The First Things, Part 4
He cannot ſee the kingdom of God.]
THe priviledges of the new birth are theſe two, to ſee,] and to ſee the kingdom of God.]
Firſt, to ſee,] Which is all one (ſaith a Modern) as to enjoy: Aretius in loc.yet a man may ſee that which he doth not enjoy; but without regeneration there is no ſight, much leſs poſſeſſion of the kingdom of God.
To ſee then is the leſſer happineſs, of which the unregenerate are debarred; but to ſee, in it ſelf is a great and gracious priviledge, to which the regenerate are admitted: for whether by Gods kingdom be meant the kingdom of grace, or the kingdom of glory, Happy are the eyes that ſee theſe things.
But whoſe eyes are they? If we examine the unregenerate, he ſees no whit into the awful Majeſty of God the Father, he ſees no whit of the beauty, mercy, and pity of his Savior, he ſees no whit into that glorious highneſs of Gods Spirit in Heaven, nor yet of his nighneſs to his brethren on earth: Hence it is, that when he comes into the Temple, among the Congregation of Gods Saints, his ſoul is not delighted with their prayers, praiſes, Pſalms, and Service; he ſees no comfort, no pleaſure, no content in their actions. But the new man is of better ſight, the graces of the Spirit, and the ward-robe of Gods glory are all produced to his eye, as if the Lord ſhould ſay, Come, and ſee: ſo Moſes, Stand ſtill, and ſee the ſalvation of God: Venite, & videte. Pſal. 46.8. Exod. 14.13. Epheſ. 1.18. Rev…l. 3.18.ſo Chriſt to his Apoſtles, It is given to your eyes to ſee theſe things, to others but by parables. He that is born again hath a ſpiritual eye, and a celeſtial object, The eye of his underſtanding is enlightned (ſaith St. Paul:) anointed (ſaith S. John:) To what end? But that he may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance is in the Saints, Epheſ. 1.18. See a priviledge, of which the unregenerate is ever barred, his minde is dark, even darkneſs it ſelf, Epheſ. 5.8. And therefore it is no wonder, Epheſ. 5.8.what is ſaid by our Savior, that he cannot, cannot ſee] the kingdom of God.
The ſecond priviledge is the object of this ſight, here called the kingdom of God.] By which ſome underſtand Heaven, ſome the way to Heaven; moſt of the Ancients ſay, that by this Kingdom is meant Heaven: Calvin is of minde, that not heaven, Calvin in loc Aretius in loc. Parum refert.but a spiritual life is thereby underſtood: Aretius ſaith (and I am of his minde) that whether we underſtand the one or the other, It matters not much: Sure we are, that both theſe (Grace and Glory) are annexed to the new birth, and both very well may be implyed in this word, the kingdom of God.]
Firſt then, if by the kingdom of God is meant the kingdom of Grace (whereof our Savior ſpeaketh, The kingdom of God is within you, Luke 17.21.Luke 17.21.) See to what a priviledge the new man hath attained, all the graces of God, all the fruits of the Spirit are now poured into him: If you ask what graces? what fruits? St. Gal. 5.22.Paul tells you, Gal. 5.22. Love, joy, peace, long-ſufferings, gentleneſs, goodneſs, faith, meekneſs, temperance: or would you have us to contract them? St. Paul doth it elſewhere, the kingdom of God is—righteouſneſs, peace, and joy in the holy Ghoſt, Rom. Rom. 14.17.14.17.
Firſt, Righteouſneſs, and that is either active or paſſive; holineſs of life, or (the cauſe of this holineſs) our righteouſneſs in Chriſt: If the firſt be meant, no ſooner is man born again, but he enters into the holy path, he declines all evil, and ſtands at the ſword point with his moſt beloved ſin; or if ever any ſin (through the violence of temptation) ſeize on him again, he is preſently put again into the pangs of the new birth, and ſo renewing his ſorrow, and repairing repentance, he becomes more reſolute and watchful over all his ways: Rom. 12.9.And as he abhors evil, ſo he cleaves to that which is good; his faith like the Sun, ſets all thoſe gracious heavenly ſtars on ſhining, as hope, and love, and zeal, and humility, and patience; in a word, univerſal obedience, and fruitfulneſs in all good works: not one, but all good duties of the firſt and ſecond Table, begin to be natural and familiar to him, and though he finde ſome duties more difficult, yet he reſolveth, and ſtriveth to do what he can, and is much diſpleaſed and grieved, if he do not as he ſhould. Or if by righteouſneſs is meant paſſive righteouſneſs, 1 Cor. 1.30.to wit, our righteouſneſs in Chriſt, no ſooner is a man born again, but he is cloathed with this righteouſneſs; the other (God knows) is but weak and full of imperfection, Extra nos eſt juſtitia, non in nobis: Luther. de inſtit. Chriſtiana.and therefore to ſpeak properly, It is the righteouſneſs in God, that makes us appear righteous afore God: would you have a plain caſe? as Jacob to procure the bleſſing of his father, hid himſelf into the apparel of his brother, and ſo received it to his own commodity, under the perſon of another: thus the new man puts on the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, with which being clad as with a garment, God accepts him in his ſtead, his faults being covered with his Saviors perfection.
Secondly, from this Righteouſneſs ariſeth Peace: no ſooner is man righteous, but he is at peace with man, at peace with God, at peace with himſelf. He is at peace with man; Iſa. 11.6.The wolf ſhall dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard with the Kid, ſaith the Prophet, Iſa. 11.6. The meaning is, that in the kingdom of Chriſt, when a man is called into the ſtate of grace (howſoever by nature he is a Wolf, or a Leopard, or a Lyon, or a Bear, yet) he ſhall then lay aſide his cruelty, and live peaceably with all men, with all men, I ſay, bad and good; for if bad, the Apoſtle implyes them, As much as in you is, have peace with all men, Rom. 12.18.Rom. 12.18. Or if good, then he cannot but have peace with them, yea, although before his converſion he hated and maligned them, yet now he is raviſhed with the delight and love of them, and to this end he labors might and main to ingratiate himſelf into their bleſſed Communion; true, how ſhould he but love them, and ſympathize with them, whom he believes one day to meet in Heaven, and there to enjoy them, and they him for ever? Nor is this all, he is at peace with God, he hath humbled himſelf, and confeſt his fault, and cryed for mercy, and caſt himſelf upon Chriſt, and vowed amendment of life; ſo that now God by his word hath ſpoke peace to his ſoul, by the mediation of Chriſt it is obtained, and by the teſtimony of the Spirit he feels it within him. This is that Peace which paſſeth all underſtanding, it made the Angels ſing; Peace upon earth, it makes his ſoul reply, My peace is in heaven: what elſe? The ſtorm is paſt, and the rain is gone away, he that lay for a night in the darkneſs of ſorrow, and weeping for his ſins, now he beholds the Son of righteouſneſs appear (as the Diſciples often did upon the Mount of Olives, ſignifying peace) all quiet, and calm, and pleaſant. Nor is this all, he is at peace with himſelf, I mean his own conſcience; that which before ſtirred up the fire, that brought him to a ſight of ſin, and ſenſe of Divine Wrath, that filled him with fearful terrors, compunction, remorſe, and true ſorrow for ſin, it is now turned good and quiet. Solomon calls it a continual feaſt, Prov. 15.15. Prov. 15.15.who are the attendants but the holy Angels? what is the chear, but joy in the Holy Ghoſt? who is the feaſt-maker but God himſelf, and his good Spirit dwelling in him? Nor is this feaſt without muſick, Gods word and his actions make a bleſſed harmony, and he endeavors to continue it by keeping peace and a good conſcience towards God and man.
Thirdly, from this peace iſſueth joy in the holy Ghoſt; no ſooner is a man at peace with man, with God, with himſelf, but he is filled with joy that no man can take from him; this joy I take to be thoſe bleſſed ſtirrings of the heart, when the ſeal of remiſſion of ſins is firſt ſet unto the ſoul by the spirit of Adoption; For thus it is, the ſoul having newly paſſed the pangs of the new birth, it is preſently bath'd in the blood of Chriſt, lull'd in the boſom of Gods mercies, ſecured by the Spirit of its inheritance above; and ſo ordinarily follows a Sea of comfort, a ſenſible taſte of everlaſting pleaſures, as if the man had already one foot in heaven. But I hear ſome object, They have felt the pangs, caſt themſelves on Chriſt, reſolved againſt all ſin, and yet no comfort comes. It may be ſo, though not ordinarily; certain it is, whoſoever hath this joy is new born, yet not every one new born hath this joy; if any then be in ſuch caſe, let him hear what the Spirit of truth ſaith, Since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye ſeen, O God, beſides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him, Iſaiah 64.4. Iſa. 64.4.Waiting patiently (ſaith a Modern) for the Lords coming to comfort us, either in temporal or spiritual diſtreſſes, is a right pleaſing and acceptable duty and ſervice unto God, which he is wont to crown with multiplyed and overflowing refreſhings when he comes. To this end ſaith the Prophet, They that wait upon the Lord ſhall renew their ſtrength, they ſhall mount up with wings as Eagles, they ſhall run and not be weary, and they ſhall walk and not faint, Iſa. 40.31.Iſa. 40.31. Nay, and ſhould a man dye (ſaith my Author) in this ſtate of waiting, if his heart in the mean time ſincerely hate all ſin, heartily thirſt for the mercy of God in Chriſt, and reſolve truly upon new univerſal obedience for the time to come, he ſhall certainly be ſaved; becauſe the holy Ghoſt ſaith, Bleſſed are all they that wait for him, Iſa. 30.18.Iſa. 30.18. Or if this will not ſatisfie his deſire, let his deſire quicken and ſet on work (with extraordinary fervency) the ſpirit of prayer, let him have recourſe again and again unto the promiſes of Scripture towards the poor, heavy-laden, penitent ſouls; and when the time is come (if it will come) which God hath appointed, then ſhall he feel this joy unſpeakable, the joy of the Holy Ghoſt; and this is the head, the height, the top, the higheſt ſtep in this kingdom of grace, the kingdom of God.
Or ſecondly, if by the kingdom of God is meant the kingdom of glory, ſee then what a priviledge waits on the new man; no ſooner ſhall his breath and body be divorced, but his ſoul mounted on the wings of Angels, ſhall ſtraight be carried above the ſtarry firmament, there ſhall it inherit the kingdom, Luke 12.32. Luke 12.32. Matth. 7.21. Acts 14.22.an heavenly kingdom, Matth. 7.21. the kingdom of God, Act. 14.22. and truly called ſo, for 'tis a kingdom of Gods own making, beautifying and bleſſing; a kingdom beſeeming the glorious reſidence of the King of kings; a kingdom creating all Kings that but inhabit in it. But here my diſcourſe muſt give way to your meditations: I cannot ſpeak this priviledge, therefore conclude with Auſtin, Auguſtin.Anima quae amat aſcendat frequenter, & currat per plateas caeleſtis Jeruſalem, viſitando Patriarchas, ſalutando Prophetas, admirando exercitus. Mount your meditations on the wings of faith, and behold in Heaven thoſe ſtates of wonder, Patriarchs ſhining, Prophets praiſing, Saints admiring, hands clapping, harps warbling, hearts dancing, the exerciſe a ſong, the ditty Alleluiah, the quiriſters Saints, the conſorts Angels, &c. See more of this in my laſt things.In this fountain of pleaſure let the new-born Chriſtian bathe his ſoul, for his it is, and he it is onelyonly that ſhall ſee it, injoy it; Except the man born again, no man ſhall ever ſee the kingdom of God.
Thus far of the priviledges of the new birth; there waits on it the eye of faith, and righteouſneſs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoſt; in a word, the kingdom of grace, and the kingdom of glory.
And now (beloved) ſay, Vſe. what would you do to obtain theſe priviledges? ſhould any hand reach you a Crown for the pains to take it? ſhould any but caſt at your feet a bag of gold, and you might make it your own for the ſtooping, would you not for ſo great a reward do ſo little a ſervice? Matth. 11.30.and what is Gods ſervice but perfect freedom, the yoke is eaſie, the burthen is light, but the reward is grace, glory, endleſs felicity. Beſtir then your ſelves, and if ever you mean to ſee the kingdom of God, endeavor to run through this new birth, and to lead a better life then heretofore you have done. Thus whileſt the Miniſter ſpeaks, Chriſt comes with power, and therefore he ſpeaks and perſwades. I conclude with my ſpeeth to thee (whoſoever thou art) into whoſe hands this Book is fallen: the truth is, the work is weak, and anſwerable in that kinde to the Author of it: many and many a ſtitch in my ſide, many a pull at my heart, many a gripe in my ſtomack (beſides the pangs of my ſoul endeavoring to practice what I have writ) have I ſuffered and felt ſince I firſt begun it; and yet the comfort I have received my ſelf in this one neceſſary thing, hath made me (contrary to the deſires of my beſt friends) to run through this ſhort work, by taking a longer time, as my continual diſeaſe would now and then ſuffer me. If (when I am gone) thou reapeſt any ſpiritual good by this my ſurviving pains, it is, next to Gods glory, all my deſire; Yet I live, but to ſave thy ſoul I care not how ſoon I might dye, yea on that condition I could be willing (if God ſo pleaſed) the lines that thou readeſt were writ with the warmeſt blood in my heart: willing, ſaid I? yea, I could be willing and glad (as little blood as I have in my body) to let it run and run, for thy ſpiritual good, to the very laſt drop in my veins. I ſay no more, conſider what I have ſaid, Except a man be born again, he cannot ſee the kingdom of God.