The Rules of a Holy Life, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Intreating of the rules that concerne our carriage towards God, and in particular about the knowledge of God.
HItherto of the generall rules:The diuision of the particular rules. The particular rules that concerne the right ordering of our conuersation, may be cast into three heads, as they direct vsus in our carriage,
1. Towards God.
2. Towards men.
3. Towards our selues.The subdiuision.
All the rules that concerne our duties to GOD, may bee cast into two heads: 1. For they concerne eyther the louelove of God, or 2. the seruice of God. This is an exact diuision; for all wee owe to God, is fitly comprehended in these two, LoueLove and Seruice: and the Scripture so diuides in these and the like places, Commandement 2. Deut. 11. 23. & 30. 16. Iosh. 22. 5. Esay 56. 6.
Now that wee may bee rightly ordered in respect of our louelove to God, wee must consider of his louelove, eyther in the foundation of it, or in the exercise of it. The foundation of our louelove to God, is the true knowlege of God, 2. Chron. 28. 6. So that in the first place wee must soundly informe our selues concerning this knowledge of God.The rules that concerne the right knowlege of God of 2. sorts. Now the rules that concerne the right knowledge of God, concerne eyther the right conceiuing of his nature, or our aoquaintance with God, when wee doe aright conceiue of him.That wee may conceiue aright of Gods nature. That wee may conceiue aright of Gods nature,
1.1. We must cast out all likenesses. Wee must exclude out of our thoughts all likenesses, so as men do not thinke of God, representing him by the similitude of any creature: Hee that forbids Images of him in Churches, forbids it also in our heads, Commandement 2. Esay 40. Deut. 4.
2. Wee must striue to conceiue of him according to his praises declared by his workes,2. We must conceiue of him according t… his prayses. or in his Word. This is an excellent, and easie way to thinke of God. Since our hearts cannot conceiue his Nature, we should fill them with the impression of his praises, and according to them direct our affection, and seruice to him: As I would bring this minde to prayer, or any other seruice of God, I cannot make any resemblance of the Diuine Substance, whom I am about to serue: yet this will I do, I will remember that hee that I pray vntounto, is most wise, most omnipotēt, most iust, most gracious, &c. Thus God proclaimes himselfe by his praises, Exod. 34. 6. where God himselfe shewes vsus a way how to conceiue of him.
33. We must beleeue the Trinity of Persons. Thou must then silence thy reason, and exalt thy faith in the point of the Trinity, which must be conceiued of necessity, because all seruice is due to the whole Trinity: Now thou needst not striue to resemble the Trinity in any likenesse in thy minde, but onelyonly bring faith to beleeue that thy God is three in one.
4.4. Thou maist conceiue of God in the Humane Nature of Christ. It may yet helpe thy vnderstanding to conceiue, that God is in Christ, and the fulnesse of the God-head dwels in him bodily: and therefore when thou commest to worship, thou maist set before thy minde the Humane Nature of Christ, adoring the God-head in him, as conceiuing of God in that humane Nature thou thinkest of, Col. 2. 9. Ioh. 17. 3.
55. Thou must resist Atheistical thoughts. That this may be the more cleerely and comfortably done, thou must labour by sound aduice and direction, to expell out of thy head those secret and rebellious Atheisticall thoughts, which arise in thee about his Nature, Decree, Attributes, or Works: Men must take heed of smothering these Obiections, but seek helpe against them in time.
Thus of the knowledge of God, as it concernes the right conceiuing of his Nature.
There is required further such a knowledge,2. Of acquaintance with God. as brings vsus acquainted with God: wee are commanded to acquaint our selues with God, Iob. 22. 21, 22.
Now, because it is an exceeding hard way for a mortall man to finde out God,That thou maist bee acquainted with God. so as to enioy familiarity with him: Therefore I will adde some directions about it: For if thou wouldst acquaint thy selfe with God,
1. Thou must prepare thy heart.Thou must prepare thy heart for this Vision of God, by driuing out filthy and vnholy thoughts, and affections, For without holinesse no man can see God. The pure in heart shall see God, Math. 5. 7. Hebr. 12. 14. 1. Chro. 19. 3. God delights to shew himselfe familiarly in a cleane heart.
2.2. Thou must beg it by prayer. Thou must beg this acquaintance by prayer: if thou seeke it of him earnestly, though God be in himselfe inuisible to mortall eyes, yet hee will shew himselfe to the eies of thy minde: pray for his acquaintance, and he will be acquainted with thee: This is to aske after the Lord, and to seeke God: if wee seeke him, hee will be found, Psal. 105.Three things in seeking aright. 3, 4. But then we must remember three things;
1 To seeke him with our whole hearts, we must pray with great earnestnesse and desire.
2 To seek him earely, Psalme 119. verse 10. and while hee may bee found, God offers acquaintance in his Ordinances, and sometimes comes neere, and knocketh at mens hearts, and workes greater impressions vponupon them: Now if thou wouldst call vponupon God heartily, hee would shew thee his presence.
3 To seeke him constantly; wee must seeke his face continnally: both till we finde it, and after wee hauehave had acquaintance with him, it must be continued: we must not thinke much, if we be put to pray often and long, before we attaine such an incomparable benefit.
33. Thou must giuegive thy selfe to God. Thou must giuegive thy selfe, soule and body, to God, seriously, and from thy heart, deuoting and promising to spend thy daies in his seruice, and then hee will reueale himselfe vntounto thee, Rom. 12. 1, 2.
4 Thou must waite vponupon his Ordinances, and watch, how the Lord speakes vntounto thee, either by his Word, or by his Spirit. For in them hee shewes himselfe to men, and conuerseth with them.
5 It is a great furtherance to our acquaintance with God, to keepe company with his Houshold; for with them hee dwels, and by conuersing with them we may-occasionally often see God, 1. Ioh. 3. 6, 7, 8, 12.
Thus of acquaintance with God.
There are other things to bee further noted concerning our knowledge ofOther things about our knowlege God, such as these:
That when we attaine vntounto any acquaintance with God, we must neuer rest, till wee know him to be our God, Col. 2. 2.
That it must bee our daily care to increase in the knowledge of God, labouring to plant in our hearts a more large and affectionate contemplation of the glories of Gods Nature & LoueLove.
That aboue all earthly things we should glory in it, if wee attaine some happy admission into Gods presence, and ability to conceiue of God, and to be acquainted with him, Ier. 9. 24.