The Incomparableness of God, Treatise · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. God is incomparable in his Word: He ſpeaketh with incomparable Authority, Condeſcenſion and Efficacy.
Fourthly, GOD is incomparable in his Word; He ſpeaketh after an unſpeakable manner, Never man ſpake like him, (no, nor Angel,) his Enemies themſelves being Judges, John 7.46. Men may ſpeak high, and ſpeak holily; Angels may ſpeak higher and holier, but neither ſpeak like God: Behold he exalteth by his Power, who teacheth like him? Job 36.22. Behold I wonder at it, he exalteth by his Power, is good at acting; who teacheth like him? Is good at inſtructing, and beſt at both, and beyond all that ever were. Who teacheth like him? The words are a Challenge to the whole World: Bring forth the Man, let me ſee the Angel, that can ſpeak or teach like God. He doth not not ſay, Who teacheth beſide God? There are many Teachers beſide God, the inanimate Creatures are Teachers, the Heavens by their conſtant regular motion, the Earth by its fecundity and fruitfulneſs, according to the law of their Creation, teach Man Obedience and Proficiency, Iſa. 48.13. The irrational Creatures are Teachers: Man is ſent to School to the Ant and Swallow, and Oxe and Aſs, to the Beaſts of the Field, and the Fowles of the Air, to learn Providence and Prudence; to learn Wiſdom, to diſcern and improve his Opportunities, and gratitude to his Father and Benefactor, Prov. 6.6. Jer. 7.7, & 8. Iſa. 1.5. Job 12.8, 9. Men are Teachers one to another; Parents and Miniſters do, or ſhould, teach thoſe that are committed to their Charge or Truſt, Prov. 22.6. Epheſ. 4.6. Angels are Teachers: The Angel taught Daniel, and helpt him to underſtand, Dan. 10.14. And ſurely of all finite, they are the moſt learned and able Maſters: But he ſaith, Who teacheth like him? Though many teach beſide God, yet none teacheth like God; none ſpeaketh like him, whether you conſider the manner, the matter, or the effect of his Speech.
1. He is incomparable in the manner of his ſpeaking.
1. He ſpeaketh authoritatively, and in his own Name: Good Men and good Angels may command, but it muſt be (as ſubordinate Magiſtrates) in the Name and Authority of their Prince and Soveraign; but God commandeth in his own Name and Authority: God gives Authentity to what-ever he ſpeaks, and he ſpeaks with Authority when he ſpeaks. God ſpeaks as one that hath Right and Power to Command, and as one that, upon his own account, expecteth to be obeyed: I am the Lord, is enough to warrant Obedience to the whole Decalogue, Thou ſhalt have no other God; Thou ſhalt not make to thy ſelf any graven Image, &c. For I am the Lord thy God.
His Authority is the higheſt, the greateſt reaſon of any Precept, and the ſtrongeſt warrant for Obedience; Therefore Thou ſhalt not ſwear by my Name falſly, (why?) I am the Lord: Thou ſhalt not curſe the Deaf, nor lay a ſtumbling block before the Blind, (why not? the Deaf cannot hear if I do curſe them, nor the Blind ſee if I do lay a ſtumbling-block before them,) I am the Lord, &c. Levit. 19.12. &c. It's ſaid of Chriſt, He taught as one having Authority, and not as the Scribes, Matth. 7. ult. He did not beg attention, but enjoyn it; nor beſeech Obedience, but command it. As when Princes Enact Laws, they do not intreat, but require Obedience at the peril of their Subjects. This is the Word of the Lord, and Thus ſaith the Lord, and the Mouth of the Lord hath ſpoken it, is ſufficient to awe and require Subjection from all that hear it. God is his own Authority, not ſo Men or Angels: They ſpeak from God, but he from none but himſelf. His Word is a Light, Pſal. 119.104, 105. that diſcovers it ſelf; And therefore it is called The Teſtimony of the Lord, Pſal. 19.7. Becauſe it beareth witneſs to it ſelf, and needeth not teſtimony from Men or Angels. What the eſſential Word ſpeaketh, may be ſpoken of the declarative Word: It receiveth not Teſtimony from Man, John 5.34. Men need Grounds and Reaſons, and Witneſſes too, to prove and vouch what they ſay to be true, and to be ſo as they ſpeak; but the Word of God is a ſufficient authentick Teſtimony to it ſelf; It's his own Proof, becauſe what Truth it ſelf ſpeaks, muſt of neceſſity be true.
2. He ſpeaketh condeſcendingly, to the condition and underſtanding of thoſe to whom he ſpeaketh: He conſidereth the Natures and Tempers, and Capacities of his Hearers, and accordingly ſpeaks to them: He doth not (as ſome Miniſters) ſpeak in an unknown Tongue, or ſoar into the Clouds, exceed the Capacities of his Hearers, that he might be wondred at, not underſtood; but he obſerveth their Weakneſs and Infirmities, yea their dulneſs and incapacity, and teacheth them as they are able to hear him. There are Depths in his Word for Elephants to ſwim in, (to tell the World what and how he could ſpeak, to exerciſe our induſtry, and prevent our contempt of it for its plainneſs,) and there are Shallows for Lambs to wade through, that none might be diſcouraged. Chriſt is our Prieſt, and the Prieſts Lips teach knowledge, and he is a merciful Prieſt, Heb. 2.16. Condeſcending in what he teacheth, and in the way of his teaching, to the capacities of his Hearers.
In what he teacheth: How chary was Chriſt of charging his Diſciples with any thing that they could not brook, John 16.12. I have many things to ſay unto unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. I have ſome harder Leſſons to teach you, but ye are young Schollars, and not able yet to learn them, till ye have been longer in my School, and have attained more ripeneſs of underſtanding; therefore I will not trouble you now with them, but leave them to my Spirit, who ſhall prepare you for them, and enable you to learn them: Your Stomachs are weak, and yet muſt have that onelyonly which is of light Digeſtion, Milk, not ſtrong meat, 1 Cor. 3.2. Your Backs are not ſtrong, and therefore I will lay on you none but light burdens, But ye cannot bear them now; and therefore ye ſhall not hear them now, leaſt ye ſhould be offended and diſcouraged at them. When the Jews enquired of Chriſt, why his Diſciples did not faſt often, as well as the Diſciples of John, and the Phariſees: Obſerve the reaſon our tender-hearted Lord gives, Math. 9.15, 16, 17. No man (ſaith he) puts new Wine into old Bottles, leaſt the Wine burst the Bottles; or ſoweth an old Garment to new Cloth, least the rent be worſe. Alas, ſaith he, my Diſciples are young Beginners, Babes in me, at beſt but little Children, not ſtrong Men, or Fathers, and therefore they muſt not be called preſently to the Auſterities or Severities of Religion, leaſt they, poor Souls, ſhould be diſcouraged in their Work, and faint under it: I muſt proportion their Burden to their Backs, and lead them their own pace, as they are able to go at preſent. Hereafter indeed they ſhall be called to ſuffer great things for my Names ſake; they ſhall be hated and perſecuted of all men, but then they ſhall be fitted for thoſe Severities, and undergoe them with courage; but yet ſuch deep Points, and obſcure Notions, muſt not be offered to Novices.
In the way of his teaching, he is very tender and condeſcending; He accommodates his Diſcourſe to their Apprehenſion, Mark 4.33. He ſpake as they were able to bear it; Not as he was able to ſpeak, (he was able to read Lectures above the capacities of Angels) but as they were able to bear it. Therefore he ſpake ſo much to them in Parables, becauſe they might the better underſtand him: For though a Parable would make Truth more obſcure, (and ſo Parables and Dark-Sayings are conjoyn'd, Pſal. 7.78. and to ſpeak in Parables, is oppos'd to ſpeaking plainly, John 16.26. John 16.29.) yet a Parable reveal'd, unvail'd, (as Chriſt did uſually to his Diſciples, Matth. 13.17, 37.) makes Truth more clear. It gives us the advantage of viewing heavenly Truth in earthly Glaſſes, the Species and Reflections of which we are moſt able to conceive; Therefore our Saviour ſaith, If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, (or cannot underſtand) how ſhall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly, John 3.12.
The Inſtructions of Chriſt were like Water, Deut. 32.2. which he powred into thoſe narrow-mouth'd Veſſels by little and little, as they were able to receive it; or as Rain, which he diſtil'd on his Hearers (as Rain on the mown Graſs) by drops, and drop after drop, to refreſh them; not by Floods to drown them. Jacob conſider'd the Children were young, and the Cattel were with young, therefore drove gently, leaſt by overdriving he ſhould wrong them, Gen. 33.13. So our Lord Jeſus conſidereth what Men are, how impotent and infirm, and will not over-drive, over-do, leaſt he ſhould undo them, Iſa. 28.9, 10. He gives Precept upon Precept, Line upon Line, Here a little, there a little.
Will Men or Angels teach with ſuch compaſſion, with ſuch condeſcenſion? It is a Rule of one of the Ancients, That he who will teach Children, muſt himſelf be a Child: He muſt frame and faſhion himſelf to them, and be as one of them, or elſe he will never teach them. How ſoon would the dulneſs and untowardneſs of Man tire out the patience of Men and Angels, and provoke them to give over teaching them: God's incomparableneſs herein is fully proved in the incomparableneſs of God in his Patience, in Chap. 10.
3. He ſpeakes effectually: As he hath Power to command us, ſo he hath Power to enable us to obey his Commands. Men and Angels may tell Men their Duty, but they cannot teach Men their Duty; they cannot ſtrengthen them, or impower them to obey: He ſpeaketh ſo as Men hear, and believe and live; He that hath heard and learned of the Father, cometh unto me, John 6.45. We have a ſaying, Ex quovis ligno non fit Mercurius, Every man will not make a Mercury: Some ſo dull and blockiſh, that none can improve them, or do good upon them, i. e. no Creature can;Iſa. 32.4. but God can make the dull, the blind, the moſt ignorant, to conceive and conſider, and apprehend and underſtand the darkeſt and moſt difficult Points by ſpeaking to them, Iſa. 48.17. He teacheth to profit; There is a Power that accompanieth his teaching, that doth the Work. When he ſaith, Let there be Light in a dark Mind, there is Light; it is ſo: He is a God that commandeth Light to ſhine out of Darkneſs, 2 Cor. 4.6. When he ſaith, Let there be life in that dead Soul, there is life, it is ſo, John 5.24. Men and Angels may call long enough to the Blind to ſee, and the Dead to live, and all in vain. But if a God ſay to a Sinner that lyeth rotting in the Grave, almoſt eaten up of the Vermine of Luſts, unſavory, and ſtinking in the eyes of all men, Lazarus, Sinner, come forth of thy curſed carnal condition; The man that was bound Hand and Foot, manacled and fetter'd by the Devil, his Jaylor, comes forth, is looſed of his Bonds, and lives for ever.
As the Mariners ſaid of Chriſt, He ſpeaketh with Authority, and commandeth the Winds and Seas, and they obey him; What manner of Man is this? Math. 8.27. So I may ſay, O what manner of God is this, for he ſpeaks with Authority, and the high winds of violent Paſſions, and the fierce Waters of boiſterous Corruptions, and they obey him; they fly, they fall before him? Can Men or Angels ſpeak at this rate? will Sin die at their word? will the Soul live at their command? How long may they call to Sinners to ariſe from the Dead, before they will, before they can anſwer their call?
But if God ſpeaks, the moſt obſtinate, hardened Sinner obeyeth his Voice, ſubmitteth to his Will, and yieldeth himſelf up to his Word; nay, the very Devils are forced to leave their beloved Manſions, the Souls of Men, and to ſeek and ſetttle their Habitations elſewhere. He commandeth, and the unclean Spirits come out of Men, Matth. 8.32. If he pleaſe but to ſay, Get thee behind me Satan, that Prince of the Powers of the Air, that god of the World, who crows ſo much on his own Dunghill, the Hearts of the Unregenerate, ſneakes away like a Coward, and muſt in ſpight of his Teeth obey his Command, Math. 4.10, 11. Yea, God ejecteth him with a word ſpeaking, out of his ſtrongeſt Holds, the Souls of old, ſenſleſs, ſeared Sinners, and leads Captivity captive, and makes this Jaylor, who laid ſo many in Irons, his Priſoner and Captive.