Two Discourses, Section 12 – Section 13
§.
But I having undertaken to proceed by way of congruity, I muſt further, more particularly ſhew, how in a correſpondency to this inward and outward ſtate of this Soul, he ſhews himſelf God, and how meet and becoming a thing it is for God to receive it into Glory, upon the conſideration of many Relations, which he profeſſedly beareth to ſuch a Soul.
1. God is a Spirit, and thereupon in a ſpecial manner (as Wiſd. 11. 26.) The Lord is a lover of Souls above all his other Creation. So it is there, Thou art merciful to all becauſe they are thine, O Lord thou lover of Souls [God is a Spirit] when therefore this naked, and withal ſublimated Spirit (by its being born again by his own Spirit) and ſo aſſimulated to God himſelf, a pure Spark now freed and ſevered from its Duſt and Aſhes, flying up (or is carried rather by Spirits, the Angles, out of their like ſpiritual Love to Luke 26. 22. Heb. 1. ult.it as a Spirit) unto that great Spirit, that element of Spirits, it will ſurely find union and coalition with him, and be taken up unto him: for if, as Chriſt ſpeaks, John 4. 23. God being a Spirit, therefore ſeeks for ſuch as worſhip in Spirit and Truth, that is, he loves, delights in ſuch, as a Man doth in a Companion or Friend, who ſuits him. And doth God ſeek for ſuch whilſt they are on Earth? Then ſurely when ſuch Spirits ſhall come to him, and have ſuch a grand occaſion, and (indeed) the firſt occaſion in ſuch an immediate way to appear before him, in ſuch a manner and upon ſuch a change as this, as they never did before; theſe Spirits alſo having been the Seat, the inner Temple of all this ſpiritual Worſhip and ſanctifying of him in this World: ſurely God who ſought ſuch afore, will now take them into his Boſom and Glory. We alſo read Iſa. 57. 16, 17. of the regard he bears to Perſons of a contrite and humble Spirit to revive them upon this ſuperadded conſideration, that they are Souls and Spirit, and ſo thereby allied to him, the lofty One. Hear how in this caſe he utters himſelf, The Spirit would fail afore me, ſays he, and the Souls which I have made. He ſpeaks of their very Souls properly and reſpectively conſidered, And [them] it is which he conſidering, and it moves him unto pity; for he ſpeaks of that in Man, whereof God is in a peculiar manner the Maker or Creator [The Spirit which I have made] (ſays he) and it is one of the eminent Titles he takes into his Coat, The framer of the Spirit of Man within him, Zech. 1. 12. as in many other places: This is argued alſo in that he ſpeaketh of that in Man which is the ſubject ſenſible of his immediate Wrath. I will not contend for ever; nor Child of Light walking in Darkneſs.will I be always Wrath. (This I have obſerved in what is publick of mine.) Now what moves him to remove his Wrath from ſuch an one? The Spirit would fail (ſays he.) Now doth God thus profeſs to have a regard to them in this Life, and that upon this account, that they are Spirits, leſt they ſhould fail, or faint; and ſhall we not think that when indeed otherwiſe they do fail (as after Death you have heard (even now) Chriſt himſelf expreſſeth they would) and would upon all theſe conſiderations before-mentioned, ſink into utter deſolation, unleſs they were received into everlaſting Habitations (as Chriſt there alſo ſpeaks) Do we think that God will not now entertain them? The time is now come, the full time to have pity on them.
2. God at this ſeaſon, forgets not, but full well remembers his Relation of being [Their Creatour] both by the new, and alſo firſt Creation (the new reviving and ingratiating the remembrance of the firſt) [The Souls which I have made] ſaid he in Eſa. But in St. Peter this is more expreſs, and mentioned as that which indeed moves God (and ſhould be accordingly a ſupport to our Faith) to take care of our Souls when we come to die, even upon this account, that he is the faithful Creatour of them, 1 Pet. 4. laſt. Wherefore let them that ſuffer according to the will of God, commit the Keeping of their Souls to him, in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator. He ſpeaks this ſpecially unto ſuch as were continually expoſed unto perſecution unto death for Chriſt in thoſe Primitive times; which therefore, v. 12. he terms the fiery trial, and ver. 17. forewarns them of a time of judgment was begun, and going on upon the of houſe God, ſuch as they had not yet felt; who yet, Heb. 10. 32, 33, 34. had ſuffered reproach and ſpoyling of their Goods (as Peter writes to the ſame Jews) hereupon Peter pertinently inſtructs them to commit the keeping of their Souls unto God. At death you know it is that when Mens bodies are deſtroyed, and ſo the ſeaſon when their Souls to be ſeparated therefrom, ſhould be committed to God's care; as our Darling (as our Tranſlation) or lovely Soul, when ſeparate Pſal. 22. See Ainſw.(as others) as Chriſt in David ſpeaks, Pſ. 22. And Peter had in his eye Chriſt's example, and pointed them thereunto, who at his death committed his ſeparate Soul or Spirit into the hands of God, Luk. 23. 46. and the word commit is one foreign.and the ſame in both theſe places: onelyonly there is this difference, that whereas Chriſt ſayes, Father, I commit, Peter ſubſtitutes another title of God's (there being more than one Relation moving God, and ſtrengthening our Faith to this) even of faithful Creatour. And I underſtand not the firſt Creation onelyonly or chiefly here meant by Peter; but the ſecond Creation chiefly (which brings into repute and acceptation with God the firſt again together with its own) and ſo God is thereupon engaged to be faithful in his care and proviſion for ſuch Souls, according to his promiſes: And faithfulneſs doth always reſpect and refer unto Promiſes; and my reaſon why thus I underſtand it, is, becauſe I find God's faithfulneſse ſtill annexed unto his calling of us, that is converting us which is all one with this new Creation: Faithful is he that hath called you, that is, made you new Creatures. 1 Cor. 1. 9. 1 Theſ. 5. 24. And I find that David alſo urges it upon God as a motive, as in other Pſalms, So Pſ. 138. 8. Forſake not the works of thine own hands, that is, this double workmanſhip of thine of the first, and then ſuperadded unto that, of the ſecond creation, which he urgeth thereby to move him to perfect the work begun, and to be merciful unto him for ever, in the former part of that verſe.
3. God profeſſeth himſelf the Father of Spirits; which relation, though it ſpeaks his being the Creatour of them, at the firſt, yet hath ſomething more of bowels in it: it ſayes withal ſomething further, when it falls out that ſuch Spirits, as he is a Father unto by the firſt creation, are alſo the ſubjects of His eternal Love, by Grace and Election unto the Adoption of Children, as Eph. 1. 3, 4, 5. ſee the words. Which Love, having accordingly taken hold of their Souls by a work of Grace wrought upon them in this life, thereby owning them as his, in this caſe, that God that is a Father of their Spirits by the Law of the firſt creation, is in a more tranſcendent manner become the Father of the ſame Spirits by Grace, and the ſecond Creation ſuperadded: Hence it falls out, in a parallel way, that (as it was ſaid) ſuch Souls were become [Spirit] upon a double account, that is Spirits for the ſubſtance of their being, and again Spirit, by being born again of the [Spirit] ſo anſwerably it is that God ſtands in relation unto them as a Father of their Spirits upon the like double reſpect. And this is equitable upon a very great account; for his relation of Father is more eminent to his Grace by Election, and then again by the grace of his ſecond Creation, than it could be any way ſuppoſed to be by the firſt Creation. And therefore is ſet and pitcht in like ſingularity and eminency upon the ſame object, that is, their Spirits. And hence it may well, yea muſt be ſuppoſed and acknowledged, That if God did make ſuch a Darling of the Soul, ſuch an account of it by creation, as to entitle himſelf ſo ſpecially the Father thereof, then certainly this love of Grace much more hath in like equipage taken up the ſame gracious ſpecial relation in its kind of Father thereunto: not only becauſe Nature ſhall never be found to exceed Grace in its favours; but that indeed the motives are far greater, that God ſhould extend the like and greater priviledges where he meant to love by Election and Choice, than he did where he loved only by a due and meet Law of Creation: So that when God ſhall profeſs himſelf a Father to their Spirits, ſpeaking to ſuch as are his Elect, he ſtrongly inſinuateth thereby, That he is by Grace likewiſe the Father of their Spirits in a peculiar manner. And truly that ſpeech of our Saviour at his death confirms it, Father, into thy hands I commit my Spirit: It was not barely as a Father of his Spirit by creation (as you all know) but by everlaſting Love, and ſo in that reſpect alſo in a peculiar manner the Father of his Spirit; and therefore as to a Father he commends his ſeparate Spirit unto him. And this he did, although he was to riſe again in leſs than three whole dayes ſpace.
Now we read Heb. 12. 12. the Apoſtle to hold forth this very relation of God's being a Father of Spirits, with this promiſe thereunto annexed, That they ſhould live: which relation of Father, &c. although it be there explicitely ſpoken in reſpect of their firſt Creation (which is common unto the Saints with others) yet being uttered of and unto Men in the ſtate of Grace (as thoſe were ſuppoſed whom he there exhorteth, and that to move them to be ſubject unto him as ſuch, with promiſe, that they ſhould live) it evidently reſpecteth not meerly the relation of Father in reſpect of what was paſt the act of creating them, but it looketh to the future, That they depended upon him (as Children do upon Fathers for their future livelihood, ſo theſe) for to live in him and with him as a Father to their Spirits by Grace. For I take hold of that Word [and live]; this Life is well interpreted by ver. 14. They ſhall ſee God, that is, be glorified, and ſo I conclude all thus, That if he would have them be ſubject unto God in holineſs, as upon that relation, as unto the Father of Spirits, with this promiſe, That they ſhould live; then ſurely one ſpecial aim of the Promiſe is anſwerable, and hath this Eye, That God as a Father of their Spirits will therefore take care of their Spirits ſingly, and ſo when ſeparate, that they ſhall live. And that accordingly he will give demonſtration of this ſpecial relation born to their Spirits (when the occaſion ſhall be) conſidered apart in beſtowing this Life on them: and truly when is it more proper for him to ſhew himſelf as a Father, than when their Souls after their ſubjection to him in Holineſs here accompliſhed; and when that, as naked Spirits they come to ſtand in need, and ſtand afore him in his Preſence, being now turned out of houſe and home, and quite caſhered out of this World, and come ſtript and naked of all but Holineſs unto their Father (for it is ſaid, They return to God that gave them) who proves to be their Father by Grace. And doubt not of it but he will certainly then own them, and give them a Father's Bleſſing, and not reject them as if they were but Baſtards and no Children (as that Chapter to the Hebrews ſpeaks) but as Spirits, who as Sons have ſerved him, and been ſubject to him.
Add to this, Fourthly, God his being our God, which is more home to the Demonſtration of this Point than all the former. The Text ſays, He that wrought us for this, is God. I add, he is your God. And this alone, if we will take the Scriptures verdict, will carry it, and loe, as he is ſtyled The Father of Spirits in common, and yet withal a Father of their Spirits, out of ſpecial Love: So in like manner, he is ſtyled both The God of the Spirits of all Fleſh, (that is, of Man, Numb. 16. 22.Job 12. 20.) thus in common; and alſo to his Elect, I am your God by Grace. And theſe two Relations, God and Father, are commenſurate, and exactly parallel, whether they be applied unto all Men in common, or to the Elect in ſpecial, he is termed, The God of the Spirits, and likewiſe, The Father of the Spirits of all Men: So in common, anſwerably he is your God, and your Father, by ſpecial Grace to his Elect; both which in this latter reſpect you find yoked hand in hand, Joh. 20. 17. Look how far he is a God of the one, ſo far a Father alſo extendeth in the other: And look how far that he is our God, ſo far reacheth alſo that he is our Father. If therefore the God of our Spirits, to provide for them becauſe he is our God, then anſwerably the Father of our Spirits in the like peculiarneſs, becauſe our Father. And ſo the proof of this fourth Particular, will add further ſtrength and confirmation to that we preſented in the former.
Now that his being our God (which is the ſubſtance of the Covenant of Grace) doth engage him to provide Glory for ſeparate Souls, That one inſtance of Abraham (The Father of the faithful, and we all his Sons perſonated in him) is a ſufficient evidence, God did profeſs himſelf The God of Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, and unto Abraham, Gen. 15. 1. perſonally, I am thy abundant Reward, (which reſpected the Life to come) and his Friend, 2 Chron. 20. 7.
Now the Scriptures of the New Teſtament do improve this relation of God's unto us, unto two Inferences drawn from Abraham's Inſtance: whereof the one is the point afore us.
The firſt is Chriſt's Inference from thence, That therefore Abraham's Soul lives, and Abraham both Soul and Body ſhall riſe again, for God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, Matth. 22. 31. Thus Chriſt.
2. Paul's Collection from the ſame Promiſe, is, That God had provided in the mean time for Abraham's Soul afore the Reſurrection, a City, and an Houſe therein for him. Thus Heb. 11. 16. But now they deſire a better Country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not aſhamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a City. To give light to this, Paul had repreſented the Story and Caſe of Abraham, and the reſt of the Patriarchs, in the verſes afore, to have been this; That God had indeed promiſed the Land of Canaan to him and them, ver. 8, 9. whereupon, ver. 13. it is ſaid, That theſe all died in Faith, not having received the Promiſes, being Strangers in the Land; yea, not having a foot of Land in the Land of Promiſe, as Stephen ſpeaks, Acts 7. 5, 6, 7. And alſo Paul, in the 9th verſe of this Heb. 11. Now then, when they died, what was it their Faith expected in ſtead thereof? The 10th verſe tells us, He looked for a City whoſe Maker and Builder is God. From which compared, obſerve, That when he died, his Faith was thus pitch'd to look for this City, in ſtead of that Land of Canaan promiſed. This was the expectation of their Faith on their part. Well, but how doth it appear, that this flow'd from God's having profeſſed himſelf to be the God of Abraham, &c. his Reward, and his Friend? You have this clear in the 16th verſe, where you have the whole ſumm'd up as the Concluſion of the Story, and as the proof and ground hereof; but now they deſire a better Countrey, that is, an heavenly: there is their faith and expectation when they ſhould come to die. Then it follows, Wherefore God is not aſhamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a City; which ſpoken in full anſwer to that their expectation at their deaths, to ſhew, that God in profeſſing himſelf to be their God, he had thereby engaged himſelf according to his own intent in that promiſe, to make this proviſion for them at their death: The words are expreſs, Wherefore God is not aſhamed; what ſhould this mean in this Coherence, but that his declaring himſelf to be their God, did import and carry this with it, That he had provided this Eſtate for them at their death, even an heavenly; and, that otherwiſe (as the Apoſtle gloſſeth upon it) he had not come up unto the amplitude of, nor filled full this covenanted Engagement and Profeſſion of His being their God. Will you have it in plain Engliſh (as we ſpeak;) if he had not made this proviſion for their Souls, he would have been aſhamed to have been called their God: thus deeply doth this oblige him, That he is our God and Father, which is the point in hand.
And judge of this in the light of all that Reaſon we have hitherto carried along; and again, let this inference of the Apoſtle mutually ſerve to confirm us in all that Reaſon. For poor Abraham to be driven out of his own Country by God, who called him to his foot, and ſaid no more, but as a Maſter to his Servant, Take your Cloke, and follow me (who muſt preſently, without more ado, trig and foot it after his Maſter) as Iſa. 41. 2. and then to live a ſtranger in the Land of Promiſe, upon the faith, that God would be his God: which faith in him, was alſo to ceaſe when he came to die. If this God in this caſe ſhould not have taken care to anſwer his faith in ſome greater way, in ſtead of the poſſeſſion of Canaan; and that after, upon his being turned out of that Country too, which he ſojourned in during this life, if God had not provided another Houſe, or Country, or City for his Soul, that was to live, to bring it into, when it ſhould be deprived of all in this World; The Apoſtle tell us, God (in this caſe) would have been aſhamed to have been called his God: which now, having provided ſo abundantly for him upon dying, there is ſuperabundant cauſe to ſay, God is not aſhamed; for that is a diminutive imploying, That he infinitely exceedeth that their expectation could be ſuppoſed to be.
Let us but view the force of this inference of the Apoſtle's (and ſo of all the reaſonings hitherto read) But according to man, or what is found amongſt men, (and God will be ſure infinitely to ſurpaſs men in his ways of favour.) Take an ordinary friend, if his freind be turn'd out of houſe and home, plundred, baniſhed, driven out of all, as the Steward in that parable, Luk. 16. was, and comes to his Friend at midnight, as in that other Parable, Luk. 11. 5, 6. will not his friends entertain him into their houſes; as ver. 9, of Luk. 16. yea, and riſe at midnight to do it, as ver. 5, 6. in that Parable of Luk. 11. Shall profeſſion of friendſhip engage and oblige men to do this, and ſhall not God's profeſſing himſelf to be our God, Father, Friend, engage his heart much more? Nay, will he not ſo entertain them, as ſhall exceed all wonderment? What need I ſay more than this? Wherefore He is not aſhamed to be called their God: He will therefore give you an entertainment that ſhall be worthy of his being your God.
The fifth and laſt Conſideration is, That theſe ſeparate Souls having done and finiſh'd all their work, that in order to Glory God hath appointed them for ever to do, they now at death appear afore him as a Judge and Rewarder. And that is the fifth Relation moving God to beſtow at this ſeaſon ſuch a Glory on them. How that then the Soul returns to God, you have heard again and again out of Eccl. 12. 7. and that it is upon the account of his being the Judge thereof at the end of their work in this life. The Chaldee Paraphraſe hath long ſince gloſſed upon it, It returns to God, that it may ſtand in Judgment afore him. In this life it came unto God by Faith, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, believing that God is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently Heb. 11. 6.ſeek him; and now at the end of its Faith, it comes unto God for the Reward of its Faith, as ſome interpret that 1 Pet. 1. 9. (which we ſo largely have inſiſted on.) This is certain, That in that Promiſe to Abraham, to be his God, he intended and included, his being to him an exceeding great Reward. And ſo we come to connect this fifth Head with the foregoing. Gen. 15. 1.And therefore if the being his God, moved him to prepare that City againſt his death (as hath been ſaid;) then ſurely his being his Reward, doth alſo then take place. I ſhall not omit it, becauſe it falls in the next Chapter, Heb. 12. 23. that in that ſtupendious Aſſembly of Heaven, God the Judge of all is mentioned between the Church of the firſt-born which are written in Heaven; this afore: and the Spirits of juſtified Men made perfect; this after it: For there are none of theſe Firſt-born, or the Spirits of juſt Men, do come to ſit down there, but they paſs the award of this Judge firſt, for they ſit down by him; and ſurely, having done all their Work in the time of that day is allotted to each man to work in, it is a righteous thing with God to give them a Reward in the evening of this day, (which is Chriſt's time ſet for rewarding, and it is the twelfth and laſt hour ſucceeding the eleventh of the day, Matth. 20. 6, & 9. See Brugenſis, Maldonat. &c. Lev. 19. 13.compared) which is when the night of death comes. Now there is a Law given by God, that the wages to a man hired ſhould be given him (by him that ſet him awork) in his day, that is, ſays the Septuagint, the very ſame day, ſo as his Work, or the wages of his Work, abide not with thee all the night until the morning, Deut. 24. 15.ſays God, Deut. 24. 15. Did God take care for hirelings, when their Work was done not to ſtay any ſpace of time, no not a night, and doth he not fulfil this himſelf unto his Sons that ſerve him? Surely yes: he defers not, nor puts them off to the morning of the Reſurrection, as the Pſalmiſt elegantly calls it, Pſal. 17. laſt. It abides not with him all that dark and longſome night, or ſpace after death, in which their bodies reſt in the grave, which is termed Man's long home: and, Eccleſ. 12. 5.The days of darkneſs are many (ſays Solomon) No, he rewards them in the evening of the day, beſides what he will add to it in the morning. It is obſervable, that Rev. 6. 9, 10. concerning the ſeparate Souls ſlain for Chriſt, that whilſt they cry for Juſtice on their enemies only, And when he had opened the fifth Seal, I ſaw under the Altar the Souls of them that were ſlain for the Word of God, and for the Testimony which they held, and they cryed with a loud voice, ſaying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, doſt thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth? that they had white robes given them to quiet them in the mean time; ver. 11. And white Robes were given unto every one of them, and it was ſaid unto them, that they ſhould reſt yet for a little ſeaſon; till they heard that vengeance alſo was executed on that Roman Empire for their blood ſhed. And thus to deal is a righteous thing with God.
Thus you have ſeen the Point confirmed from all ſorts of relations that God bears unto us, by congruous Reaſons, that ſo it becometh God, the great God to do—He that hath wrought us for this thing, is God. And ſo much for this firſt Branch of this ſecond Doctrine.
§.
The II. Branch of the ſecond Doctrine.
That there is a glorious Contrivement and Workmanſhip carried on in this Diſpenſation of his, like unto the great God indeed.
This carries on this Point yet higher. For, it is not onelyonly an Ordination becoming God, (upon the reſpects mentioned) but there is an Artifice, a Workmanſhip in it, ſuch as he uſeth to ſhew in his Works of Wonder, even in this, That he ſhould work upon Men's Souls in this life, and then bring them into a Glory, he had in the mean ſpace been a working alſo for thoſe their Souls. This is the great God indeed.
When God ſecretly beſtows Coſt and Curioſity in preparing matters for ſuch or ſuch an end; and then again, as hiddenly, hath laid out a greater Art, Skill and Workmanſhip upon that end it ſelf; and then hath exactly ſuited and matched the one to the other: when All comes to be finiſh'd, and both wrought and brought together, then will an infinite ſurpaſſing Glory ariſe unto God out of all, which deſerveth to have this Notoriety (that is here) put upon it. He that hath wrought this for that, Is GOD: and lo, this is found here, which is demonſtrated, if we view,
1. Each of theſe Workmanſhips ſingly and apart.
2. Joyntly, as deſigned and fitted each to the other.