The Best Acquaintance and Highest Honor of Christians, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Shewing the Reaſons, why it is the great concernment of every Man to acquaint himſelf with God.
MAn is, as the Proverb tells us, a ſociable creature, God at the firſt framed him for company and ſociety, therefore of Man in his Innocency, God pronounced this; It is not good for man to be alone. Gen. 2.18.Hence it is that every Man naturally ſeeks to aſſociate and acquaint himſelf with ſome Companion or other, but ſince the nature of man is become ſo corrupted and vitiated by the fall of Adam, it concerns every man to be very careful whom he doth acquaint and aſſociate himſelf with, not only for his reputation and honour ſake, becauſe Noſcitur ex ſocio qui non dignoſcitur ex ſe; but alſo for his ſouls ſake, becauſe a mans aſſociate and acquaintance hath a ſecret and powerful influence upon his mind and ſpirit, to make it either better or worſe, according as his acquaintance is. Therefore it is that the holy Ghoſt gives that neceſſary caution; Make no friendſhip with an angry man, Prov. 22.24.and with a furious man thou ſhalt not go, leſt thou learn his wayes, and get a ſnare to thy ſoul. The ſame may be ſaid of a drunkard, of a ſwearer, of a deſpiſer of the Word and Ordinances of God, of a perverter of the truths of God, and of every other ſinner whatſoever. Make no friendſhip with him, leſt thou get a ſnare to thy ſoul. But O, how is this wholeſom and neceſſary counſel of the holy Ghoſt forgotten; and how unwary are moſt men in the choice of their friends and acquaintance, though the holy Ghoſt again tells us, With the pure men will learn purity, Pſal. 18.27.and with the froward they will learn frowardneſs. So our Engliſh Tranſlation reads it. Et cum perverſo perverteris; Sic Clemens Alexandr. Tertullian. Athanaſ. Ambroſius, Cyrillus, Auguſtinus, alii que locum interpretantur.ſo the Vulgar Latin But now I propound unto you here an acquaintance, from whence you need not fear any hurt or danger, but rather on the contrary may expect much good; for ſo ſaith the Text: Acquaint now thy ſelf with him, and be at peace; ſo ſhall good come unto thee. The firſt benefit of this acquaintance is peace, peace with God, peace with thine own conſcience, peace with the reſt of the creatures. Firſt, Peace with God, that muſt needs be, becauſe reconciliation and peace with God, is as you have heard, one ingredient of this acquaintance with God. Secondly, Peace with conſcience, for conſcience is but Gods Deputy, Gods Advocate and Notary in the ſoul; and as among men, when a man hath made his peace with the principal Creditor or party that had a controverſie in Law againſt him, the Advocate, the Sollicitor his mouth is ſtopped, he hath no more to ſay: ſo here, having peace with God, thou haſt peace with conſcience; to be ſure then, thou haſt jus ad rem, if not jus in re. Thirdly, Peace with the creatures. Job 5.23, 24.For thou ſhalt be in league with the ſtones of the field: and the beaſts of the field ſhall be at peace with thee, &c. And Secondly, Good ſhall come unto thee, and that a threefold good; Utile, Honeſtum, or Honorificum, Jucundum. For, Firſt, this acquaintance with God is the moſt profitable acquaintance. Secondly, It is the moſt honourable acquaintance. And, Thirdly, It is the moſt comfortable acquaintance.
Firſt, I ſay, acquaintance with God is the moſt profitable acquaintance; there never was any man, that ever was acquainted with God, nor never will be, but got abundance of good by that acquaintance. I have read of Calvin and Beza, and other men of eminent learning and holineſs, that the men of their acquaintance have proteſted, that they never were in their company, but they returned doctiores, aut meliores, either more learned, or made better; what then may, and muſt, and will thoſe ſay, that are acquainted with God? If the light of a glowworm will help a man ſo much, what will the light of the Sun? When Moſes had been converſing with God upon the Mount but for a little time, forty dayes and forty nights, the Text ſaith, his face did ſhine. Exod. 24.29.Our acquaintance with men may ſully and deform us, they may affricate ſome of their errours or vices to us, Uva ut mucorem contactâ traxit ab uvâ. But now converſing with God, acquainting our ſelves with God, that will make our faces to ſhine. O how humble, how holy, how heavenly, how God-like will that man grow that acquaints himſelf with God?
Secondly, As this acquaintance with God is a profitable acquaintance, ſo it is an honourable acquaintance. Men count it an honour to have acquaintance with thoſe that are their Superiours; hence it is that many ſeek the Rulers favour. Prov. 29.26.You read of one Zabud the ſon of Nathan, that he was the principal officer in Solomons Court,1 Kings 4.5. and that he was the Kings friend. Which of thoſe think you, did he count his greateſt honour? and if he muſt have been put to his choice to part with one of them, which of them do you think he would moſt willingly have parted with? It is eaſily determined. Surely to be the Kings friend was more to him than his office, whatever his office were. O then, what is it to be the friends of God, to be admitted into familiarity and acquaintance with God, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords? It is ſpoken of Abraham as his great honour, and the great reward of his faith, that he was called the friend of God. James 2.23.Cuicunque haec ſors contigerit ut amicus Dei ſit is humanae foelicitatis terminos tranſcendit, ſaith Philo. Whoſe lot ſoever it be to be the friend of God, he hath tranſcended the bounds of humane felicity. And yet this honour have all the children of faithful Abraham, as well as himſelf; and indeed this honour all may have that will. Therefore that Souldier whom Auſtine mentions, lib. 8. Confeſſ. cap. 6. ſaid wiſely, Dic quaeſo, omnibus laboribus noſtris quo ambimus pervenire? quid quaerimus? cujus rei cauſa militamus? Majoreſne eſſe poterint ſpes noſtrae in palatio quam ut amici imperatoris fiamus? & ibi quid non fragile, plenumque periculis? Et per quot pericula pervenitur ad grandius periculum? Et quamdiu iſtud erit? Amicus autem Dei (voluero ecce nunc fio. Tell me I pray, whither do we by all our adventures aſpire? what ſeek we? what run we the hazard of war for? can our hopes in the Pallace riſe higher, than to be accounted Friends to the Emperour? and in that honour, what is there that is not frail, and full of danger? and how long will that endure? But the friend of God, if I will, I may be made now preſently. And who but mad-men or fools, would refuſe ſuch honour.
Thirdly, This acquaintance with God, as it is moſt profitable and honourable, ſo it is moſt comfortable, pleaſant, and delightful. And here I muſt appeal to all thoſe that have ever had experience of acquaintance with God, if they have not found more true, real, ſolid joy and comfort in one quarter of an hours ſecret converſe with God, yea in one friendly look or word of God, than ever they did in all their lives beſides? you that are ſtrangers to this, I know will not believe it, nor cannot think it; but thoſe that have experience of it, will bear me witneſs that I ſpeak the truth in Chriſt, I lye not, nor hyperbolize. What is the comfort and joy of heaven it ſelf, but the preſence of God, ſweet communion and converſe with God; ſo far therefore as we can attain this upon earth, ſo far we have an heaven upon earth. The Jews have a ſaying concerning the laſt day of the feaſt of Tabernacles which Scripture calls the laſt and great day of the feaſt, Joh. 7.37. that he who never knew the joy of that day, never knew joy in all his life: but I am ſure it is much more true here; he that never knew the comfort and joy of acquaintance with God, never knew true joy and comfort in all his life.
Well, if all this that hath been ſaid of the profit, honour, and comfort of acquaintance with God, be not enough to perſwade you, that it is the great concernment of every one of you to get and keep this acquaintance, I have but one thing more to add, and that is, that it is neceſſary for every one of you to acquaint your ſelves with God. For tell me, can you be content when you ſhall come to lye a dying, and then knock at the gate of mercy, ſaying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; Luke 13.25.can you be content, that God ſhould anſwer you as it is there, I know you not whence you are? Or, can you be content, that when you come to appear before the judgment-ſeat of Chriſt, he ſhould profeſs to you, I never knew you, Mat. 7.23.depart from me ye workers of iniquity? If not, O then labour to get acquaintance with God and Chriſt now, for can you imagine that God and Chriſt will know them in death and judgment, who care not for knowing him, and acquainting themſelves with him in the time of their lives?