The Common Principles of the Christian Religion, Sermon 21
Gen. 2. 17. In that day thou eatest, thou snalt die the death. Gen. 1. 26. Let us make man according to our image.
THe state wherein man was created at first, you heard was exceeding good, all things very good; and he best of all, the choisest externall & visible peece of Gods workmanship, made according to the most excellent pattern, after our Image; though it be a double misery to be once happy; yet seeing the knowledge of our misery is by the grace of God made the entry to a new happinesse, it is most necessary to take a view of what man once was, that we may be more sensible of what he now is. You may take up this Image and likenesse in three branches. First, there was a sweet conformity of the soul in its understanding, will, and affections unto Gods holinesse & light: A beautifull light in the mind, dirived from that fountain-light, by which Adam did exactly know both divine and naturall things: What a great difference doth yet appear between a learned man and an ignorant rude person, though it be but in relation to naturall things; the one is but like a beast in comparison of the other? O how much more was there between Adams knowledge, and that of the most learned? The highest advancement of Art and Industry in this life, reaches no further then to a learned ignorance of the mysteries in the works of God, and yet there is a wonderfull satisfaction to the mind in it; But how much sweet complacency hath Adam had, whose heart was so enlarged as to know both thing higher and lower, their natures, properties, & vertues, and severall operations? No doubt could trouble him, no difficulty vex him, no controversie or question perplex him; but above all, The knowledge of that glorious & eternall Being, that gave him a being, and iniused such a spirit into him; the beholding of such infinite treasures of wisdome, and goodness, & power in him, what an amiable and refreshfull sight would it be, when there was no cloud of sin and ignorance to interpose and eclipse the full enjoyment of that increated light? When the Aspect of the Sun makes the Moon so glorious & beautifull, What may you conceive of Adams soul framed with a capacity to receive light immediatly from Gods countenance? How fair and beautifull would that soul be, until the dark cloud of sin did interpose it self? Then consider what a beautifull rectitude and uprightnesse, what a comely order and subordination would ensue upon this light, and make his will and affections wonderfull good? Eccl. 7. 29. God made man upright. There was no throw or crack in all, all the powers of the sou bending upright towards that fountain of all gooness; now the soul is crooked & bends downward towards those base earthly things, that is the abasement of the soul, then it looked upright towards God, had no appetite, no delight but in him and his fulnesse, and had the Moon or changeable World under its feet; there was a beauty of holynesse and righteousnesse, which were the colours that did perfect and adorn these lineaments of the Image of God, which knowledge did draw in the soul: He was a burning and shining light, may be truly said of Adam, who had as much life as light, as much delight in God as knowledge of him: this was the right constitution and disposition of Man his head lifted up in holinesse & love towards God, his arms stretched out in righteousnesse and equity towards man, and all the affections of the man under their command, they could not trouble this sea with any tempest, because they were under such a powerful Commander, who kept them under such aw & obedience, as the Centurion his servants, saying unto one go, and he goeth, and to another come, & he cometh, sending out love one way, holy hatred another way. These were as Wings to the Bird to flee upon, as Wheels to the Chariot to run upon, thogh now it be turned just contrary, that the Chariot draws the Coach-man, because the motion is downward. There could be no motion in an upright mans soul till the holy and righteous will gave out a sentence upon it; that was the Primum mobile, which was turned about it self by such an Intelligentia as the understanding. And so it was in Christ, affection could not move him, but he did move his own affections, He troubled himself. In us the servants rides on horses, and the Prince walks on foot; and as in a distempered society, the Laws & Ordinances proceed by an unnaturall way, from the violence of unruly subjects usupring over their Masters. Holy and righteous man could both raise up his affections, and compose them again, they were under such nurture and discipline; He could have said, Hitherto, and no further, in which there was some resemblance of God, ruling the raging and unruly Sea, But now, if once they get entry into our City, they are more powerfull than the Governour, & will not take laws from him, but give rather; when we have given way to our passions, they do next what they please, not what we permit.
Next his excellency consisted in such an immunity and freedom from all fear of misery and danger, from all touch of sorrow or pain, & did enjoy such an holy complacency and delight in his own estate, as made him compleatly happy. In this he was like God. That is, His blessednesse that he is absolutely well pleased in himself, that he is without the reach of fear & danger, that none can impair it, none can match it, I am God, and none else, that is sufficiency of delight to know himself and his own sufficiency: Indeed, Man was made changeable, mutably good, that in this he might know God was above him, and so might have ground of watchfulnesse and dependance upon him for continuance of his happinesse who made him happy: But being made so upright, no disquieting fear, nor perplexing care could trouble him. Then lastly, if you add unto this, holy satisfaction with his own state and freedom, the dominion and soveraignty he had over the creatures, as a consequent flowing from … Image, you may imagine what a happy Creature he was. Whatsoever contentment or satisfaction the Creatures could afford, all of them willingly & pleasantly wold concur to bestow it upon man, without his care or toil, as if they had accounted it their happines to serve him. What more excellent than this order? Man counting it his happinesse and delight to serve God, & creatures esteeming it their happiness to serve Man, all things running towards him with all their goodnesse, as to a common Center: And he returning all to God from whence they did immediatly flow: Thus besides the fulnesse and riches of Gods goodness immediatly conferred upon man, he was enriched with all store & goodness that the earth was full of.
God having made man thus, & furnished him after this manner, he gave him a Law, and then he made a Covenant with him, there was a Law first imprinted into Adam, and then a Law prescribed unto him, there was a Law written in his heart, the remainder of which, Paul saith, makes the Gentiles inexcusable; but it was perfectly drawn in him: All the principles and notions of good and evil, were exactly drawn in it: He had a naturall discerning of them, and a naturall inclination to all good, and aversion from all evil: As there is a kind of Law imposed by God upon other creatures, vvhichwhich they constantly keep, and do not swerve from, even his decree and commandement, to the obedience of vvhichwhich they are composed and …amed, the Sea hath a Law & command to flow and ebbe, and it is that command that breaks its proud vvaves on the sand, when they threaten to over-flow mountains, the beasts obey a Law written in their eating and drinking, of satisfying their senses, & every one hath its severall instinct & propension to severall operations: So God gave a more noble instinct unto man, suiteable to his reasonable soul, an instinct and impulse to please God, in such duties of holinesse & righteousnesse, a sympathy with such wayes of integrity and godlinesse, and an innate antipathy against such wayes as vvere displeasing to him or dishonourable to the creature: There is a kind of comlinesse & sweet harmony and proportion, between such works; as the love of God, and man, the use of all for his glory, of whom all things are, and mans reasonable being; such a thing doth suite and become it: Again other things as the hatred of God and men, neglect and forgetfulnesse of him, drunkennesse and abasing lusts of that kind, do disagree, and are undecent to it: O how happy was Adam when holinesse and righteousnesse were not written on Tables of stone, but on his heart, and when there was no need of externall perswasion, but there was an inward impulse inclining him strongly, and laying a kind of sweet necessity, upon him, to that which was both his duty to God & men, and his own dignity and priviledge? This was no question, the very beauty of his soul, to be not only under a Law, proper & peculiar to himself, but to be inwardly framed & moulded to it, to be a living law unto himself.
But besides this inward imprinted law, of Holines and Righteousnesse, which did without more rules direct and determine him to that which is in it self good, it pleased the Lord to prescribe and impose a positive Law unto him, to command him abstinence from a thing neither good nor evill, but indifferent and such a thing as of it self he might have done, as well as made use of any other creature; there was no difference between the fruit was discharged him, and the fruit of the rest of the garden, there was nothing in it did require abstinence, and nothing in him either. Yet for most wise and holy ends, the Lord enjoyns him to abstain from that fruit, and puts an act of restraint upon him, to abridge his libertie in that which might prove his obedience and not hinder his happinesse, or diminish it; because he furnished him abundantly beside. You may perceive two reasons of it: one is, that the soveraign power and dominion of God over all men may be more eminently held forth and that visibly in such asymbol and sign. He who put man in such a well furnished house, and placed in such a plentifull and fruitfull garden, reserves one tree, thou shalt not eat thereof, to let Adam see and know that he is the Soveraign owner of all things, and that his dominion over the creatures, and their service unto him, was not so much for any naturall prerogative of man above them, as out of divine bounty and indulgence, because he had chosen a creature to himself, to beautifie and make happy. This was a standing visible testimony to bring man continually to remembrance of his Soveraignty, that being thus far exalted above other creatures, he might know himself to be under his Creator, and that he was infinitely above him: That he might remember his own homage and subjection to God, when ever he looked upon his dominion over the creatures, and truly in other naturall duties which an inward principle & instinct drives unto, the suitablenesse and conveniency o… beauty of the thing, doth often preponderate, and might make man to observe them, without so much reward of the will and pleasure of the most high, but in this the Lord would have no other reason of obedience to appear, but his own absolute will and pleasure to teach all men to consider in their actings, rather the will of the Commander, than the goodnesse or use of the thing commanded. And then for this reason it was enjoyned to make a more exact tryall, and to take a more ample proof of Adams obedience. Oftentimes we do things commanded of God, but upon what ground or motive? Because our own interest lyes in them, because there is an inward weight and pondus of affection pressing us to them. The Lord commands the mutuall duties between Parents and Children, between Man & Wife, between Friends; duties of se…-preservation and defence, & such like; And many are very exact and diligent in performing these: But from what principle its easie to discern, not because they are commanded of God (not so much as a thought of that, for the most part) but because of an inward and natural inclination of affection towards our selves and our relations, which is like an instinct and impulse driving us to these duties. And truly we may say, its the goodnesse and bounty of the Lord, that hath conjoyned in most parts of commanded duties, our own interest and advantage, our own inclination and propension with his Authority, or else the toyle and pain of them would over-ballance the weight of his Authority. Now then is such duties as are already imprinted on mans heart, and consonant to his own reason, there cannot be a clear proof of obedience to Gods will, the poor and naked nature of obedience doth not so clearly shine forth in the observation of these, it is no great tryall of the creatures subjection of its will to his suppream will, when there are so many reasons besides his will, which may incline mans will unto it: But here, in a matter in it self pleasant to the senses, unto which he had a natural inclination, the Lord interpoles himself by a command of restraint, to take full probation, whether man would submit to his good pleasure meerely for it self, or whether he would obey meerly because God commands: And indeed in such like duties as have no commendation but from the will, and authority of the Law-giver, it will appear whether mans obedience be poor and simple obedience, & whether men love obedience for it self alone, or for other reasons: Therefore the Lord saith, obedience is better than sacrifice, and disobedience is rebellion. Suppose in such things as can neither hurt us nor help us, God put a restraint upon us, though obedience may be of lesse worth than in other more substantial things, yet disobedience in such easie matters is most heinous, because it proclaims openly rebellion against God; if it be light and easie, it is more easie obeyed, & the more sin and wickednesse in disobeying, & therefore is Adams sin called disobedience in a signall manner Rom. 5. because by refusing such a small point of homage and subjection, he did cast off Gods power and authority over him, and would not acknowledge him for his Superiour. This should teach us who believe the repairing that Image by Jesus Christ, to study such a respect and reverence to Gods holy Will, as to do all things without more asking, Why it is so? If we once know what it is, there is no more question to be asked. Of creatures we must enquire a quare, after a quid, a why, after we know what their will is: But Christians should have their wills so subdued unto Gods, that though no profite nor advantage were to redound by obedience, though it were in things repugnant and crosse to our inclination and humour, yet we should serve and obey him, as a testimony of our homage and subjection to him, and till we learn this and be more abstracted from our own interests in the wayes of obedience, even from the interests of peace, and comfort, & liberty, we do not obey him, because he commands, but for our own sakes. It is the practise of Antinomians, and contrary to true Godlinesse, to look upon the Law of God as the creatures bondage, as most of us do in our walking; … Christian in whom that image of God is renewed according to righteousnesse and holinesse should esteem subjection & conformity to a Law, & to the will of God his only true liberty, yea the very beauty of the soul; & never is a soul advanced in conformity to God, till this be its delight, not a burden or taske.