The Marrow of the Oracles of God, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Rules that order vsus about the manifestation of our louelove to God.
HItherto of the Rules that concerne the knowledge of God, as the foundation of our louelove to God: The Rules that should order vsus in the exercise of our louelove to God, follow; those are of two sorts: for either they concerne the manifestation of our Rules about the exercise of our louelove to God.louelove; or our preseruation in the louelove of God: we must shew our louelove to God, and we must keepe our selues in the louelove of God, Iude 21.
In our manifestation of louelove to God, wee must looke to both the matter, (as the thing whereby;) and also the manner how wee should expresse our louelove to God.
For the first, there be diuers excellent Rules to be heeded of vsus in our practice, in obseruing whereof we may soundly proue S…en wayes to manifest our louelove to Godthe truth of our louelove to God: if we say we louelove God, wee must shew it by these things following.
1. We must auouch God to be 1. By auouching him to be our God.our God, Deuter. 26. 27. and so we doe, if we do not onelyonly make choise of God aboue all things to set our hearts vponupon him, but also maintaine our choise, by a constant refusall of all idols in the world, euen all things which might entice vsus to louelove them in stead of God, by sound affection and practice declaring our resolution to cleaue to God, as our sufficient happinesse, though all the world follow their profits or pleasures, &c.
2. We must prouide and prepare 2 By prouiding him a place to dwel where wee dwell.a place for God, that he may dwell with vsus, wheresoeuer wee dwell, Exod. 15. 2. It is a signe of our true louelove to God, why wee cannot liue without him. Hee that can be content to liue in any place where he is not powerfully present in his ordinances, shewes no louelove to God. It should be our chiefe care to seate our selues so in the world, as the Lord and his presence may bee prouided for, that he may reigne amongst vsus by the Scepter of his word.
3. We must shew our louelove to 3. By shewing our louelove to Iesus Christ.God, by our louelove to the Lord Iesus the Sonne of God: we must kisse the Sonne, Psal. 2. vlt. And if any man louelove not the Lord Iesus, hee hath not the Father, 1. Cor. 16. 22 Wee shew that wee louelove God, when wee highly esteeme Iesus Christ, and make much of him in our hearts, and striue to fire our affections towards him; and this must bee our care through the passages of our life, to forme in vsus the louelove of the Lord Iesus, that we may long after him, and hauehave the desires of our soules after him and his comming.
4. We must shew our louelove to God, by walking with him, Gen. 4. By walking with God.17. 1. Mic. 6. 8. The Lord doth not account it a signe of louelove to offer to him a thousand rams, or riuers of oyle: but this is it that pleaseth him, To humble our selues to walke before him.
Now we walke with God diuers wayes.
1. When we set the Lord alwaies Men walke with 5. wayes.before vsus, remembring his holy presence, and not daring to goe alone without thinking of God, Psal. 16. 8.
2. When we nourish the motions of the Spirit, and retire our selues of purpose to entertaine them.
3. When wee daily hauehave recourse to those meanes by which the Lord is pleased to conuerse with men, and not rest in the base vse of the meanes, but striue to finde out the Lord in his holy presence, in eueryevery ordinance of his, Psalme 63. 1, 2.
When we vse our selues to Soliloquies with God, taking all occasions to speake to God by prayer, and priuate meditation of things offered to vsus, out of which we could extract matter for frequent ciaculations, lifting vp our hearts vponupon the very first motions of good vntounto God, Psal. 63. 5, 6.
5. When our hearts are fired with longing desires after his presence of glory in heauen, 2. Gor. 5. 8.
Thus of our walking with God.
6. We should manifest our 6. By honouring God.louelove to God, by honouring him: For this is one speciall way by which God requires to hauehave our louelove shewed to him, Mal. 1. 6. Now there are many wayes by which in our conuersation, we may declare our desire to honour to waies of honoring God.our God: as,
1. By performing the care of businesses that concerne his Kingdome, aboue all other businesses, and shewing our respect of the duties of the first Table that concerne God, before the duties that concerne men in the second Table: wee honouring him by seeking his kingdome first: First (I say) in the precedencie of time, and first, in respect of the measure of our affections, Math. 6. shewing a desire to please him rather then all the world.
2. By making a bold and open profession of Gods truth vponupon all occasions, without feare of oppositions or snares of the world.
3. By grieuing heartily for the dishonour done vntounto him, by the blasphemies or profanenesse of his enemies, Psal. 42. 3.
4. By directing all our actions to his glory, striuing in all things to order them so, that some way God may be praised by vsus or others, 1. Cor. 10. 31.
5. By our willingnesse to suffer any thing for his sake, though it were extremities, euen the losse of all worldly things, yea and life it selfe, if it were called to it.
6. By honouring them that feare his Name, and are begotten of him, and beare his Image, receiuing them, and making much of them, and defending them for the louelove we beare to God himselfe, Psal. 15. 4. 1. Ioh. 5. 1.
7. By hating them that are his enemies, as if they were our own; conceiuing more dislike of them for dishonouring God, then for any wrongs they could doe vntounto vsus, Psal. 139. 21, 22.
8. We honour God when we speake of the Oracles of God with all reuerence, as may become the nature and glory of them, Commandement 3. 1. Pet. 4. 11.
9. We honour him by gifts bestowed vponupon him, when we bring to him our free-will offerings, such as are the first fruits of all our increase, when out of all things wherin God hath prospered vsus, wee with gladnesse consecrate a part for the furtherance of his worship, or the maintenance of his poore: Prouerbs 3. 6. Esay 60. 6.
10. We honour him, when we praise him. One vsuall way by which we honour great persons in the world, is by taking all occasions to magnifie them, by commending their vertues, or their worthy acts: And this is likewise one great way of honoring God; and therefore with sorrow for our neglects herein, we should study his prayses for the time to come, and striue for language to be able readily to do so.
Now God is praysed diuers Rules about the praise of God.wayes: some of them belong not properly to this place, and therefore I will but touch them.
We praise God:
1. When wee keepe and obserue carefully the solemnities set apart for his prayse; as when wee celebrate the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, which is therefore called the Eucharist, because it is to be performed as a thanksgiuing and praysing of God.
2. When dayly we take all occasions in priuate to blesse God for his dayly mercies: But let these and such like passe, as not proper to this place. We must prayse him in our discourse to others. This is required of vsus in many Scriptures, Psal. 33. 1. Iob 36. 24. Psal. 96. 4. But because this must When wee commend God, diuers things are to be obserued.not bee done cursorily, diuers rules are to be obserued: As,
1. That wee may prayse him effectually, wee must wisely consider of his workes, and so of his nature, to extract from thence sound arguments of prayse, Psal. 64. 9.
2. We should do well, for this purpose, to keepe Records, and Register vp the speciall glorious works of God, Iob 36. 24. & 37. 14. Psal. 78. 7.
3. When we do prayse him, it must be done with our whole heart, speaking of his prayses with all possible affection, and not as if we speake of ordinarie things, Psal. 9. 1.
4. We must thus prayse him, not once, or for one worke of his, but we must prayse him for all his workes, especially his wonderous workes, Psal. 9. 1. and 105. 1, 2. and 106. 2.
5. We must prayse him from day to day, and continue to doe it, while wee liue, Psal. 63. 4. and 96. 23.
6. This is a dutie that all the kindreds of the people are bound to: All the people must prayse him, Psalme 148. 12, 13. and 96. 6, 7, 8.
Thus of the fift way of shewing our louelove to God: and that is by honouring him.
The sixt way by which wee must shew our louelove to God, is 6 By trusting in him.by trusting in him; as men shew, whom they louelove most, by relying most vponupon them, and their fauour and helpe. Now there are diuers cases, in which we must shew our trust in God.
1. By relying vponupon his merciemercy How wee must shew it that wee …rust God.for our iustification and saluation: and in this wee should most vse our trust, as being in a businesse that most highly concernes vsus, Esay 44. 24, 25.
2. By committing all our workes to him, for assistance in them, or successe of them: This is to commit our way to God, to be carefull to seeke his assistance to helpe vsus, to doe our duty, and then to leaue the successe of all to his blessing, Psalme 37. 3, 5. Prou. 16. 3.
3. By beleeuing all that he saith is true, whether h…e pro…, threaten, or cōfort by his wo…, vponupon all occasions beleeuing his Prophets, 2. Chron. 20. 20.
4. By staying our hearts vponupon him in all our distresses. Now in the time of distresse wee may How wee may proue that wee trust God in distresse.proue, that wee trust in God diuers wayes: As,
1. By running to him, and powring our hearts before him, making our moane vntounto him, Psal. 18. 2. & 62. 8, 10. Looke amongst men, to whom we first runne to make our moane in our distresse, and that person is he whom we most louelove, and trust: so is it towards God.
2. By casting our cares and burthens vponupon him, Psal. 55. 22.
3. By not respecting the proud, and such as turne aside to lyes, Psal. 40. 4.
4. By relying vponupon his helpe, In relying vponupon God in affliction.…oel 3. 16. Esay 50. 7. But then wee must obserue, how wee must relye vponupon Gods helpe: for there are many things wee must cast cut of our hearts in affliction. When wee hauehave beene with the Lord, and committed our selues to him, wee must relye vponupon We must auoid fiue things.him.
1. Without leaning to our owne vnderstanding, or wilfull inclination to follow our owne courses, and proiects, Prou. 3. 5.
2. Without murmuring, or repining at our condition, or vexing our selues at the prouidence of God towards vsus, Psal. 37. 7.
3. Without feare, that is, without mistrustfull feares, and seruile perturbations, imagining euils, which the Lord hath not brought vponupon vsus, Psal. 3. 6. and 27. 1.
4. Without vsing ill meanes to get out of distresse, Amos 5. 4, 6.
5. Yea, lastly, without care, that is, without distrustfull carking cares, Phil. 4. 6.
Thus of the sixth way of shewing our louelove to God, and that is by trusting in him.
The seuenth and last way, by which wee must shew our louelove 7 By obeying him.to God, is, To obey him: For this is the louelove of God, that we keepe his commandements: Neither is the signe in this, that we doe what God requires for the matter, but that his commandements are not grieuous vntounto vsus: We louelove God, if we louelove to doe his worke, and if we lift vp our hearts in his wayes, setting vponupon his worke with a speciall readinesse, and strength of desire, and more then ordinary care, 1. Ioh. 5. 2. 2. Chron. 17. 6. and 19. 2.
Thus of the matter, that is, the thing by which wee must shew our louelove to God; the manner also is to be considered: For in all those things which wee would doe at any time to prooue our louelove to God, we must looke to the manner how we do them, as was a little touched before: Now distinctly wee must bring to the declaration of our louelove to 2 Things in the manner of shewing our louelove to God.God, two things;
1. Feruencie.
2. Feare.
For the first, wee must louelove 1. Feruencie.God, and shew it in feruencie of …ur louelove. How? Euen with all our hearts, and all our soules, and all our might, and all our vnderstanding. Our hearts must be more inflamed, then they are in shewing louelove to Wife, Children, Friends, Parents, &c. We must louelove God aboue all, Deut. 6. 5. and 30. 6.
For the second, we must louelove 2. Feare.God, and shew it too, but it must be with feare. Howsoeuer with men, true louelove casts out feare; yet God being so infinite in glorie and maiestie, wee must louelove him, but yet with feare. Now that this may not be mistaken, I will set downe the particulars of this feare.
We must shew our feare:
1. By entertaining lawfull Eigh… wayes by which wee shew our feare of God.thoughts of his dreadfull Maiestie, casting out all vile, meane, and vaine thoughts of him, Dan. 6. 26.
2. By departing from euill, that might any way displease him: being tender in this point, not daring to presume, or plead impunitie, or freedome from danger, but in all things desire to auoide what might anger him, Prou. 3. 7.
3. By vsing all tearmes of heartie abasement of our selues, when we come before him. Thus Abraham cals himselfe dust and ashes; and thus we should humble our selues vnderunder the mightie hand of God, 1. Pet. 5. 6.
4. By doing his will, without fearing man, or any other creature, Esay 8. 12, 13.
5. By a dayly and reuerent remembrance of his continuall holy presence.
6. By trembling at his iudgements, Psal. 4. 4. Hab. vlt.
7. By the humble vsing of all the meanes of communion with God; vsing his Ordinances with all conuenient reuerence, attention, and abasement of our selues, Mal. 2. 5.
8. Lastly, by the reuerend vse of his very Titles, fearing that great and fearefull Name of the Lord our God, Deut. 28. 58.