The Fading of the Flesh and Flourishing of Faith, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. God muſt needs be Mans happineſs, becauſe he is an Alſufficient Good.
THere are ſome things in God, which ſpeake him to be the Saints happineſs and chiefeſt good.
Firſt becauſe of his perfection and alſufficiency. That which makes man happy,God is mans Happineſs, becauſe an al …ufficient g…od muſt have no want, no weakneſs in it. It muſt be able both to ſecure him againſt all evil, and to furniſh him with all good. The injuries of nature muſt be reſiſted, and the indigencies of nature muſt be ſupplyed. Now this Sun of righteouſneſs (as the great Luminary of the world when it mounteth above the Horizon) doth both cleer the air of miſts and foggs, and chear the inhabitants with his light and heat. And according to the degree of our enjoyment of him, ſuch is the degree of our happineſs or freedome from evil and fruition of good. Thoſe that enjoy God perfectly in heaven, know no evil; they are above all ſtorms and tempeſts, and enjoy all good; In his preſence is fullneſs of joy, Pſal 16. ult. They have a perpetual ſpring, a conſtant ſummer, never underſtanding what an antumn or winter meaneth; The Chriſtian who enjoyeth God but imperfectly, (as all Saints on earth) doth but in part enjoy theſe priviledges. His life is a Viciſſitude of day and night, of light and darkneſs, of good and evil. Evil cannot hurt him, but it may fright him. He may taſte of the cheifeſt good, but his full meal is reſerved till he comes to his Fathers houſe.
1. God is able to free a man from evil: 1 Able to f…ee the ſoul f…om evil.the Greeks call an happy man foreign, one that is not ſubject to death and miſeries.
That which is the happineſs of man, muſt be able by its power to ſecure him againſt all perills; but creatures cannot afford this help; therefore cannot be our happineſs. He that truſteth to ſecond cauſes, is like him that being on the top of a tree, ſetteth his feet on rotten bough's, which will certainly break under him; or like the paſſenger who in windy ſtormy weather, runs to ſome tottering out-houſe, which falls upon him. But God is the almighty guard.
The Schoolmen tell us the reaſon why Adam in his eſtate of innocency felt no cold, though he were naked, was becauſe of his Communion with God. God is the Saints ſhield to protect their bodies from all blows, Gen. 15.1. He is therefore compared in Scripture to ſuch things and perſons as ſhelter men in ſtorms, defend them in dangers. Sometimes he is called a wall of fire, becauſe Travellers in a Wilderneſs by this means are ſecured from wild beaſts. 2 Zach. 5. thoſe creatures fly from fire: Sometimes to a River of broad waters, becauſe a City well moated and ſurrounded with waters, is thereby defended againſt enemies Iſa. 33.21.
A good Sentinell is very helpful to preſerve a garriſon in ſafety. God is therefore ſaid to watch and ward. I the Lord do keep it, leaſt any hurt it: I will keep it night and day. Iſa. 27.3. And though others when on the Guard, are apt to nod and ſleep (and ſo to give the enemy an advantage) He that keepeth Iſrael never ſlumbereth nor ſleepeth; Pſalm. 121.4.he is ſo far from ſleeping that he never ſlumbereth. Some Naturaliſts tell us that Lions are inſomnes; poſſibly becauſe their eye-lids are too narrow for their eyes, and ſo they ſleep with their eyes partly open; but its moſt true of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. As Alexander told his Soldiers, He wakes that they might ſleep in ſafety. He is compared to a refuge. Pſa. 142.5. Thou art my refuge and my portion. A Metaphor from a ſtrong hold, or Caſtle, to which Souldiers retreat, and in which they are ſecure, when beaten back by an over-powering enemy. But inſtead of all, he is called the Lord of Hoſts or General of his people, becauſe a faithfull Commander goeth firſt into the field, and cometh laſt out of the field. God looketh danger in the face before his people, and ſeeth them ſafe out of the field, before he departeth, The Lord will go before you, and the God of Iſrael will be your rereward. Iſa. 25.10.
Travellers tell us that they who are at the top of the Alps, can ſee great ſhowres of rain fall under them, but not one drop of it falls on them, They who have God for their portion are in an high Tower. and thereby ſafe from all troubles and ſhowres; a drift-rain of evil will beat in at the creatures windows, be they never ſo well pointed; All the garments this world can make up, cannot keep them that travell in ſuch weather from being wet to the ſkin: No creature is able to bear the weight of its fellow-creature, but as reeds break under and as thorns run into the ſides that lean on them. The bow drawn beyond its compaſs breaks inſunder, and the ſtring wound above its ſtrength ſnaps in pieces; ſuch are outward helps to all that truſt to them in hardſhips.
But Chriſtians being anchor'd on this rock of ages, are ſecure in the greateſt ſtorm. They are like Sion which cannot be moved. The Church, according to the Motto of Venice, Immota manet. In time of trouble he hides them in his pavillion, and in the ſecret of his tabernacle he ſets them upon a rock, Pſal. 27.5. Gods Sanctuary is his hidden place, Ezek. 7.22. and his Saints are his hidden ones, Pſal. 83.4. and there he hides them from whatſoever may hurt them: therefore he calls his children, when it rains abroad and is ſtormy, to come within doors out of the wet; Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and ſhut thy doors upon thee, and hide thy ſelf, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation be over paſt, Iſai. 26.20.
The Chriſtian therefore is encouraged againſt evils, becauſe God is his guard; he knoweth whilſt he hath this buckter, he is ſhot-free, not to be pierced by any bullet; He covereth him with his feathers, and under his wings doth the Saint truſt, Pſal. 91.4. As the Hen ſecureth her young from the Kite and ravenous fowls by clucking them under her wing, and ſheltering them there: ſo God doth undertake to be the protection of his people; and through his ſtrength they can triumph over tryals, and defie the greateſt dangers. At deſtruction and famine they can laugh, Job 5, 22. and over the greateſt croſſes through him they are more then Conquerours, Rom. 8.35.
2. As God is able to free from all evil, ſo to fill the ſoul with all good, 2 God can fill a ſoul with all good.therefore is its happineſs. That which beatifieth the reaſonable creature, muſt undertake the removal of what is deſtructive, and the reſtoring to him whatſoever may be perfective. Weak nature muſt be ſupported, and empty nature muſt be ſupplyed. Now the whole creation cannot be mans happineſs, becauſe it is unable both to defend him from evil, and to delight him with good. The comfort which ariſeth from creatures is like the juice of ſome plums, which doth fill with wind, but yields no nouriſhment. He that ſits at the worlds table, when it is moſt largely ſpread, and fairly furniſhed, and feedeth moſt heartily on its fare, is as one that dreameth he eats, and when he awakes loe he is hungry. The beſt noiſe of earthly Muſicians can make but an empty ſound, which may a little pleaſe the ſenſes, but not in the leaſt ſatisfie the ſoul. The world hath but ſmall choice, and therefore makes us but ſmall chear; for as ſick and ſqueazie ſtomacks, we are preſently cloyd even with that which we called ſo earneſtly for. Hence it was, that thoſe who eſteemed their happineſs to conſiſt in pleaſing their brutiſh part, did ſo vehemently deſire new carnall delights. Nero had his officer that was ſtilled Arbiter Neronanae libidinis An inventer of new pleaſures. Sueton. cap 43.Suetonius obſerveth the ſame of Tiberius, and Cicero of Xerxes for theſe men like children were quickly weary;Omnibus Error immenſus. of that for which they were but now ſo unquiet. And the reaſon is given us, by the Moraliſt, becauſe error is infinite.
The thirſt of nature may be ſatisfied, but the thirſt of a diſeaſe (as the dropſy) cannot. The happineſs of the ſoul conſiſteth in the enjoyment of good commenſurate to its deſires, which no creature is, nay not all the creatures.
But God is the happineſs of the creature, becauſe he can ſatisfy it; The Hebrews call a bleſſed man Aſhrei, in the abſtract and in the plural number, bleſſedneſſes Pſalm. 32.1. becauſe no man can be bleſſed for one or another good, unleſs he abound in all good.
The ſoul of man is a Veſſel too capacious to be fild up with a few drops of water, but this Ocean can do it; Whatſoever is requiſite, either to promote decayed, or to perfect deficient nature, is in God. The Lord is my ſhepherd; I ſhall not want. Pſalm. 23.1. Where is all wealth there can be no want. My God ſhall ſupply all your need. Phil. 4.13. One God, anſwereth all neceſſities, becauſe one God includeth all excellencies. He is bonum comprehenſivum; in him are all the treaſures of Heaven and Earth, and infinitely more. The God of all comforts is his name. 2 Cor. 1.3. As all light is in the Sun; ſo all comfort, all good is in God. Theodoret cals Moſes an Ocean of Divinity; Some have called Rome the Epitome of the world; Its true of God, he is an Ocean of all delights and bleſſings, without either bank or bottom, and the Epitome of inconceivably more, and incomparably better then all this worlds felicities.
The God of peace fill you with all joy, Rome 15.19. Obſerve, here is joy which is the cream of our deſires, & the overflowing of our delights; it is the ſweet tranquillity of our mindes, the quiet repoſe of our hearts; and as the ſun to the flowers, it enlargeth, and cheereth our affections. Joy is the mark which all would hit; And is by the Philoſopher well obſerved to be the dilation of the heart for its embracing of, cloſing with, & Union to its moſt beloved object. 2 Here is all joy; Variety of what is excellent addeth much to its luſtre and beauty. The Chriſtian ſits at a banquet made up of all ſorts of rare and curious wines, and all manner of dainties and delicates; He may walk in this garden, and delight himſelf with diverſity of pleaſant fruits and flowers. All joy. One kind of delight like Maryes box of Oyntment, being opened, filleth the whole houſe with its ſavor; what then will all ſorts of precious perfumes, and fragrant oyntments do? 3. Here is filling them with all joy; Plenty joyned with variety of that which is ſo excedingly pleaſant, muſt needs inhance its price; there is not a crevice in the heart of a Chriſtian, into which this light doth not come. Its able to fill him, were he a far larger Veſſel then he is, (as they fill'd the pots at the feaſt of Cana) up to the brim (with this water or rather) with this wine. The joy ariſing from the creature is an empty joy like the Muſitian in Plutarch, who having pleaſed Dionyſius with a litle vaniſhing Muſick was recompenced with a deceived hope of a great reward; but this is a ſatiating ſatisfying joy, fill you with all joy. But 4. On what root doth ſuch a variety and Plenty of lovely luſcious fruit grow? Truly this light of joy doth not ſpring out of the earth; its Fountain is in heaven; The God of peace fill you with all joy. The Veſſel of the creature runs dregs, it can never yield ſuch choyce delights: This pure River of water of life, proceedeth onelyonly out of the throne of God. Rev. 22.