Holy Dedication Both Personal and Domestic, Part 1 · Chapter 3
CHAP. 3. Perſonal Dedication Applied. The rarity of it lamented. Enquiries about it, as to our ſelves.
HAving ſhown you, what it is, it remains, that now I ſhould make ſome Application of it.
And 1. Let me lament and bewail the rarity of this ſelf-dedication. Ʋſe 1 O that my heart might diſſolve into tears, that my bowels might yearn, that rivers of waters might run down my eyes, becauſe of this: Pſal. 119.136.O that every ſerious Chriſtian would be much affected and inwardly afflicted, upon this conſideration, that there are but few, very few, who do ſincerely, heartily, entirely dedicate themſelves, and their All to God. O that O could feel my ſelf in an holy agony of ſpirit, now I am writing, and whenever I think of this heart-cutting, heart-piercing truth. Sometimes, as I walk in the Streets, where I ſee ſo many faces, meet ſo many perſons running up and down about their ſecular affairs, have in my eye ſuch ſhoals and multitudes of men and women; ſometimes, when I go into the Aſſemblies, where God is worſhipped, and there ſee the places throng'd with great numbers of people, attending upon holy ordinances, I cannot but ſadly conſider and cry out, O how few of all theſe, have in good earneſt dedicated themſelves to the Lord! O that there ſhould be ſo many Creatures, and ſo few New-creatures. O that ſo many ſhould be ſo buſied about the world, who yet live in a total neglect of God; O that ſo many, ſhould ſeem externally to own religion, who yet make no conſcience of ſelf-dedication; (which is the very ſoul and ſpirit of religion:) Surely this is a lamentation, Ezek. 19.14.and ſhall be for a lamentation.
Bleſſed be God, (through the efficacious operations of his grace,) there are ſome in the world, who do give up themſelves to him; who act and live ſelf-dedication, in all the parts and branches of it; let the world be what it will, God will have a people in it, and Chriſt ſhall have a ſeed in it:Iſa. 53 10. and if ſo, then there ſhall be always ſome ſelf-devoting ſouls to God. I do not queſtion, but even now, in this City, in this Nation, there are many thouſands, who have ſolemnly dedicated themſelves▪ they are the Lords, and they will be ſo; and 'tis well for us it is ſo, for, Except the Lord of Hoſts had left unto us a very ſmall remnant, Iſa. 1.9.we ſhould have been as Sodom, and we ſhould have been like unto Gomorrah. There is a cluſter that hath new wine in it, Iſa. 65.8.upon which there is a bleſſing, to ſecure the whole land from ruin & deſolation. But theſe (comparatively) are but a remnant, a ſmall remnant; but as one cluſter in the Vine; they are a very little flock: Luke 12.32.'tis but here and there, one of a City, two of a family, Jer. 3.14.a very few, who thus dedicate themſelves to God: As 'tis in the City at preſent, here and there you have an Houſe built, but the far greateſt part of it, lies in ruines and rubbiſh: ſo here, here and there you may meet with a perſon, who hath done that, which I am ſpeaking of, but the moſt lie in the rubbiſh, in the miſery of the faln and non-dedicated state. True indeed, if the external form and profeſſion would ſerve the turn, then this dedication would not be ſo rare, but this will not do it. There's a great difference 'twixt the form and the truth; betwixt what appears and what is. As there is (foreign) a form of knowledge, (Rom. 2.20.) And (foreign) a form of godlineſs, (2 Tim. 3.5.) So there is (foreign) a form of dedication. All profeſs, that in Baptiſm, they have dedicated themſelves to God, and ſo they have; the dedication muſt not be denied, only it muſt be made good; if it be not, I make it but a form, and it will not profit me. The firſt baptiſmal dedication, without ſubſequent, perſonal, actual dedication, is not ſufficient; nay, the former without the latter will rather do us hurt than good. And yet here is the all of moſt mens dedication. O if perſonal dedication be ſuch a thing, as hath been opened, (and certainly it is ſo) then there are but few, that are acquainted with it; this makes the number of ſelf-devoting Chriſtians, to ſink and fall like the ſouldiers of Gideon. God ſpeaks to the Jews, Jer. 5.1.to run to and fro through the ſtreets of Jeruſalem, to ſeek in the broad places thereof, to ſee, if they could find a man, that did execute judgment, and ſought the truth, and he would pardon it. May not we run to and fro, to find out a man, who doth intirely give up himſelf to God, who lives in a bleſſed ſurrender of himſelf to the will of God, who is fixed and reſolved for God, (and ſo I might go over all the other branches of ſelf-dedication,) and ſcarce be able to find ſuch an one. Every man in the world dedicates himſelf to ſomething; but O 'tis the ſin and folly of men, they miſ-object and miſ-place their dedication: 'tis ſelf, ſin, the world, that the generality dedicate themſelves to; 'tis but here and there a man, who doth this, to the holy, ever living, ever bleſſed God. O that the practices of men did not too viſibly proclaim this: O that this ſad truth was not too legible in the courſes and converſations of beſotted ſinners! Even where they have made their renunciation, even there they make their dedication: inſtead of renouncing the world, the fleſh, the Devil, they devote themſelves to theſe. No tears are ſufficient to bewail this folly and wickedneſs, that is ſo manifeſt to every obſerving eye. Pray lay it to heart, and mourn much over it before the Lord, you that have any ſenſe of Gods honour, of the value and preciouſneſs of immortal ſouls.
Did I not fear, that this diſcourſe would too much ſwell upon my Hands, as I would ſpeak much more to further Humiliation, upon the account of ſuch as are unregenerate; ſo I would alſo ſpeak ſomething to further humiliation, in the Saints themſelves, upon their own account. I hope many ſuch may happen to read, what here in the ſincerity of my heart, I offer to their ſerious conſideration: thus then very briefly: You have dedicated your ſelves to God; but was there not a time, when you were juſt as others are? when you did juſt as others do? when you walked according to the courſe of this world? E…h 2 2.when you lay in the common ſtate, and lived the common life? was there not a time, when you your ſelves alſo, were fooliſh, diſobedient, Tit. 3 3.deceived, ſerving divers luſts and pleaſures? Did you not ſpend many years,Rom. 8.7. under the power of the natural enmity to God? Was it not long before you would be perſwaded to yield up your ſelves to him? Did you not long withſtand Gods claim and title? Was not God fain to put forth his Almighty power,Eph. 1.19. to conquer the renitency and reluctancy of corruption? If God had left you to your ſelves, had ye to this very day, given up your ſelves to him? Did you not ſide with Satan and Sin and the world for many years againſt God? And now you have dedicated your ſelves to the Lord, (being over-powred by the holy violence of his grace,Ne arbitreris iſtam aſperam, moleſtdmque violentiam, dulcis eſt, ſuavis eſt, ipſa ſuavitas te trahit. Aug. foreign. Chryſoſt. Non cogit nolentem ſed volentem trahit. Aug.) is your dedication ſo full, ſo entire, ſo ingenious, ſo Evangelical, ſo fixed, as it ſhould be? Have you been true to it, and walked anſwerably to it? Ask your ſelves theſe queſtions, and deal in ſecret with your own ſouls, and I aſſure you, you will find matter of deep humiliation, even as to your ſelves, as well as to others, who yet ſtand it out againſt God, and have done, nothing in perſonal dedication.
Secondly, Ʋſe 2 Are there ſo few, who have dedicated themſelves to God? Then it concerns every one to enquire, whether he be in the number of theſe few; whether he be one of the Herd, or one of the little flock; whether he hath paſs'd under this Holy Dedication, or not. O call your ſelves ad ſcrutinium, enter upon the moſt ſolemn and ſerious enquiry about this; let there be ſelf-examination about ſelf-dedication; Gal. 6.4.let every man prove his own work, (and ſo too, his own dedication,) then ſhall he have rejoycing in himſelf alone, and not in another: This is a queſtion worthy of the moſt ſerious thoughts of men profeſſing the Goſpel, Have I dedicated my ſelf to God? Have I in good earneſt dedicated my ſelf to God? Am I not miſtaken in this, upon which all Religion here, & ſalvation hereafter doth depend? I am a Chriſtian no farther, than as this is done by me; and therefore is it in reality done by me? I beſeech you, look your faces a little in the glaſs of the word, and ſuffer conſcience to bring in its verdict, and judge accordingly.
Methinks it might be eaſie to convince ſome, (and theſe ſome are too many, the Lord knows,) that they have not dedicated themſelves to God: As to them, 'tis not a doubtful caſe, there's ſcarce any ground of examination, for 'tis as clear as the light of the Sun at mid-day, that they are altogether ſtrangers to this Act: I ſpeak to you, who give up your ſelves to the fancies, humors, opinions, examples, luſts of men; who care not how you diſpleaſe God, if you may but pleaſe man; who can diſpenſe with the commands of God, if you may but gratifie the luſts of men; nay, who can add ſin to ſin, if you ſee it doth but pleaſe man; (this was Herods caſe, Acts 12.3.) Have you dedicated your ſelves to God? To you, that are temporizers; who are what the times are, when they are good, you are good, when they are bad, you are bad; you that calculate your Religion by the times wherein you live, and ſet your Watch, not by the Sun, (the divine and infallible rule of the word,) but by the faſhions of the Age, upon which you are caſt; you that have a fides Ephemeris, (as Tertullian calls it) a Religion for every day, which you can put on and off, as you do your clothes; you that are meer Polypuſſes in the things of God,Polypus mutat colorem ad ſimilitudinem loci. Plin. Hiſt. Nat. l. 9. c. 29. to receive the colour and tincture of what is next, let it be what it will; you that are of a Samaritane ſpirit, to be Jews, and ally'd to them, when they flouriſh, and enemies to them when they are low; you that are like to thoſe, of whom our Hiſtories report; they were Proteſtants in King Edwards days, Papiſts in Queen Maries days, and Proteſtants again in Queen Elizabeths days; you that can ſail and turn with every wind, meer Weather-cocks in Religion, ſurviving Ecebolii; Have you dedicated your ſelves to God? To you, who are all for ſelf, for ſelf eaſe, ſelf love, ſelf pleaſing, ſelf intereſt, ſelf advancement; you that terminate all in ſelf, and make that your centre; you that inſtead of making ſelf the matter of your dedication, make it the term and object of your dedication; inſtead of the dedicating of it to God, you dedicate all to it; Have you dedicated your ſelves to God? To you, that readily proſtitute your ſelves to a courſe of ſin, to all vicious and unholy practices;1 King. 21.20. you that ſell your ſelves to wickedneſs; Eph. 4.19.that give your ſelves over unto laſciviouſneſs, to work all uncleanneſs with greedineſs; you that do in effect ſay to ſin, we are thine; you that are drunkards, ſwearers, curſers, Adulterers, Sabbath-profaners, &c. Have you dedicated your ſelves to God? To you, who are immers'd in the world; you that ſteep your ſelves in pleaſures and ſenſual delights; who mind nothing but eating, drinking, gaming, &c. and with-hold not your heart from any joy, (let it be what it will:Eccleſ. 2.10.) you that mind earthly things, Phil. 3.19.that let the fervor of your ſpirits, the torrent of your deſires, the ſtrength of your endeavours run out after riches, profits, honors, preferments, worldly accomodations; you that inſtead of forſaking the world for God, can forſake God for the world, (as Demas did;2 Tim. 4.10.) you that place your happineſs in theſe ſublunary things; Have you dedicated your ſelves to God? To you, who give up your ſelves to Satan; may be you are not by the Church given up to Satan, (which is uſually interpreted of excommunication,) 1 Cor. 5.5. 1 Tim. 1. ult. But, which is much worſe, (as the diſeaſe is worſe than the remedy,) you give up your ſelves to him; you readily obey this Prince of the power of the air, Epheſ. 2.2.that ruleth in the chidren of diſobedience; 2 Tim. 2.26.you are taken captive by him at his will; he bids you go and you go, come and you come, no ſooner doth he tempt, but you fall in with the temptation, all the day long you are doing his work, and promoting his intereſt in the world; Have you dedicated your ſelves to God? To you, who go to the Church on the Lords day, and attend upon the worſhip of God on the Lords day;Non eſt vera Religio, quae cum Templo relinquitur. Lactant. and all the week after neglect God, ſcarce a word of God, (unleſs it be in taking his name in vain,) ſcarce a ſecret prayer, ſcarce the reading of one Chapter in the Bible, all the week after; Have you dedicated your ſelves to God? Away, away, for ſhame do not pretend to this high and holy Dedication; your caſe is ſo evident, that you ſcarce are within the verge or compaſs of ſelf-examination; 'tis notorious, you have not dedicated your ſelves; pray never pretend to it.
But there are others, who are ſpun of a finer thread, who bid fairer for Heaven; they are free from thoſe works of the fleſh, which are (foreign) manifeſt, Gal. 5.19.and which proclaim to all the world Non-dedication; they make a fair profeſſion, are unblamable in their converſation, make Conſcience of performing holy duties; and many good things are done by them; ſurely theſe have dedicated themſelves to God: O that it was ſo indeed! O that all, who carry it fairly in the ſight of men, were ſincere in their ſelf-dedication to God! But are there not thouſands, that come up to this, and are profeſſors, and live under Church-priviledges, and are well thought of by the people of God; and yet for all this, their dedication is not hearty and thorough, and upon this defect, they ſhall miſcarry to all eternity. How ſhould this awaken all plauſible, out-ſide-Chriſtians, with the utmoſt diligence, to ſearch, how things ſtand betwixt God and them, as to this matter.
As to evidences, (for the help of ſuch as ſhall deſire to fall upon examination,) I ſhall not need to expatiate upon that Argument; having ſhown what ſelf-dedication is, by that every man may know, whether he be come up to it, yea or no. Read over the particulars, in which it lies, and as you go along, make ſuch reflexions as theſe are. O my ſoul tell me, have I given my ſelf to God? Have I ever by a deed of gift, ſigned and ſealed, made over my ſelf to God? Have I given him my heart? my love, joy, delight, deſires, ah, and my life too? Is my will melted into his will? Is there an obediential, ſubmiſſive frame of ſpirit in me? Am I upon ſerious deliberation, come to an iſſue, to reſolve for God? Is my reſolution, like the Laws of the Medes and Perſians, Eſth. 1.19.never to be altered? Do I carry it as a perſon, who is impropriated, ſet apart for God and his ſervice? Have I entred into covenant with God, and bound my ſelf to the performance of all the conditions thereof? Is the glory of God dear to me? …s this the great end of my life, that the great God may be honoured by ſuch a worm as I am? O my ſoul, farther I ask thee; do I value God more than all, and ſet an higher rate upon him, than upon all the world beſides? Is his favour more to me, than life, do I dread his anger more than death? Is this my greateſt ambition, to live in the fruition of God, and in conſtant communion with him? And for other things, can I be content to have them or to want them, as God ſhall ſee beſt? Do I fear every ſin, be it never ſo little? Do I baulk no duty, be it never ſo hard? Do I ſhun no croſs, be it never ſo heavy? (when God calls me to it:) Is it the will of God, that hath the regency and ſuperiority in me? Will I ſuffer nothing to ſtand in competition with my Lord and Maſter? Have I got victory over all my ſpiritual enemies? Is ſin mortified, ſelf dethroned, the world laid low in my heart? Can I be, do, ſuffer any thing for God and my dear Redeemer? Do I like ſalvation in Gods way, and upon his terms? Do I cleave to God with full purpoſe of heart? Do I love whatever I ſee of God, and all that belong to God? Have I been ſavingly convinced of the excellency of God and of his ways? Have I made over my ſelf to him perſonally conſidered, to the Father, to be commanded, governed by him; to the Son to be redeemed, juſtified, ſaved by him, (in the way of faith and obedience:) to the Holy Ghoſt, to be renewed, ſanctified, guided, led, acted by him? I ſay, thus deal with your ſouls upon theſe interrogatories, and by the anſwer of Conſcience, you will be able to ſay ſomething,1 Pet. 3.21. as to the thing enquired after, whether you have indeed dedicated your ſelves to God? I beg pardon, that I paſs over theſe things, thus briefly; and may be too, I have not ſpoke ſo diſtinctly to them as I ſhould have done; as to the firſt, I would fain ſhorten this works as much as I can, and I ſhall have occaſion more to enlarge in ſome other Heads: as to the ſecond, the enquiring, ſerious, awakened Chriſtian, minds matter more than Method.