A Beam of Divine Glory, Part 1 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
We are to imitate God, and labour for a likeneſs to him in his Unchangeableneſs, by being more conſtant in that which is good; this, in ſome meaſure, is attainable in this World, 'tis the perfection of the Soul, where attained, and brings him near the life of Heaven.
UNchangeableneſs being one of the glorious Excellencies and Perfections of God, why ſhould we not imitate him? why ſhould we not labour to be like unto him herein? why ſhould we not covet and preſs after an holy Unchangeableneſs in our Spirits and walkings with him? Sure I am, 'tis what his Unchangeableneſs calls upon us for. From the conſideration of God's Immutability, A Dei immutabilitate ſequitur nos in his quae Dei ſunt, fide, ſpe, charitate, debere eſſe immutabiles. Schar.(ſays a learned Man) it follows that we alſo ſhould labour to be immutable in the things of God, in Faith, in Hope, in Love, and the like. Look as the conſideration of God's Holineſs, calls for Holineſs in us; and the conſideration ration of his Goodneſs and Mercy, calls for Goodneſs and Mercy in us; and the conſideration of his Patience, calls for Patience in us, and the like; ſo the conſideration of his Unchangeableneſs, calls for an holy Unchangeableneſs, at leaſt ſomewhat like it, an holy evenneſs, ſteadines, and fixedneſs of Spirit in our wayes & walkings with him, and before him, it calls upon us to be more conſtant and uniform in all holy Obedience, and in the exerciſe of all Grace. True, my Beloved, there are ſome things ſo peculiarly appropriate to God, that in reſpect of them, there can be no formal likneſs in the Creature to Him, and it would be impious boldneſs for any to aſpire thereunto; ſuch are his Supream Dominion and Sovereign Authority, his Abſolute Independency and ſelf-Sufficiency, &c. Now in theſe, while men affect to imitate him, they (as one obſerves) wickedly affront him: But now ſome other perfections there are found in the bleſſed God, not ſo incommunicable and appropriate to him but that his Creatures may be ſaid to have ſome participation thereof with him, and ſo far to be truly like him; ſuch are his Holineſs, his Juſtice, his Mercy, his Patience, and the like, wherein 'tis our duty, as well as our glory, to imitate him, and to labour for as great a reſemblance, and as full a conformity to him, as poſſibly we can; In Mat. 5.48. Chriſt commands us to be perfect, as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect and; Eph. 5.1.foreign. Si Filii Dei ſumus debere nos eſſe ejus imitatores. Calv. in loc. we are enjoyned to be followers of God, as dear Children: be yea followers of God; the Word is, be ye imitators of God, be ye like to him, bearing his Image upon you; and if you are his Children indeed, you will do ſo: We ſhould imitate God in all his imitable Excellencies and Perfections; yea, this obſerve moreover, that where there cannot be a proper and formal likeneſs or ſimilitude in us to God, in reſpect of thoſe peculiarly appropriate Excellencies that are in him, yet even there ſhould we labour for impreſſions, affections, diſpoſitions, and demeaners of Soul towards him, ſutable and anſwerable to thoſe Excellencies and Perfections of his: As for inſtance, He being abſolutely Supream, there ought to be in us an humble ſubjection and ſelf-reſignation of Soul, diſpoſing us to conſtant obedience to him: ſo he being ſimply and abſolutely independent and ſelf-ſufficient, there ought to be in us a ſelf-emptineſs and nothingneſs, living wholly and entirely out of our ſelves upon him as ſuch a God, fetching all in from his Fountain-fulneſs: Thus where we are not capable of any formal likeneſs to God, we ſhould yet ſtudy his Perfections, and labour for diſpoſitions of Spirit, and demeanors of Soul ſutable there unto: But where we are capable of any likneſs to him, there we ſhould covet it, and preſs after it: God therefore being Unchangeable, we ſhould labour for an holy Unchangeableneſs in our Spirits and Walkings before him; we ſhould imitate him, and conform to him herein, ſo far as we are capable of ſo doing; we ſhould labour for more fixedneſs, more evenneſs, more conſtancy, and uniformity in all Grace and Holineſs, in all Heavenlineſs and Obedience, in all acts of Duty and walking with God: 'tis what in a good meaſure may be attained unto even here in this World. 'Tis poſſible my Beloved, for theſe roving, inconſtant, unſtable Souls of ours, to be in ſome good meaſure brought up to an holy evenneſs and Unchangeableneſs in the wayes and things of God; for this is what ſome of the Saints have attained unto, in Gen. 5.22. 'tis ſaid of Enoch, that he walked with God three hundred years, and begat Sons and Daughters: of others 'tis ſaid, that they begat ſuch and ſuch, and they lived ſo many years afterwards: but of Enoch, 'tis ſaid, he begat Methuſelah, and walked with God three hundred years; as if his whole life for that three hundred years were one continued and uninterrupted courſe of walking with God. The*Deum preſentem praeoculis ac familiarem habuit, Deique placito ſe ita accommodavit, ut videretur perpetuo cum Deo ambulare. Tirin. Phraſe (as a learned Critique obſerves) ſeems to carry this in it; that he had God ſo preſent alwayes with him, and he ſo accomodated himſelf to the pleaſure of God, as that he ſeemed perpetually to walk with him. His life was, as it were, one conſtant courſe and ſeries of walking with him: This alſo is what God calls for, Be ſtedfaſt, immoveable, alwayes abounding in the Work of the Lord, 1 Cor. 15.58. This is what the Apoſtles are ever and anon praying for, both for themſelves and others: The God of all Grace ſtabliſh, ſtrengthen, ſettle you, 1 Pet 5.10. This is what being attained is the Crown and Perfection of a Chriſtian; ſo in that ſame, 1 Pet. 5, 10. The God of all Grace, after you have ſuffered a while, make you perfect, ſtabliſh, ſtrengthen you. To be ſtabliſht, and ſettled in our Spirits, and wayes, in holy things, this is our Perfection: 'Tis indeed the glory of Chriſtianity, and the honour of a Chriſtian: Oh my Beloved, the more even and uniform we are in the things and wayes of God, the more excellent and perfect we are, and the more amiable in the ſight of God: Oh, 'tis not the flaſhy, high-flown talking, but the even and ſteady Chriſtian, that is moſt excellent, moſt amiable in God's Eye; this is a Crown of Glory indeed upon the Head of a poor Soul. 'Twas queen Elizabeths Motto, ſemper eadem, alwayes the ſame; and truly were it more in an holy reſpect the Chriſtians Motto, he would be more glorious than he is: Rawlins you left me, and Rawlins you find me, ſaid that Martyr; meaning, that he was ſtill in the ſame Mind, the ſame Spirit, being conſtant to his Teſtimony, which was his Crown and Glory.Quod deſideras autem magnum ſummum eſt, Deoque vicinum, non conents. Sen. 'Tis an high and great thing (ſayes one to his Friend) which thou deſireſt, and even bordering upon a Deity, not to be moved and changed. Sure I am, 'tis an high and great thing in Spirituals, to come up to an holy evenneſs and fixedneſs of Soul; This is that which honours the Goſpel; this is that which renders Religion amiable; this is that which makes way for full and conſtant communion with God, for abiding Conſolations; this is that which delights the Heart of God, this is that which brings us near to the ſtate and life of Heaven; for there the Saints and Angels are fixed and unchangeably confirmed in all Good, in all Holineſs, in all Happineſs: Oh, labour for as much of this Holy Unchangeableneſs as poſſibly may be attained unto here on Earth, and then ſigh and long for that Life and State, where you ſhall know no change for ever, but be perfectly, unchangeably, and etenally holy and happy, as God himſelf is; for you ſhall be like him, and ſee him as he is, 1 Joh. 3.2. 'Tis true, 'tis no eaſy thing to fix our roving Spirits, and reduce them to a ſteadineſs in what is good; but remember the God you are to have recourſe to, to do this great Work for you, is the God of all Grace, as you have it in the prequoted place, 1 Pet. 5.10. and he therefore can do it with eaſe for you: Oh, look to him for this great Bleſſing, this high Attainement: