Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 2
CHAP. 2. That there was a breach made between God and man after a bleſſed Ʋnion
IN the firſt Chapter we have much work cut out. Some of the particulars I wil paſs over very briefly, for my ſcope and drift is to open to you the Evangelical part of this Text, and to inſiſt ſpecially upon what is plainly expreſſed, rather than to inſiſt on what is implyed. But becauſe we cannot treat of what is expreſſed without treating a little of what is implyed: Therefore in a few lines of that, and ſo paſs on.
1 That which is implyed, is, That there is a Breach made between God and us after Union (I put theſe two together) There was at firſt a bleſſed union between God and man-kind; God did make man in a happy eſtate according to his own Image, that is, in perfect holineſſe, and righteouſneſſe. When he had made al other Creatures, he makes man as his choſen Creature, ſtamps upon him his own image, to the end that he might by man have his glory from al the other Creatures that were made, that he might in this world have a creature which might be able to know him, and to worſhip him, and to ſerve him, and to take notice of the luſtre of his glory that aroſe from al his other works, and to reflect this glory upon his face: and he made man a Creture fit to do this work. Man was very hapy in his firſt creation in this thing, that God made him of al his creaturs fit for ſuch a buſineſs to reflect his own glory upon his own face, and ſo to injoy communion with himſelf, which no creature in the world, except the Angels which were in Heaven, were capable of. And the Lord loved this creature, and took delight in him, therefore it is obſervable in that 1. Gen the laſt, that though when he beheld all his other works, he only ſaid that they were good; yet when the ſixt day came wherein man was made, the text ſaith, that he ſaw every thing that he had made, and behold it was very good: Every particular Creature was good taken by it ſelf, good as from God, good in their qualities & effects, wthout any, either guilt or hurt. But now taken altogether are very good, eſpecially ſeeing man was made who is the moſt excellent of all Gods viſible works in the morning of his creation.obſerve it, it is never ſaid very good, till the laſt day, till man is made; there is not this Commendation of the works of God mentioned till he had made man; and the reaſon is indeed, becauſe the Lord did not take ſo much delight in all the works he had made in this world, untill he had made man, man was the very complement of all the excellencies of Gods works; for indeed he was the End of all his works, he made all the other for man, and man for himſelf. God hath not his glory, I meane not immediatly from al his other works in the world, but only through man, and had it not been for man, he had loſt the greateſt part of his glory in the reſt of his works; his glory paſſeth from all the works that he made, unto him through man. Now therefore though the works that God made, the Heaven, the Earth, and the Seas, and the like, were good in themſelves; yet, what glory could God have had in all theſe? he could have no Communion with theſe Creatures after they were made, and theſe Creatures could have no communion with him; none of them could know God, or take any notice of God, or praiſe God actively. God is a pure act, and he is not content with having his glory paſſively, but he muſt have his glory actively: It is true, al his Creatures were made as an inſtrument in tune; but there was none to play upon it; and though there be never ſo much of the glory of God in all the Creatures in the world, yet if man had not been made, none could have ſounded forth this glory of God; thoſe Creatures had been Dumb in that reſpect, like an inſtrument that cannot of it ſelf ſound forth any muſick unleſſe there were ſome to play upon it: and ſo it is here, God had made all other Creatures very good, and there was in them matter of Gods praiſe; but now, to the end that this praiſe and glory of God may be ſounded forth, he brings in man, and he gives him skil to praiſe the name of God in all theſe Creatures; and in this God delighted very much.
Thus there was a moſt bleſſed union, and a wonderful delight between God and Man at firſt; but the truth is, this union was ſoone broken, and man in a ſmal time, did come to be (next to the Devills) the moſt deadly enemy that God had, though there was a moſt bleſſed union between God and man at firſt; ſo that Adam could walk, and Converſe with God, as he did for a while; yet Adam ſins againſt God and turns a moſt diſperate enemy againſt God; even he himſelf, and all his poſterity; therefore you ſhal obſerve in the ſtory where the fall of man is ſet forth; that as ſoon as Adam had ſinned, the voice of God which he did but hear in the Garden, became terrible to him, and he preſently ſeekes to hide himſelf; he was Conſcious to himſelf that h… had made God his enemy and he lookes upon God as his enemy, and ſo flies from him, as from his enemy; O what a change was here of mans condition! what a ſad thing was this; that God who had no Creature in al the world to know him, and feare him, and ſerve him, and love him, and in whom he could delight, and have Communion, but only man, and that that man ſhould preſently turn rebel, and enemy unto God; ſuch an enimy as God looks upon him, as one having a moſt oppoſite nature unto him; and man looks upon God as an enemy to him, and flies from him as from an enemy; ſo that God was ſain as it were to call after him; Adam where art thou? This is the woeful fruit of ſin, even of the firſt ſin, of the fal of our firſt Parents; and ſince the world began, ſince that very time, this man, this Adam hath begotten none but enemies unto God; and if there be any truth in the word of God, this is certaine, That there was never any Child of Adam but was born an enemy unto God; the Scripture is as Cleere in this, as in any thing; I might name abundance of texts for it, which for brevity ſake I ſhal omit. Rom. 5.10. When we were enemies, we were Reconciled unto God: Certainly if any men in the world were not enemies unto God, they are thoſe that are Reconciled afterward; but the Apoſtle ſpeakes of himſelf and of all other Chriſtians that are Reconciled unto God; he ſaith, that they were enemies unto him: this may be ſaid of every man child in the world; that he is an enemy unto God; and ſuch enemies are every one of us unto God naturally, as that there is an antipathy between our hearts and him; and the enmity of antipathy is the greateſt; it is not an enmity occaſioned by ſome il carriage in one act: as for example: Two men, though they were great freinds before, yet there may be ſome miſcarriage between them, that they may be as enemies for a while; but that is not al: the enmity that is on mans part againſt God, is in his very nature. It is true, there was a ſinful act brought it in firſt, and made a breach between God and man; but that is not al, it went further, there was by this ſin begoten in the heart of man an antipathy, a natural antipathy between him, and God; ſo that the poyſon of a Toad in the Body of a man is not more oppoſite, and there is not a greater enmity to the nature of man, than the nature of man is oppoſite, and an enemy unto God himſelf. Two ſheep may fight one againſt another by occaſion and be as enimies one with another; but two ſheep can never be at enmity one with another, as the Wolfe and the Lamb are, for their enmity is natural; their natures are oppoſite one to another: So the heart of man is oppoſite unto God even naturally. And know this: that there is in mans nature not only a hatred of God, but a deadly hatred. Perhaps you may think you are free from this; but Certainly, this is in every one of your hearts naturally, even in thoſe that have the beſt natures in the world, as you call them: there is in their hearts a hatred; nay, a deadly hatred againſt God. But you wil ſay, God forbid: what, hate God? Se that Scripture in Rom. 1. Where when the Apoſtle reckons up the evil of thoſe that were in their natural Condition, verſe 13. he ſaith, that they were haters of God: and what the Apoſtle there ſpeaks of them, he intendeth of all, for that is his ſcope in that place to ſhew our natural condition, and that therfore we cannot be juſtified by any works of our own, but it muſt be by faith in Chriſt, becauſe we are by nature haters of of God. And in the ſecond Commandment ye have that expreſſed, even of thoſe that ſeem to be the greateſt lovers of God, that would be thought to love God more than any people, that wil deviſe pictures to worſhip God by; and beſtow much coſt upon them, and they ſaie, it is for the honour of God, and who would not think but that theſe men loved God exceedingly; yet though theſe men may be thought to be Lovers of God; there is no Commandment in which the breakers of it are ſaid to be haters of God, but in that Commandment; he wil viſſit the inniquity of the Fathers upon the Children unto third, and fourth, genneration of them that hate him; that is, upon thoſe that howſoever they; pretend love unto him in their falſe worſhip, yet they hate him. So that certainely there is a hatred, yea, deadly hatered in the heart of man by nature againſt God. But you will ſay: how doth that appeare: or wherein doth the deadly hatred of God conſiſt? In this. When one man hates another ſo as he would wiſh him dead, he would wiſh him out of the way: he would wiſh him that he were not: ſuch a kind of hatred is therein every mans heart naturally: which I make plaine, thus. The very nature of God is holyneſs it ſelf: and if God ſhould be leſs holy than he is, he ſhould looſe his very Being: or if God ſhould be leſs juſt than he is, he would looſe his life, and ceaſe to be. Now I put this queſtion to you, to you that are wicked men, that are unconverted, have you not ſomtimes a ſecret wiſh in your hearts, that God were not ſo holy as he is; could you not wiſh in your hearts that God were not ſo juſt as he is; that he did not hate Sin as he doth; and why would you not have God ſo holy, and ſo juſt as he is? even becauſe you might have the more liberty in your way of ſin; that you might have more freedom in fulfilling the luſt of the fleſh; is not this in your hearts oftentimes; ſee then what it comes to, it is as much as if he ſhould ſay? my heart is ſo ſet upon ſuch, and ſuch a laſt, that I had rather God ſhould ceaſe to be God, than I ſhould not have liberty to injoy that luſt; this is the very plaine engliſh of it; though you do not come to that height to ſay ſo, in ſo many words, for I ſuppoſe none of you to be ſo abominably wicked, or that ever came to that height of impiety, as to ſay plainly with your mouths, I love ſuch a luſt ſo dearely, that I would rather God ſhould not be God, than I looſe my luſt. But you are to know that there is a language in your actions, as wel as in your words; & God can underſtand the language of your actions, as wel as the expreſſions of your mouths. Now, it is apparent that when a man loves his luſt ſo wel, as that to the end he may have the more liberty for the injoyment of it, he could ſecretly wiſh that God were not ſo infinitly holy, and juſt as he is; certainly there is this in it; that he doth in effect deſire, and wiſh that God might rather ceaſe to bee, then that he might not have his luſt; and is not this a deadly hatred? thou doſt ſo far love thy luſt, as that thou haſt a deadly hatred againſt God, whoſe holyneſs, and juſtice thou knoweſt to be ſo infinite, as that they are both ſet againſt it; and therefore for the better injoyment of thy luſt, thou couldeſt wiſh, that God were neither ſo holy, nor ſo juſt as he is; which is in effect to wiſh that he were not God. For if he ſhould ceaſe to be holy or leſs holy, & leſs juſt than he is, he ſhould ceaſe to be God. And truly if we rightly underſtood our own natures in this particular; there is nothing wil break the heart of a man more than it: what can break the heart of a man more, than to ſit down and conſider; I am an enemy unto God; and I have been in enmity againſt God al my dayes, and therefore what can I expect, but that God ſhould be an enemy unto me everlaſtingly. This is that which wil ſtrike down the proudeſt heart in the world. And let me tel you; till you come to ſee ſin thus, you do not ſee it to any purpoſe. But though this argument may take up my treatiſe, yet becauſe I mention it to make way to that which remaines, and which I principally ayme at in the doctrine of Reconciliation: I ſhal therefore paſs it over.