The Best Acquaintance and Highest Honor of Christians, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Particularly exhorting thoſe that never yet had acquaintance with God, now to labour for it. With Directions for the attaining of it.
NOw here are three ſorts that I would apply my ſelf unto.
Firſt. Thoſe that never yet were acquainted with God. My Exhortation to them ſhall be, that they would now acquaint themſelves with God, now preſently, without any further delay.
Secondly. To thoſe that have acquainted themſelves with God, that they would labour to keep and maintain their acquaintance with him inviolate and uninterrupted.
Thirdly. To thoſe whoſe acquaintance with God is intermitted, and they have in a manner loſt it, that they would labour to renew it.
Firſt. Such as never yet had any acquaintance with God. O labour now to get into acquaintance with him. Acquaint thy ſelf now with him, now preſently, immediately, without any further delay. O conſider how long you have lived ſtrangers to God already, enemies to God already. Is it not enough that you have lived twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years already, without any intimacy or acquaintance with God? O if you love God, if you love your own ſouls, live not a day longer, live not an hour longer in that ſtrange condition. The time paſt of our life may ſuffice us to have lived in laſciviouſneſs, luſt, exceſs of wine, 1 Pet. 4.3.&c. ſaith the Apoſtle Peter. And it is high time to awake out of ſleep, ſaith the Apoſtle Paul. Rom. 13.11.So ſay I, the time paſt may ſuffice us to have lived without God in the world, and it is now high time for every one of us to begin to acquaint our ſelves with him.
Acquaint therefore now thy ſelf with him. Now, now, while God is pleaſed to offer and tender this acquaintance. Now is the day of grace, 2 Cor. 6.2.now is the accepted time. Now, while the golden ſcepter is held forth, while the Goſpel is preached unto you. To day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Heb. 3.7.If God ſpeak to your hearts, and beſpeak your acquaintance with him, ſee that ye refuſe not him that ſpeaketh, but acquaint thy ſelf now with him.
If any ſay, Queſt. But how ſhall we do to get this acquaintance with God?
I anſwer, Anſw. O that there were ſuch a heart in you! O that every one into whoſe hands the providence of God ſhall bring this poor Treatiſe, were come thus far to ſeek after God, as ſeriouſly to enquire how they might be acquainted with God! you that are ſo, take theſe directions.
Firſt. Labour to be fully convinced of an abſolute neceſſity of acquainting your ſelves with God. Look upon it as your great duty, look upon it as that upon which not only the comfort of your lives, but the eternal ſalvation of your ſouls doth depend. There are three times eſpecially wherein this acquaintance with God will be found of great and abſolute neceſſity.
Firſt. In a time of common calamity. Such a time as our Saviour ſpeaks of.Luke 21.25, 26. When there ſhall be diſtreſs of Nations upon the earth, with perplexity, mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after thoſe things that are coming upon the earth; (and how near ſuch times may be to us, and how faſt they may be haſtening upon us, who can tell?) O then happy are thoſe that have acquaintance with God, they have a friend, an acquaintance that will not fail them, when their own hearts are ready to fail them, and would undoubtedly fail them, were it not for their acquaintance with God. Whereas they that have not acquainted themſelves with God, will find God himſelf a terrour to them in the day of their calamity, God will deal with them as he threatens. I will ſhew them the back, Jer. 18.17.and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
Secondly. In the day of death, then acquaintance with God will be found abſolutely neceſſary. There is no man, but when he comes to lye a dying, would be glad to have God his friend, and to receive his ſoul into his preſence and favour. Into thy hands Lord I commend my ſpirit; Lord Jeſus receive my ſoul, is the prayer, or at leaſt the wiſh of every dying man and woman, that doth not dye like Nabal, ſtupid and ſenſeleſs as a ſtock or ſtone. But do you think that God will do this for every one at the firſt asking? ſurely no. They that never regarded to acquaint themſelves with God in the time of their life, God will not ſo eaſily own them at the hour of their death; but they that have acquainted themſelves with God in the time of their life, they may with much comfort and aſſurance commend their ſouls into the hand of God, when they are at the point of death. And may ſay with Paul, 2 Tim. 1.12.I know whom I have believed, and that he is able to keep that good thing that I have committed unto him againſt that day. It was a noble ſpeech of good Dr. Preſton when he lay a dying, and full of Chriſtian confidence and comfort. I ſhall change my place, but not my company. The meaning was, that he had ſo acquainted himſelf with God here upon earth, and had ſo much converſed with him, that now that he was to dye, his company ſhould ſtill be the ſame after death, that it was in life. How far are they from being able to ſpeak this at their death, that have had no care to acquaint themſelves with God, and to converſe with him in the courſe of their life?
Thirdly. In the day of Judgment it will then be neceſſary that you ſhould have acquaintance with God. Can you your ſelves imagine but that God, who is the righteous Judge of all the world, will in that great day look, and judge, and pronounce, far otherwiſe upon thoſe that have been here acquainted with him, than upon thoſe that have lived and dyed ſtrangers and enemies to him? To the one he will ſay, Come ye bleſſed, ye have known me, and I have known you; you have loved me, and I have loved you; you have viſited me, and I have viſited you, and you have thankfully and gladly entertained thoſe viſits, you have been of my old acquaintance, many a prayer have I received from you, and many a tear have you dropt into my bottle; come therefore, come ye bleſſed, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. But to the other he will ſay, go ye curſed, ye have not known me, ye have not loved me, ye have not regarded to acquaint your ſelves with me, ye have ſet at nought all my counſels, and would none of my reproofs; ye have ſaid unto me, depart from us, we deſire not the knowledge of thy wayes. Therefore now I ſay unto you, depart from me into everlaſting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. O dreadful ſentence, dreadful to hear, intolerable to bear, which yet ye can no wayes avoid, but by acquainting your ſelves with God. You muſt of neceſſity acquaint your ſelves with God, or dye miſerably, and periſh eternally. O preſs theſe and the like conſiderations upon your ſelves, till you be throughly and effectually convinced of an abſolute neceſſity of acquainting your ſelves with God. Then,
Secondly. Labour to be ſeriouſly and deeply humbled, that you have lived ſo …ong as you have done, and lived unacquainted with God. Let me plead with you as Moſes doth with Iſrael; Do ye thus requite the Lord, O fooliſh people, Deut. 32.6.and unwiſe? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and eſtabliſhed thee? Is not he that God that hath given thee life and being, that hath preſerved thee, upheld thee, maintained thee, fed thee, clothed thee? is not he the God in whoſe hands thy breath, and all thy ways are? upon whoſe pleaſure and favour thou dependeſt for all thy preſent and eternal good, who is able to kill or cauſe to live, to ſave or to deſtroy, to make bleſſed, or to make miſerable, to all eternity? And haſt thou lived twenty, thirty, or forty years before this God, yea, upon this God, and all this while never acquainted thy ſelf at all with him? O what unthankfulneſs, what diſingenuity, what folly, what brutiſhneſs is this? If thou hadſt fed a horſe or a dog but the tenth part of that time that God hath fed thee, he would have taken more knowledge and acquaintance of thee than thou didſt ever do of God.
Yea, thou haſt not only not acquainted thy ſelf with God, but thou haſt not cared, thou haſt not regarded to acquaint thy ſelf with him, but haſt lived in a continual mindleſsneſs and regardleſsneſs of God. Of the rock that begat thee, Deut. 32.18.thou art unmindful, and haſt forgotten the God that formed thee.
Yea, thou haſt not only neglected acquaintance with God, but thou haſt deſpiſed it, undervalued it, preferred converſe with the world, and with thy luſts above converſe and acquaintance with God, as if a man ſhould prefer the company and conſortſhip of beggars and thieves, and whores, and ſuch like lewd perſons, before the favour, familiarity, and acquaintance of his Sovereign King: ſuch an affront haſt thou put upon the great God of heaven and earth. O let the thoughts of this afflict and humble thee in time, or elſe know that hereafter it will torment thee to all eternity, and make thee tear thy fleſh, and gnaw thy tongue, and curſe thy ſelf for rage & indignation at this thy preſent folly.
Thirdly. When you have thus convinced your ſelves of a neceſſity of getting acquaintance with God, and humbled your ſelves for living ſo long without acquaintance with God, Then in the third place, be careful to remove thoſe things which may be bars in your way, and may obſtruct and hinder your acquaintance with God. Now what is that? why ſin, and only ſin. Sin is the wall of ſeparation between God and us, that keeps God and us from meeting together, and from acquainting one with another. Your ſins have ſeparated between God and you, and have hid his face from you. Iſa. 59.2.Therefore ſaith God, Waſh you, make you clean, Iſa. 1.16, 17.put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; ceaſe to do evil, learn to do well. Come now and let us reaſon together. As if God had ſaid, Ay, now you have repented, and made your ſelves clean from ſin, now you are fit for God to treat withal, before you were not fit to come near him, nor approach his preſence. A rebel that would be admitted into his Princes favour and acquaintance, muſt firſt throw down his weapons of rebellion: ſo muſt they that would have any acquaintance with God, they muſt put away ſin, all ſin.
Sin is the only thing that God hates, and is an enemy againſt, for its own ſake; they therefore that would have any acquaintance with God, muſt renounce all acquaintance and familiarity with ſin. If I regard iniquity in my heart: Pſal. 66.18.God will not hear my prayer. Let a man pray never ſo often, and never ſo earneſtly, and beg acquaintance with God never ſo much, yet if he regard iniquity in his heart, God will not regard him, nor his prayers. We muſt therefore reſolve to break off all our leagues with ſin, to give a bill of divorce to every luſt, to renounce for ever all acquaintance with ſin, or elſe to renounce all acquaintance with God. Now which of theſe two would you rather do?
Fourthly. When you have thus convinced your ſelves of a neceſſity of acquainting your ſelves with God, and have humbled your ſelves for living ſo long without acquaintance with God, and have not only reſolved, but have actually renounced every evil way: you muſt not now think, that for your humiliation, or for your repentance, or for your forſaking of your ſins God is obliged or bound to take you for his friends, or to admit you into his acquaintance. No, theſe things you muſt do, or elſe never look for acquaintance with God: and when you have done all this, you muſt acknowledge, that if God ſhould caſt away you from his preſence, & refuſe to know your ſouls, it were but juſt and righteous. And if God doth ever admit you into his familiarity, it is of his meer condeſcenſion and grace, and therefore, In the fourth place, you muſt make uſe of a Mediatour to bring you into acquaintance with God. This courſe men take, who deſire to get the favour and acquaintance of their Prince, or Sovereign, being themſelves ſtrangers, much more if they have been enemies to him, they make uſe of ſome ſpecial favourite to make way for them, to procure acceſs into his preſence, and to ingratiate them with him, that ſo they may get acquaintance. Now, ſuch is the condition of all of us by nanature in reſpect of God: we are not only ſtrangers to him, but enemies, Alienated, Coloſ. 1.21.and enemies in our minds by wicked works. And being ſuch, our only way to get acquaintance with God, is to make uſe of a Mediatour; What Mediatour? Peter or Paul, or the Virgin Mary, or any other of the Saints in glory, as the Papiſts do? Alas, Abraham knows us not, Iſa. 63.16.and Iſrael is ignorant of us. If they were not, yet they are not high enough in the favour of God to prevail for us. No, no, as there is but one God, ſo there is but one Mediatour betwixt God and Man, 1 Tim. 2.5.the man Chriſt Jeſus. He is the great favourite of heaven, who alone can bring us into acquaintance with God. O therefore make uſe of him.
If you ask, What is the uſe you ſhould make of Chriſt the Mediatour, Queſt. 1 and how you ſhould make uſe of him?
To the firſt of theſe, I anſwer. The uſe you are to make of Chriſt the Mediatour, Anſw. 1 in order to the gaining of acquaintance with God, conſiſts in theſe particulars.
Firſt. You are to make uſe of Chriſt the Mediatour for your reconciliation and peace with God. Peace muſt be before acquaintance can be. And he muſt be your peace, Eph. 2.14.
Secondly. You muſt make uſe of Chriſt for bringing of you into Gods preſence. As Joſeph being the favourite of the Court of Egypt, brought Jacob and his Sons into the preſence of the King. It is Chriſt in whom we have boldneſs and acceſs with confidence. Eph. 3.12The Original foreign is very ſignificant. Never come into Gods preſence, but get Chriſt to take thee by the hand.
Thirdly. You muſt make uſe of Chriſt to procure you acceptance with God. For as the Apoſtle ſaith, He hath made us accepted in the beloved.Eph. 1.6.
Fourthly. Make uſe of Chriſt for the giving of you the true, & ſaving, and ſpiritual, and effectual knowledge of God, without which you can never have true acquaintance with him. No man knoweth the Father, but the Son, Mat. 11.27.and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
Fifthly. You muſt make uſe of Chriſt for the procuring and ſending down of that holy Spirit, without which we can never have any true converſe or familiarity with God. Our converſe with God lyes partly in our viſiting God in prayer, that we cannot do without his holy Spirit, which is a ſpirit of prayer, and partly it lyes in Gods viſiting us, which he doth not but by the breathings, and motions, and excitations, and inlargements, and conſolations of his bleſſed Spirit.
Sixthly. We muſt make uſe of Chriſt, as to bring us into the favour of God, ſo to keep and preſerve us in the favour and acquaintance of God.
If you ask, Queſt. 2 How you ſhould make uſe of Chriſt in theſe particulars?
I anſwer. Anſw. 2 Only by Faith, by believing in him, and truſting to him as the Son of God, the Mediatour, the Advocate of ſinners, to do all this for us.
This therefore do when the guilt of your ſins looks you in the face, commit your ſelf and cauſe unto Chriſt, relye upon him to anſwer for you. When the doors of mercy, and of acceſs to God, ſeem to be ſhut againſt you, flye to him that bears the keys, and can at any time open to you, and let you into Gods preſence. Deſire him to undertake for you, to anſwer for you to God, to your own conſciences, to Satans accuſations, and rely boldly and confidently upon him, to do it for you. By him alone you may boldly and comfortably converſe with God, but without him, no drawing near,Heb. 12.29. for our God is a conſuming fire.
Fifthly. When you have thus convinced your ſelves of a neceſſity of acquaintance with God, when you have humbled your ſelves for living ſo long as you have done without it, when you have removed obſtructions, when you have engaged the Mediatour, Then in the fifth place, do your duty. Ne tibi deſis, do all that may poſſibly be done for the bringing of you into acquaintance with God. As namely,
Firſt. Viſit God often with your prayers.
Secondly. Frequent Gods houſe, the publique aſſemblies of the Saints, where God dwells, where Chriſt walks in the midſt of the golden candleſticks.
Thirdly. Practiſe the duty of ſetting the Lord always before you, and ſetting your ſelves often in Gods preſence.
Fourthly. Aſſociate thy ſelf with the Saints, thoſe that are the friends and acquaintance God hath upon earth, that is a ready way to bring thee into the notice and acquaintance of God: as Ruths gleaning among Boaz his ſervants, was the firſt way of bringing her into Boaz his knowledge, and acquaintance, and of all the preferments that followed to her thereupon.
Fifthly. Beg for, and wait for a viſit from God by his Spirit, and be importunate, be impudent here, take no denial, be not ſatisfied in one, or in few, but beg ſtill more and more; ſay with the Pſalmiſt, Remember me, O Lord, with the favour thou beareſt unto thy people: Pſalm 106.4.O viſit me with thy ſalvation.
Sixthly, and Laſtly. Study compliance with God, and give thy ſelf to a punctual and exact obſervation of his will in all things. And theſe are the wayes of getting intimacy and acquaintance with God.