A Motion Tending to the Public Good of this Age and Posterity, Part 1
Of the firſt.
To be truly good, is to partake of the life of God, for none is good Mat. 19▪ 17.truly ſave God alone, and of the fulneſſe of his goodneſſe we all partake grace for grace; becauſe we live, and move, and have our being in him, and ſo much life, and motion, and being as we have in him, ſo much goodneſſe we have▪ and no more; for either goodneſſe is denominated from God, or God from goodneſſe; ſo that either way to be good▪ is to have a being in God, or to be in God, is to have a being in goodnes: for what hath no being in God, is altogether evill; and what hath no being in Goodneſſe▪ is altogether ſeparate from God▪ Hence it is that the Apoſtle ſpeaking of the corruption of … which is radically in us ſaith that we are alienated from the life of God. …pheſ. 4. 18And David deſcribing the wicked ſaith, Pſal. 58. 3. That they are eſtranged from the wombe, and go aſtray as ſoone as they be born ſpeaking lyes. Whence are they eſtranged? is it not from God and his life? and whence go they aſtray? Is not from his Truth? and is not this the cauſe they ſpeak lyes, even becauſe they give not way to the motions of his Truth, to do that which it ſuggeſteth unto them, and whereof they are convicted in their Conſcience that it is their duty. For God and his Truth is made manifeſt unto the Conſcience of all men, Rom. 1. 18, 19. and 2. 14 15. and the wicked not taking notice of that which they know of him, but detaining Gods Truth in unrighteouſneſſe; that is to ſay, ſuppreſſing the motions of Gods life, and giving way unto the motions of their own luſt and ſenſuall imagination; by this they are eſtranged from God, and draw his wrath upon their ſoules. For the object of Gods wrath is nothing elſe but the life of luſt in nature, Epheſ. 2. 3. For there we are ſaid to be by nature the children of wrath, in reſpect that we have our converſation in the luſt of the fleſh, fulfilling the deſires of the fleſh and of the minde. Now we know that our fleſh and fleſhly minde doth embrace only this preſent world, of which we are taught, that all that is in the world, is but the object of luſt, and of pride in luſt. For Iohn ſaith, that all that is in the world is the luſt of 1 Iohn 2. 16. 17.the eyes, the luſt of the fleſh, and the pride of life▪ which things the Apoſtle ſaith, are not of the Father, but of the world. For which cauſe alſo he diſſwadeth us from the love thereof, and conſequently from the life which may be had therein, for two Reaſons. Firſt, becauſe if we love theſe things, and live in them; the love and the life of the Father is not in us. Secondly, becauſe the world doth paſſe away, and the luſt thereof, but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever. Now he doth, and none but he doth the will of God, which abideth in his love and life, according to Chriſts exhortation, Iohn 15. 4, 5, 6. Abide in me, and I in you▪ as the branch cannot beare fruit of it ſelfe, except it abide in the Vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me: and againe Iohn 6. 39. 40. This is the will of the Father, that of all which he hath given me, I ſhould loſe nothing; and that every one who ſeeth the Sonne, and beleeveth on him, may have everlaſting life; therefore all things which are, and every one who is not in the love and life of the Father, ſhall periſh; becauſe it is not according to the will of God, whichis onelyonly good, & remaineth for ever. For nothing can be eſteemed truly good, but that which doth remaine for ever. For all goodneſſe being the life of God in us, and he being in himſelfe everlaſting and immutable; his life in us, muſt alſo be like unto him, and what is not like to him and permanent with him in us, is none of his▪ but whatſoever is truly like him, and according to his will, ſhall alſo be permanent with him for ever. For he cannot deſtroy any thing wherein he taketh a liking, and he taketh alikeing in nothing but in that which is truly good, & like unto himſelfe. And verily, the perfect eſtate of our felicity in the life to come, is nothing elſe but to be like him. For Iohn faith, It doth not yet appeare▪ what we ſhall be, but we know when he doth appeare we ſhall be like him, 1 Iohn 3. 2.Then to be like him, is to be truly happy, and to have a being in him, and to partake of his life is to be good; and nothing is truly good, but only this. Therefore when the worldlings ſay, Pſal. 4. 6, 7 Who will ſhew us any good? then the man of God anſwereth, not unto them, but unto God, to himſelfe, and to us, ſaying; Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us; for thereby thou haſt put more gladneſſe in my heart, then when their Corne and Wine increaſed. Now we know the cheerfulneſſe of a mans life, by the brightneſſe of his countenance, and his good or ill will to us, by the cleer or cloudy appearance thereof toward sus. So then, the lightſome countenance of God, is the evident appearance of his favourable life and good purpoſe towards us; and if this be lift up upon us, that is, if we finde this ſhining over our heads, and round about us, or going before us, to direct us in our wayes, then we know that his life is in us; for none can perceive the countenance of God to be lift up over him, but by the life of God which is in him; and when we finde this life to be in us, then, and never till then are we truly happie; becauſe we enjoy a true and permanent good, which is the life of Gods preſence, wherein is fulneſſe of joy, Pſal. 16. 11. This then is that good, which every one ſhould ſeeke to obtaine for himſelfe, and ſtudy to procure through the communion of Saints unto others. And he that can ſerve his generation by the procurement and furtherance of this unto it, he doth truly advance the Publique Good; but whatſoever elſe any doth ſeeke to advance towards his generation, if it be not directly ſubordinate hereunto, it is not worth his labour; for all what is done Heb. 3. 13▪ 14.beſides this end, is but labour for the fire, and a wearying of themſelves for very vanity, as the Prophet termeth it; who alſo giveth this reaſon hereof, becauſe the earth ſhall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the ſea: intimating that when the knowledge of Gods glory which begetteth in us the powers of his life ſhall be ſo abundant in the earth, as the waters are abundant in the Sea; then all humane works and buildings not agreeing with this life of God appearing in the knowledge of his glory ſhall be over-flown and drowned and ſwept away, as with a floud ofſpirituall waters; or rather conſumed, burnt up with fire, and deſtroyed as meer vanity. Therefore we ſhould take heed how we ſpend our time, and employ our ſelves, and beſtow the precious talents which God doth give us to profit withall; leſt we weary our ſelves in the whole courſe of our life, for a thing of nothing, and beſtow coſt and labour for that which will be loſt, and do at all no profit, either to our ſelves, or unto Poſterity.
For if that which we do undertake be not laſting, and permanently leading unto this life, which the knowledge of Gods glory doth afford, it will not be at all profitable, becauſe it will not endure the firy tryall and judgement, which God in his wrath will kindle in theſe latter daies, before he raiſeth up his owne Kingdome, wherein nothing ſhall be of uſe, but that which ſhall be built upon the true foundation of life everlaſting, which is Chriſt Jeſus; and that which ſhall be ſuch for ſubſtance and matter, which will endure and eſcape the tryall of the fire. See 1 Cor. 3. 12, 13, 14, 15. From all which by way of Recapitulation, I will gather theſe concluſions towards the purpoſe in hand.
1 That a Publique good is nothing elſe but the univerſall private good of every one in the life of God; for that which ſerveth the turne of ſome only, although they may be many, and even the greater part, is not to be counted truly Publique; but that is properly Publique which is common, and reacheth alike unto all; and that reacheth truly to all, wherein every one hath alike neere interſt, and whereof every one may be alike ſenſible, which is the life of God in men; for God is the ſame to all, and is but one life in all, and all may and ſhould challenge alike intereſt in him.
2 That none can procure this good to others, farre leſſe to all, that doth not ſeeke it for himſelfe, and in ſome meaſure purchaſe it, at leaſt by attaining to the true love of it, and by a willingneſſe to do any thing that lyeth in his power, for the advancement of it, as well towards others, as towards himſelfe. For as it is an univerſall good, none can engroſſe it for himſelfe alone, but every one muſt ſeeke to partake of it with another. Hence it is that there is no truer way to get it for our ſelves, then by endeavouring, that others alſo may participate of that which we either hauehave obtained, or may hopefully obtaine. For Gods meaning is not to be poſſeſſed as a peculiar to one; becauſe he doth intend to ſhew himſelfe the God of all, and he, that ſeeketh God in all and for all, ſhell at laſt find him for himſelfe, but he that thinketh (as the cuſtome of ſome is who deſpiſe others as impure and unworthy of their ſociety) to have him only for himſelfe ſhall looſe him in all, and himſelfe alſo.
3. From whence followeth, that all ſelfe ſeeking and the affection of ſome particular thing and way, whereby men deſire to bee taken notice off, amongſt other men for procuring a Publique Good; which they imagine to be good; that (I ſay) all ſuch purpoſes are nothing but carnall Hypocriſie, which is inconſiſtent with the life of God: ſo that except there be a ſingle purpoſe to ſeeke this Good abſolutely for it ſelf, that it may become common to al; & to ſeeke nothing with it beſides it ſelf, leaſt it be not entire, but mixed with aimes of another nature; & to ſeeke all other things for it, leaſt ſome other thing be valued more then it, and it become in our minde ſubordinate unto matters of a baſe nature; except (I ſay) all this bee, the indeavour will never reach the end for which it muſt be undertaken; nor receive a bleſſing from God to come to any perfection, becauſe it is impoſſible that God, or Gods worke ſhould be made to ſerve any mins ends; or that he ſhould ſuffer himſelfe and his worke to be abuſed by men for private ends without diſcovering the deceit of their practiſes by ſome manifeſt judgement or other. And this is the cauſe why God doth bring the fire triall upon the world, namely to make void and without effect all by-ends and worldly imaginations in his worke, in his great worke which he is about to performe: for we are taught Eſa. 2. concerning the Kingdome of God when it ſhall be raiſed; that the lofty lookes of men ſhall be humbled, and the haughtineſſe of men ſhall be bowed downe, and the Lord alone ſhall be exalted in that day, that all height and high things ſhall ſtoope, and all Idolls (amongſt which our ſelfe imaginations are to be reckoned) ſhall be aboliſhed at the preſence of the glory of his Majeſty, when he ſhall ariſe to ſhake terriblely the earth. Therefore in aiming at this good we muſt ceaſe from all ſelfe; and ceaſe from all men, whoſe breath is in his noſtrils, for wherein is he to be accounted in the worke of God?
Thus having ſetled the aime which ought to be had in ſeeking a Publique good: let us conſider the meanes that leade thereunto.