a simple wrath: And while they are Gods instruments to punish the sinnes of his Church, they are filling vp the cup of their owne sinnes, that full vengeance may ouertake them.
It is our best not to fight against God in our peace; and if hee bring warre on vsus, not to rest, till wee bee at peace with him: The rage of Warre is bounded, if wee bee one with him, hee will either giuegive vsus our Soule for a prey, or take vsus to a better life.
All deaths are sanctified to the Elect, and to die for Religion is a most glorious death. Souldiers call it the bedde of honour to die in the battell (though many of them bee dead in sinne) but to die in the Lord, is the bedde of honour indeede, to lay downe our life for his cause, who gaue it; and to turne the naturall debt of Death, in so glorious a sacrifice. It is a token of Gods honourable accompt of vsus, to charge vsus with such a seruice; of his presence with vsus, in so triumphing a Grace, and a pledge of the greatest degree of Glorie in Heauen.
67. God seeth the heart.
THat GOD seeth the secretes of our heart, is a point terrible to the wicked, but joyfull to the godly: The wicked are sorie, that their heart is so open: It is a boyling potte of all mischiefe, a fornace and Forge-house for euill: It grieueth them that man should heare and see their wordes and actions: But what a terrour is this? that their Iudge whom they hate, seeth their thought. If they could deny this, they would: But so many of them as are convinced and forced to acknowledge a God, are shaken bee times with this also, that hee is All-seeing▪ Other proceed more summarlie, and atonce deny a God-heade in their heart, and so destroy this conscience of his All-knowledge.
But it is in vaine, the more they harden their heart on this godlesse thought, the more feare in them; while they chock and charme their conscience, that it crow not against them: It checketh them with fore-sight of fearefull vengeance, and for the present, conuinceth them of the conscience of a God-head, the more they preasse to suppresse it.
But the godly rejoyce heerein, it is to them a rule to square their thoughtes, there is no libertie of Thinking, VVilling, VVishing, Affecting, in the heart: where that candle shineth, all are framed as worthie of him, and his sight whom they see, seeing their heart.
This worke is all secrete, and knowne of them alone in whom it is: The stranger shall not meddle with the joye of that Soule. It seeth GOD All-eye, looking on it, and layeth it selfe open both to see him, and to bee seene of him: And that not onelyonly for to bee directed, but to bee allowed: The first is the warrand, to doe: The second, is the seale, that it is well done.
It is their comfort against man, traducing their words and actions: When man that seeth not their heart, expoundeth them contrare to their heart, they solace themselues in this appeale in the cōscience of Gods both knowing, & acknowledging sight of their heart: So also it is our best, while the world either thinketh that God seeth not, or would it were so, that wee euer delight to cast our hearts open to God, not because it must bee so, but because that wee rejoyce that it is so: Wee count not that terrible, which wee finde so comfortable.
That Soule is sufficientlie guarded, for its innocencie and sinceritie, against the scourge of the tongue, which is conscious and sensible of Gods Seeing, witnessing, and approbation: The seales of that approbation in a solide peace and vnspeakable joye are stronger, than can bee broken by the breath of man: That lying breath cannot dissolue, but doubleth them both in themselues, and the joyfull use of their possessours.
This made the holy Apostle to say with as great libertie as trueth, I passe verie little to bee judged of you, or of mans judgement; for I am not conscious to my selfe of any thing. 1. Cor. 4. 3. 4.
68. Rest on Prouidence.
SOme cares are necessar, because commanded of God, others needelesse because forbiden: EueryEvery day hath enough of his owne griefe, and wee should not care for to morrow: God relieueth vsus of that care: Hee who made the World, disposseth all, and careth for all in it: Before wee were borne, hee ruled all, and needeth not our helpe in any thing; and when wee shall bee at rest, hee will rule all.
It is a matter of pittie, to see manie rent their heart, when they neede not: Gods prouidence easeth vsus of that care, if wee bee at peace with him, his prouidence is for vsus, it hath nothing more in head, than to content the Lords beloued.
If once wee loose our mindes to apprehensions, and feares of crosses, there will neither bee end, nor remeede of them: One will breede an hunder, and eueryevery one will multiplie answerablie, so that we shall be buried and ouerwhelmed with feares, before the feared euill come.
But these and the like shreds of tortouring apprehensions, shall bee cutted, if we close our selfe within the compasse of a mercifull prouidence, and this shall bee, if wee can perswade our selfe: 1. That there is a GOD. 2. And that this GOD ruleth all. 3. That all his ruling worketh together to the good of them that louelove him. Hee needeth not bee afrayd of any thing, who is at peace with him, who ruleth all things.
By distrustfull care, wee offend God, and make his prouidence to worke matters to our griefe. The course and euent of things I leaue to God, and his prouidence: He is more wise see, & more able to doe that which is good, than all the world. I hauehave no care, but to see that I offend him not, either in abuse of meanes commanded, or vse of things forbidden: This prouideth with a certaintie of good, a solide contentment also; When I rest on his prouidence, fullie resoluing to welcome what it bringeth. I trust his Grace will worke contentment in his worke when it commeth: Since I reuerence it before it come: If any take on them to counsell, or command prouidence, or to controll the worke of it, let that Soule resolue to lodge in continuall miscontent. It is good wisedome to keepe our selues in peace with God, who directeth prouidence, and to submitte our selues vntounto it, so wee shall finde it serue vsus, and Gods Grace to giuegive vsus contentment in the worke of it.
Commit thy wayes vntounto the Lord, and trust in him, and hee will doe them. Psal. 37. 5. Cast thy burden on the Lord, and hee will sustaine thee. Psal. 55. 22. God dwelleth in that heart that so reposeth on him, but hee deserteth the Soule that chydeth his Prouidence. Hee who trusteth in God, shall bee as Mount Sion, that can not bee remoued. Psal. 125. 1. Hee shall not bee affrayed of euill tydings, because his heart is fixed on the Lord. Ps. 112 7.
This is Christian Stoicisme or rather spirituall Securitie. The olde Stoickes preassing to exalt the naturall man, aboue the reach of humane passion, did both thrust him out of Nature, and shake him loose of Gods protection: And turned him from himselfe, as farre, as from God: But this holy disposition maketh vsus rest out of our selfe, in God: And so to finde our selfe secured in him.
69. Afflictions fruite.
THere is nothing more grieuous to man, and nothing more profitable, than Affliction: How foolish are wee in the day of trouble? Wee thinke that God is slaying vsus, when hee is sauing vsus: A life indeede is taken from vsus, but such a life as wee both may and should want: Such a life as killeth our Soule, but quickneth vsus by the want of it: We hauehave a worldly and a sinfull life, euen our louelove of the things of the world: God giueth them as coards and wings to lift vsus vp to Heauen, but wee turne them in weights to hold vsus on the earth.
When we louelove our name, our goods, our Children, our body, our selfe, more than wee ought, God hath two quarrels at these things: The one of Iealousie, because wee louelove them to his prejudice: The other of Violence, because they detaine our Soule in them.
When hee crosseth vsus in them, then hee slayeth that our life in them: Hee killeth it in our name by calamities, in our goods by their remouall, in our friendes by death, and in our bodies by sicknesse: Then that hurt life reteareth from a wounded member of our lot, at least doeth not so vse it as of before: When wee are wounded in all these, the Soule draweth from them to GOD.
If hee saw vsus not excessiuelie affecting them, he would not wound vsus in them, but there is no choyse, heerein it is better, to liue in God, than to die by a seeming life in them: And this wounding is not so meikle the worke of his Prouidence without, as the mightie draught of his sauing louelove within, pulling vsus out of that wherein wee would die, that we may truely liue in him.
His blessings are good in themselues, but our corruption abuseth them, and killeth vsus: And it is necessare that our corruption bee killed, wee die by the leauing of it, and in its death wee liue: Crosses are pressours to expresse our corruption, euen that venome of Sathan which oppresseth vsus. The life of God, and of sinne, hauehave their contrare growth, standing and decay in vsus, as the one increaseth, the other answerablie decayeth, & the raigne of the one is the destruction of the other. In all crosses God intendeth the health of our Soule.
Many see the hand of the Phisitian, that see not his heart; & many feele the bitternes of his potions, and the paine of his cutting, that see not the health that followeth: as the first sight of sinne is falle, because it seemeth pleasant and profitable; so the first sight of Affliction is false, because wee see nothing then, but losse and hurt: The second sight of sinne in Repentance, is the best, because wee see it vyle, so is the second sight of Affliction, then wee see and feele the peaceable fruite of Righteousnesse, and the health of our Soule.
Euerie sanctified crosse to the godly, hath both a sensible decay of that outward life, in the blessinges of God, and as sensible an increase of the life of God, in God himselfe. The life of God, is more strong, and manifest by such wounding, than without it. I count it no losse to want that life, that chocketh the life of God in mee: the more that life is destroyed, the more I liue in God, and God in mee: Heerein is that notable saying verified, WEE HAD PERISHED, EXCEPT VVEE HAD PERISHED.
It is good for mee, that thou hast afflicted mee, for thereby I hauehave learned to keepe thy Law. Psal. 119. 71. Many deare Children of God in their owne sense, had perished eternallie, if they had not beene brayed in the morter of Affliction.
70. Man the most disobedient Creature.
ALl Creatures stand in their order to God, as hee placed them in the beginning, but Angels and Men his best Creatures, brake their order, and left their place: They were best gifted, and yet fell most, yea, they onelie fell, and Angels better gifted than man, fell worse than Man. And now, while all is subject to vanitie, Man is most refractarie to God, what law God hath set for other Creatures, they keepe it without any breake: The Seas keepeth their bounds, and passeth them not: The Birds know their time, and slippe it not: The Heauens and Earth their place, and change it not; and all Creatures follow their Creator, and are in their kinde affected towards Man, as God directeth them. When hee is angrie with Man, they can grieue him, when he is pleased, they comfort him: Onelie Man, knoweth not, or keepeth not bounds, time, place, nor disposition like to God.
Gods will findeth no rebellion in the whole Creature, till it encounter with the Will of Man: The Patrons of Free-will may bee ashamed of such a Client, and in that plea doe professe a captiuitie of their owne will, in the wilfull defence of such a rebellious free-dome.
This is our shame, that beeing better gifted, wee are lesse obedient, although that Gods Law to vsus, bee more perfect, and his disposition more reuealed to vsus, yet his law findeth not disobedience nor his disposition a contrarietie, but in vsus.
Unspeakable is his patience that beareth with it, and his merciemercy, that pardoneth it: But let vsus striue to be plyable both in obedience and conformitie with God. The gifts of God doe both engage vsus to obedience, and enable vsus for it: And disobedience is punished answerablie to the greatnesse of our obligement: When wee see these meanest Creatures keepe their course, we should bee astonished; their obedience is our conuiction, as they declare the worke of God in their order, so they preach our rebellion, who come not neare to them in obsequiousnesse to him.
71. Good men most injured.
THe Christian warfare is full of mistaking; some knoweth not the parties, other know not the cause: It is not aye e…ill men that suffer, neither at the hands of euill, neither for euill. But oft-tentimes good men, euen the best doe suffer, and that for God, and at the hands of good men: Grosse euils are soone discerned, and as they make a dittay and bring on punishment, so they close the mouth of the guiltie sufferer: But it is more hard, when Grace and actes of Grace, worthie of louelove and honour, are taken for grosse sinnes, and that not of the wicked onelyonly, but euen of the Children of God. This sinister judging is in them, not as they are his Children, but as corrupted.
Hee is blockish, who thinketh Sathan so grosse, as to enjure the Sainct…s onelyonly by the wicked: As hee can transfigure himselfe in an Angel of light, so can hee dye the corruption of men, otherwise godly with the coloure of Grace, and rubbe vponupon Gods Children, and their obedience to God, the colour of impietie.
Grace is neuer contrare to GODS Grace, but loueth and honoureth it, as a streame of that same Fountaine, and Image of that same God: It is corruption that opposeth Grace: And the like corruption in others, doeth allow that opposing corruption as grace: And condemneth injured grace as corruption.
This mistaking runneth so deepe and strong, that I thinke neuer to see it mended, till Christ come in the cloudes.
Let eueryevery one, who setteth his heart to serue God, resolue to suffer at the hands of the godly, and that for good: Hee shall not bee a loser therein: That Grace shall grow, for which hee is injured. It is a weake Grace, that is not worth an injurie, and a weaker, that bringing an injurie from indiscreete man, cannot sustaine him who is injured for it. And let euerie one pray for Charitie and holy Prudence, to keepe vsus, that wee offend not God, in injuring his Children, and his Grace in them.
72 Gods Beggers are best heard.
IT is not betweene God and vsus, as betweene man and man, when man giueth any thing to day, he is slower to morrow, and though some three or foure dayes hee giuegive, in end hee will refuse, and vpbraide the suter as importune, & impudent. But God giueth liberallie, and reprocheth no man. Iam. 1. 5. Hee hath an infinite treasure, which can neither bee exhausted nor diminished.
His liberalitie is great, and the gifts he now giueth, are not our full portion, but beginnings and pledges of that perfection, which he hath promised and intendeth to giuegive vsus; till wee get perfection wee hauehave not gotten the full measure that he hath ordained; & the oftner we aske, the welcomer are wee: And the more wee receiue, the more hee giueth; hee counteth it good seruice to begge his blessings.
It is happines for our miserie, to hauehave such a Fountaine and Riuer to runne to. Our condition is all in necessitie of his goodnesse, and his goodnesse is all for the helpe of our necessities.
GOD indented with Abraham, vnderunder the name of All-sufficient, to tell him, that as man bringeth nothing to the Couenant but All-necessitie, so hee should meete with All sufficiencie in God: Our state is nothing, but All-necessitie, a want of all good: A want of the sense of that want: So the want of an heart to desire the supplie; of a mouth to aske it, of an hand to receiue it, and of a price to purchase it. But this Fountaine sendeth out a supplie to all these wants, hee maketh vsus feele our miserie; giueth vsus an holy thirst of his supplie, the mouth for prayer to aske, a price in Christ to obtaine it, and the hand of Faith to take it.
What is more conuenient to helpe our necessitie, than this sufficiencie? It is a goodnesse both full and free to imparte it selfe, that it will both helpe the indigent, and in a sort act some part of his worke, rather than it helpe him not. Hee is willing to giuegive almes, who openeth the hand of the begger, and then thrusteth money in that hand which hee hath opened; so doeth God to vsus. There was neuer such a meeting, neuer a more indigent begger, than man, nor a more liberall giuer, than God. If as wee are great beggers in pouertie, so also in importunitie of suting, we shall finde his fulnesse running ouer to our superaboundance, and his All-sufficiencie turne our necessitie in sufficiencie.
It is helpfull in the nature of it, in that it is good, contrare to our euill, and for the disposition of it, in that it is liberall to communicate it selfe to our helpe: But hee commeth nearer to vsus, in that hee hath made the fulnesse of his goodnesse to dwell in Christ, that is neare to vsus; that is come to our nature: All Grace is treasured in Christ our Head: Beside this approching of Grace in him, it is neare to our possession, when as hee hath it, so hee hath procurred by his merits, the right of it to vsus, & by his intercession, obtaineth it, & by his dispensation, distributeth it daylie. Heere are groundes sufficient, both for suting, and confidence of obtaining.
I find him neuer more readie to giuegive, than when I hauehave new receiued; neither is my Soule more desirous to craue of him than when it is yet warmed with the sense of his merciemercy in his new receiued blessing: Hee will neuer cease to giuegive, till wee cease to craue, perfection is his last gift, and our greatest measure: Wee neede, no more, nor can containe no more, when once his bountie hath perfected vsus in glorie.