The Bowels of Tender Mercy Sealed in the Everlasting Covenant, Religious treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 4 · Section 5 – Section 6
SECT. V.
4. THe comforts from this, that God is our God, and that we are his people: I Comforts from this that God is our God.ſhall propound theſe, 1. In general. 2. In particular.
1. In the general, it is our happineſſe, and bleſſedneſſe, ſo the Scripture affirms, Pſal. 33. 12. Bleſſed is the Nation, whoſe God is the Lord, and the In general. This is our Bleſſedneſs.people whom he hath choſen for his inheritance. Pſal. 144. 15. Happy is the people whoſe God is the Lord. We loſt our happineſſe, when we loſt our God; and we then recover our happineſſe, when we recover God to be our God; there are Three things make up a bleſſedneſſe for us. Chiefneſſe of good.three things neceſſary to make up a bleſſedneſſe for us.
1. Chiefneſſe of good; Mans happineſſe muſt be the beſt of good. No good [below man] can be the happineſſe of man; and therefore mans happineſſe cannot be placed in the enjoyment of any created thing whatſoever, (ſuppoſe it be any gracious qualities) becauſe there is a good better than all theſe, and that is God himſelf.
2. Fulneſſe of good; it muſt be ſuch a good as comprehends all the good Fulneſs of goodwhich the ſoul of man doth or can need and deſire, and is capable of; if the good be too ſhort, and failing, that it is not ſutable, or it is not extenſive, if it cannot fully reach unto, and fill up the ſoul; it is not bleſſedneſſe, for bleſſedneſſe is perfect; it cannot conſiſt with want; now ſuch a good God only is.
3. Fruition of, and propriety in that good: Objective bleſſedneſſe may be Fruition of that good.without our fruition; but our formal bleſſedneſſe doth conſiſt in our enjoyment of that bleſſedneſſe in union with it, and communion of it; and all theſe are to be found when God is our God, and when we are his people in Covenant; That God (who is the chiefeſt good, and moſt full and infinite good) we ſtand poſſeſſed of, and enjoy him as ſo unto all eternity. This is our God for ever and ever.
But to ſpeak more exactly to this great truth: give me favour to open three things unto you, &c.
1. That God is, and that he only is our bleſſedneſſe.
2. What that is which makes up our bleſſedneſſe in God.
3. That every one who hath God to be his God, doth enjoy every thing which makes up that bleſſedneſſe.
1. That God is, and that he only is our bleſſedneſſe, this will preſently appear God is, and he only is our bleſſedneſſe, Proved. Bleſſedneſſe is perfection. God is perfection.by theſe three Arguments.
1. Bleſſedneſſe is perfection, and it is the chiefeſt perfection; it raiſeth our condition, and ſo raiſeth it, that it cannot be raiſed any higher or further; and therefore the Apoſtle deſcribing the bleſſedneſſe of the Saints in heaven, ſaith, that thus the ſpirits of juſt men are made perfect, Heb. 12. 24. But God is perfection, and he is the chiefeſt perfection; not only as to himſelf, but alſo as to us; that he is perfection to himſelf, is evident by his own al-ſufficiency, and by his own infiniteneſſe (al-ſufficiency is perfection, and infiniteneſſe is perfection, and independency on any, is a perfection of, and no it, ſelf) and that he is a perfection, and the chiefeſt of perfection unto us is as evident; for,
1. The more or leſſe you enjoy of him, the more, or the leſſe perfect you are; The more or leſſe you enjoy of God, the more or leſſe perfect.you climb up to your perfection, as you climb up in your enjoyments of him: the more that you are brought into a likeneſſe of him, and into a fellowſhip with him, and a participation of his grace and love, and glory, the more perfect you are.
2. The more you do enjoy of him, the leſſe need you will have of other things; The more you enjoy him, the leſſe need of other things.And when you come fully to enjoy him, all your needs, and all your wants will be at an end. As nothing can be added to God, becauſe he is an infinite perfection; So nothing can be added to our bleſſedneſſe, beſides God himſelfe, when we come to enjoy him, and therefore he alone is our perfection.
3. He fully makes up the wants of your ſouls; and therefore he is our perfection. He fully makes up the wants of our ſouls.Survey all the wants and complaints of the ſoule; he can ſupply them all; and all from himſelf alone; and therefore certainly God is our perfection.
4. Yea, go where you will, and pitch on any objects whatſoever, and In all other enjoyments, our condition is low without God. Bleſſedneſſe is our reſt.let them all fall into your poſſeſſion, yet, is your condition low, imperfect, needy, unhappy, unleſſe you come to enjoy God; therefore he only is your perfection.
2. Bleſſedneſſe is a quietation. It is our reſt, our center where our ſouls quietly reſt, and neither do, nor can move any further. It is our Fathers houſe unto which we are travelling, and unto which when we arrive, we are then at our journies end.
Bleſſedneſſe is that enjoyment, beyond which we cannot move in our deſires, for any better or further enjoyment: It concludes and puts a full period to all the motions of the ſoul; Now God is, and he only is the quiet, reſt, and end of the ſoul. O Lord, ſaith Auſtin, My heart was made for thee, God, and he only is our reſtand never is at re… till it come unto thee. There is a reſtleſſeneſſe in man in all other enjoyments; his ſoul reſts not, though he enjoyes honours, or riches, or friends, or health, or liberty; yea, though he enjoyes grace and comfort; But when he comes to enjoy God himſelf, now he is at reſt; Now he can ſay as David, Return to thy reſt, O my ſoul, Pſal. 116. 7. There is no more to be deſired or enjoyed; for bleſſedneſſe is a compleat and fixed ſatisfaction to the ſoul; it fills up all wants, and all deſires, and therefore it gives reſt and quiet; and ſo doth God; The Rabbins ſay, that all the letters in the Name Jehovah, are litterae quieſcentes, letters of reſt.Bleſſedneſs is that good which is moſt deſirable.
3. Bleſsedneſſe is that good which is moſt deſirable, and moſt delightful; for it is the greateſt goodneſſe, and therefore is moſt deſirable, and becauſe ſo, therefore it is the moſt delightful: It is the end for which all other things are deſired, and it is the full poſſeſſion of all that we have longed and waited for. Now God is the moſt deſirable good; He is ſo in himſelf, (for he is goodneſſe God is the moſt deſirable good.it ſelf, and he is deſirable for himſelf alone, and ſo is no other good) And he is ſo in the hearts of his people: Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none on earth that I deſire beſides thee, Pſal. 73. 25. And God is the most delightful good; there cannot be any object whatſoever, which can ſo pleaſe, and ſo take, and ſo affect, and glad and rejoyce the heart, as God doth; His manifeſtations are a very Paradiſe, and a very heaven in the hearts of his people; they make them to rejoyce with joy unſpeakable, and full of glory.
2. What that is in and from God which makes up our bleſſedneſs, or a bleſſedneſs What that is, in and from God, which is a bleſſedneſs unto us. Propriety.unto us.
There are four things which do it.
1. Propriety. Though God be an infinite bleſſedneſs in and to himſelf, whether we have any intereſt and propriety in him or not, yet he is not our bleſſedneſs without propriety; he muſt be our God, if he be our bleſſedneſs. Propriety in bleſſedneſs, is our bleſſedneſs. He is rich who hath riches, and he is great who hath greatneſs; the ſeeing of lands, makes no eſtate unto us, but the poſſeſſion of them, and propriety in them, this doth it.
2. Conformity; as our unhappineſſe conſiſts in diſſimilitude (the more unlike Conformity.any man is to God, the more unhappy is that man) where nothing of God appears, there nothing of happineſſe appears, (for there can be nothing but darkneſſe, where there is nothing of light.) So on the contrary, our happineſſe depends upon ſimilitude with God; The more like we are to him, the more bleſſed are we. The Apoſtle delivers this as our very bleſſedneſſe, that when he appears we ſhall be like him, 1 Joh. 3. 2. Hence it is, that holy perſons are ſtiled bleſſed perſons: Bleſsed are the pure in heart, Matth. 5. 8. and holineſſe is happineſſe. Imperfect holineſſe, is imperfect happineſſe; and perfect holineſſe is perfect happineſſe. The more holy you are, the more like to God you are; and the more like you are to him, the more bleſſed you are. The more you partake of the Divine Nature, (which is the only bleſſed Nature) the more do you partake of bleſſedneſſe, for God is now the more yours.
3. Ʋnion. As diſſimilitude with God, hinders God from being our bleſſedneſs: Union.ſo likewiſe doth diſtance from God; this muſt neceſſarily be ſo; for if God be bleſſedneſs, then a diſtance from God, is likewiſe a diſtance from bleſſedneſs; of neceſſity there muſt be a nearneſs; yea, ſuch a nearneſs as makes a union, which muſt make up a bleſſedneſſe unto us; and indeed here lies our bleſſedneſs, that God unites himſelf unto us, and we are united to him. He unites God unites himſelf to us. By way of donation.himſelf unto us,
1. By way of donation; in that he gives himſelf unto us, even as an husband gives himſelf unto the wife, Hoſ. 2. 19.
2. By way of inhabitation; in that he dwells in us by his Spirit, 1 John 3. 24. By way of Inhabitation.We know that he dwells in us by the Spirit which he hath given us. 2 Cor. 6. 16. I will dwell in them, and I will be their God, and they ſhall be my people.
3. By way of affection; for as we are united to Chriſt by Faith, ſo God is By way of affection.united to us by love; when he loves us, he joynes himſelf to us (union being an immediate effect of love) and where he unites himſelf, there he is a bleſſedneſs.
4. Communion. This Communion of God with us, is our great happineſs on earth, and ſhall be our everlaſting happineſs in heaven, and it doth conſiſt Communion.in Gods gracious opening and manifeſting of himſelf unto the ſoul; not ſimply in his loving of us, but eſpecially in the manifeſting that love unto us; not ſimply in his delight, but eſpecially in manifeſting that delight of his in us towards us, and in the imparting of his goodneſs to us; and verily in this communion doth our bleſſedneſs conſiſt; namely, that God doth manifeſt himſelf in love, and grace, and glory to us.
3. That every one who hath God for his God in Covenant, doth enjoy every Everyone who hath God for his God, doth enjoy all theſe things. He hath an intereſt in God.one of theſe things which makes up bleſsedneſs; This ſo clear, that I ſhall not need to inſiſt upon it.
1. He hath an intereſt in God; yea, ſuch an intereſt that includes propriety; he can ſay, This God is my God, and this God is my portion. Pſal. 118. 28. Thou art my God, and I will praiſe thee; Thou art my God, and I will exalt thee. Pſal. 119. 57. Thou art my portion, O Lord. Pſal. 73. 26. God is the ſtrength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Bernard ſaith, Lord, whatſoever we give thee, unleſſe we give our ſelves unto thee, it doth not ſatisfie thee; So we muſt ſay, Lord, whatſoever thou giveſt to us, it cannot ſatisfie us. It is ſomewhat to ſay, This houſe is mine, and theſe lands are mine, and theſe parents and friends are mine; but it is infinitely more to ſay, This God is mine, this God is my portion. The greater that God is above all others, the greater is the comfort and the bleſſedneſs, that he is mine.
2. He hath a conformity unto God: for he now is made partaker of the He hath a conformity unto God.Divine Nature, 2 Pet. 1. 4. and is changed into the ſame image, 2 Cor. 3. 18. He carries the very marks and characters of the holy, merciful, good, patient, wiſe, loving God in his ſoul.
3. He hath union with God, and God with him; therefore he is ſaid to be He hath union with God.married to the Lord. Thy Maker is thy husband, Iſa. 54. 5. And to be joyned to the Lord, 1 Cor. 6. 17. God is in him, and dwells in him: His heart is the Temple of the Holy Ghoſt; And the Father loves him, John 14. 23. If any man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
4. He hath communion with God; Our fellowſhip is with the Father, and He hath communion with God.with his Sonne Jeſus Christ, 1 Joh. 1. 3. The Communion of the holy Ghoſt be with you, 2 Cor. 13. 14. Oh what happineſs is this! If all that God the Father will impart, or if all that God the Sonne will impart, or if all that God the holy Ghoſt will impar… ▪ can make you bleſſed, you have it all. God hath communion with you, and you have communion with him; he loves you; I will marry you to my ſelf in loving kindneſſe, Hoſ. 2. 19. and you love him; We love him, becauſe he loved us firſt, 1 John 4. 19. He delights in you; Thou ſhalt be called Hephzibah, for the Lord delighteth in thee, Iſa. 62. 4. and you take delight in God. God is manifeſting himſelf, and communicating his love and goodneſs to you to all eternity.
2. Thus have you the comfort in the general, from this, that God is your Comforts in particular.God. I ſhall now proceed to handle the comforts in particular, which belong unto you; and they are theſe. If God be your God,
1. Then you are the particular objects of the eternal love of God, and of all his gracious, unchangeable and infallible purpoſes, intentions and thoughts.
2. Then all the glorious Attributes of God are engaged unto you for good, for your good, for all your good, altogether for all your good.
3. Then Jeſus Chriſt, and all the Offices of Chriſt, and all the works, and all the ſweet fruits of his Redemption, Interceſſion, and Mediatourſhip are yours, and for your good.
4. Then the Holy Ghoſt, and all the excellent and choyce works of the Spirit, his graces, aſſiſtance, guidance, refreſhings, joyes, comforts, ſealings, are your portion and aſſured poſſeſſion.
5. Then there is a communion and conjunction of the whole Trinity, in all the buſineſſes of your eternal bleſſedneſs.
6. Then all the promiſes of God are yours.
7. Then all the priviledges and immunities annexed to the Covenant of grace, are yours.
8. Then all is yours.
Greater and better comforts than theſe, neither men nor Angels can poſſibly preſent unto you. And I deſire the rather to diſcourſe of them, that you who are the people of God, and have choſen him to be your God, and find him to be ſo, may know your bleſſedneſs, even in this alone, that God is your God: And that others, who as yet are out of Covenant, hearing the ſurpaſſing happineſs of being in Covenant with God, and Gods being in Covenant with us, may be awakened, excited and allured, to come off from their ſins and ſinful wayes, and may ſtrive earneſtly to enjoy this God for their God, and that they may become his people.
SECT. VI.
1. IF God be your God, then you are the particular objects of his eternal love, If God be our God, we are the objects of Gods eternal love, and of all his gracious purpoſes.and of all his gracious and unchangeable, and infallible purpoſes, intentions, and thoughts; and ſo you may ſafely conclude that you are the veſſels of mercy, on whom God will make known the riches of his glory, Rom. 9. 23. The Apoſtle in that Chapter diſcourſeth of the eternal love and grace of God in election (which he calls The purpoſe of God according to election, ver. 11. and his love, ver. 13. and his having mercy on whom he will have mercy, ver. 15. 18) and thoſe perſons whom he hath thus loved and elected, he calls veſſels of mercy afore prepared unto glory, ver. 23. Now the queſtion might be, how we may know whether we be in that number, whether we be the perſons on whom that love, and that election was fixed. This he reſolves by our intereſt in the Covenant, ver. 24. Even us whom he hath called. Ver. 25. As he ſaith alſo in Hoſea, I will call them my people which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. Ver. 26. And it ſhall come to paſſe, that in that place where it was ſaid unto you, you are not my people, where they ſhall be called the children of the living God: as if he had ſaid, we know that God hath loved us, and that he hath had mercy on us, and that he hath elected us; for he hath called us out of our ſinful condition, and brought us into Covenant with himſelf; he is our God, and we are his people; he is our Father, and we are his children; we are the children of the living God. Now what an unſpeakable comfort is this, namely, a certain knowledge of the love of God, and of the election of God, that our names are written in heaven in the book of life, out of which they ſhall never be blotted? 1 John 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath beſtowed upon us, that we ſhould be called the Sonnes of God! as if he had ſaid, no love like unto this love; This was wonderful love, that he ſhould be out Father, and we ſhould be his children. 2 Theſ. 2. 13. We are bound to give thanks alwayes to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, becauſe God hath from the beginning choſen you to ſalvation. Mark, the Apoſtle judgeth their election to be a juſt obligation of continual thanks, that God ſhould be bleſſed for that, every day of our lives for ever and ever, becauſe he hath choſen us, and ordained us to ſalvation. Luke 10. 20. Rather rejoyce, becauſe your names are written in heaven. Oh, to be intereſſed in that love of God, out of which Chriſt comes, and mercy comes, and all our good comes! To be intereſſed in that love which is ſo free, ſo liberal, ſo invariable! To be intereſſed in that election, which paſſeth by others, but claſps us; which intends for us no leſs than eternal glory, which will infallibly bring into us, all that will bring us unto glory! To be intereſſed in that election which begins in choyceſt love, and ends in fulleſt bleſſedneſſe! Certainly, theſe are grounds of higheſt comfort, and of ſweeteſt joy: and in theſe are all ſuch intereſſed, who have God to be their God, and who are his people in Covenant. Theſe, and noen but they are the beloved and choſen o God.