Holy Dedication Both Personal and Domestic, Part 1 · Chapter 7
CHAP. 7. Some things in ſpecial urged upon the people of God, in reference to their Dedication.
HItherto I have been ſpeaking to men, as they lie in the general lump or maſs; I will now direct my diſcourſe to the people of God, whom he hath ſingled and called out of this maſs; I will leave a few things with them, and ſo cloſe up this firſt Head of Perſonal Dedication.
You therefore that are Saints, to be ſure you have done that, which I have been preſſing upon others; for you are Saints, which you could not be without Perſonal Dedication, (this being the very forma conſtituens, or that which makes you to be ſo:) 'Tis obſervable how Gods people are deſcribed, and ſet forth in Scripture, by thoſe things which imply and connote Dedication: The Temple was dedicated, the Saints are the Temple of God, 1 Cor. 3.17. 2 Cor. 6.16. The firſt fruits were dedicated, the Saints are firſt fruits, Jam. 1.18. Revel. 14.4. The Prieſts were dedicated, the Saints (in a ſpiritual ſenſe) are ſuch, 1 Pet. 2.5. Rev. 1.6. It being thus with you, that you are dedicated perſons, let me commend the enſuing particulars to you.
1. Firſt, I would have you, often to revive upon your thoughts your holy and ſolemn Dedication: 'Tis eaſier to think of it, than to do it; and it would be of great uſe, and much to the advantage of the people of God, if they would often think of this: How would this further Humiliation, when they come ſhort in their duty! How would this excite and quicken them to every thing that is good, be it never ſo hard and difficult! How would this engage them to univerſal holineſs, this being nothing, but what is in the compaſs and tenor of their dedication! How would this fortifie againſt all the arguings, reaſonings, ſolicitations of the fleſh! and make a perſon to ſay to the fleſh, O let me alone, I muſt not hearken to thee, for I have given my ſelf to God. How would this, (if it was but duly thought of,) make Chriſtians to be above the world, ſo as not to be allured by its good, nor affrighted by its evil: How would this ennoble and greaten the ſpirits of ſuch, did they but conſider, who they are by vertue of their Dedication. The Orator tells us, He that knows himſelf, Qui ſe novit, primùm aliquid ſe habere ſentiet Divinum, ingenium in ſe ſuum ſicut ſimulachrum aliquod Dedicatum, putabit. Tull. de Leg. l. 2.will perceive there is ſomething divine in him; he will eſteem his wit, parts, to be like ſome Image under a ſolemn dedication. O if the Saints did but aright know themſelves, they would judge of themſelves, as having ſomething divine in them, their perſons, parts, graces, comforts, their All, being in a manner ſacred, becauſe dedicated. O that you that are Saints, would often remember your Dedication: this would produce excellent effects, many more than what I can here mention. 'Tis not now to be made, but 'tis now to be thought of: Did we but think of our dedication, we ſhould not carry it as we do; (I ſpeak it with much confidence.) How doth the power and obligation of the firſt dedication inſenſibly abate in us, becauſe we do ſo ſeldom revive it upon our thoughts?
2. Secondly, Be true to your Dedication: You are true in it, you are not as thoſe, who flatter God with their mouth, and lye unto him with their tongue; for their heart is not right with him, they are not ſtedfaſt in his covenant: (as 'tis Pſal. 78.36, 37.) This is not a thing, that you ſpeak of, or talk of, or profeſs to come up to, but you have indeed, heartily, unfeignedly, dedicated your ſelves to God: O as you are true in it, be true to it; as you are ſincere in your entrance, be ſo in your performance: Take heed of being falſe to God and to your Dedication. 'Tis recorded of the perſons, whom Hezekiah imployed, that they brought in the Offerings, the Tithes, and the Dedicate things faithfully, 2 Chron. 31.12. I do but allude to it; you and yours are dedicate things, O deal faithfully with God about them. Wherein? Anſw. Do not go about to reſcind or recal your Dedication. Under the Law, things dedicated, or devoted to the Lord, were not to be alienated. 'Tis very expreſly prohibited, Levit. 27.28.29. You are ſo devoted to God, will you go about to null, or alter, or revoke this? Would you be free again, to proſtitute your ſelves to ſin and to the world? Would you get off from the bonds that you have entred into? I know you would not. Keep up your Dedication, and walk anſwerably to it. As the Apoſtle exhorts the Philippians, Only (ſaith he) let your converſation be as becomes the Goſpel, Philip. 1.27. So let me ſay to you, O let your converſation be as becomes your Dedication: Let there be a ſuitableneſs 'twixt your actings and it; often put this queſtion to your ſelves, doth this and that become my dedication? This is that which I muſt order my actings by. Let the conſideration of this put you upon holineſs, both in the negative and alſo in the poſitive part thereof. What? Shall I ſin? I that have given my ſelf to God, ſhall I ſin? Shall ſin be lodg'd in that heart, committed in that life, which I have ſet apart for God? Shall I weaken and falſifie my ſolemn dedication? O ſin thou haſt nothing to do with me, I will have nothing to do with thee, for I am wholly the Lords; I h…ve too often made a breach upon my ſolemn engagements, and have been too falſe to my God, but I will be ſo no more: I will rather break with thee than with God, and therefore let me alone. O that we could vigorouſly reſiſt ſin, and all temptations thereunto, becauſe of our Dedication. Deut. 27.9, 10. Take heed, and hearken, O Iſrael, this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God: Thou ſhalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and his ſtatutes, which I command thee this day. Joſh. 24.22, 23. And Joſhua ſaid unto the people, Ye are witneſſes againſt your ſelves, that ye have choſen the Lord to ſerve him: And they ſaid, we are witneſſes; now therefore put away, ſaid he, the ſtrange Gods which are amongſt you, and encline your heart unto the Lord God of Iſrael. You read of the ſons of Athaliah, that they broke up the houſe of God, and alſo all the dedicate things of the houſe of the Lord, they beſtowed upon Baalim, 2 Chron. 24.7. was not this great wickedneſs? What will you do leſs, if you take your dedicate perſons, and imploy them in the ſervice of a baſe luſt? If you harbour any known ſin, you are not true to your Baptiſmal and Actual dedication. Can that woman be look'd upon as true to her conjugal obligation, that admits of corrivals and competitors with her Husband, and deflowers his bed? Are you faithful to God, if you love any thing in compariſon of him, or in competition to him, and ſuffer ſome helliſh luſt to defile you? O put away ſin, keep cloſe to God, be holy, then you act like your ſelves: a proud, ſenſual, worldly, barren, ſinful converſation, is very unbecoming ſuch as you are. I have plainly ſet before you, the things in which your dedication doth conſiſt, will you live up to every one of them?
Let me add but this further: If you would be true to your dedication, ſtand to it; be fixed and ſtedfaſt, as to what you have done; God is firm to you, be you firm to him: Have you not made a good choice? O ſtick to it! Have you not put your ſelves into good hands, and diſpoſed very well of your ſelves, in giving them to God? Can you be better than where you are? Can you mend your ſelves by leaving God? Joh. 6.67, 68. Will ye alſo go away? Lord (ſaith Peter) to whom ſhall we go? thou haſt the words of eternal life. Have you met with any thing in God, or in his ways, to give you any juſt occaſion of repenting, as to what you have done? Jer. 2.5. What iniquity have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me? Did you indent with God, for but ſuch a time? and is that expired, that you will call in your Indentures? or did you enter upon his ways, as Actors come upon the Stage, to act a part for an hour or two, and then all is over? or did you take him upon trial, as maſters do their ſervants, that in caſe you liked him not, you might put him off again? Will you turn Apoſtates? Having laid your hands upon the Plough, Luke 9.62.will you look back? Having begun in the ſpirit, Galat. 3.3.will you end in the fleſh? Will you draw back from God, to the perdition of your precious ſouls? Hebr. 10.39.I truſt you will not. 'Tis obſerved, both by Papiſts and Turks alſo, (for the latter have their religious Orders as well as the former,) that perſons who have once entred themſelves into ſuch Orders, (and ſo dedicated themſelves to God,) if they leave theſe, they never proſper. O Chriſtians, have you dedicated your ſelves, in a regular, ſcriptural way? If you relinquiſh your dedication, do you think to proſper? Farewel peace, joy, Heaven, farewel all, when you forſake God, and Apoſtatize from him.
That you may be thus faithful and conſtant, and in every thing make good your dedication, be much in begging of God, the ſpecial aſſiſtance of his grace: Praevenient grace made you true in your dedication, Subſequent grace, muſt make you true to your dedication. O let none relye upon their own ſtrength; we may give, reſolve, covenant, but if we be left to our ſelves, we ſhall ſoon leave God, and undo (as much as in us lies) all that we have done: The heart is deceitful, grace is weak, corruption ſtrong, Voluntate ſuâ cadit qui cadit, voluntate Dei ſtat qui ſtat. Anguſt.temptations impetuous, you need aſſiſting and ſtabliſhing grace very much. David joyned prayer with his reſolution: I will keep thy ſtatutes, O forſake me not utterly, Pſal. 119.8. You have given the hands to God in ſtipulation, lift up the hands to God in ſupplication, for fidelity, for perſeverance. The God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Jeſus Chriſt, after that ye have ſuffered a while, make you perfect, ſtabliſh, ſtrengthen, ſettle you, 1 Pet. 5.10. Self-dependance doth much endanger ſelf-dedication.
3. Thirdly, Often renew your dedication; though the firſt ſufficiently obliges you, yet all obligations are little enough, to bind theſe treacherous hearts of ours: the oftner this is renewed, the greater awe it leaves upon conſcience: And though the command of God, and the nature of duty, are highly obligatory, yet freſh and renewed dedications lay a farther, ſuperadded obligation upon the perſon: O tye the knot as faſt as may be; many knots are not ſo eaſily looſened: After repeated, reiterated dedications, you'l be aſhamed to be falſe to God.
There are ſome ſpecial caſes and ſeaſons, wherein 'tis good for you to renew your dedication. Do you fall into ſome great ſin? Recover your ſelves by ſpeedy repentance, and renew your dedication. Theſe make great wounds and gaſhes in the ſoul, get them healed preſently: Theſe endanger the very vitals, and ſtrike at the foundation, there's no dallying in this caſe. Great breaches muſt immediately be made up; great ſins make a great breach upon conſcience, upon your dedication, and therefore make it up ſpeedily. Doubtleſs, David that would renew the dedication of his houſe, after Abſaloms ſins, would alſo renew the dedication of his perſon, after his own groſs and ſcandalous ſins. Are you afflicted? reduced into great ſtraits? Renew your dedication; give all again to God at ſuch a time, for then you need him moſt to give to you. When Jacob was in great ſtraits, and knew not what to do, then he ſaid; If God will be with me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, ſo that I come again to my Fathers houſe in peace, then ſhall the Lord be my God, Gen. 28.20, 21. O be ſo wiſe, as to renew your gift and your bond in a day of trouble, and ſo ingenious, as to make all good in a day of comfort. Do you receive ſome eminent mercy from God? Renew your dedication. Say, Lord thou haſt renewed thy mercy, and therefore I here renew my duty; thou haſt given me a very choice and ſeaſonable mercy, here I give thee my ſelf for it. Do you attend upon the Sacrament? before and at and after that ordinance, ſolemnly renew your dedication: that's a duty very proper at this time. Indeed in every prayer, we virtually do this, but in ſacramental work, we muſt do it in a more ſolemn and explicit manner. Are you caſt upon times wherein there is much Apoſtacy, profeſſors fall off from God, like leaves from the trees in Autumn? Now renew your dedication, that you may bind your ſelves the faſter to God: now take up new and ſtronger reſolutions for God; ſaying, Though all forſake God, you will never forſake him. Other caſes and ſeaſons might be mentioned, but I paſs them by.
4. Fourthly, Adore and admire the infinite goodneſs of God: In your giving your ſelves to God, you do not oblige him, but he obliges you: when you give moſt, you receive moſt: firſt, grace is given to you, and then you are given to God: you could not give, if firſt you did not receive. O have you devoted your ſelves to the Lord? 'Twas he that framed your hearts to this, and wrought you up to it: Time was, when you were juſt as others are, but God, who is rich in mercy, Eph. 2.4, 7.for his great love wherewith he loved you, (even when you wholly gave up your ſelves to ſin,) effectually drew you to himſelf, That in the ages to come he might ſhew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindneſs towards you through Chriſt Jeſus. O admire that diſtinguiſhing love of God, which hath ſo freely taken hold of you: And let this heighten your admiration, that the great God is ſo willing to accept of that poor, pitiful ſelf, which you tender to him; 'tis but the paying of a debt, and yet God accepts of it as a gift. Were you Angels, it would be a condeſcenſion in God, to accept of you, but Lord, What is man, Pſal. 144.3.that thou art mindful of him, or the ſon of man, that thou ſo regardeſt him. And that which is higheſt of all, and which may put the ſoul into extatick admiration, that for ſuch a poor ſelf given, ſuch a glorious ſelf ſhould be received; you give your ſelf to God, and in lieu of this, God gives his ſelf to you: O Saints, what have you to do, but to loſe your ſelves in the admiring of God.
5. Fifthly, Further Perſonal Dedication in others: You have done it your ſelves, do what in you lies, that others may do ſo too. Do not you rejoyce in your own act? Would you have it to do again for millions of worlds? Where then is your zeal to further it in others, who have not yet dedicated themſelves to God? Do you not pity ſuch in their ſtate, and will you not endeavour to bring them out of it? Can you be content, to go to Heaven alone? Shall the Devils factors be more diligent for him, to the ruin of ſouls, than you for God, to the ſalvation of ſouls? O do not let ſinners alone, till you have been inſtrumental for converſion and Perſonal Dedication to them. So live, that you may win them to God: So inſtruct, exhort, perſwade, convince, that they may reſolve, we alſo will give up our ſelves to God, as you have done. Bernard hath an expreſſion; Major eſt in amore Dei, qui plures traxerit ad amorem Dei; He is higheſt in the love of God, (you may underſtand it both of active, and alſo of paſſive or objective love,) who hath drawn moſt to the love of God. You cannot in an higher way, manifeſt your love to God, or procure Gods love to you, than by promoting this bleſſed ſelf-dedication in others. O lay out your ſelves in order to this; and let your endeavours extend to all, but eſpecially to your near and dear relations: do not ſuffer a child, a ſervant to continue in a ſtate of alienation from God. But this I ſhall have occaſion more to dwell upon, under the next Head of Domeſtick dedication. Let me conclude this, with the words of that Divine Poet, Mr. Herbert, Pag 96 97.which are very appoſite to my purpoſe.
My God, if writings may
Convey a Lordſhip any way
Whither the buyer and the ſeller pleaſe;
Let it not thee diſpleaſe,
If this poor paper do as much as they.
On it my Heart doth bleed
As many Lines, as there doth need
To paſs it ſelf and all it hath to thee:
To which I do agree,
And here preſent it as my ſpecial deed.
If that hereafter Pleaſure
Cavil, and claim her part and meaſure,
As if this paſſed with a reſervation
Or ſome ſuch words in faſhion,
I here exclude the wrangler from thy treaſure.
Wherefore I all forego:
To one word only I ſay, No.
Where in the deed there was an intimation
Of a gift or donation,
Lord, let it now by way of purchaſe go.
He that will paſs his land,
As I have mine, may ſet his hand
And heart unto this deed, when he hath read:
And make the purchaſe ſpread
To both our goods, if he to it will ſtand.
How happy were my part
If ſome kind man would thruſt his heart
Into theſe lines: till in Heavens Court of rolls
They were by winged ſouls
Entred for both, far above their deſert!
6. Sixthly, I have but this farther to ſay, Let Saints take the comfort of their Dedication. O what a rich mine of heavenly conſolation am I fallen upon, if I could but go to the bottom of it! but that I cannot do. Have you entirely dedicated your ſelves to God? Can you go over all the branches of it, and ſay, you find them all in your ſelves? What ſhall I ſay, what may I not ſay, for the comforting of you? You have Grace, and Grace indeed, for (as hath been ſaid,) what is grace, but Perſonal Dedication. You are ſometimes much in the dark about your ſpiritual ſtate, you know not what to think of your ſelves, becauſe of the many diſcouragements, which you meet with, in the power and prevalency of corruption, &c. Can you ſay this of your ſelves? You have entirely, unreſervedly, fixedly, heartily devoted and dedicated your ſelves to God; if ſo, you may take the comfort of a ſaving work in you; when other evidences are blotted and blurr'd, if this be legible, 'tis enough; this is an abiding diſcovery of ſincerity and the truth of grace. How dear and precious are you in the ſight of God! The Lord knoweth who are his, 2 Tim. 2.19. (His, as by his own Election, ſo by their own dedication:) The Lord knoweth ſuch, not with a bare, ſimple, intuitive knowledge, but with a knowledge of delight and ſpecial approbation; God hath your heart, and you have his. You ſay to God, we are thine, (there's the ſum of duty,) and God ſays to you, I am yours, (there's the ſum of mercy:) God hath your drop, and you have his Ocean: You think nothing enough for him, he thinks nothing too much for you; his Self, his Son, his Spirit, his Heaven, his own glory, he gives it all to you. Surely God intends you nothing but good, becauſe he hath ſo graciouſly accepted of your offering, (which is your ſelves;) (I allude to that of Manoah to his wife, Judg. 13.23.) You may take this, and plead it with God upon all occaſions: Pſal. 119.94. I am thine, ſave me. Are you in dangers? plead from this, for protection: Are you in wants? plead from this, for proviſion: Lord, I have given my ſelf to thee, wilt thou not give me food and raiment? (I deſire no more;) Lord, here's the Covenant on my part, I deſire to make it good, here's the Covenant on thy part, ſhall not that be made good? then give me bread, Pſal. 111.5. And ſo for higher mercies: O it's a bleſſed thing, ingerere Deo ſuam ſyngrapham, (as Aug. ſays his mother Monica uſed to do,) to in-mind God, and to argue with him from his Covenant. Are you in ſtraits? you may plead from this, for direction: But (alas) I cannot ſpeak out half of that bleſſedneſs, which belongs to you upon this act: Let me conclude with that which is the Zenith of all; Perſonal Dedication, ſhall moſt certainly end in Eternal Salvation: That ſelf which is here dedicated, ſhall be hereafter ſaved: and that which is a poor ſelf here, ſhall be a glorious ſelf hereafter. If this be not enough for comfort, I know not what is. And ſo let me end this firſt part of my Diſcourſe, with that which ſhall never end.
The End of the Firſt Part.