A Fathers Testament, Chapter 16
CAP. XVI.
What kind of service it is which his Spouse gives unto Christ.
THe hand is the bodies Steward, and Faith the souls hand. Both have a double office, either to take in, or give out, to receive, or distribute what God offers, faith takes; and gives what he demands. There is a bargain driven betwixt God, and man, when God himself, and his Kingdom is assured upon man; and man, and all his is passed, and made over to God by way of exchange, or sale. Our Lord hath not only laid down a price for us, even himself, (Tit. 3.14.) and bought us (as we say) out, and out (1 Cor. 6.20.) but hath also set a price upon himself, and we must come up to his full price, or never have him.
We must buy that milk, hony, and feast of fat things, the sure mercies of David, Isa. 55.1. &c. That gold tried by the fire, whereby we are made rich, that white raiment, that ey… salve (the riches of the Gentils, the robe of righteousness, the light of the world) the Lord Iesus must be bought, Rom. 3.18. We must buy the truth, Prov. 23.23. The treasure in the field is bought, and that Merchant sells all that he hath to buy the goodly pearl, Matth. 13.44, 46. Hence there is a mutual vouching. The Lord openly voucheth us for his people, and we vouch him for our Lord, Deut. 26.17, 18. And to make the bargain sure, and infallible, large, and precious; Earnest is given, even that blessed, and Holy Spirit, (2 Cor. 1.22. Eph. 1.14.) which binds both seller and buyer to stand to the bargain.
But what is the price at which God rates himself to us. 1. He challengeth the soul. All souls are his, Ezek. 18.4. he must have the heart, Prov. 23.26. all the soul, all the heart, all the might, Deut. 6.5. The whole body must be presented to him as a living sacrifice, Rom. 12.1. He hath payd for all, and so (now) we are no more our own, 1 Cor. 6.19, 20. If he call for health, wealth, life, all must be given him, Luk. 14.26. else we (as that Ruler Mar. 10) goe away empty, sad, and hopeless.
But this seems to imply a contradiction: for to sell for a price, and to give freely are contraries. Now Christ is given us, Ioh. 3.16. eternal life is the gift of grace, Rom. 6.23. Salvation is by gift, and grace, Eph. 2.8. We are freely loved, Hos. 14.4. freely justified, Rom. 3.23. Certain is it, and cannot be denied, that never any thing was more freely, or bountifully given. We were poor (Rev. 3.17.) able to give nothing, unable to pay due debts; and our debts infinite, Math. 18.24, 25. The Lord Iesus, our Surety, hath purchased this whole possession for us, and us for God, but he also most freely given us, and all things with him, Rom. 8.32. Nay even that which hereafter God demands of us, (of which only here we speak) our trust in him, love to him, fear of him, working for him, all these his most free gifts. He works all in us, and for us (Isa. 26.12.) Will, and deed, Phil. 2.13. That therefore which we give him is his own, and we cannot but confess (with that holy Prophet) All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee, 1 Chro. 29.14. Indeed he commands us to buy, yet asks he neither mony, nor mony-worth, Isa. 55.1. Our righteousness bringeth him neither profit, nor pleasure, Iob 22.2, 3. and 35.7. No good we can do reacheth to him, Psal. 16.2. when we give our selves, what give we but vanitie, (Psal. 39.5.) and nothing, 2 Cor. 12.11. The truth is God receives no benefit from us, neither are they (if we speak properly) gifts to him from us, but rather from him to us: not only because we first receive what after we give, but specially because it is a great grace, and next to himself the greatest gift he can bestow on us, that he will receive us, or any thing from us. It is our infinite blessedness, and his infinite goodness, that he is ours, and how much less is it (certainly next to that) that we are his, Cant. 2.16. He calls for our bodies, and spirits: and are they out filthy, polluted, abominable? how unworthy of him? But he calls for them to wash, and cleanse them from all filthiness, Ezek. 36.26. they are dead in sins, he would have them to quicken them, to put his Spirit into them, Ezek. 36.27. they are old, corrupt in lusts, (Eph. 4.22.) he would have them to renew them, Ezek. 36.26. where can they be safe but under his wings? and how secure under his protection? How miserable, and wretched when banished from his sight? but in his house how infinitely blessed? Psal. 65.4. How empty in his absence? but in his presence is fulness of joy, and everlasting pleasures, Psal. 16.11. And yet God calls it buying, as well because he is pleased not only to demand it, but accept it as our reasonable service, and testimonie of our thankfulness. As great persons lease out to some special servant, or favorite a fair land for the annual payment of a pepper-corn; so deals our most gracious God with us, gives us Heaven, and Earth, and himself the Lord of both, (because we have found favour in his eyes) and desires no other rent but our poor selves, and service, whose only riches it is to be his inheritance, and servants.
Thus the same hand of faith receives from our Lord himself, and his grace, and gives to him our selves, and service, takes from him what he graciously offers, and works for him (by love) what he justly commands. Now our work, and service to our Lord is by himself sometime contracted into one head, or body, sometime parted into three members. That which in one word comprizes our whole service to God, is holiness. This he frequently, and straitly charges upon us, Be holy, as I am holy, (Lev. 44.45.) As obedient children not fashioning your selves according to your former lusts in your ignorance: But as he is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, 1 Pet. 1.14, 15. It must be our daily work, set work, which we must continually ply, and follow, until it be perfect, 2 Cor. 7.1.
Much I desire (if it please God to furnish me with means, and you with parts) to see you bred up in all humane literature, that you may not be (as too many) a burthen only to others, meer cyphars in the world, to fill it up with idle numbers: but much more do I longue to see you trained up in the School of Christ, to be taught of him, as the truth is in Iesus. To put off the old man corrupt in lusts, and to be renewed in the Spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man, which is created in righteousness, and true holiness. Eph. 4.21, 22, 23, 24. Reason gives you a formal difference from other creatures, and the polishing of it by humane learning will distinguish you from other (almost brutish) men, but religion, and pietie only maketh you Christians, perfect, and blessed.
Should I say, you cannot be complete men without holiness, it might seem a paradox to carnal wisdom, but is a sure truth of Gods wisdom. For if Philosophie will teach you that a man is a reasonable creature, Theologie will assure you that man was an holy creature, framed after the likeness of God, without which likeness he is not perfect according to his creation. It is an amiable sight to behold a mind beautified with all the lovely Ideas of humane knowledg, and framed into a pleasant Garden, where all the various flowers of earthly literature are planted, rooted, and fairly flourish. But oh what a glorious Parad…se is that spirit of man which is grafted with all those fruitful trees of Life? It is even Gods garden of pleasure in which his soul delighteth: What an Heaven is that soul where all those glorious stars of Prophets, and Apostles are fasten'd in the understanding, and the Throne of God set up in the heart, where the Lord Iesus reigns, attended by all Saintly thoughts, and Heavenly graces?
Now that you may willingly, nay joyfully yield up your spirits to be this Paradise, and third Heaven, where God will dwell, work, and reign, let me shew you in brief… 1. What holiness is. 2. How excellent. 3. How necessary. For the 1. As it is very easy for us to know the picture, if it be well drawn, when we are throughly acquainted with the person, whose picture it is; so it will not be difficult to know what holiness is in man, when we are informed what it is in God … because this holiness in us is nothing else but the image, and likeness of the divine holiness.
Holiness in God is that substantial, and incomprehensible purity of the divine nature, whereby he is wholly averse from all sinful filthiness, and infinitly adverse to all filthiness of sin. He is a God of pure eyes that cannot behold evil, that cannot look on iniquity: (Hab. 1.13.) nay in this respect he is a consuming fire: (Heb. 12.29.) to Hypocrites, and sin…ers a devouring fire, and everlasting burnings … Isa. 33.14. Answerable (in our measure) i… mans holiness. For we are pure as he is pure, 1 Ioh. 3.3. In man therefore holiness is that essential property of pureness, whereby he is averse from all sinful uncleanness, nay contrary to all impuritie of sin. 1. Essential I call it, only in that respect, as being the form differencing the true Christian from other men, the spiritual from the carnal; And as in that gold with was dedicated for the work of the Temple, the form, or shape of the golden Cherubims was essential to that piece, distinguishing it from the Candlestick, snuffers, &c. framed of the same matter, so this renewing of the Spirit of our mind, which after God is created in righteousness, and true holiness, howsoever it be not of the substance either of body, or soul, yet is it essential to the new man, or faithful Christian, and of his being, by which he is a new creature.
Secondly this purity or divine nature of man consists of an averse, nay adverse disposition to sinful uncleanness. It flieth the corruption which is in the world through lust, (2 Pet. 1.4.) hating it, (Rom. 7.15.) loathing the garment stained with it, (Jude 23.) nay themselves polluted with it, Ezek. 20.43. And no sooner is this new life brought forth in man, but instantly it stands as adverse to sin as life to death, accounting it to be (as indeed it is, nay so feeling, and accordingly hating it) as death, (Rom. 7.24.) a most cursed, wretched, divelish, hellish death.
2. Secondly, the excellencie of holiness will clearly appear in this, that it is in man Gods likeness. To be like the Creatour is the highest pitch of honour, to which the most aspiring ambition of the creature can look. To be above God cannot enter into a reasonable thought. As that excellent Father (August.) so reason will testifie, that every creature will contend for the excellencie of God, and ca…not conceive God to be a substance, than which any can be better. To be equal to God, and independent may be the ambition of the divel, his Son Antichrist, or some transported with the like folly, and furie, which yet ordinary reason will manifestly evince can never be attained, but to be like to God is the supreme honour of the creature, and is not only possible to be obtained, but obvious to Christians: God himself proffering, inviting, nay intreating us to receive it. And surely if any thing in God could be more excellent than other, holiness were it. For man verily swears by the greater, but because God could not swear by a greater, he swore by himself, Heb. 6.13, 16. but when he chuseth out any particular Attribute in himself to swear by it, it is constantly his holiness. See, Psal. 60.6. & 18.35. Amo. 4.2. Holiness in God is his face, and beautie, frequently termed the beautie of holiness, (Psal. 110.3.) which the faithful soul most longues after (Psal. 90.17.) and God stamps upon his beloved, Ezek. 16.14. And as in excellent substances their excellence consists in their puritie, when they are simple, and unmixt with baser natures; (Thus in corporal substances gold the more pure, the more precious, and in spiritual only the pure Angels, not the impure, are glorious) so certainly in God his holiness, being the puritie of the divine essence, is the glory of it. He is glorious in holiness: (Exo. 15.11.) a glory farr surpassing all thought, or possibilitie of admiration; in which regard those blessed Spirits, which stand in his presence, omitting other excellencies, but ravished with the glorious beautie of his holiness, cry out in heavenly ecsta…ies, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God! the whole Earth is full of his glory, Isa. 6.3.
Herein then consists the eminency of holiness above all other qualities in man, that he is not only by it, (and by it only) like unto God, but like him in that, in which God is most excellent, even in his glory. The Heathens themselves could discern a ravishing beautie in virtue, if men had but eyes to behold it, but oh if God open to us an eye to discern these heavenly features of the divine nature, and the bright beams of his holiness, …he very Sun will seem but durt to it, and all the excellencies of all creatures meer dross, and tinsoyl. Certainly the comely proportions of a perishing body (an earthly flower) decked with the ornaments of some pleasing colours, are able to ravish a fleshly eye, and winn unto it a carnal heart: But were the mind cleered to behold a spirit (man, or Angel) shining in the divine beautie of Gods own Image, how would that sight attract the soul, and strike it with amazement, and wonder of that glorious luster?
3. Thirdly, as there is nothing in man, or Angel so excellent, so nothing so necessary as holiness. For 1. This only gives us preeminency above other creatures. Consider it well, and you shall easily find, that every creature will justly challeng precedence, and outgo man without holiness. There is no qualitie in us, this only excepted, but other creatures in it farr surpass us. If we boast of longer time, and durance than some other, the very stones in this outgo us: If we plead, but with age we have life; even plants, and trees outlive us: If we say we have sense also; how many beasts, &c. in hearing, seeing, smelling, &c. go farr beyond us? Some perhaps will object, we have understanding, and discourse of reason, of which these are incapable: but in this (alas!) the worst of all creatures (the Divels) claym a large superioritie, and wonderfully exceed us. Know it certainly without holiness, you are inferiour to every creature, even the most abject, and miserable.
2. All the blessings of God, and all his actions for our blessedness have this mayn end to make us holy. We are elected by God in Christ that we should be holy, Eph. 1.4. redeemed by Christ, that we should serve him in holiness, Luk. 1.74, 75. called by the Spirit not to uncleanness, but holiness, 1 Thes. 4.7. Therefore hath God begotten us to himself by the word of truth, that we should be as the first fruits of his creatures, (Jam. 1.18.) that is, sanctified, and separated to his holy service. And as children cannot be but of the same kind, and na…ure with their Parents, (else are they monsters) so must we as obedient children be holy, as he is holy. 1 Pet. 1.14, 15, 16. Therefore hath the Lord Iesus espoused us, and given himself for us, that he might wash, and Sanctifie us, Eph. 5.26. Therefore the holy Ghost dwells in us as his Temples that we should …e holy, 1 Cor. 3.16, 17. To the same end are all Gods ordinances given us, the word, Prayer, Sacraments, even to Sanctifie us, Joh. 17.17. Be assured you can never have right to God …s a Father, to Christ as a Saviour, to the bles…ed Spirit as your Comforter, without holiness. All these actions of God for our good are …rustrate to us, all his Ordinances unfruitful …us without holiness: what soever Title, or …steem we have with men in the world, yet …ith Christ, and Christians without holiness …e are meer Infidels, and very ecchoes of …hristians.
3. There is no hope, nor possibilitie of glory, and that beatifical vision of God without holiness. Without holiness no man shall see God, Heb. 12.14. nay no man without it can possibly behold him. An inferiour cannot possibly reach to a nature transcendent, nor we without participation of this Godly nature see him as God; there is no hope of this highest beatitude, unless we are thus qualified.
4. Lastly, whatsoever we seem to men, (our selves, or others) what better are we indeed than those cursed, and damned spirits without it? me thinks rather worse. A wicked Angel is a sinful, filthy spirit; but a wicked man is both a sinful spirit, and sinful flesh; filthy in both. The truth is, (and upon serious consideration we cannot deny it) an unholy man is nothing else but an incarnate f…end, a Divel in flesh, Ioh. 6.70. Now though even nature it self will in general strongly incite the heart to seek with all diligence such things as are for use most necessary, and mos… excellent for our advancement, yet for thi… particular of holiness, even when our be… Judgment upon sound deliberation hath sub…scribed to these manifest truths, and we hav… seen, and acknowledged the necessitie, an… eminencie of this divine puritie, yet th… cra…ty Enemie (by the assistance of those tw… his special helpers, namely our own wickedness within us, and the world without us) will ea…ily either disswade us for ever enterprizing such a quest, or at least cool, and dishearten us in the pursuit of it.
Whensoever Gods blessed Spirit hath opened you an eye to behold with delight the beauties of holiness, and drawing your heart to cleave unto it in love, hath set your face resolutely to a constant following it, Satan will not fail to hinder by sending in some worldly person (yet under the pretence of a friend, and welwisher) who shall counsel you not to be too forward, and shall tell you, none are more despised than these hot zealous fellows; that they are the table talk, and scorn of great ones; that such and such wise, and learned men (who hope to come to Heaven with the first) laugh at this preciseness, and take to themselves much more …ibertie: that it is good to use moderation, and so under the pretence of temper, (if …ou take not good heed) they will bring you …o that abominable distemper of a luke-warm Christian, of whom Christ is sick, and vowes …o vomit them out of his mouth, Rev. 3.16. …ay he will get your own heart to speak for …im, and that will plead hard, and tell you: Oh! this strictness, this Yoke of holiness is a …ur, sad, melancholy life: no comfort, no joy, no solace in it: and you are in your Spring: what? will you blast all these fair blossoms of youth with such an austere, and sullen course? Nay, take your time, while you may; use your youth, and pleasures, while the season, and April of your age invites you.
But take great heed, and stop your ears against these Sirens: bind your selves to that word of God, which will hold you fast, and keep you safe from these strong inchantments. Open your ears to that best Counseler, the Lord Iesus, who will tell you, that in the best of your service you are unprofitable, Luk. 17.10. If you could run (but we hardly creep) yea could ye add wings to your feet, to fly toward Heaven, yet could ye never be forward enough, when the Goal is Heaven, and God himself, and his glory the Crown, the swiftest foot is too slow to run, and the longest wing too sluggish to clip away to it.
But oh this disgrace, scorn, contempt We know not how to bear that. No? do w… not see the Lord Iesus despised, rejected Isa. 53.3. Oh the base works, scoffs, derisions which the Lord of glory suffered only for us, to bring us to glory! It were a prodigious pride to desire, that we might b… glorified by Christs sufferings, but never suffer for his glory. Nor let the contrary practice of men wise, (in their way) and learned divert you. Yo… know your calling: Not many wise, not many learned, &c. 1 Cor. 1.26. A wiser than the wisest, the Eternal wisdom of God calls us to zeal: Be zealous, Rev. 3.20. foreign. Be zealous for things spiritual, 1 Cor. 14.1. He that looks to the bu… ning love of Christ toward his soul, flaming out even unspeakable sufferings, and thinks his love to Christ, and his glory too hot, and fiery, proclaims to all the world his gross hypocrisie, or rather palpable Atheism.
Let that sentence ever sound in your ears; He that is ashamed of me, and of my words in this adulterous generation, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father, with his holy Angels, Mar. 8.38. But that blasphemy, whereby sin, and Satan would perswade us that holiness is the very damp, and death of all mirth, the barr that stopps our way to profit, or honour, is a notorious slander of that Father of lies, a loud ly, that of all the rest deserves the whetstone. When our Father commands us to be holy as he is holy, doth he interdict us pleasure, riches, honour? Is there any so holy as our God? and doth his holiness extinguish his joyes, and the pleasures at his right hand? Doth his holiness impoverish him, dispossesse him of Heaven, and Earth, doth holiness dethrone him, or embase his glory? nay is it not his glory? Exo. 15.11. where did he forbid us pleasure, profit, honour? Indeed if the drudgery to sin, and Satan be honour, such honour he hath interdicted; if bartering Heaven for Earth, our Angel-like souls for dust, if this be profit, such profit hath he forbidden; If the hoggish wallowing in the mire of sinful filth, the dog-like licking up of an hellish vomit, the lying of our living souls (rotting, and stinking) in a grave of lust, if this be pleasure, such pleasure Hell affordeth, he denieth. No, no, our gracious God hath not only permitted us to use all creatures for our good, and comfort, but hath straitly commanded us to set our hearts upon, and to covet, and that most earnestly, the best gifts, 1 Cor. 12.31. He hath purchased the rich portion of grace, and inheritance of glory for us. He hath stored up for us durable riches, (Pro. 8.18.) and exhorts us to provide, and fill everlasting baggs with never failing treasures, Luk. 12.33. He hath con…erred upon us most glorious honour, to be heirs of his Kingdom, and gives us command to unbridle our ambition, and with the most vast desires of our heart… to seek this glory, and promises to fill us Psal. 81.10. Matth. 6.33. Rom. 2.7. Tha… fountain of life pours out rivers of pleasure, and commands us to drink abundantly, Psal. 36.8, 9. Cant. 5.1. Beside other numberless objects of joy he hath given us himself, the greatest, the only, the infinite good, and commands us again, and again to rejoice in him, Phil. 4.4.
Let us therefore fire our hearts with earnest longuings after this divine nature, follow hard toward it, and never faint in the pursuit. Be not ashamed of Christ, and of his truth, in this hypocritical age, which profess Christ, and serve the world, give to him the Title of Lord, but heart, and hand to every lust. Think no age unripe to be Gods Child; no estate too great to be Gods Heir. The service of Princes (how much more of God?) are great preferments. Beware of that hellish proverb, A young Saint, an old Divel. Those young Saints, Ioseph, Samuel, Daniel, Ieremie, Iohn Baptist, &c. how glorious were they once in the militant Church? and now, and ever in the triumphant? Seek for earthly literature, and knowledg; studie, and labour for it, but thirst for holiness, longue for it, strive, sweat for it, Let it be all your ambition (foreign, 2 Cor. 5.9.) to please God, and to be accepted with him. And thus commune with your own hearts.
I.
Is this the Yoke which fools abhor, to be,
(Great Lord) made like to thee?
Is this a burthen? Cannot flesh indure
To be as thou art, pure?
Is this so scorn'd, so loathsome a condition?
Poor swinish soul! canst thou desire
To be an Hog? daub'd, cas'd in mire?
Is this the height of thy deep …al… ambition?
II.
This all the service which thou dost d…sire,
To wash me …rom my mir…?
This all the burthen which thou laist upon me,
To set thy beautie on me?
That beautie, which those glorious Spirits viewing,
Are rapt in heavenly ecstasies,
Drink healths, and making drunk their eyes,
Sing, drencht in amorous joyes, thy praise renewing.
III.
How beauteous is thy house? thy spangled Court?
Yet to thy beautie durt.
How glorious is the Sun, the spring of light?
Yet to thy glory night.
How bright thy Angels in their spritely …eature?
Yet to thy brightness smoke to fire.
How then should we (poor souls!) admire
Thy beautie, glory, brightness in thy creature.
IV.
Oh what am I (my Lord!) without thy likeness,
But a dull dying sickness?
Stript of thy Image, and that God-like …eature
I, less than any creature.
The meanest, sensless, liveless overgits me,
And goes beyond me; stones last longer,
Flowers are saire…, trees are stronger:
The beasts out-sense, the Divels self outwits me.
V.
Let Swine then serve their muddy lusts, and ly
Mir'd in their stinking s…ie.
Doggs serve the ravening world, devour, be sick,
Spew, and their vomit lick.
But oh let me renew my first condition,
Con…orm'd unto thy glorious beautie
Serve thee in every holy dutie.
This my whole honour, this my sole ambition.
Holiness is the body of our service,