The Life of Faith, Part 2 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. The Image of Gods Wiſdom.
1. AND firſt, obſerve the three parts of Gods Image, or impreſs upon the Chriſtian Religion in it ſelf as containing the whole work of mans Redemption, as it is found in the works and doctrine of Chriſt.
1. The WISDOM of it appeareth in theſe particular obſervations (which yet ſhew it to us but very defectively, for want of the clearneſs, and the integrality, and the order of our knowledge: For to ſee but here and there a parcel of one entire frame or work, and to ſee thoſe few parcels as diſlocated, and not in their proper places and order; and all this but with a dark imperfect ſight, is far from that full and open view of the manifold Wiſdom of God in Chriſt, which Angels and ſuperiour intellects have.)
1. Mark how wiſely God hath ordered it, that the three Eſſentialitie… in the Divine Nature, Power, Intellection and Will, Omnipotency, Wiſdom and Goodneſs, and the three perſons in the Trinity, the Father, the Word and the Spirit; and the three Cauſalities of God, as the Efficient, Directive and final Cauſe, (of whom, and through whom, and to whom are all things) ſhould have three moſt eminent ſpecimina or impreſſions in the world, or three moſt conſpicuous works to declare and glorifie them; viz. Nature, Grace and Glory. And that God ſhould accordingly ſtand related to man in three anſwerable Relations, viz. as our Creatour, our Redeemer, and our Perfecter (by Holineſs initially, and Glory finally.)
2. How wiſely it is ordered, that ſeeing Mans Love to God is both his greateſt duty ▪ and his perfection and felicity, there ſhould be ſome ſtanding em…nent means for the attraction and excitation of our Love: And this ſhould be the moſt eminent manifeſtation of the Love of God to us; and withall, of his own moſt perfect Holineſs and Goodneſs: And that as we have as much need of the ſenſe of his Goodneſs as of his Power, (Loving him being our chief work) that there ſhould be as obſervable a demonſtration of his Goodneſs extant, as the world is of his Power.
3. Eſpecially when man had fallen by ſin from the Love of God, to the Love of his carnal ſelf, and of the creature; and when he was fallen under vindictive Juſtice, and was conſcious of the diſpleaſure of his Maker, and had made himſelf an heir of Hell: And when mans nature can ſo hardly love one that in Juſtice ſtandeth engaged or reſolved to damn him, forſake him, and hate him: How wiſely is it ordered that he that would recover him to his Love, ſhould firſt declare his Love to the offender in the fulleſt ſort, and ſhould reconcile himſelf unto him, and ſhew his readineſs to forgive him, and to ſave him, yea to be his felicity and his chiefeſt good: That ſo the Remedy may be anſwerable to the diſeaſe, and to the duty.
4. How wiſely is it thus contrived, that the frame and courſe of mans obedience, ſhould be appointed to conſiſt in Love and Gratitude, and to run out in ſuch praiſe and chearful duty as is animated throughout by Love, that ſo ſweet a ſpring may bring forth anſwerable ſtreams: That ſo the Goodneſs of our Maſter may appear in the ſweetneſs of our work; and we may not ſerve the God of Love and Glory, like ſlaves, with a grudging weary mind; but like children with delight and quietneſs: And our work and way may be to us a foretaſte of our reward and end.
5. And yet how meet was it, that while we live in ſuch a dark material world, in a body of corruptible fleſh, among enemies and ſnares, our duty ſhould have ſomewhat of caution and vigilancy, and therefore of fear and godly ſorrow to teach us to relliſh grace the more: And that our condition ſhould have in it much of neceſſity and trouble, to drive us homeward to God, who is our reſt. And how aptly doth the very permiſſion of ſin it ſelf, ſubſerve this end?
6. How wiſely is it thus contrived, that Glory at laſt ſhould be better relliſhed, and that man who hath the Joy ſhould give God the Glory; and be bound to this by a double obligation.
7. How aptly is this remedying deſign, and all the work of mans Redemption, and all the Precepts of the Goſpel, built upon, or planted into the Law of natural perfection: Faith being but the means to recover Love; and Grace being to Nature, but as Medicine is to the Body; and being to Glory, as Medicine is to Health: So that as a man that was never taught to ſpeak, or to go, or to do any work, or to know any ſcience, or trade, or buſineſs, which muſt be known acquiſitively, is a miſerable man, as wanting all that which ſhould help him to uſe his natural powers to their proper ends; ſo it is much more with him that hath Nature without Grace, which muſt heal it, and uſe it to its proper ends.
8. So that it appeareth, that as the Love of Perfection is fitly called the Law of Nature, becauſe it is agreeable to man in his Natural ſtate of Innocency; ſo the Law of Grace may be now called, the Law of depraved Nature, becauſe it is as ſuitable to lapſed man. And when our pravity is undeniable, how credible ſhould it be, that we have ſuch a Law?
9. And there is nothing in the Goſpel, either unſuitable to the firſt Law of Nature, or contradictory to it, or yet of any alien nature; but only that which hath the moſt excellent aptitude to ſubſerve it: Giving the Glory to God in the higheſt, by reſtoring Peace unto the Earth, and Goodneſs towards men.
10. And when the Divine Monarchy is apt in the order of Government, to communicate ſome Image of it ſelf to the Creature, as well as the Divine Perfections have communicated their Image to the Creatures in their Natures or Beings, how wiſely it is ordered, that mankind ſhould have one univerſal Vicarious Head or Monarch? There is great reaſon to believe that there is Monarchy among Angels: And in the world it moſt apparently excelleth all other forms of Government, in order to Ʋnity, and Strength, and Glory: and if it be apter than ſome others to degenerate into oppreſſing Tyranny, that is only cauſed by the great corruption of humane Nature: and therefore if we have a Head who hath no ſuch corruption, there is no place for that objection. And as it is not credible that God would make no communication of this Image of his Dominions in the world; ſo it is certain, that beſides the Lord Jeſus, the world hath no other Univerſal Head (whatever the Pope may pretend, to be an Ʋniverſal Vicarious Monarch, under the Ʋniverſal Vicarious Monarch.) Kingdoms have their Monarchs ſubordinate to Chriſt; but the world hath none but Chriſt alone.
11. And how meet was it that he who was the Monarch or Deputy of God, ſhould be alſo the Mediatour! and that a polluted ſinner dwelling in clay, ſhould not come immediately to God, but by a Reconciler, who is worthy to prevail.
12. And when we had loſt the knowledge of God, and of the world to come, and of the way thereto; yea and of our ſelves too, and our own immortality of ſoul; how meet was it that a ſure Revelation ſhould ſettle us; that we might know what to ſeek, and whither to return, and by what way! ſeeing Light muſt be the guide of our Love and Power. And who could ſo infallibly and ſatisfactorily do this, as a Teacher ſent from God, of perfecteſt knowledge and veracity.
13. And when God intended the free forgiveneſs of our ſins, how meet was it that he who would be the Mediatour of our pardon, ſhould yield to thoſe terms, which are conſiſtent with the ends of Government, and expoſe not the wiſdom, and veracity, and juſtice, and the Laws of God to the worlds contempt: If no mark of odiouſneſs ſhould be put upon ſin, nor any demonſtration of Juſtice been made, the Devil would have triumphed, and ſaid, Did not I ſay truer than God? when he told you of dying, and I told you that you ſhould not die? And if the grand penalty had been remitted to the world, for four thouſand years together ſucceſſively, without any ſufficient demonſtration of Gods Juſtice undertaken, why ſhould any ſinner have feared Hell to the worlds end? If you ſay, that Repentance alone might be ſufficient, I anſwer, 1. That is no vindication of the Juſtice and Truth of the Law-maker. 2. Who ſhould bring a ſinner to Repentance, whoſe heart is corrupted with the love of ſin? 3. It would hinder Repentance, if men knew that God can forgive all the world upon bare Repentance, without any reparation of the breaches made by ſin, in the order of the world. For if he that threatneth future miſery or death for ſin, can abſolutely diſpenſe with that commination, they may think that he may do ſo as eaſily by his threatning of death to the impenitent.
If you ſay, that Threatnings in a Law, are not falſe, when they are not fulfilled, becauſe they ſpeak not de event…, but de debito poenae; I anſwer, they ſpeak directly only de debito; but withall, he that maketh a Law doth thereby ſay, This ſhall be the Rule of your lives, and of my ordinary Judgement. And therefore conſequently they ſpeak of an ordinary event alſo: And they are the Rule of Juſt Judgement, and therefore Juſtice muſt not be contemned by their contempt.
Or if any ſhall think, that all this proveth not a demonſtration of Juſtice on the Redeemer to be abſolutely neceſſary, but that God could have pardoned the penitent without it; it is nevertheleſs manifeſt, that this was a very wiſe and congruous way: As he that cannot prove that God could not have illuminated, and moved, and quickened the inferiour ſenſitives without the Sun, may yet prove that the Sun is a noble creature, in whoſe operations Gods Wiſdom, and Power, and Goodneſs do appear.
14. And how agreeable is this doctrine of the Sacrifice of Chriſt, to the common doctrine of Sacrificing, which hath been received throughout almoſt all the world! And who can imagine any other original of that practice, ſo early and ſo univerſally obtaining, than either divine revelation, or ſomewhat even in nature, which beareth witneſs to the neceſſity of a demonſtration of Gods Juſtice and diſpleaſure againſt ſin?
15. How wiſely is it determined of God, that he who undertakes all …is, ſhould be Man, and yet more than Man, even God? That the Monarch of Mankind, and the Mediatour, and the Teacher of Man, and the Sacrifice for ſin, ſhould not be only of another kind; but that he be one that is fit to be familiar with man, and to be intereſted naturally in his concerns; and one that is by nature and nearneſs capable of theſe undertakings and relations? And yet that he be ſo high and near the Father, as may put a ſufficient value on his works, and make him moſt meet to mediate for us?
16. How wiſely is it ordered, that with a perfect doctrine, we ſhould have the pattern of a perfect life, as knowing how agreeable the way of imitation is to our natures and neceſſities?
17. And as a pattern of all other vertue is ſtill before us; ſo how fit was it, eſpecially that we ſhould have a lively example, to teach us to contemn this deceitful world, and to ſet little comparatively, by reputation, wealth, preheminence, grandeur, pleaſures, yea and life it ſelf, which are the things which all that periſh prefer before God and immortality?
18. And how needful is it that they that muſt be overtaken with renewed faults, ſhould have a daily remedy and refuge, and a plaiſter for their wounds; and a more acceptable name than their own to plead with God for pardon?
19. How meet was it that our Saviour ſhould riſe from the dead (and conſequently that he ſhould die) to ſhew us, that his Sacrifice was accepted, and that there is indeed another life for man; and that death and the grave ſhall not ſtill detain us?
20. And how meet was it that our Saviour ſhould aſcend into Heaven, and therein our natures be glorified with God; that he might have all power to finiſh the work of mans ſalvation, and his poſſeſſion might be a pledge of our future poſſeſſion?
21. Moſt wiſely alſo is it ordered of God, that man might not be left under the Covenant of Works, or of entire nature, which after it was broken, could never juſtifie him, and which was now unſuitable to his lapſed ſtate, and that God ſhould make a New Covenant with him as his Redeemer, as he made the firſt as his Creatour: and that an Act of general pardon and oblivion, might ſecure us of forgiveneſs and everlaſting life: And that as we had a Rule to live by for preventing ſin and miſery, we might have a Rule for our duty in order to our recovery.
22. And what more convenient conditions could this Covenant have had, than [a believing and thankful Acceptance of the mercy, and a penitent and obedient following of our Redeemer unto everlaſting life?]
23. And how convenient is it; that when our King is to depart from earth, and keep his reſidence in the Court of Heaven, he ſhould appoint his Officers to manage the humane part of his remaining work on earth? And that ſome ſhould do the extraordinary work, in laying the foundation, and leaving a certain Rule and Order to the reſt, and that the reſt ſhould proceed to build hereupon; and that the wiſeſt and the beſt of men, ſhould be the Teachers and Guides of the reſt unto the end.
24. And how neceſſary was it that our Sun in glory ſhould continually ſend down his beams and influence on the earth? even the Spirit of the Father to be his conſtant Agent here below; and to plead his cauſe, and do his work on the hearts of men? and that the Apoſtles, who were to found the Church, ſhould have that Spirit, in ſo conſpicuous a degree, and for ſuch various works of Wonder and Power, as might ſuffice to confirm their teſtimony to the world: And that all others as well as they to the end, ſhould have the Spirit for thoſe works of Love and Renovation, which are neceſſary to their own obedience and ſalvation.
25. How wiſely it is ordered, that he who is our King, is Lord of all, and able to defend his Church, and to repreſs his proudeſt enemies.
26. And alſo that he ſhould be our final Judge, who was our Saviour and Law-giver, and made and ſealed that Covenant of Grace by which we muſt be judged: That Judgement may not be over dreadful, but rather deſirable to his faithful ſervants, who ſhall openly be juſtified by him before all.
27. How wiſely hath God ordered it, that when death is naturally ſo terrible to man, we ſhould have a Saviour that went that way before us, and was once dead, but now liveth, and is where we muſt be, and hath the keyes of death and Heaven; that we may boldly go forth as to his preſence, and to the innumerable perfected ſpirits of the juſt, and may commend our ſouls to the hands of our Redeemer, and our Head.
28. As alſo that this ſhould be plainly revealed; and that the Scriptures are written in a method and manner fit for all, even for the meaneſt, and that Miniſters be commanded to open it, and apply it, by tranſlation, expoſition, and earneſt exhortation; that the remedy may be ſuited to the nature and extent of the diſeaſe: And yet that there be ſome depths, to keep preſumptuous daring wits at a diſtance, and to humble them, and to exerciſe our diligence.
29. As alſo that the life of faith and holineſs ſhould have much oppoſition in the world, that its glory and excellency might the more appear, partly by the preſence of its contraries, and partly by its exerciſe and victories in its tryals; and that the godly may have uſe for patience, and fortitude, and every grace; and may be kept the eaſilier from loving the world, and taught the more to deſire the preſence of their Lord.
30. Laſtly, And how wiſely is it ordered, that God in Heaven, from whom all cometh, ſhould be the end of all his graces and our duties? and that himſelf alone ſhould be our home and happineſs; and that as we are made by him, and for him, ſo we ſhould live with him, to his praiſe, and in his love for ever: And that there as we ſhall have both glorified ſouls and bodies; ſo both might have a ſuitable glory; and that our glorified Redeemer might there be in part the Mediatour of our fruition, as here he was the Mediatour of acquiſition.
I have recited haſtily a few of the parts of this wondrous frame, to ſhew you, that if you ſaw them all, and that in the…r true order and method, you might not think ſtrange that [Now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places is made known by the Church the manifold wiſdom of God, Epheſ. 2.11. which was the firſt part of Gods Image upon the Chriſtian Religion, which I was to ſhew you.
But beſides all this, the WISDOM of God is expreſſed in the holy Scriptures theſ… ſeveral waies: 1. In the Revelation of things paſt, which could not be known by any mortal man: As the Creation of the world, and what was therein done, before man himſelf was made: Which experience it ſelf doth help us to believe, becauſe we ſee exceeding great probabilities that the world was not eternal, nor of any longer duration than the Scriptures mention: in that no place on earth hath any true monument of ancienter original; and in that humane Sciences and Arts are yet ſo imperfect, and ſuch important additions are made but of late.
2. In the Revelation of things diſtant, out of the reach of mans diſcovery. So Scripture, Hiſtory, and Prophecy do frequently ſpeak of preparations and actions of Princes and people afar of.
3. In the Revelation of the ſecrets of mens hearts: As Eliſha told Gebe…i what he did at a diſtance: Chriſt told Nathaniel what he ſaid, and where: So frequently Chriſt told the Jews, and his Diſciples, what they thought, and ſhewed that he knew the heart of man: To which we may add, the ſearching power of the Word of God, which doth ſo notably rip up the ſecrets of mens corruptions, and may ſhew all mens hearts unto themſelves.
4. In the Revelation of contingent things to come, which is moſt frequent in the Prophecies and Promiſes of the Scripture: not only in the Old Teſtament, as Daniel, &c. but alſo in the Goſpel. When Chriſt foretelleth his death and reſurrection, and the uſage and ſucceſſes of his Apoſtles, and promiſeth them the miraculous gifts of the Spirit; and foretold Peters thrice denying him; and foretold the grievous deſtr…ction of Jeruſalem, with other ſuch like clear predictions.
5. But nothing of all theſe predictions doth ſhine ſo clearly to our ſelves, as thoſe great Promiſes of Chriſt, which are fulfilled to our ſelves, in all generations. Even the Promiſes and Prophetical deſcriptions of the great work of Converſion, Regeneration or Sanctification upon mens ſouls, which is wrought in all Ages, juſt according to the delineations of it in the world: All the humblings, the repentings, the deſires, the faith, the joyes, the prayers, and the anſwers of them, which were foretold, and was found in the firſt Believers, are performed and given to all true Chriſtians to this day.
To which may be added, all the Prophecies of the extent of the Church; of the converſion of the Kingdoms of the world to Chriſt; and of the oppoſitions of the ungodly fort thereto; and of the perſecutions of the followers of Chriſt, which are all fulfilled.
6. The WISDOM of God alſo is clearly manifeſted in the concatenation or harmony of all theſe Revelations: Not only that there is no real contradiction between them, but that they all conjunctly compoſe one entire frame: As the age of man goeth on from infancy to maturity, and nature fitteth her endowments and proviſions accordingly to each degree; ſo hath the Church proceeded from its infancy, and ſo have the Revelations of God been ſuited to its ſeveral times: Chriſt who was promiſed to Adam, and the Fathers before Moſes, for the firſt two thouſand years, and ſignified by their Sacrifices; was more fully revealed for the next two thouſand years, by Moſes firſt in a typical Goſpel (the adumbration of the grace to come) and then by the Prophets, (eſpecially Iſaiah, Micah, Daniel and Malachi) in plainer predictions. And then came John Baptiſt the fore-runner, and Chriſt the Meſſiah, and the Spirit upon the Apoſtles, and finiſhed the Revelation: So that it may appear to be all one frame, contrived and indicted by one Spirit. And the effects of it have been according to theſe degrees of the Revelation.
And the end of the world (whether at the end of the laſt two thouſand years, or when elſe God pleaſeth) will ſhortly ſhew the unbelieving themſelves, that the period ſhall fulfill what is yet unfulfilled to the leaſt jot and tittle.