A Fathers Testament, Chapter 13
CAP. XIII.
There is no impossibility, or very much difficulty to attain it.
TRue it is that Satan as an old, and expert Pandar, with exquisite art, and cunning labours both to obscure the radiant beams of that Sun of Righteousness, lest that great Light the Image of God, and Brightness of his glory, (Heb. 1.3.) should shine forth unto us, (2 Cor. 4.3, 4.) and in dark shadows to kindle those rotten sticks of superstition, errour, profit, pleasure, preferment; so with these glistering shews of false light to draw away our eyes, and hearts from our Lord, and true Spouse to the adulterous love of these painted S…rumpets.
And truly it is with us, as with some silly children: we are more taken with the glaring dust of rotten wood, than with those glittering beams of that great Light of Heaven: yet were not these eyes, and heart as wicked, and as (if not more) deceitfu… as he; (deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, Jer. 17.9.) he could not s… …asily bewitch us with those false blazings of plaistered, and painted beauties. But when he without, and our hearts within are cunning to deceive, hence it comes, that these loathsome Harlots seem altogether lovely (which indeed are sheer vanity) and he, who in truth is altogether lovely, (Cant. 5.16.) hath his visage so marred more than any man, and his form more than the Sons of men, that he hath, in our eyes, no form, or comeliness; and when we see him there is no beauty why we should desire him, Isa. 52.14. & 53.2.
I have therefore before (as I could, weakly) endeavoured to uncover as well the loathsome deformity of those hellish Stales, as also the glorious beauties of our gracious Lord. But who is su…icient? (2 Cor. 2.16.) and who less sufficient than am I? Blessed be the Father of lights who hath in any measure purged, and cleered our dimm, and abused eyes to discern the abhorred filthiness of the one, and the excelling excellency of the other.
Now if our poor souls enamoured on his perfections should say, Blessed indeed is the hand that weds, and the heart that beds him! But I am a worm, and no man: what hope to match with so grea… a Lord? I am a dead Coarse; dead in sins, and trespasses; a painted Sepulchre, a grave full of dead Corpses, what possibility for such a wretch to rise up to so high an advancement? How should such a Body of death be espoused, and match with the Life of the world, with Eternal Life? who shall wooe him for me? who can win him to me? Let me satisfie you in this doubt.
To conclude this match we have more use of our ears, than of our mouths. He (oh incomprehensible mercy! oh unconceivable goodness!) He wooes us. He offers treaties, nay entreaties of marriage with us. He employes Embassadours purposely to beseech us, and they pray us in Christs stead, (2 Cor. 5.20.) nay he gives us Liegers, who daily negotiate, and sollicite this marriage, that we would be espoused, as a chaste Virgin, to Christ, 2 Cor. 11.2.
Stay here awhile, and wonder. Let us take a better view of this strange love, and dealing of our Lord: let us ravish our hearts with admiration of his goodness. Shall the King of Kings beseech a Traitor to be reconciled? Shall the Creatour descend to wedd, nay to wooe the Creature? the clay of his hands? Shall the Lord of Angels (he is no less) offer himself in union, and communion with Devils? we are no better, Ioh. 6.70. (children of Satan, Ioh. 8.44. Children of hell, Matth. 23.15. nay Captives of the Devil, 2 Tim. 2.26.) Shall God the Father give his Son, shall God the Son give his life, shall both give their blessed Spirit to such hellish, cursed enemies? Oh the infinite miracles of this mercy! And yet is his mercy more miraculous, or our madness more prodigious? We will not come, (Joh. 5.40.) we must be drawn to this happiness, Ioh. 6.44. The traitour stripped for execution rejects mercy: the Creature scorns the Creatour, and worse than Devils (who have no such offer) refuses to be restored to Heaven, and reunited to the Lord of Heaven: and yet he (after many denyals) waits to be gracious unto us, (Isa. 30.18.) and we after so long gracious waiting persist in our denyal: and ye… he persisteth still in his gracious purpose, and never leaveth us till overcoming our stony hearts with his soft love, and tender mercies, he wins us to be happy in his grace, and for ever blessed in his glorious embraces.
Is not he a God of purer eyes than to behold iniquity? Hab. 1.13. And what are we but sinful dung, and corruption? Is not he a consuming fire to sinners? Heb. 12.29. And what are we but stubble, and fuel for everlasting burnings? How then is it that we have found favour in his eyes? How is it that we are (as that burning bush) unconsumed? Certainly because he is God, and not man, Hos. 11.9. nay because he is God, and Man, delighting in mercy, Mic. 7.18.
Now that we may be the more willing, and ready (with all humility, and thankfulness) to entertain, and with all confidence of faith to expect this high and happy advancement, let us stedfastly fasten our eyes first upon our selves, secondly upon him, and take a right view, (for a full, we here cannot) as well of our misery, as his mercy; by his own hand exquisitely pencil'd out to us. Let us set up the picture of it (being a piece very excellent) in the best room of our hearts, that it may be continually in our sight, and remembrance, we shall have it, Ezek. 16. from the 2 to the 15 vers.
First, Therefore Gods Spirit there presents to our eyes, (in gross) and shews us our abominations, ver. 2. And hence so frequently in the world the Lord culls out the most abominable, and loathsome things as parallels for us: our very sacrifices, and service (infected with our contagion) abominable, Prov. 15.8. our very Incense (which should sweeten all our service) meer abomination, (Isa. 1.13.) our very beauty abhorred, (Ezek. 16.25.) and our excellency hateful, and loathsome, Amos 6.8.
2. In particular. 1. Our Birth abominable, as cursed Canaanites, ver. 3. whom the Land (as a loathsome vomit) spewed out, Lev. 18.27, 28. we are born enemies, (Rom. 5.20.) haters of God, (Rom. 1.30.) 2. We are unwasht, filthily polluted in our own blood, v. 4, 6. and even wallowing in our mire, and death; rejoycing in evil, and delighting in froward wickedness, Prov. 2.14. 3. In all this misery unpittyed, ver. 5. No creature, (not our selves) had any compassion of our poor souls; helpless, hopeless, senseless. 4. Lastly, we were Cast-awayes; despised, scorned, the Refuse of the Creatures, v. 5. As some strumpets cast out their misbegotten births, and are asha…ed of their fruit, so the earth was abashed to look on us (her mishapen Off-spring) we were the shame of our Mother. And what could now be added to this misery, but the end, and last act of this Tragedy, even hell fire, and brimstone, into which we were posting without stop, with all our might, by wilfull rebellion, and stubborn wickedness?
Turn now, and fix your eye upon that miracle of Gods love, and mercy. He whom we had provoked, despised, he whom we hated, he, only he pitties us: so pitties us, that even (when we were dead, and buried in the belly of hell) he gives us life, (v. 6.) the life of himself our God: even his Son, the life of the world, eternal Life. 2. With life he gives us growth, and increase, v. 7. the increase of God, (Col. 2.19.) to which end he giveth …s also faithful Pastours to build us up till we attain to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, Ephes. 4.11, 12, 13. 3. He enters into Covenant with us, swears, and vows his love unto us, his conjugal love, v. 8. sends messengers to wooe, win, and espouse us to himself, 2 Cor. 5.20. & 11.2. 4. He washes, (throughly washes us from all filthiness, Ezek. 36.25.) and anoints us with Oyl, (v. 9.) neither thought he any Laver pure enough, till he had opened a Fountain for us in his own side, and washed us in his heart blood, Zech. 13.1. Rev. 1.5. no Oyle he thought precious enough, till he had powred out his own Spirit to anoint us, 1 Joh. 2.27. 5. He cloathes us as becomes the Spouse of such a Majesty, v. 10, 11, 12. Neither could any Creature in Heaven, or earth give him content in fitting us with ornaments. His own hand must frame our vesture, his own righteousness must apparel us, his own glory Crown us. Yea he divests himself to cloath us with himself, he puts on Christ upon us, Gal. 3.27. 6. He furnisheth a rich Table for us, v. 13. feasts us with fat things, full of marrow, of wines on the l…es, well refined, Isa… 25.6. No Bread …avoury, and fine enough for us (in his love) but the true Manna the Bread of Heaven: no Wine pleasant enough, but that fruit of the true Vine, prest, and wrung out on the Cross; even his own Body, and Blood, Ioh. 6.35, 53, 55.
7. Lastly, He deforms our deformity, and conforms us to his own likeness: sets his own beauty upon us, (v. 14.) transforms us to the image of his own Son, (Rom. 8.29.) who is the Brightness of his glory, Heb. 1.3.
Know then, never did any passionate lover so deeply affect, and affectionately wooe his desired Spouse, as he the union of our souls with himself. A lover watches diligently, and greedily catches all opportunities of conferring with his beloved, and winning her heart. And doth not he rise up early to draw, and bring home our souls? Ier. 25.4. & 32, 33. A Lover breaks his sleeps to wait at the door of his Love: and Is not his head filled with the dew? and his locks wet with the drops of the night? Cant. 5.2. A Lover will not break off for every denyal, nor will be discouraged with many re…usals: and doth not our Lord wait to be gracious unto us? Isa. 30.18. even after we have wearied him with our unkindness, Isa. 43.24. Some Lovers have ventured; He given his life for his beloved, Ioh. 15.13. Seeing therefore such a Lover (so lovely) thus wooes such wretches, (so loathsome) let us thus answer his suit,
I.
Me Lord? can'st thou mispend
One word, misplace one look on me?
Call'st me thy Love, thy Friend?
Can this poor soul the object be
Of these love-glances, those life-kindling eyes?
What? I the Centre of thy arms embraces?
Of all thy labour I the prize?
Love never mocks, Truth never lies.
Oh how I quake: Hope fear, …ear hope displaces:
I would, but cannot hope: such wondrous love amazes…
II.
See, I am black as night,
See I am darkness: dark as hell.
Lord thou more fair than light;
Heav'ns Sun thy Shadow: can Sunns dwell
With Shades? 'twixt light, and darkness what commerce
True: thou art darkness, I thy Light: my ray
Thy mists, and hellish foggs sh…ll pierce.
Wit… me, black soul, with me converse.
I make the …oul December flowry May,
Turn thou thy night to me: I'le turn thy night to day.
III.
See Lord, see I am dead:
Tomb'd in my self: my sel… my grave.
A drudge: so born, so bred:
My self even to my sel… a slave.
Thou Freedome, Life: can Life, and Liberty
Love bondage, death? Thy Freedom I: I tyed
To loose thy bonds: be bound to me:
My Yoke shall …as…, my bonds shall …ree.
Dead soul, thy Spring of life, my dying side:
There dye with me to live: to live in thee I dyed.
If then the hopes of such a match are so fair,