Conclusions of Peace, Part 4
What accompt we must make of Gods children.
BVt by this small tast we may learn in what accompt to hauehave the children of God, because God hath thē in so high accompt himselfe: for shall not wee honour those whom God doth honour? shall anie man hate those whom God doth louelove? or despise those in whom the Lord doth take delight? doe not we louelove them which louelove our children, and doe not our heartes and hands too, arise against them which misuse our children? And shall not God who exceedeth all fathers in louelove, much more louelove those which louelove his children? and shall not his heart and hand too arise in his heauie wrath and displeasure against such as misuse his childrē, either in word or deede? If we louelove anie man, wee louelove his children also, and for his sake we make much of them. If wee loued him which begat (saith S. Ioh.) 1. Ioh. 5. 1.wee would also louelove him that is begotten: That is, if we louelove God, we will louelove the children of God, be they neuer so poore and base in the eies of the world. Therefore if wee louelove not Gods children, wee louelove not God himself, and if we louelove not God, we hate him, and if wee hate him, how shall he louelove vsus? Alas to let passe the murtherers and persecuters of the saints of God in other countries; how do we thinke to answere our rashe iudging and hastie condemning, our vnchristian mocking and taunting, our priuie nipping, or bitter iesting, our vncharitable censuring, and our hard dealing which we vse one against another? and yet all professing one God, one father, one sauiour, one religion, and all looking for one kingdome. Are we not all the sonnes of God, and children of the most high? How is then that one doth hate and hunt another, as though we were beastes, or rather fiends of hell?
When Iosephs brethren sold their Gen. 37.brother Ioseph, they thought neuer to see him more; much lesse did they looke to be told of their crueltie from his owne mouth, but least of all did they dreame of any such matter when they should go to Aegypt for vittaile so many yeares after: but yet so it fell out contrarie to all their expectations: And when they heard him say, (which was a ruler in Aegypt) I am Ioseph your brother whom Gen. 45. 3. 4.you sold, they looked one vponupon another, as men amazed, but could not tell what to say for themselues, such shame and cōfusion did couer their faces, such feare and dread was on euerie side: and their owne consciences within them were a thousand witnesses against them. And is it not so with vsus, when we do euill intreat our brethren, do we not thinke that we shall neuer see Ioseph more? but we are deceiued: for Ioseph our brother shal appeare, not in Aegypt, but in heauen, to our shame and confusion, if we repent not.
Steuens persecuters shall see the Act. 6. 15.face of Steuen, as the face of an Angell. The rich glutton shall see Lazarus Luk. 16. 23.in Abrahams bosome, when hee himselfe shall lie languishing in hell tormentes. The Iewes which crucified the Lord of glorie, shall one day look vponupon him, and see him in glorie whom they pierced. And Zach. 12. 10they which now set Gods children at nought, because they are young men, or poore men, or more zealous, or more religious, or are not so prophane as themselues, or will not run with them to the same excesse of riot, shall one day see them set vponupon Math. 19. 28thrones to iudge the nations, and them which hated them.
Then shall the righteous stand in great boldnesse, before the face of such as hauehave tormented him, and taken away his labors. When they see him, they shalbe vexed with horrible Wis. 5. 1. &c.feare, and shalbe amazed for his wonderfull deliuerance. Then they shall change their mindes, and sigh for griefe of minde, and say within themselues, This is hee whom wee sometime had in derision, and in a parable of reproch, These are they whom we called fooles and asses, puritane knaues, & beggerly rascals, This is he whom we hated, whom we molested, whom we slandered. On the other side also, This is he, (shall some say) whom we in the top of our owne conceit, condemned for a time-seruer, and a formalist. This is the Church whom we schismatickes tooke for no church at all, but in the pride of our heartes, and in the furious spirite of a preposterous zeale wee counted no better than Sodom, than Aegypt, than Babilon, than Baalamites, & not worthy the name of a church. Then shal many prophane men say, We fooles thoght his life madnesse, & his end without honor. How is he counted amongst the children of God, and his portion among the saints? Full litle do many thinke of this alteration, and howe soone it may come who knoweth? Last of all, whosoeuer looketh for heauē after this life, Psal. 15. 4.must while hee liue make much of such as feare God, saith the prophet, he doth not say if they be rich, or if they be in authoritie, or if they may pleasure thee, or if they be merrie companions, &c. But if they feare God, we must make much of them, whether they be poore or rich, whether they go in veluet or in sackecloth, whatsoeuer they be by occupation or profession, or whatsoeuer we be our selues: for the poore receiue the gospell, saith our sauiour, Luk. 7. 22.that is, the poore are rich, if they be godly. And so much briefly for the excellencie of Gods children.