The Marrow of the Oracles of God, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Shewing the priuiledges of the godly aboue all other people.
THe first sort of promises, or comfortable places of Scripture, are such as in generall shew the happinesse of the godly in all estates of life; these I call Priuiledges. These are such comforts as are not restrained vntounto some certaine time, but are such as hee is enriched withall at all times. These wee ought to know as the Foundation of all the rest, and wee should striue to hauehave them perfectly in our memories, so as any time we could number them if need were.
EueryEvery godly Christian hath 12. Priuiledges of the godly.twelue priuiledges, wherein hee excels all the men of this world.
The first is, The louelove and fauour 1. The louelove of God. Eze. 36. …8 Ioh. 14. 21.of God: The especiall grace of God towards him; this is the foundation of all his happinesse: and if hee could order his owne heart aright, hee would easily see that hee could not bee miserable, so long as hee was in fauour with his God. If the fauour of great persons bee so much accounted of, what reckoning is to be made of Gods fauour, who is Lord of Lords? Yea King of all Kings? And the more should a Christian fill his heart with ioying in this prerogatiue, if he consider three 3. Properties in Gods louelove.properties in the louelove of God. For first, It is a free louelove, he stands not vponupon desert: He is gracious, 1. It is free.looking vponupon his own goodnes, and not on ours, Hosea 14. 4. Secondly, It is an eternall louelove, 2. It is eternall.and vnchangeable, God will neuer be wearie of louing him, Ier. 31. 3. His louing kindnesse is better then life; for it lasts vntounto all eternitie, without alteration. The fauour of man in this world is mutable; Kings may extremely loath, whom they yer-while loued with their entirest affection; But in God there is no shaddow of changing, he loues with an euerlasting louelove. Thirdly, It is infinitely immense, and great, no 3. It is infinite.affection in any, or in all the creatures in this world, if they could be fastened vponupon one man, can reach to the thousandth part of Gods louelove to vsus, Eph. 2. 4, 7. Esay 40. 15, 16. This light of Gods countenance shining vponupon vsus, makes vsus at all times more rich then they that are increased most in Corne, and Wine, and Oyle, Psal. 4. 7, 8.
2. The second is, The donation of Christ; Christ is his, God hath The secōd priuiledge is, the giu…ng of Ch…t to them.giuen him Christ, Rom. 8. 32. so as all Christ is his portion: And how is Christ his? Euen in all dearenesse of relation. He is his Prince, his Priest, and Redeemer, his Father, his Lord, his Master, his Friend, his Brother, &c. All these titles are giuen to Christ, to signifie, hee is all that, which those things could shadow out. No Father, Brother, friend, could so louelove their Child, Brother, or friend, as Christ loues the Christian. No Lord, Master, Prince, can so preferre, prouide, or care for their Seruants, or Subiects, as Christ cares for the Christian. Looke what the fauour or power of any of those, or all those could doe, Christ is, and will become much more vntounto the godly Christian.The third is deliuerance, and th…t from diuers grieuous things
3. The third Priuiledge is Deliuerance: And the Christians deliue…ance is exceeding great, if hee consider seriously how hee is deliuered from the kingdome of darkenesse, from this present euill world, from the hand writing of ordinances that was against him, from the rigour and curse of the Law, and from condemnation.
The fourth is free pardon of all The fourth is forgiuenes of sin.his sins past, his soule being washed in the bloud of Christ from all his sinnes, so as now they are as white as snow, though they had beene red like scarlet, 1 Iohn 1. 7. Esay 1. 18. What rest and peace would this breed in our hearts, if we did daily thinke of it in our particulars, that we had obtained pardon and remission of all our sinnes?
The fifth priuiledge is, the inhabitation The … is, the inhabitation of the holy Ghost.of the holy Ghost. The soule and body of a Christian, is the Temple of the holy Ghost, and the Spirit of God doth verily and truly dwell within the brest of a Christian, and that not in a naked presence; but the holy Ghost is there, to teach him to guide him into all truth, to tell him when he is ready to go out of the way, on the right hand or on the left, and to comfort him in all distresses, and to seale the promises to his heart, and to anoint him with the oyle of true knowledge and grace, and to be as a pledge and earnest of his inheritance, looked for from h…auen, and to teach him to pray when, he knowes not how to pray for himselfe; and many other excellent benefits he reapeth from the Spirit of God, whom the world cannot receiue. He hath for this respect a very spring of knowledge, and ioy and grace in his belly.
The sixth priuiledge is, the Image The sixt is the restoring of Gods Image.of God restored in him, by the mighty power of Christs voyce in his first resurrection, being made now a new creature to God, and so partaking of the diuine nature, in respect of the qualities wherein he doth excellently resemble God.
The seuenth priuiledge is the The 7 is, freedome in Gods house.freedome of Gods house, and to all the feasts, and diuine entertainment which God makes there, Psalme 36. 9. and 65. 4. Esay 25. 6. Luke 14. 17. Reuel. 2. The Word and Sacraments are his: hee is Gods bidden guest: hee may alwayes come and wellcome: The fatnesse and pleasures of Gods house, oh how sweete are they! Who can tell the excellencie of the Manna that is hid?
The eight priuiledge is, entrance The 8 is, the hearing of his prayer.and accesse, and audience with God in all his suites. He may aske almost what hee will of God, he will not deny him any thing hee askes in the name of Christ. And sure he is worthily miserable, that will not make himselfe happie, when he may hauehave what hee will aske of him, that is able to giuegive what hee can aske, Marke 11. 24. Ephes. 2. 10.
The ninth priuiledge is, The The nin… is the attendance of Angels.seruice and attendance of the Angels. The Angels doe pitch their tents about those that feare God, Psal. 34. 7. and are ministring spirits to eueryevery heire of saluation, Heb. 1. vlt. Oh the dignity and safety of that man, whom the glorious Angels do guard and attend vponupon! The poorest Christian hath a better guard vponupon him, then the greatest Monarch in the world, that is not a Christian.
The tenth priuiledge is, the Communion of Saints; he is mystically The te…h is the c… munion of Saint▪vnited in one body to all the worthies that are in heauen or earth, and doth effectually enioy the benefit of communion of Saints; too large to be here reckoned vp. If it were no more but the profit he hath by the prayers of the godly all ouer the world, were it not a great fauour? Eph. 2. 19, & 3. 6. Phil. 1. 5. Col. 2. 19. besides all the comforts hee hath in the fellowship with the godly.
The eleuenth priuiledge is, the The …. is, the inheritance of the earth.inheritance of the earth, which is restored to him in Christ, so as he now possesseth that which he hath of the earth, by as good a title as euer Adam held Paradise; yea so, as whatsoeuer in the whole earth is good for him, shall not be withheld from him, Math. 5. 5. Psal. 84 11, 12. Outward prosperity he is sure of, so farre as it is good for him, Iob 8. 7. Psal. 37. 5.
The last priuiledge is, that Inheritance The …. is, the inheritance of heauen.immortall, incorruptible, and that fadeth not, reserued for him in heauen; which for excellency passeth all that which euer the eye of m saw, or the eare of man heard, or the heart of man can conceiue, 1 Pet. 1. 3, 4.
Now then, to summe vp all this, let a Christian tell his owne soule plainly, and vponupon cleare proofe, by the signes of a childe of God, that he is in fauour with God, and that Christ is his, and that he hath obtained strange deliuerance, and that all his sinnes are forgiuen, and that the holy Ghost dwels in him, and that the image of God is restored in him, and that he is free to Gods house, and that he may beg any thing of God, and that he hath Angels to waite vponupon him, and that he is neere of kinne to all the Saints in the world, and that he is Lord of the earth, and that hee shall certainly goe to heauen when he dieth. Let this, I say, be told to his soule, can he be dismaid? will not the Peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding, keepe his heart and minde, and that constantly for euer?