The Divine Life, Treatise 1 · Chapter 21 – Conclusion
CHAP. XXI.
20. THE last of Gods Attributes which I shall now mention, is, his Dreadfulness or Terribleness, to those that are the objects of his wrath. This is the result of his other Attributes, especially of his Holiness, and Governing Justice, and Truth in his commi…ations. He is a Great and Dreadful God, Dan. 9 4. A mighty God and terrible, Deut. 7. 21. A great and terrible God, Nah. 1. 5. With God is terrible Majesty, Job 37. 22. The Lord most high is terrible, Psal. 47. 22.
1. His Children therefore must be kept in a holy awe; God is never to be approached or mentioned, but with the greatest reverence. We must sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself, and he must be our fear and dread, Isa. 8. 13. Even they that receive the unmoveable Kingdom, must have grace in their hearts to serve him acceptably with Reverence and godly fear, because our God is a consuming fire, Heb. 12. 28, 29. When we come to worship in the holy Assemblies, we should think, as Jacob, Gen. 28. 17. How dreadful is this place? This is none other but the House of God, and this is the gate of Heaven. Especially when God seemeth to frown upon the soul, his servants must humble themselves before him, and deprecate his wrath, as Jeremiah did, Jer. 17. 17. Be not a terrour to mee. It ill becometh the best of men, to make light of the frowns and threatnings of God. Also when he dealeth with us in Judgement, and we feel the smart of his chastisements, though we must remember that he is a Father, yet withall we must consider that he sheweth himself an offended Father: And therefore true and deep Humiliation hath ever been the course of afflicted Saints, to turn away the wrath of a terrible God.
2. But above all, what cause have the Ungodly to tremble at the Dreadfulness of that God, who is engaged in Justice, (except they be converted) to use them everlastingly as his unpardoned enemies. As there is no felicity like the favour of God; and no joy comparable to his childrens joyes; so is there no misery like the sense of his Displeasure, nor any terrours to be compared to those, which his wrath inflicteth everlastingly on the ungodly. O wretched sinner! what hast thou done to make God thine enemy? what could hire thee to offend him by thy willful sin? and to do that which thou knewest he forbad and condemned in his Word? What madness caused thee to make a mock at sin and hell, and to play with the vengeance of the Almighty? what gain did hire thee to cast thy soul into the danger of damnation? canst thou save by the match, if thou win the world and lose thy soul? Didst thou not know who it was thou hadst to do with? It had been better for thee that all the world had been offended with thee, even men and Angels, great and small, than the most Dreadful God? Didst thou not believe him when he told thee how he was resolved to judge and punish the ungodly! Read it 2 Thes. 2. 7, 8, 9, 10. and 2. 10, 11. Matth. 25. Jud. 15. Psal. 1. &c. what caused thee to venture upon the consuming fire? Didst thou not know that as he is Merciful, so he is Jealous, Holy, Just and Terrible? In the Name of God, I require and intreat thee, fly to his Mercy in Jesus Christ; and hearken speedily to his Grace, and turn at his reproof and warning; To day while it is called to day, harden not thy heart, but hear his voice, lest he resolve in his wrath, that thou shalt never enter into his rest; There is no enduring, there is no overcoming, there is no contending with an angry, dreadful, holy God: Repent therefore and turn to him, and obey the voice of Mercy that thy soul may live.
3. The Dreadfulness of God, doth tell both good and bad the great necessity of a Mediator. What an unspeakable mercy is it that God hath given us his Son! and that by Jesus Christ we may come with boldness and confidence into the presence of the Dreadful God, that else would have been to us a greater terror than all the world, yea than Satan himself. The more we are apprehensive of our distance from God, and of his Terrible Majesty, and his more Terrible justice against such sinners as we have been, the more we shall understand the mysterie of Redemption, and highly value the Mediation of Christ.
4. Lastly, let the Dreadfulness of God, prevail with every believing soul, to pitty the ungodly that pitty not themselves. O pray for them, O warn them, exhort them, intreat them, as men that know the Terrours of the Lord, 2 Cor. 5. 11. If they knew as well as you do what sin is, and what it is to be children of wrath, and what it is to be unpardoned, unjustified and unsanctified, they would pitty themselves, and cry for mercy, mercy, mercy, from day to day, till they were recovered into a state of life, and turned from the power of Satan unto God. Alas, they know not what it is to die, and to see the world to come, and to appear before a dreadful God: They know not what it is to be in Hell fire; nor what it is to be glorified in Heaven: They never saw or tryed these things, and they want the Faith by which they must be foreseen by those that are yet short of nearer knowledge: you therefore that have Faith to foreknow these things, and are enlightned by the Spirit of God, O pitty and warn and help the miserable! Tell them how much easier it is to escape Hell, than to endure it: and how much easier a Holy life on earth is, than the endless wrath of the most Dreadful God. Tell them that unbelief, presumption and security, are the certain means to bring their misery, but will do nothing to keep it off; though they may keep off the present knowledge and sense of it, which would have droven them to seek a cure. Tell them that death and judgement are at hand, and that when they laugh, or sport, or scorn, and jeast at the Displeasure of the Dreadful God, it is posting toward them, and will be upon them before they are aware; and when they slumber, their damnation slumbereth not: but while unbelieving sinners say, Peace, Peace, sudden destruction will come upon them, as unexpected travail on a woman with child, and they shall not escape. O tell them how dreadful a thing it is, for a soul that is unregenerate and unsanctified, to go from that body which it pampered and sold its salvation to pleasure, and to appear at the tribunal of God; and how dreadful it is for such a soul, to fall into the hands of the living God. At least save your own souls, by the faithful discharge of so great a duty; and if they will take no warning, let them at last remember when it is too late, that they were told in time, what they should see and feel at last, and what the later end would prove; and that God and man did warn them in compassion, though they perish because they would have no compassion or mercy upon themselves. Thus let the Terribleness of God provoke you, to do your duty with speed and zeal, for the converting and saving of miserable souls.
AND thus I have briefly set before you the Glass in which you may see the Lord, and told you how he must be known: and how he must be conceived of in our apprehensions; and how the knowledge of God must be improved, and what impressions it must make upon the heart, and what effect it must have upon our lives: Blessed and for ever blessed are those souls, that have the truly and lively Image of this God, and all these his Attributes imprinted on them, (as to the Creature they are communicable.) And O that the veil were taken from our hearts, that we all with open face beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Loord, may be changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory, as by the spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. 3. 18. and may increase and live in the knowledge of the true and only God, and of Jesus Christ, which is Eternal Life.
Amen.
THE DESCRIPTION, Reasons & Reward, OF THE BELIEVERS Walking with God.
On Gen. 5. 24.
By RICHARD BAXTER.
LONDON, Printed for Francis Tyton at the three Daggers in Fleet-street, and Nevil Simmons Bookseller in Kederminster. 1664.
THE CONTENTS.
CHAP. I.
THE Text explained: what it is to Walk with God: what it containeth both for Matter and Manner. Page 159
CHAP. II.
The first Use: A Lamentation of the practical Atheisme of the world. Motives to change your inordinate creature-converse into converse with God: How much sinners have to do with God; more than with all the world besides: shewedin 14 instances. p. 185
CHAP. III.
An answer to them that think God doth us good by necessity of Nature, as the sun doth illuminate and warm us; and therefore though he have much to do for us, yet much is not required from us towards him. And to them that think, he is above our converse, and unsuitable to us. Ten Quere's to evince the necessity of our own holy diligence in godliness: Especially of exercising our Thoughts upon God. Ten mischiefs that befall them, who have not God in all their Thoughts. p. 205
CHAP. IV.
Practical Atheism further detected. An answer to them that think it unfit for ignorant men, or poor men to think so much of God, and that it will make men melancholy and mad. Ten propositions shewing how far it is our duty to Think of God; by way of explication. p. 220
CHAP. V.
An answer to them that say, God regardeth not Thoughts but Deeds. Twelve evidences of the regardableness of our Thoughts. p. 230
CHAP. VI.
The application to the Godly. The Benefits of walking with God. I. It is suitable to humane Nature. Ho… it is Natural. No middle life between the sensual and the Holy. Of them that delight in Knowledge and moral vertue. Nature in its first constitution was not only Innocent but Holy: Proved. II. To walk with God is the highest and noblest life. III. It is the only course to prove and make men truly wise. Proved by ten evidences. IV. It maketh men good as well as wise, and advanceth to the greatest holiness and rectitude. Proved by five evidences. V. It is the best preparation for sufferings and death, shewed by seven advantages, to that end. p. 235
CHAP. VII.
Five special obligations on true believers to walk with God, and to avoid inordinate Creature-converse. p. 277