The Divine Life, Treatise 1 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
12. THe next part of our Knowledge of God is to know him in those great consequent Relations, to which he is entitled by Creation and Redemption, viz. as he is Our Absolute Lord, or Owner, our most Righteous Governour, and ou most Bountiful or Gracious Father or Benefactor.
1. God both as our Creator and Redeemer hath Jus Dominii, an Absolute Dominion of the world; that is, He is our Owner or Proprietary, and we are his Own; For we take not the term [Lordship or Dominion] here in the looser sense as it signifieth a Ruler, but in the stricter sense as it signifieth an Owner. Of this Relation I have already spoken in a Sermon of [Christs Dominion:] and therefore shall say the less in this place.
The Knowledge of Gods Dominion or Propriety must comprehend, 1. The certain truth of this his right; 2. The fulness of it. 3. The effects that it must have on us.
I. And the Truth of it is beyond dispute, even among Infidels that know there is a God. He that made us of his own materials, or of nothing, must needs be the Owner of us; And so must he that Bought us from destruction. Ezek. 18. 4. Behold all souls are Mine:] Rom. 14. 9. To this end Christ both dyed, rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living] Joh. 16. 14, 15. All things that the Father hath are Mine] The Father then hath this Propriety by Creation, and the son by Redemption: and the Father also by communication with the Son in Redemption; and the Son by communication with the Father in Creation.
II. And it must be the most Absolute Plenary Dominion, because the very Being of all the Creatures is from God, and therefore no one can be co-ordinate with him, or his corrival, nor any thing limit his Interest in us.
III. And the effects that this must have upon us, are these following.
1. Hence we must conclude and reverently and willingly consess that further then he voluntarily doth oblige himself to us, it is impossible that God should be our Debtor; and consequently that upon terms of commutative Justice we should Merit any thing of God. For what can we render to him but his Own? And how should he (properly and Antecedently) be indebted to and for his Own?
2. And we must conclude, that (antecedently to his Laws and promise) it is impossible that God can do us any wrong, or any thing that he can do can be guilty of injustice: For Justice giveth to all their Own; and therefore it giveth Nothing to us from God, but what he voluntarily giveth us himself, which therefore is first a gift of Bounty, and but secondarily a Due in Justice.
3. And therefore we must hence learn, that God may do with his own as he list. And therefore we must take heed that we repine not at any of his Decrees or Providences, or any passages concerning them in his word. Much may be above us, because our blindness cannot reach the reasons of his wayes; but nothing is unreasonable or evil; For all proceedeth from Infinite Wisdom and Goodness, as well as from Omnipotency; As no man must feign any thing of God, and say [This is his Decree, or Word or Providence; and therefore it is good,] when there is no such thing revealed to us; so when we find that it is indeed Revealed, our Reason must presently submit, and undoubtedly conclude it reasonable and good. Yet is there no cause from hence to fear, lest God should condemn the innocent, or break his promises, and deny us the reward; nor is there any hope to wicked men that he should violate his peremptory threatnings, or (as they call it in their selfish language) be better then his word: Because though God have an Absolute Propriety, and therefore in regard of his interest or Power, may do what he Will, yet he is essentially also most Wise and Good, and accordingly hath fitted all things to their use, and taken upon him the Relation of our Governour, and as it were obliged himself by his Laws and Covenants, and declared himself to be most Just; and shewed us hereby that he Will do nothing contrary to these. As there is no contradiction, but most perfect Unity in Gods Omnipotency, Wisdom and Goodness; his Dominion or Propriety, his Kingdom, and Paternity; so shall there be no contradiction, but a perfect Concord of all these in the exercise. He therefore that as our King or Governour, hath undertaken to advance the Godly, and destroy the wicked, will not by the exercise of his Absolute Dominion, deny himself, nor be unfaithful to his people or to his rules of Government.
If you ask me, in what cases then this Dominion is exercised? I answer, 1. In laying the Foundations of laws, and Right. 2. In the Disposal of the unreasonable Creatures. 3. In abundance of things about his Rational Creatures, wherein as Rector he is not engaged, nor hath in his Laws declared his will; (As about the various constitutions and complexions of men, their ranks and dignities in the world, their riches or poverty, their health, or sickness, their gifts and parts both natural and acquired; the first giving of the Gospel, and of special Grace, to such as had forfeited them, and had no promise of them: the degrees of outward means and mercies; the degrees of inward grace, more then what is promised, &c.)
From hence also we must learn, not to repine at the providences of God about his Church, which are strange to us, and past our reach, and seem to make against it wellfare. Remember that as he may do with his own as he list, so we have no reason to think that he will be lavish or disregardful of his own. The Church is not ours but Gods: and therefore he is fitter then we to be trusted with it.
And so in our own distresses by affliction; when flesh repineth, let us remember, that we are his Own, and he may do with us as he please. If we be poor, despised, sick and miserable in the world, let us remember that as it is no injury to the beasts that they are not men, or to the worms that they are not beasts, or to the plants that they have not sense, or to the stars that they are not suns; so it is no wrong to the subjects that they are not Princes, or to the poor that they are not rich, or to the sick that they are not healthful. May not God do with his own, as he list? shall a Beggar grudge that you give not all that he desireth, when you are not bound to give him any thing?
4. Yea hence we must learn to be the more Thankful for all our mercies, because they proceed from the Absolute Lord, that was not obliged to us. He might have made us Ideots, or mad men; he might have made us beasts or toads, without any injury to us; And the Mercies which are consequently from his Promise, are Antecedently from his Propriety and Dominion: For he might have put us into other capacities, and have chosen not to have made those promises. And his promises bind us not to be less thankful but more. As his mercies are not the less mercies but the greater for being promised; because we have now the comfort and use of them in the promise, before we have them.
5. Hence also we must learn, that there can be no simple absolute Propriety in any Creature. No creature gave all the Being and well being to another that it hath, and this originally as of its Own. We being not our Own but God's, cannot have any thing that is Absolutely our Own. Humane Propriety is but derived▪ limited, and respective. Our Goods, and Lands, and Lives are Ours; that is, they are Ours to Use for God, as the Instruments of a workman to do his work; but not ours to use as we think meet. They are so ours as that men may not take them from us, but God may take them from us at his pleasure. And therefore think not you may mispend a penny if you were never so rich, because it is your own; but know that you must mispend nothing, because it is not your own, but Gods.
6. Principally we must hence learn to Deny our selves as being not our own, and having nothing in the world that is our Own, in respect to God, the absolute Owner. And therefore above all the sins of your souls, still watch against this selfishness: lest you should grow to look at your Time, your Strength, your Wealth, your Interests as your own, and forget that you are meer stewards; and say as the ungodly, Psal. 12. 4. [Our lips are our own: Who is Lord over us!] O take heed that you use not your strength, or interest, or any thing for your selves: no not so much as your food and rayment, 1 Cor. 10. 31. that is, for your selves ultimately, or not in subordination to the Lord. For self as subject unto God, or as closed with him in the bond of Love, is no longer self in enmity and opposition, nor that which we are forbidden to seek or serve.
7. And this Knowledge of the Dominion of God must prevail with us effectually to Resign our selves absolutely to him. Our consent doth give him no title to us, but it is necessary to our well-fare that we confess his title. All men, even the wicked are his Own: but that is against their wills: but the godly are willingly his Own, and disclaim all interest in themselves but what is duely subordinate to his: The name of God is put upon them, as you put your names on your goods or sheep. Ezek. 16. 8. I sware unto thee, and entered into a Covenant with thee, saith the Lord, and thou becamest mine] Mal. 3. 17. [And they shall be mine saith the Lord in that day when I make up my jewels] To be entirely his by Covenant is proper to a Saint: For sanctification hath these parts; one is the habitual devotion of the soul to God, and the other is the actual dedication, and a third is the relation of the person as thus dedicated, and the fourth is the actual using of our selves for God. These four are the parts of Sanctification; so that all is but our Giving up our selves to God. But to be his in Right is common to the Devils and most ungodly. The hearts of the sanctified do resolvedly and delightfully say [Cant. 2. 16. My beloved is mine, and I am his] and 6. 3. [I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine] See then that you keep not any thing back, but resign up your selves entirely to God, as those that know they are wholly his.
8. And with our selves we must resign up all to God that we have. For if we are not our own but His, then our children, our wealth, our wits, our time, our abilities and all that we have are his. All is not to be used one way for God: not all to the poor, nor all to the Commonwealth, nor all to the direct promoting of his worship: but all must be his, and used for him, in one way or other, and in those wayes which he requireth▪ Possess not any thing meerly for your selves.
9. And especially see to it in the use and improvement, that you use your selves and all that you have for God. Let this be your intention, trade and study. See that you be alwayes at his work; that if a man come in upon you any hour of the day, and ask you what you are doing, and whose work it is that you are upon, you may truly be able to say, the Lords. If you be asked, who you are now speaking for, or spending your time for, or for whom you do expend your wealth?] you may truly say of every hour, and every penny, and every word, [It is for the Lord.] Even that which you give your children or friends, and that which you receive for your support or comfort, may all be principally and ultimately for God: [Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorifie God in your body, and in your spirit, which are Gods] 1 Cor. 6. 19, 20. [Christ dyed for all, that they which live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but to him that dyed for them, and rose again, 2 Cor. 5. 15.
10. Lastly, This must be a stay to the souls of true believers, and cause them with comfort to trust themselves and all their affairs in the hands of God. When we have first made it our care to give to God the things that are God's, Mat. 22. 21. and heartily consecrated our selves and all that we have to him as his own; we have no reason to doubt of his acceptance, nor of his care and protection and merciful disposal of us. This is a wonderful comfort to poor Christians, to think that they have such an Owner. Whoever is against you Christians, be sure of it God will look to you, as his own! And if you do but promise another that you will be as careful of his child, his horse, his goods, as if they were your own, he will think you say as much as can be expected. If you be poor, or sick, or desolate, you may be sure that yet God will look to you as his own. And why should you think he will be careless of his own? Ground your prayers and confidence on this, as David doth, Psal. 119. 94. I am thine, save me.] And in all our labours and the affairs of our lives, when our consciences can say that we live to God, and study to do all we do for him, and to improve all our time and parts and other talents to his use, it may very much quiet us in all his disposals of us. If he keep us in the lowest case, if we be his, we must rest in his wisdom, that knows best how to use his own. If he take our friends from us, he taketh but his own. If he deny his saving grace to our ungodly children (a heavy judgement of which we must be sensible) yet when we have devoted them to God, and done our own part, we must be silent as Aaron was when his sons were destroyed, Lev. 10. 3. and confess that the Potter hath power over his own clay, to make of the same lump ae vessel to honour and another to dishonour, Rom. 9. 21. All his disposals shall work to that end which is the most universal perfect good, and most denominateth all the means. But those that are his own by consent and Covenant may be sure that all shall work to their own good. Let us die with Christ, and be buried to the world, and know no Lord or Owner but our great Creatour and Redeemer (except in a limited subservient sense) and then we may boldly argue with him to the quiet of our souls from this Relation [I am thine, help me] Psal. 35. 23. Stir up thy self and awake to my judgement, even to my cause, my Lord and my God] when faith and love have first said as Thomas [my Lord and my God] Joh. 20. 28.