The Best Acquaintance and Highest Honor of Christians, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Calling us to take notice of the wonderful condeſcenſion of God towards us, in vouchſafing to admit us into his Acquaintance; and of the madneſs and folly of thoſe that care not for this Acquaintance.
HEre then ſee the infinite goodneſs and condeſcenſion of God towards us his poor and worthleſs creatures, who though he be infinitely above us, and ſtands not at all in need of of us, nor cannot be in the leaſt benefited or advantaged by us, or by his acquaintance with us; but before there was made either Man or Angel, he was infinitely ſatisfied, and infinitely bleſſed in the enjoyment of himſelf; yet was he pleaſed to create Angels and Men, not only to a fitneſs and capacity of, but unto an actual communion and acquaintance with himſelf; which was more than needed on God's part, or was owing on our parts; and when we like fooliſh and unthankful wretches, upon the very firſt motion of the devil, gave away this honour and happineſs of acquaintance and communion for an apple, as Eſau ſold his birth-right for a meſs of pottage, and thereby not only made our ſelves unworthy for ever to be admitted into Gods favour and acquaintance, but unfit for it too, as well as unworthy; that God ſhould yet pleaſe to ſtoop ſo low as to take us yet again into acquaintance with himſelf: this ſpeaks the wonderful goodneſs of God, his infinite foreign, or love to mankind.
When Eſau had once undervalued the birth-right, ſo far as to ſell it for a meſs of pottage, though afterwards it grieved him for what he had done, and he ſought earneſtly, and that with tears, to recover that bleſſing and birth-right which he had ſo fooliſhly loſt, yet it could not be: ſo God might have dealt with Adam, and every one of us. The Text tells us, Adam lived 930 years after his ſin; now if Adam had ſpent all thoſe years in nothing but weeping and mourning, for his folly and madneſs in parting with his birth-right, his acquaintance and communion with God, for an apple, and in ſeeking earneſtly, and that with tears, to recover communion and acquaintance with God again, and after all, had been denyed it, yet God had been altogether juſt and righteous.
But behold the kindneſs of God, and his love towards mankind! As it is ſaid of David, when Abſalom by his villanies had baniſhed himſelf from his Fathers Court and preſence, it is ſaid, The ſoul of King David longed to go forth unto Abſalom: that is,2 Sam. 13.39. Davids heart was full of fatherly affection towards him, and he longs to be friends with him again: ſo did the heart of God even long towards man, after his ſin and fall, and he did even long to be friends with him again, and to renew his acquaintance and converſe with him.
And this gracious diſpoſition of his towards ſinful man, this great deſire and inclination which God hath after peace and renewed acquaintance with ſinful man, God hath abundantly declared and teſtified.
Firſt, By appointing, ordaining, and giving one to be a Mediator, a Reconciler, a Peace-maker a Friend-maker, between God and us.
Secondly, By appointing and giving no other nor meaner Perſon to this work, than his own bleſſed and dear Son, who is the expreſs image of his perſon, Heb. 1.3.and the brightneſs of his glory.
Thirdly, By giving this Son of his to be a Mediator, not only by way of Interceſſion, but alſo by way of ſatisfaction, to make peace for us by paying our debts, and ſatisfying for our ſins, which he could not do but by ſhedding his blood, and laying down his precious life; and yet rather than God would quite loſe and abandon all his intereſt in us, and acquaintance with us, he would not ſpare his own Son.
Fourthly, By teſtifying and proclaiming unto all men in the Miniſtry of the Goſpel, that he is reconciled to the world, 2 Cor. 5.19, 20.and by recalling and inviting ſinners unto peace and acquaintance with himſelf.
Fifthly, By profering his acquaintance unto ſinners upon ſuch eaſie, and as I may ſay, ſuch cheap terms, namely, that we ſhould repent of, and ceaſe from our hating of him, and our being enemies to him, and enter into a league of unfeigned love and friendſhip with him; and would any of us take one that hath been our enemy, into our acquaintance, upon other terms than theſe?
Sixthly, By his not only offering acquaintance with us upon thoſe terms, by his Embaſſadours, his Miniſters, but by his coming perſonally by his Spirit to our ſeveral hearts, inviting and ſolliciting us to this acquaintance. According to that of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, Behold I ſtand at the door and knock; Rev. 3.20.if any man hear my voice, and open to me, I will come in to him, and will ſup with him, and he with me. The Greeks and Romans of old were wont alwayes to have their feaſts at ſupper; therefore when it is ſaid here, I will come in to him, and ſup with him, it is as if he had ſaid, I will come in to him and feaſt with him. And feaſting together was of old a Symbole of perfect reconciliation, and intimate friendſhip and acquaintance. Now, behold here the wonderful goodneſs and condeſcenſion of God, and his gracious diſpoſition and inclination towards peace and acquaintance with his poor creatures. May we not here now take up that admiring expreſſion of David, And is this the manner of men, O Lord. Did you ever read or hear of any King or Prince,2 Sam. 7.19. that when his Subjects had highly provoked him, by their rebellion againſt him, and he had power enough to cruſh and deſtroy them, would yet not only ſend his Heralds and Ambaſſadours to them to offer terms of peace and reconciliation; but would himſelf, go in his own perſon, from houſe to houſe, and from man to man, intreating them ſeverally, and by name, that they would be friends with him their Soveraign Lord and King; and offering if they will but open the door to him, that he will forgive them, and be friends with them: did you ever read or hear of ſuch a thing? and is this the manner of men? but this is the manner of Gods dealing with his enemies. Behold therefore, I ſay, and admire the gracious diſpoſition of God towards ſinful man, and the great deſire he hath towards peace and renewed acquaintance with him.
In the next place, ſee here the folly and madneſs of all thoſe that are not acquainted with God. And this I fear is the ſtate of not a few among us, whatever they may think of themſelves; of whom it may be ſaid, as our Saviour ſaid of the Jews,John 5.37. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor ſeen his ſhape. They were a People that had read and heard the word of God; Ay, but yet they had never heard the voice of God, they had never heard God himſelf ſpeaking in his word; they had ſeen the temple, and the Altar, and the reſt of thoſe ſacred Symbols that were the teſtimonies of Gods preſence, ay, but they had never ſeen the face of God in thoſe Ordinances, and therefore though they looked upon themſelves as the only people in the world that were acquainted with God, yet our Saviour tells them they were miſtaken, they were meer ſtrangers to him. Ye have, ſaith he, neither heard his voice at any time, nor ſeen his ſhape.
O that it were not ſo with ſome of us, who hear of God indeed, but hear not God, who have heard of God by the hearing of the ear, but never heard God himſelf by the hearing of the heart, who have ſeen the ſanctuaries and Ordinances of God, but have never ſeen the face of God in his Ordinances, and in his Sanctuaries, and ſo remain ſtrangers to God, and unacquainted with him.
Particularly here are two ſorts, whoſe woful condition this is.
Firſt, Thoſe that are ignorant of God.
Secondly, Thoſe that have no converſe with God.
Firſt, Thoſe that are ignorant of God, who know not God: they muſt needs be ſtrangers to God, and God to them; for knowledge is the firſt ſtep to acquaintance. Now, by perſons ignorant of God, I mean, not only thoſe that are groſsly ignorant, who have not a true notion of the Nature, Attributes, and Perſons in the Deity, of which there are too many every where; but by ignorant perfons, I mean, thoſe, who though they have a true notion of God, yet want the real, effectual, and powerful knowledge of God: their knowledge of God is meerly notional, and God is to them, as it were, meerly, Notio ſecunda & ens rationis, as the Logicians ſpeak. To know God really and indeed, is as I ſaid before, to know him not only by an airy ſpeculation, but to know him by a faith of effectual perſwaſion, ſo to know him, as to believe him indeed to be, the moſt powerful, wife, and good, the moſt juſt, and holy, Creator, preſerver, and Governor of the whole univerſe, and accordingly to have our hearts affected with love unto him, with deſire after him, with fear and reverence of him, and delight in him. This, and this only, is the true knowledge of God, and whoſoever they be that are deſtitute of this knowledge, whatever they may think of themſelves, and of their own knowledge, they are yet ignorant of God, and ſtrangers from God, through the ignorance that is in them.
Now, do we thus know God all of us? do we thus know God? thus as to acknowledge him, love him, fear him, deſire him delight in him. The ox, the horſe, & the dog, thus knows his Maſter and owner; and if we do not thus know our Creator, our Preſerver, our Feeder and Maintainer, O how ignorant and brutiſh are we? Iſa. 1.3.
Secondly. Others there are that have no converſe with God, whatever they know of him, they have no converſe with him,Epheſ. 2.12. but live without God in the world, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks of ſome. That are as mindleſs of God, as regardleſs of God, & of all converſe with him, as if there were no God at all: who are ſo far from viſiting God daily with their prayers, that they never viſit God by prayer at all; who are ſo far from being often in the preſence of God, as thoſe are that acquaint themſelves with God, and converſe with God, that they are never in the preſence of God at all.Pſal. 10.4. God is not in all their thoughts, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks, and makes it the very deſcription of a wicked man. Now how many ſuch are there among us, of whom it may moſt truly be ſaid, God is not in all their thoughts?
One man he awakes, and riſes in the morning, and as ſoon as he is up, preſently without ever taking notice of God, or turning his thoughts to him, he ruſheth into his ſhop, or into his worldly buſineſſes, and is engaged in them ſoul and body, heart and hand, and ſo he continues, till of neceſſity he muſt intermit his labours to take a little food, and when he hath done that, he returns to his work again, and there continues till late at night, and then he takes his ſupper, and goes to bed, and ſleeps till morning, and then he riſeth and ſpends the ſecond day as he ſpent the firſt, and the third as the ſecond, and ſo on, one day after another, and one week after another, and one year after another, but God is not in all his thoughts. Another is no ſooner up and clad, but he is preſently for his ſports and games, or his company and cups, and theſe he purſues all the day long. There are that riſe early in the morning to follow ſtrong drink, Iſa. 5.11.and continue until night, …ill the wins enflame them. And as they ſpend one day, ſo they reſolve to ſpend a ſecond and a third, and ſo they would ſpend every day. Come ye, ſay they, I will fetch wine; Chap. 56.12.and we will fill our ſelves with ſtrong drink, and to morrow ſhall be as this day, and much more abundant. When I ſhall awake, Prov. 23.35.I will ſeek it yet again. A man may without ſuſpicion of the leaſt breach of charity conclude of theſe, that they have no acquaintance with God: God is not in all their thoughts.
I confeſs, that even the Saints themſelves have God too little in their thoughts, but they take notice of it, and bewail it, which makes one of them cry out, O Deus aeterne quomodo ſemper memor es ejus qui tui ſemper obliviſcitur? quomodo continuatam habes memoriam ejus qui perpetuam tui habet oblivionem? O Deus proeſentiſſime, & remotiſſime! proeſentiſſime quidem quod in te eſt omnibus creaturis t…is, remotiſſimus vero hominibus terrenis propter profundam qua tenentur joblivionem quod tu fis in eis. Me miſerum obliviſcor Dei qui mecum eſt, & beneficiorum quae continuo in me confert, praeceptorum quae mihi imponit, praemiorum quae promittit, ſuppliciorum quae minatur, & denique judicii quod inſtituet. O Pater miſericordiarum aufer à me pernitioſam adeo oblivionem tui, ut ſemper ſim tui memor ſicut tu es mei. O eternal God, how is it that thou art alwayes mindful of one who is alwayes unmindful of thee? how is it that thou haſt a continual remembrance of him who hath a perpetual forgetfulneſs of thee? O O God, who art moſt preſent to me, and moſt remote from me! As for thee, thou art moſt preſent to all thy creatures, but moſt remote from earthly men, becauſe of their profound forgetfulneſs, that thou art in them, Ah, wretched man that I am, I forget that God that is ever with me, the benefits that he continually beſtows upon me, the precepts which he impoſeth on me, the rewards which he promiſeth me, the puniſhments wherewith he threatens me, the Judgments which he will execute. O Father of mercies, take away from me this ſo pernicious forgetfulneſs of thee, and grant that I may be ever mindful of thee, as thou art of me. But, O how few are there that are thus ſenſible of their forgetfulneſs of God, and their mindleſsneſs of him, and bewail it, and pray againſt it? No, my brethren, the generality of men live in a mindleſsneſs and regardleſsneſs, and total and conſtant forgetfulneſs of God, & love to live ſo; this is their folly and their madneſs, they ſhun the thoughts of God, and all converſe with God, as men that have ſore eyes ſhun the light of the Sun.Job 21. 14. They ſay unto the Almighty, depart from us, for we deſire not the knowledge of thy wayes. Would you think it poſſible, that men ſhould ever arrive at that height of madneſs, as not only to live ſtrangers from God, & unacquainted with him, but to be contented ſo to live, yea to ref uſe all knowledge of him, and ſcorn all acquaintance with him?