A Motion Tending to the Public Good of this Age and Posterity, Part 2
Of the Second.
The meanes to attaine unto the life of God is none other but Chriſt, Coloſ. 2. 9. &c. 1. 19.for in him alone is the fulneſſe of the Godhead bodily, and it is the Fathers pleaſure that in him all fulneſſe ſhould dwell. Therefore the Father will bee ſcene no where, and cannot bee ſcene any where, but in his Sonne, who is the brightneſſe of his glory, and the expreſſe Image of his perſon, now hee hath revealed in the Scriptures, the manner how hee is to be knowne in his Sonne, and how by that knowledge 1. 3.his life is conveyed unto us: and this we will indeavour to lay open. Firſt then the manner how the Father is knowne in the Sonne; is expreſſed 2 Cor. 4. 6. thus God commanded the light to ſhine out of darkeneſſe; doth ſhine in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jeſus Chriſt, where wee muſt obſerve that the Apoſtle doth ſpeake of himſelfe, and the reſt of the Apoſtles, to declare the manner, how God did make himſelfe knowne unto them: And as he made himſelfe knowne to them; ſo he is this day to be knowne to every one: For God is but one, and the manifeſtations of his life is the ſame in all, to whom it is made manifeſt; although it may be differenced according to the ſeverall degrees of height by which it is perceived. But here we have the ſubſtance of this manifeſtation in theſe particulars.
Firſt, That God is the authour of it by the power which hee hath to command light to ſhine out of darkeneſſe, whereby is intimated, that we are nothing but darkeneſſe, till it pleaſe God to command light to ſhine in us.
Secondly, That the light whereby God is made manifeſt unto us, is the brightneſſe of God himſelf; for he ſaith that God doth ſhine: whereby is alſo intimated, that it is of the meere free Grace of God, imparting himſelfe unto us that we come to know him; and not of any free willing choyſe or rationall parts in us that we ſhould bee able to choſe out the objects of true knowledge, or when they are propoſed unto us by others, that wee ſhould be able to dive into Gods nature thereby, or to make better uſe of the meanes, whereby God is knowne, then others doe. But all this is Gods free grace to us.
Thirdly, That the place where God doth ſhine is a mans heart; that is the prime Center and Seate of this living ſoule; where the ſpirits maintaining his life are begotten. For as there be materiall ſpirits riſing out of the blood, in the materiall heart; So there are incorporeall ſpirits ariſing out of the mindings of the ſoule in the heart of our ſpirits, which is conſcience; for in the conſcience God hath his Seate in all men, and there he doth appeare to all converts at firſt; where he alſo doth ever continue more or leſſe ſhining unto them, according as they deſerve to ſee his bright or his cloudy countenance. Therefore if any man will fit himſelfe to ſee God, he muſt purifie his conſcience, For bleſſed are the pure in heart, for they ſhall ſee God.1. 5. 8.
Fourthly, That the effect for which God doth ſhine in our heart, is to give a light to us. God is nothing but light, and in him is no darkneſſe 1 Iohn 1. … 1 Tim. 6. 1….at all; but he is in himſelfe a light, which is inacceſſible, which no man hath ſeene nor can ſee, except God give him eyes to ſee it. For Chriſt ſaith, Math. 11. 17. No man knoweth the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father ſave the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveale him. Therefore although God doth ſhine both in himſelfe and towards us, yet he may be unperceptible and unperceived even by thoſe that are his own, except he be pleaſed to give the the light of perception. Iohn.For it is ſaid, that not only the light ſhineth in darkneſſe, and that darkneſſe comprehended it not; but alſo that this true light came into the world, and was not known by the world, and that it came unto his own, and was not received by them, but to ſuch as received it, the priviledge of being the Sons of God was given by it. Now then the ability of receiving or perceiving the light when it ſhineth, is alſo the gift of God; ibid. v. 9▪ 10, 11.for he muſt open our eyes to perceive his light, and except this effect follow upon his ſhining in our hearts. I ſay, except this reflexive Act of perceiving this light be granted by God, and freely given to us, we cannot apprehend his life and being in us, although he ſhould ſhine otherwiſe never ſo brightly. Whence again we ſee, that it is not of him, that runneth or willeth, but of God that doth ſhew mercy. And that it is not one Act of grace that will ſerve our turne, as to have once begining, and then to be left unto our ſelves, but there muſt be a continued Act of Grace; for Grace that is of one Grace, fitted to embrace and make uſe of another Grace; namely, of a latter Grace to make uſe of the former; for as we cannot will nor know any thing of the life and light of God at firſt, ſo we cannot performe any thing anſwerable to that life and light, Phil. 2. 13except God alſo give the performance according to his owne good pleaſure.
Fiftly, That this light is the light of knowledge; now to know is the Act of a mans underſtanding, and the underſtanding is the ſame faculty in the ſoule, which the eye is in the body. As the eye then, when it is not blinde doth perceive the viſible appearance of a thing; that is, it receiveth the image of the ſhape there of within it ſelfe as within a lookingglaſſe, and keepeth every image which it receiveth diſtinctly, ſeperate from each other. So is it not with the underſtanding when it is not darke and muddy; it alſo receiveth with in it ſelfe, as in a ſpirituall looking glaſſe, and keepeth diſtinctly ſeperate the intellectuall appearances of the images and ſhapes of ſpirituall things. For although ſpirituall things cannot be ſaid properly to have images and ſhapes, yet became our underſtanding in conceiving of the ſame, doth receive intellectuall notions and Ideas, wherein ſpirituall matters do appeare to it, and in reſpect that theſe notions or mindings have ſomething in them like unto the repreſentation of an image, therefore we muſt ſpeak thus. And ſo much the rather, becauſe the Scripture doth continually expreſſe the Acts of the underſtanding by the Analogie of the eye, as Epheſ. 1. 17, 18. the Apoſtle prayeth That God nould give the ſpirit of wiſedome and revelation in the knowledge of Chriſt, the eyes of our underſtanding being enlightned that we may know, &c. Thus then to be able to know that is, to receive and diſtinctly to perceive things repreſented unto us, we muſt make uſe of the faculty of our underſtanding in ſpirituall things, as men do of their eyes in bodily matters. And what matters do eſſentially concurre towards the apprehenſion of things in their bodily ſhape within the eye; ſuch like matters are intellectually alſo concurrent towards the Act of knowledge in the underſtanding.
Sixthly, That the object of this knowledge is the glory of God. The glory of God is the manifeſted excellencie, and the evident appearance of his goodneſſe and of his nature. So when Moſes Exod. 33. 18. deſireth that God would ſhew him his glory; God anſwereth▪ verſe 19. and ſaith, I will make all my goodneſſe paſſe before thee, and I will preclaime the Name of the Lord before thee. By which we ſee that the apparition of his goodneſſe, and the apprehenſion and knowledge of his name, (that is of his nature, for the nature of every thing is knowne by the name thereof) is the manifeſtation of his Glory.
Seventhly, That this glory of God is to be ſeen in the face of Jeſus Chriſt. The face of Chriſt is the expreſſe appearance of his being and life, by which he is diſtinguiſhed from all other men; for men are to be diſcerned by their faces one from another: now Chriſt is to be difcerned from all other men in this, that he is a ſpirituall man, and did live in the fleſh a ſpirituall life; for the Apoſtle ſaith, that God was in …r. 5. 19Chriſt reconciling the world unto himſelfe. And of his own knowledge of Chriſt he ſpeaketh thus, Though we have known Chriſt after the fleſh, yet now henceforth know we him no more; Therefore if any man be in …. v. 16, 17.Chriſt, let him be a new creature, old things are paſſed away, behold all things are become new. The new Creature is the ſpirituall Creature; for he that is in Chriſt, is one ſpirit with him; Becauſe Chriſt is different …r. 6. 17.from the old Adam in this, that the old Adam was made to be a living Soule, but the new was made a quickning Spirit. Hence then we learn that the face of Chriſt, which is the appearance of his life and being in …r. 15. 45.the ſpirituall ſtate, wherein he walked in the fleſh as God (for he lived the life of God in the fleſh, 1 Ioh. 1. 2, 3.) is the proper Subject wherin all the goodneſſe and the nature of God doth appeare; So that if we can ſee and know the fare of Chriſt; then we ſhall evidently alſo perceive the life of God in his glory, becauſe he that ſeeth Chriſt; ſeeth the Father. And Chriſt himſelfe deſireth us to beleeve him, that he is in the Father, and the Father in him; nor will the Father be ſeene in any but Iohn 14. 9; 10, 11.in him, in whom only he is well pleaſed, and whom we ſhould hear on his behalfe, Matth. 17. and becauſe he alone is the expreſſe image of his perſon and the brightneſſe of his glory, Heb. 1. 3. Therefore alſo he cannot be feene in any but in him; for all which cauſes he is the only means to attaine unto the life of God, for he only can give the light of life to ſuch as come to him and follow him, Ioh. 8. 12. and Epheſ. 5. 14.
And thus we have underſtood the manner how the life of the Father is to be known in the Son. Now followeth the way, how by that knowledge the life of the Father is conveyed through the Son unto us. This is expreſſed, 2 Cor. 3. 18. thus: But we all with open face, beholding as in a glaſſe the glory of the Lord, are changed into the ſame image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Where we muſt obſerve that the Apoſtle doth not ſpeak here of himſelfe alone, but of all Chriſtians, to ſhow the way and the maner how they become parrakors of the life of God in Chriſt; which in all Chriſtians is but one and the ſame, although there be differences of degrees, in the participation thereof. But here the ſubſtance of the matter is declared in theſe particulars.
Firſt, That all Chriſtians are participant of this life; for he ſaith we all, meaning himſelfe as a Chriſtian, and all other beleevers; for ſeeing 2 Pet. 1. …there is but one faith, and one hope, and one ſpirit: therefore the beleevers are ſaid to have obtained like precious Faith with the Apoſtles, 1 Cor. 12. 13.and to be baptized with the ſame Spirit; for he ſaith, that by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body.
Secondly, That all beleevers have their faces uncovered; for he ſaith, that with an open face we behold. That is to ſay, that the face of our Soule, which is our minde, is not now covered with a vaile, as the face of Moſes and of the Iewes was, leaſt they ſhould behold the end of that 2 Cor. 3. 13, 14.which was to be aboliſhed; for to this day the minds of the Iems are blinded, and the vaile remaineth untaken away in the reading of the old Teſtament, which vaile is done away in Chriſt. For the Lord is the ibid. v. 17.Spirit which cauſeth the vaile to vaniſh, for where the ſpirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty. That is to ſay, there is free acceſſe unto God; to take 1 Cor 2. 10, 11, 12.notice of his whole life, for the ſpirit ſearcheth even the deepe things of God, and we have received the Spirit of God, that we ſhould know the things which are freely given to us of God. For now is the Propheſie fulfilled which was ſpoken by the Prophet I ſaiah chap. 25. 6, 7. That God ſhall make in his holy mountaine (which is his Church) a feaſt of fat things unto all people, a feaſt of wines on the Lees; of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the Lees well refined. And that he would deſtroy in his mountaine the face of the covering cafl over all people, and the vail that is ſpread over all Nations. This Propheſie I ſay, is now fulfilled. for in the Church of the Goſpell the feaſt of all wiſdome, of all knowledge and underſtanding, and of all promiſes and comforts unto the wearied ſoules, is largely ſet before us in the writing of the Evangeliſts and Apoſtles, and that we ſhould be able to make uſe of this feaſt. God hath alſo taken away the face of the covering, and the vaile that was ſpread over all Nations which kept them in blindneſſe, ſo that now our faces are opened and uncovered before the Lord, becauſe he is well pleaſed with us in Chriſt, whoſe Spirit he hath ſent forth in our hearts, to …r. 2. 11, 12.give us the liberty of Children, that we ſhould come to him, and call upon him Abba Father.
Thirdly, All that have their faces thus uncovered behold the glory of Lord as in a glaſſe. The end wherefore God doth uncover the faces of Beleevers, and giveth them his free Spirit, is that they ſhould know the things which God hath freely given to them, as the Apoſtle faith; now thoſe things cannot be known but in the fountain and receptacle where they are which is Chriſt, for in him is all fulneſſe; and the Father hath made him unto us▪ Wiſedom, Righteouſneſſe, Sanctification and Redemption, 1 Cor. 1. 30. Therefore the Spirit by which our faces are uncovered, doth lead us unto him; for to know the things of God, he muſt be known, and that he may be known, he muſt be ſeen and lookt upon, for in him all the treaſures of life are to be ſeen and no where but in him. Therefore the Prophet when he propoſeth the greateſt of bleſſings ſaith, that our eyes ſhall ſee the King in his beauty: intimating, that in the … 3. 17.ſight of him, and his beauty, was our happineſſe. And verily thoſe that once have had a true ſight of him cannot but continually ſeeke to behold him. We may ſee it in David how he ſtood affected towards him, One thing ſaith he I deſired, and will feeks after, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his Temple. and Pſal. 42, 1. 2. As the Hart panteth after the water brooks; ſo panteth my ſoule after thee▪ O God. Oh, when ſhall I come and appeare before God? but chiefly Pſal. 63. 1, 2, 8. early will I ſeeke thee; my ſoule thirſteth for thee; my fleſh longeth to ſee thy power and thy glory ſo, as I have ſeene thee in the Sanctnary. Becauſe thy loving kindneſſe is better than life. If he had never ſeene him in the Sanctuary of the Spirit, he could not have … carneſtly deſired him; But having once ſeene him and taſted of his goodneſſe, he could not but long for the continuance and renewing of this ſight and and taſte. This alſo may be gathered from the Apoſtle Peter, who exhorteth 1 Per. 2. 3.us to deſire the …in…re milke of the Word, if ſo be we have taſted that the Lord is gracious. The taſting of Gods graciouſneſſe will not be ſoone loſt out of the ſanctified minde, but will leave a deſire after it to looke after him. Now this glory of the Lord is beheld as in a lookingglaſſe his outward actions which are regiſhed in the Goſpel, are the looking-glaſſe wherein all the divine properties of his goodneſſe and loving kindneſſe do appeare to the full, when they are ſpiritually conſidered.
Fourthly, Thoſe that behold this glory, are changed into the ſame image. This glory is ſo excellent in goodneſſe, and lovely to all that behold it, that it ſubdues the ſoule and drawes it by a ſympathy to become comfortable unto it ſelfe, as it is ſaid, 2 Cor. 5. 14, 15. The love of Chriſt conſtraineth us, to what? to be conformable unto his death. For when the ſoule ſeeth his great love to us, it cannot poſſibly but it muſt needs love him again; and where love is there is a Symbolizing of affections, which is the change here mentioned; for through love, the thing beloved doth receive a being in him that loveth it; and thus our Souls are transformed into the ſame image which we perceive to be in Chriſt. See concerning this theſe places, Phil. 3. 21. Epheſ. 5. 1, 2. and 1 Iohn. 3. 2, 3. and 4. 10, 11.
Fiftly, This change is from glory to glory, that is from one ſtep or degree of glory to another. For Chriſt is the ladder which Iacob ſaw, Gen. 28. 12, 13. wherein were ſteps reaching from earth unto heaven; that is to ſay, from the loweſt eſtate of a temporall, to the higheſt of an eternall being. And upon theſe ſteps the Angels aſcended and deſcended; theſe Angels are our ſpirituall meſſengers ſent up to God, and his gracious anſwers ſent down upon us. The ſteps and degrees are in the life which we live in Chriſt Jeſus. the motions of ſpirituall growth, wherby in the dayes of his fleſh he was daily mortified in reſpect of the outward man and quickned by the Spirit in the inward; to which mortification and quickning, we become conformable; by proceeding from one ſtate▪ of glory to another; becauſe he alſo in the dayes of his fleſh, went by the ſame progreſſe alwayes from earth to heaven, till he came againe to his Father, from whence he came forth.
Sixthly, This change is wrought by the Spirit of the Lord, in the ſoule that beholdeth Chriſt. The Spirit of Chriſt is the Author of the change which is wrought in us; for when we ſee and behold Chriſts glory, the love of God is ſhed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghoſt which is given to us, Rom. 5. 5. So the holy Ghoſt proceeding from Chriſt by the knowledge and faith which we have of him, and of his life, Epheſ. …. 5. worketh love in us to him; by which we Sympathi…e, with him, and are changed into the ſame ſtate of life, wherein he did live after the inward man; for the ſpirit which commeth from him, taking hold of our ſpirits, draweth the ſame with it ſelfe up unto Chriſt, to whom it goeth back again by the manifeſtation of the life of Chriſt in us. For when it prevaileth over the powers of our ſoule, to bring the ſame unto the obedience of Gods will, then it bringeth us backe to Chriſt; for this was the life of Chriſt, not to do his own will, but the will of his Father, who who ſent him into the world, Iohn 6. 38. Thus then, when our will is brought to yeeld it ſelfe by the ſpirit wholly unto the will of God in all things as Chriſt did, then we are changed, and by the Spirit led from one ſtep of glorious conformity to another. Then the ſoule being betrothed unto Chriſt, through love doth deſire to be drawn, that ſhe may run after him; and then the miſtery of the ſong of Solomon is begun in us, that it may alſo in due time be fulfilled through all the degrees of love therein expreſſed: which miſtery is not to be underſtood by any, but …nt. 1.by ſuch as proceed in the degrees of this change from glory to glory.
Thus then we ſee how the life of God is both made known and conveyed to us by the means of Chriſt; from all which by way of Recapitulation, we will gather theſe concluſions.
Firſt, that as the life of God is the only good to be ſought for and procured unto all; ſo Chriſt, as he is a Spirituall man, is the only meanes to purchaſe that life.
Secondly, That that life is purchaſed in Chriſt by none other way, but by the free gift of God, through the illumination of our ſoules with knowledge.
Thirdly, That this knowledge doth reflect immediately upon the glory of God, as upon his proper object, which is to be manifeſted in the heart of man.
Fourthly, That to make this glory manifeſt in our heart, the face of Jeſuc Chriſt muſt be ſeen by us.
Fiftly, That to behold the face of Chriſt, we muſt have an open face free from the vaile; and then we muſt looke upon the glorious excellencies of his ſpirituall life, in the glaſſe of his outward converſation amongſt men.
Sixthly, That by this contemplation and apprehenſion of the life of Chriſt, a new life is begotten in us conformable unto that which is in him, by which we are changed into the ſame image of glory, and are led from one degree thereof, unto another,
Seventhly, That this change is brought to paſſe by the Spirit of the Lord, which worketh upon our ſpirits, the manifeſtation of the life of God, which is the only good thing and happineſſe to be ſought after, and propagated unto poſterity.
Thus having diſcovered the true aime of a publique good, and the means by which we muſt attain thereunto; let us proceed to the endeavours which may be uſed towards the propagating of this, unto the men of this generation, that by them it may be advanced unto poſterity.