The Best Acquaintance and Highest Honor of Christians, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Exhorting all to labour to get acquaintance with God, and propounding ſeveral Motives thereunto.
MY next work therefore ſhall be to exhort and invite every one of you to this acquaintance with God. Let me beſpeak every one, into whoſe hands theſe lines may come, in the words of my Text, Acquaint thy ſelf with him.
There are three things, that are the great attractives, and incentives to make us ſeek acquaintance with men. Firſt, The worthineſs of the perſon. Secondly, The benefit we may reap by their acquaintance. Thirdly, Eaſineſs of acceſs and acquaintance. Now all theſe are eminently and tranſcendently in God.
Firſt, The worthineſs of the perſon. Men that are of great eminency, either for learning and wiſdom, or for holineſs and prety, or for power and authority, or for honour and dignity, O how ambitions are prudent and intelligent men of getting acquaintance with ſuch? In all theſe particulars, who is like unto God, or who may be compared with him? who is infinite in wiſdom and holineſs, infinite in Majeſty, power, and glory; He is the only Potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, whoſe acquaintance is more worth than the acquaintance of all the men in the world. For,
Secondly, What benefit can you reap or expect from acquaintance with any man in the world, which is not infinitely more to be had in God, and that in all abundance? do you look that your friend and acquaintance ſhould counſel you in your ſtreights, protect you in dangers, defend you againſt enemies, pitty you in your afflictions, ſupply your wants, comfort you in your heavineſs, deliver you in all your troubles? who ſo able, ſo willing to do all this, as God for thoſe that are his friends and acquaintance? And ſuch an one thou mayeſt be if thou wilt, & haſt indeed a mind to it. For,
Thirdly, God is of open and eaſie acceſs.*Ingrediamur aulas, obſecro, & obſtupeſcemus tantum argenti & auri effundi ad propitias Principum aures impetrandas. Quandoque non hebdomades ſolùm, ſed menſes, ſed & annos totos expect andum est, dum Principis conclave & aures pateunt orationem acturo, Ad Deum immenſa Majeſtatis Dominum, omni horâ, momentis omnibus patet aditus. Rex coeli nunquam non propitias & vacivas habet aures. Importunitatis hîc nemo inſimulatur. Gratior eſt, qui frequentior, & importunior. Adeſte terrae vermiculi, prorepite ſcarabaeoli, accurrito homunculi miſelli, liberrimum vobis est cum conditore veſtro colloquium. Nec eſt, quod vel cauſae veſtra vel facundiae quidquam diffidatis: quò ſimpliciùs perorabitis, hoc meliùs: modò non fr…geat, aut exerret oratio veſtra: modò eum, quem rogatis, ex oculis non veſtrâ ſponte amittatis. Caſſiodorus id aſſerens: Ad penetralia judicis, ait, precator admittitur, & nullus inde reſpuitur, niſi qui tepidus invenitur. Drexel. Rhet. Cael. lib. 1. cap. 13. It is not his being an inviſible Majeſty, nor his dwelling in light inacceſſible, that can render our acquaintance and converſe with him, either impoſſible or difficult. Not his being inviſible, for the ſouls of men are inviſible, and yet the converſe that men have one with another, is betweeen their ſouls rather than their bodies; it is the ſoul that diſcourſeth, reaſons, underſtands, wills, loves; and if we can converſe and grow into acquaintance with a ſoul, whoſe eſſence or ſhape we never ſaw, why may we not converſe with an unſeen God too?
Nor doth it hinder our converſe and acquaintance with God, that he inhabiteth eternity, that he dwelleth in the high and holy place; for though he be infinitely above us, yet he condeſcends to communicate himſelf to us, according to our capacities. He dwelleth on high, and yet he humbleth himſelf to behold the things that are done in earth, Pſal. 113.5, 6.as well as in heaven, to converſe with men as well as Angels. As the Sun in heaven is far above us, and yet doth not diſdain to inlighten, and warm, and quicken the pooreſt worm that crawls upon the earth, as well as the Eagle that ſoars aloft above the clouds, and can gaze the Sun in the face. Let not therefore any poor ſoul be diſcouraged, and think or ſay, It is not for ſuch a worm, for ſuch a nothing as I am to aſpire to acquaintance and converſe with God. No, no, Men may be too high for thee to reach, and too great for thee to graſp and compaſs acquaintance with, but the great God will ſtoop to entertain acquaintance with thee, if thou wilt acquaint thy ſelf with him.
He diſdaineth not the acquaintance of the leaſt of men, nor of the greateſt of ſinners. Such was the condeſcenſion of the divine nature, that it diſdained not the near acquaintance with the humane nature: to take it into perſonal union with himſelf; and ſuch was the condeſcenſion of God in our nature, that when he was upon earth he diſdained not the acquaintance of thoſe who upon common account were the vileſt of men, even Publicans and ſinners.Mat. 9.11. And ſuch is ſtill the gracious condeſcenſion of God in Chriſt, that he diſdaineth not the acquaintance of the meaneſt Perſons or vileſt ſinners that ſeek acquaintance of him. Nay,
Secondly, He offers and tenders this acquaintance to them; and this is not uſual for great perſons to do to their Inferiours; he intreateth and beſeecheth poor ſinners that they would be reconciled to him, and acquainted with him. And this he doth.
Thirdly, Out of his meer grace and favour only, for their good and benefit, not for any gain or advantage to himſelf. Can a man be profitable to God? ſaith Eliphaz. No,Job 22.2. God cannot be a gainer by our acquaintance: that he offers it, ſeeks it, is for our good and benefit, that we may be made happy and bleſſed by it. O then, let not this grace of God be in vain to us, but accept we this gracious offer of God, acquainting our ſelves with him.