A Beam of Divine Glory, Part 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
God has a revenue of honour due to him upon the account of his unchangeableneſs. We ſhould give him that honour. Several ſhort and plain Directions in order thereunto.
EVery Attribute or Perfection of God, has a revenue of Honour and Glory due to it from the Creature; and 'tis a great part of both the Wiſdom and Duty of the Creature, to give to each Attribute and Perfection of his, its proper Glory. God is pleaſed to reveal and diſcover himſelf, ſometimes in one, and ſometimes in another Attribute of his; ſometimes he reveals and diſcovers himſelf in his Wiſdom, ſometimes in his Power, ſometimes in his Holineſs, ſometimes in his Faithfulneſs, ſometimes in his Juſtice, ſometimes in his Grace, ſometimes in his Greatneſs, and ſometimes, as here, in his Unchangeableneſs; now, I ſay, a great part of a Chriſtians skill and duty lies in this, To give to each Attribute, in which God reveals himſelf, its proper Glory, that is to ſay, to honour God ſuitable to the preſent Revelation he makes of himſelf. Now God being unchangeable, our work and care ſhould be, to give him the Glory of his Unchangeableneſs, which, let me tell you, is very dear to him. But how may we give God the glory due to this Attribute of his? Take only theſe few plain Directions as to that breifly.
1. Would we give God the Glory of his Unchangeableneſs? then let us get our hearts deeply affected with this Attribute of his, being in an holy manner overawed therewith. The Unchangeableneſs of God is an aweful Attribute, an Attribute that chalenges much holy awe and dread from the Creature; and when our hearts are indeed in an holy manner over-awed with the ſenſe of this Attribute, and we are filled with a reverential regard of God, as he is an unchangeable God, then do we give him the Glory thereof: This ſeems to be pointed at, Iſa. 41.4.5. in verſ. 4. God reveals himſelf in his Unchangeableneſs, when he ſayes, I the Lord, the Firſt and the Laſt; I am the Firſt, and the Laſt; or (as ſome render it) I the ſame, I the ſame: and in verſ. 5. you have the Iſles affected and over-awed with this Attribute of his; the Iſles ſaw it, and feared: Accordingly, if we would indeed give God the glory of his Unchangeableneſs, we ſhould labour to get our hearts over-awed with the ſenſe and apprehenſion thereof; we ſhould dwell much in the meditation of this Perfection of God; our language ſhould be, Well, how changeable ſoever we are; yet God is unchangeable, he is for ever the ſame, unchangeable in Greatneſs, unchangeable in Goodneſs, unchangeable in Wiſdom, unchangeable in Power, unchangeable in Holineſs, unchangeable in Faithfulneſs, unchangeable in Fulneſs and Sufficiency; he is every way an unchangeable God, what he was, he is; what he is, he will be for ever: Thus we ſhould ſit down and contemplate this Attribute, till we find our hearts affected and over-awed by it.
2. Would we give God the glory of his Unchangeableneſs? Then let us aſcribe this Attribute to God, and celebrate his Glory in it. In Deut. 32.3. we are called upon to aſcribe Greatneſs to God; and as we ſhould aſcribe Greatneſs, ſo we muſt aſcribe Unchangeableneſs to God, and with all admire and adore him therein, if we mean to give him the glory of this Attribute of his: This the Pſalmiſt does once and again, From everlaſting (ſayes he) to everlaſting, thou art God, Pſal. 90.1, 2. and again, They ſhall periſh, (ſayes he ſpeaking of the Heavens) but thou Lord ſhalt endure, they ſhall be changed, but thou art the ſame, and thy years ſhall have no end, Pſal. 102.25, 26, 27. He celebrates the Glory of God in his Unchangeableneſs, admiring and adoring him in this Perfection of his: The Church does the ſame thing in Rev. 4.8. where we read of four Beaſts which reſt not day & night, ſaying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come: Pray mark, firſt, They celebrate the glory of God's Holineſs, ſaying, Holy, holy, holy: Secondly, They celebrate the glory of God's Power and Sovereignty, Lord God Almighty: Thirdly: They celebrate the glory of God's Unchangeableneſs and Eternity, which was, which is, and which is to come, q. d. thou art an holy God, and we adore thee for thine Holineſs; thou art a Potent and Sovereign Lord, and we adore thee for thy Power and Sovereignity; thou art an Unchangeable God, and we adore thee for thine Unchangeableneſs; how fading ſoever the creatures are, thou art ſtill the ſame: In like manner ſhould we do, we ſhould aſcribe Unchangeableneſs to God, and be much in admiring and adoring him for, and in this perfection of his; this is all that we can do, and 'tis indeed our Glorifying of him, to diſplay and make mention of the excellencies and perfections of God, and with both our Spirits and Tongues to celebrate the glory of them, which indeed will be our work for ever; O let us be much in it now.
3. Would we give God the Glory of his Unchangeableneſs? Then let us ſee and acknowledge him and his Unchangeableneſs to be the ſole Spring and Fountain of all that Unchangeableneſs, that either Men or Angels do attain unto; the Creatures, Men and Angels not excepted, in themſelves are all changeable; but yet there is a bleſſed Unchangeableneſs which ſome of them, I mean, the Saints and holy Angels do at laſt attain unto; they are (as the School-men ſpeak of them) in omni bono confirmati, eternally and unchangeably confirmed in all Good, in all Holineſs, all Happineſs; And whence comes this to paſs? Verily, from the Unchangeableneſs of God, that is the Spring and Fountain of all: were not God unchangeable, unchangeable in his Covenant, Counſel, and Love, they would never arrive to ſuch an Unchangeableneſs; to God's Unchangeableneſs therefore we ſhould give the glory of it. Look, as Chriſt ſaid in another caſe, becauſe I live, ye ſhall live alſo, Joh. 14.19. So may God ſay, both to Men and Angels, becauſe I am unchangeable, therefore ſhall ye be unchangeable alſo: Indeed, the Unchangeableneſs which Saints and Angels do attain unto is but a beam, as it were, of God's Unchangeableneſs, emitted down upon them; they ſhall be unchangeably holy, becauſe God is ſo; they are unchangeably bleſſed, becauſe God is ſo; and they have communion with him by Chriſt in his unchangeable holineſs and bleſſedneſs; ſee therefore, and acknowledge God and his Unchangeableneſs in that unchangeableneſs, which Saints and Angels attain unto, aſcribing theirs wholly to his.
4. Would we give God the glory of his Unchangeableneſs? Then let us live upon this Unchangeableneſs of his: The more we live upon the Unchangeableneſs of God, the more we honour it, and give him the glory of it: Now we ſhould live upon it under a double notion. — 1. We ſhould live upon it, as the ſole cauſe of all our preſervation, expecting all from it, and aſcribing all to it; This God challenges from us in the very text; I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye are not conſumed, q. d. 'tis from my Unchangeableneſs that you are alive, that you are out of Hell, and 'tis my Unchangeableneſs that muſt keep you alive, and preſerve you for ever, and I expect you ſhould own it and live upon it accordingly: Our language ſhould be, I am alive, and why? Becauſe God is unchangeable: I am out of Hell; and why? Becauſe God is unchangeable; yea, I hope I ſhall live, and that for ever; But why? Becauſe God is unchangeable: True, I am a changeable Creature, and being left to my ſelf, I ſhall quickly forfeit, Life, Soul, Salvation, and all; yea, I am forfeiting all every day and hour by ſin; but God is an unchangeable God, he is for ever the ſame, his Counſel, his Covenant, his Love are all unchangeable, and therefore I do live, and ſhall live, yea, live eternally: Oh, this is ſo to live upon the Unchangeableneſs of God, as to give him the glory of that perfection of his. — 2. We ſhould live upon the Unchangeableneſs of God as a ſweet Spring of Comfort and Refreſhment to us under all thoſe afflictive changes, which here in this World we meet withall: We here meet with many afflictive changes; Changes and War are upon us; but the Unchangeableneſs of God is a ſweet Spring of Comfort and Refreſhment in all, and under all; and when we live upon it as ſuch, bearing up our Souls thereupon, then do we give this Attribute its proper glory. This is what is called for, Iſa. 26.4. Truſt ye in the Lord for ever (that is, live, reſt, depend upon him: Why ſo?) for in the Lord Jehovah is everlaſting ſtrength; the words are, the Rock of Ages, the Rock of this Age, the Rock of former Ages, the Rock of Ages to come, a Rock in all Ages, and the Rock of all Ages; that is to ſay, a firm, unchangeable One; and being ſuch an one, he is, he muſt be the proper object of truſt, and unleſs we do truſt in him, and live upon him, as our life, we do not give him his proper glory: We ſhould, as it were, ſit down, and ſay, Well though my eſtate changes, yet God does not change, and ſo long all is well: Though my Friends and Comforts change, my Friends turn Enemies, and my Comforts Croſses; yet God does not change, and ſo long all is well: yea, 'tis true, my Spirit changes, there is no fixedneſs, no ſtability in it, as to any thing that is good and gracious; yet however God changes not, he is alwayes the ſame, and I'le live on him; The Lord lives, and bleſſed be my Rock, (ſaies David) Pſal. 18.46. Friends dye, Trade dies, and my ſelf am a dying, but the Lord lives, and there is enough in that to bear me up under all: O when thus we live upon God's Unchangeableneſs, as a Spring and Fountain of Comfort to us under all afflictive changes here, then do we give him the glory of this Attribute of his.
5. Would we give God the glory of his Unchangeablenes? then let us labour to imitate him, and to be as like him herein, as poſſibly we can; let us labour, as much as poſſible, for an holy Unchangeablenes, a fixednes and ſtability in what is good, even here, and that in conformity to God: we caſt an honour (as one obſerves) upon them whom we imitate; for by our imitation of them, we acknowledge an excellency in them, which is all that honouring in the firſt Notion of it imports; ſure I am, the more like to God we covet to be, and the more we imitate him in this perfection of his, by coming up to an holy evenneſs and ſtability in what is Good, the more do we honour him, and give him his proper glory: But this may poſſibly be ſpoken to in a Chapter by it ſelf in its proper place. Thus you ſee how to give God that glory which is due to him upon the account of his Unchangeableneſs.