Conclusions of Peace, Part 5
The duetie of Gods Children.
NOw let vsus see what God requireth of his children, whereby they may in some poore measure shewe themselues thankefull to his Maiestie, for this excellent estate whereunto he hath called them.
As their dignitie is great, so their duetie must needs be great, because much is required, where much is Luk. 12. 48.bestowed. Therefore looke howe many titles, so many dueties; howe much honour, so much obedience; and looke how much the Lord hath abased himselfe to aduance vsus, so much are we againe bound to abase our selues, that wee may aduaunce his glorie, like Abraham, who the more familiarly the Lord did talke Gen. 18. 27.with him, the more humbly hee did cast downe himselfe in the feeling and acknowledging of his own vnworthinesse. But what doth God require? or what shall we doe? If I be your father, saith the Lord, where is my honour. Then honour is required, and God looketh to be honoured of his children. Honour thy father and thy mother, saith the commandement, that is, heare them and regard them, reuerence and obey thē, feare them and louelove them, mantaine them and their credit to the vtmost, defend their persons, and their honest quarrels, and take their part against all that rise vp against them. If such honour be due to our earthly parents, which are but instrumentes of our good vnderunder God, what honour is due to our heauenly father in whom our Parentes and we doe liue, and moue, and hauehave our being.Act. 17. 28.
Euerie one will say that God is their father, and they are Gods children, God forbid els they say, and yet many of them care not how litle they heare his worde except they may heare when they list, or from whom they list: Some say, vrge doctrine, let application alone: some say, teach maners, but let doctrine alone; and some care for neither of both: some say preach merciemercy, & not iudgement, we will heare the Gospel, but not the lawe, and some are indifferent what they heare, so that it doth not touch them. And most men are like Ezechiels auditors, that do heare as the people vse to do, but with their mouthes they iest it out, and as much reckoning doe they make of the preacher & his sermon, as they doe of a fidler and his song, and not so much: for they will giuegive him the hearing: but they meane to doe stil as they did, say God what he wil. What do these men say in effect but thus much? O Lord we are content to be children, and thou shalt be our father, so that we may hauehave what we will, and say what we will, and do what we will: like Naash 1. Sam. 11. 2.the Ammonite, who would make a couenant with the men of Iabesh Gilead, vponupon conditiō that he might put out all their right eies, and bring all that shame vponupon Israel.
But what saith the Lord? If I be your father, where is mine honour? to shewe that they cannot be the children of God, which would so dishonor him, and bring such a shame vponupon him: therefore where is my honour saith God, if you be my children? In effect it is as much as if he should say, Why doe you not listen to my commandements and obey them. Why do you not receiue my instructions, and beare my reprehensions. But (as though I had no authority ouer you) will you cast off the yoke of my gouernment? as though you were wiser than I, will you cast behinde you all my counsels? As though I knew not what I did, will you censure and controll me and my waies? will you appoint me how I shalbe worshipped? must all be as you will? Hiccene honos qui debetur mihi? doe my children thus honour me? or am I a father vntounto such children? No saith the Lord, I am no father to such, except you wil regard all my counsels, and obey all my lawes, and that continually at all Deut. 6.times, and faithfully in all places, and Psal. 119. 46.constantly before all persons, and wisely according to all circumstances, you do not yeeld me that honor which is due vntounto me: therefore striue vntounto this, or els call me no more your father.
Now if wee could remember alwaies with what titles of honor the Lord hath honoured vsus, it would make vsus ashamed to serue the world, or the deuill, or our selues in anie thing. When some went about to persuade Nehemiah to flie, hee (because Neh. 6. 11.he was a Magistrate) answered and said, Should such a man as I flie? So when Gods children are tempted by the world, or by the deuill, or by their owne heartes to commit anie sinne, or to go against their owne consciences in any thing: Let them say as Nehemiah saide, Shall such a man as I yeeld? shall the sonnes and daughters of the most high be so base minded, or so beastly affected? No, be ye holy, for I am holy (saith the Lord) to shew that vnholinesse doth 1. Pe. 1. 15. 16no more become the Children of God, than God himselfe: how doth it then become the professors of the Gospell to be blasphemers of their fathers sacred name, or to bee common swearers, or liers, or drunkards, or whormongers, or vsurers, or prophaners of the Lordes Sabboths? Then say thus with thy self; Should I be couetous, or malitious, or enuious, or proud, or disdainfull, as though my father were such a one, and loued such things? Should I be familiar with Athists, or Papists, or Belly-gods, or scoffers at religion, as though they wer my fathers frends, when they bee his deadly foes? Shoulde I carry two faces in one hood? Should I ioyne handes with the enemies of God against his seruants and ministers? Should I stop my eares when God speaketh? shall I disobey, when God cōmandeth? shall I venture when God forbiddeth? shall I presume when God threatneth? and shal I distrust when God promiseth? Is this a life for the seruauntes of God, if not for his seruauntes, much lesse for his children. If the children of God doe thus lead their liues, how doe the diuels children liue?
A heathen man being asked, why he did weare such a long bushie beard, he aunswered, that so often as he beheld it, he might commit nothinn vnworthie the grauitie of the same, he would not be like a Tauerne with a bushe at the dore, and no wine within. So now, if any man aske vsus, why God hath giuen vsus the titles of Gods children, and why we are called christians, the church of Christ, the spouse of Christ, Citizens of heauen, and by such like names, of louelove and honour, let vsus aunswere (as he did) that so often as we remember our names and our titles, we might cō mit nothing vnworthie the grauity and maiesty of the same. And that is one speciall reason why eueryevery man hath his name giuen him in his baptisme, that so often as we are called by our names, we might cal to mind our baptisme, and what we promised Note.there? It shuld seem that the papists, & some Protestants too, which be popishly affected, do not remember what titles they hauehave, nor by what names they are called, and therefore they must hauehave puppits and images in their churches and houses to put them in mind of their duety to God, so some mens relion and holinesse is all in their titles of Gods children, and in the names of Christians, which onelyonly they retaine, when all Christianitie is banished, and is not this a shame for the sonnes of God?
It is counted a shame for a citizen to go like a courtier, or for a courtier to go like a carter, but if a man put on womans apparrell, or a woman put on mans apparrell, that is an abomination. And shall it not be Deut. 22. 5.a greater shame, for the Citixens of heauen, to go after the fashion of the Courtiers of hell? And if it be an abomination for a man to go in womans apparrell, what an abomination is it before the Lord, for the children of light, to put vponupon them the workes of darkenesse, and to couer thēselues with iniquitie as with a garment? and for the sons of God to go in that apparrell which doth belong vntounto the childrē of the deuil.
When the Lord of life was put to death, there was darknesse vponupon the face of the earth, the vaile of the Temple rent, the graues opened, and the dead arose, and went forth, with other things which were seene afore, at the sight whereof the very enemies of Christ which watched him, were afraide for that they had done vntounto him, yea they were constrained to confesse and say, Doubtles Mat. 27. 54.this man was the sonne of God. So if we be dead with Christ our head, vntounto sinne, as he was dead for our sinnes, there will follow a wonderfull alteration in our liues. There will appeare such zeale in professing the Gospell, such pittie in releeuing the poore, such patience in bearing the crosse, such faithfulnesse in performing of promises, such charitie in iudging our brethren, such cōpassion in condemning malefactors, such louelove in reproouing of faultes, such merciemercy in forgiuing offences, such sinceritie in worshipping of God, such constancie in defending of the trueth, such watching ouer all our waies, and such wisedome in winning men to God, that our very ennemies which before did mocke vsus, hate vsus, and perseeute vsus, shalbe constrained with shame enough to say, These were no doubt the children of God, these were good men, these were true professors indeed: for such fruites and effects doe follow their profession, as are not commonly seen in the liues of others.
Wherefore, to conclude this point. Let not the king go like a Kesar: Let not the captaine runne away like a coward: Let not the tree Iud. 9, 9, 15.loose his fatnesse, to do as the bramble would doe. And let not a christian liue like Antichrist: Let not beleeuers liue like infidels, nor let not the sonnes of God liue like the sons of Sathan: But, as in our houses, as in our apparell, as in our feastinges, as in our furniture, in euerie thing els, we striue to hauehave matches, and all our thinges sutable. So likewise, let vsus striue to hauehave our titles, and our liues, our names and our qualities, our profession and our practise sutable and answerable the one to the other. Finally, let euerie one that calleth God his father, in the 2. Tim. 2. 19name of the Lord Iesus, depart from iniquitie, least heereafter the Lord Iesus bid him, depart with the works of iniquitie. Heere be two departinges. Mat. 25, 41. & 7, 23. Luke, 13, 27.If we take the first now, we shall be free from the other heereafter: but if we will not heare nowe of a departing from iniquitie, which we ought, we shall heereafter heare of a departing with our iniquitie, which wee would not. The first is somewhat painfull, but it is infinitly gainfull. The second is most fearefull, and for euer intollerable. And thus much of the duetie of Gods children in regard of their titles.
Nowe let vsus see why the Lord both in this place, and so often in this booke of Prouerbes, doth vse these wordes, My son, as also, why he doth not say, My sonnes, in the plurall number, seeing hee speakes to all the church in general; but, My son, in the singular nūber, as though he spake but to one alone, that so we may make that vse of thē, for which they were left vntounto the Church.
And least wee should thinke this to be more than neede, wee are to knowe, that as the holyest speaketh nothing in vaine, so doth hee not speake anie worde at all aduenture, but in singular wisedome, and in most excellent order hath hee handled euerie Treatise, and placed euerie sentence, euerie word, and euerie letter. To great purpose it is don, and ought accordingly to be considered: for, when heauen and earth shall passe, not one iot or tittle of Matt. 5. 18.Gods word shall passe: but euerie worde of God endureth for euer, and shall remaine as faithfull witnesse in heauen, either with vsus, or against vsus in the day of the Lord: Psal. 119. 89Then shall all Gods argumentes, and reasons, and persuasions be called foorth to giuegive euidence against vsus if they doe nothing preuaile now. Then shall euerie word of admonition, and euerie worde of threatning, and euerie word of louelove, and kindnesse, and euerie title of honor and dignitie come forth, and plead hard against all such as hauehave turned the deafe eare vntounto them: yea they shall also crie loud for vengeance vppon all those men which either in worde or deede, hauehave offered them anie disgrace, especially amongest their friendes vppon the face of the earth like strangers of an other countrey, when they catch their forraigne ennemies within their owne liberties, for euerie worde of GOD is sent from heauen by God, as Embassadours of a farre Countrey one after another to deale for God. Therefore it shallbe wisedome for vsus to regard them now and to giuegive them good entertainement, while they remaine amongst vsus, or els when we trauaile into their country where they dwell (which will not be long) and think to find reliefe at their handes, they wil then serue vsus, as we serued them, and put vsus in minde of our discourteous dealing against them, when they were amongst vsus, as Ioseph told his bertheren of their crueltie, against Gen. 45. 3, 4,him, when they went into Egipte, for succour, where he bare rule, and they had nothing to doe, then were they both afraide and ashamed, and so shall we be too, if we doe not repent.
Well go to then, we will not lightly passe ouer this preface, as we hauehave don, as if they were but words of course, for there is more in them then we thinke there were, for in deed, there is more contained in these two wordes, My sonne, than (some thinke) can be gathered out of two chapters, yea ij books. I will not say the whole booke of God, butl et vsus see, why the Lord vseth to speake so vntounto miserable men, and why he speaketh in the singular number, as to one alone, when that which he saith concerneth not only one mā, but the whole church of God, that we may also vse them to that ende, for which they were set downe.
Surely the Lord of mercy, (knowing where of we be made, and seeing Psa. 103. 14.that we are but dust, full of weaknesse and corruption) frameth himselfe in his worde to speake accordingly. And albeit, he sometime vttereth himselfe in fearefull wordes of might and maiesty, to shewe his power and soueraigntie ouer vsus, yet sometime againe he speaketh as a tender father, alluring his children with sweet wordes of comfort, and encouragement, for if mount Sinay should still smoke, and burne with Exod. 20. 19▪fire, Israell would die for feare. If Moses should not couer his face Exod. 34. 30. 33, 35.with a vaile when he cōmeth from talking with God, they wer not able to behold him, If the Lord of hosts should alwaies send strong windes before him, to rend the mountains, and to split the Rockes in pieces, Eliah himselfe durst not come out of his caue, but if a still and a soft voice come after the winde, the earthquake, and the fire, then will Eliah beginne to peepe out, and 1. King. 19. 11 12, 13.boldly to stand vp, but he will not go beyond the entring of the caue, as bold as he is, and his face must be couered with his mantle too.
Here therefore, and often in this booke, the Lorde of heauen and earth, speaketh no otherwise, vntounto his church than a father doth to his child, My sonne, (saith he) yea he taketh vponupon him the person of a father, and speaketh like a father most louingly, kindly and alluringly, saying My sonne, partly to persuade vsus to heare our duetie, partly to encourage and confirme vsus in the discharge of our duetie, partly to comfort vsus, when we be in troble for doing our duetie, but principally to teach vsus, that whatsoeuer obedience we yeeld vntounto God, wee must performe it with a sonne-like affection, and whatsoeuer fauour God sheweth vntounto vsus, it commeth from a fatherly compassion. And lastly that al our obedience is accepted of him, and all his louelove, is bestowed vppon vsus, onelyonly because wee are his children in Christ, but for no cause of worthinesse that is in our selues.
So that these wordes, My sonne, (proceeding from God to men) are words of persuasion, they are words of encouragement, they are wordes of comfort, and they are wordes of instruction: They are in a word like the tree of life (in the Reuelation) that beareth twelue manner of fruit, euerie monethmonth; whose very leaues Reu. 22. 2.do serue to cure the Nations.
If any shall say, Can all this come out of these two wordes? I say to them, as Philp saide in another case to Nathaniel, Come and see.Ioh. 1. 46.
But are they not of power sufficient to persuade? Surely where the spirite of grace is, they are sufficient: for, when nothing can preuaile with a childe, the louelove and authoritie of his father shall preuaile with him: especially, if the thing be honest and lawfull which is commanded. One word of his fathers mouth shall persuade more than 1000. of another.