The Book of Nature Translated and Epitomized, Chapter 17
Chap. 16.
Section. I.
Concerning other particular debts man owes unto God, besides love, and that, first, in generall.
HAving considered the debt of love, which man owes to God, and the great advantage redounding unto him, by the due payment thereof, as also his unutterable damage if he pay it not; let's enquire after other debts, the payment whereof will also be our great gain, and the final non-payment our eternal damage. God made all inferiour creatures for man, and man for himself; furnishing him alone with a nature and capacity, fit to perform all the duties and to pay all the debts, which he owes unto God, both for himself and all the rest. No inferiour creatures can perform or understand any such matters. From what man is furnished with, for the performance of all duty to God, may he certainly conclude what ought to be done by him. If he can know, love, fear, honour, glorify, praise, adore or pray to God; if he can beleeve, hope, and trust in God; he may conclude, that God is to be known, lov'd, fear'd, honour'd, glorified, prais'd, ador'd, beleev'd, hoped and trusted in. If he can wholly delight himself in God, then is God wholly delectable. If he can do well, God can reward him: if ill, he can punish him. If he can be guilty, God can be a judg. If he can ask pardon, God can give it. In like manner we may, the other way, from the properties of God, argue the duties of man. If God ought chiefly to be loved, as infinitly most desireable, man ought chiefly to love him. If he ought chiefly to be fear'd, honour'd, prais'd, man ought to fear, honour, and praise him. The like correspondence as is between the soul and body of man, is between God and man, in this case. If the body have eyes, ears, nose, &c: we may certainly conclude that the soul has a power of seing, hearing, smelling, &c. And if the soul have these powers, the body ought to have such organs. The bodily organs, without such faculties in the soul; or such faculties of the soul, without such organs in the body, would be useless and in vain. A man that has no eyes, is never the better for having a visive faculty in his soul. He sees nothing.
Though all other debts man owes unto God, are included in and connexed with love, yet hath each its proper and special reason why it ought to be paid. For they are due to him, on different and special accounts; love, on one; fear, on another; honour, on a third; praise, on a fourth; &c. Again, love is not fear, or honour, nor is honour love or fear; each is a distinct debt. But where love is paid, all wilbe paid. God is chiefly to be loved, because he is originally, essentially, and unchangably good. There is none thus good, but God only. Mar. 10. 18. He alone is to be fear'd, as omnipotent. He alone is to be honour'd, as the inexhaustible fountain of all things; and of all the joy, comfort, and blessednes, that his choicest creatur's, in their most extended capacities, are ever able to receive. Obedience is due to him, as the supream lord of all. Glory and praise are due to him, as the creatour of all things. And because he is infinite, he is infinitly to be loved, fear'd, honour'd, obey'd, prais'd, and glorified. He is infinitly to be beleeved and trusted, because infinitly faithful and true. But love does most principally correspond with the nature of God. For God is love. 1 Jo. 4. 8. It cannot be said that God is honour, or fear, &c.
SECT. II.
Concerning these duties, in speciall, and first, of fear.
ALl other debts or duties of man to God, must be founded in and spring from his love of God. Love is acceptable of itself. No other performance is acceptable to God, but as in conjunction with love. He that fear's God without love, his fear carries in it punishment, sadnes, torment, bondage to himself, and find's no acceptance with God. He that pretend's to honour god, without love, flatter's him, play's the hypocrite, and is abominable. But fear joyn'd with love, is voluntary, free, and acceptable; has no torment, sadnes, or bondage in it. Fear then, singly considered in itself, without love, being but a servile thing, carrying with it pain and torment, ought not to be multiplied, as love ought. One right fear of God admits no other fear's, but expell's them. From the love of God, do flow infinite secondary loves of all creatur's, as made or born of him, and as more or less resembling what is in him. But from the true fear of God, issue no secondary fear's of any creature whatsoever, I am he that comforteth thee, say's God, who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid of a man that shall die, and forgettest the lord thy maker? Isai. 51. 12, 13.
SECT. III.
Two principal fears.
AS there are two principal loves, so two principal fears; the one arising from the love of God; the other, from the love of self. And accordingly are they good or evil, just or unjust, as the love is, whence they flow. The true fear of God strengthen's man's union with God. He that rightly fear's him, need's fear nothing else. But the evil fear, arising from self-love, is multiplied infinitly beyond the love from whence it spring's. From one of the many secondary loves, issuing from self-love, may arise numberless fears, all which being in conjunction with an evill love, do multiply punishment, sadnes, and sorrow to him that has them. This multiplication of fears demonstrat's the poisonous filth of self-love, to him that lives in it. He that chiefly love's himself, must needs fear all those things that can diminish, hurt, or destroy him; which are numberless. In like manner, his own honour, praise, and glory being earnestly sought by him, he must need's fear all that can diminish or destroy them. And loving bodily pleasures and delights, he fear's bodily torments, cold, heat, poverty, or whatever tend's to the diminution and destruction thereof. Thus is evil fear, arising from an evil love, infinitly more multiplicable then the love itself. A self-lover fear's every thing that can hurt or diminish any thing he love's; himself, friends, wife, children, parents, brothers, sisters, houses, possessions. He fear's to lose all these, and therefore fear's every thing that can take them from him, hurt, or destroy them. The foundation of all his misery and fear's, is, he foolishly loves that which can be destroy'd, and therefore slavishly fear's all that can destroy it. He that chiefly loves God, and by love is united with him, has no cause to fear any of these things, which the self-lover is so sollicitous about. Nothing can diminish, hurt, or destroy his beloved. The perfect love of God cast's out all slavish, tormenting fear. 1 Jo. 4. 18. The true fear of God is often put in Scripture for the whole worship and service of God, performable by man. He that truly fear's God, does truly worship and serve him. He that fear's other things, makes himself the servant thereof; becom's a slave to many such things as were made for his use and service. He incurr's infinite bondages, and loses all true liberty. By man's false fear's is the world turn'd upside down. Man, who was created uppermost, is laid at the bottome, as the subject, servāt, and slave of all things. But by the true fear of god, he recovers his due place in the universe, suitable to his own nature, to the nature of God, to the will and command of God, and to the naturall order and voice of the whole creation.
SECT. IV.
Honour.
HOnour has its distinct consideration by itself. All things are done for honour or profit, or both. Of the two, honour is the more excellent, and belongs to God alone; profit, to man only. The creature is in itself, indigent and needy; profit therefore is calculated to its interest; not honour, at all. But the creatour, being infinitly full of all perfection within himself, no profit can possibly redound unto him, from all the works of his hands; but honour only. Profit is due to the creature, honour to God, who aim's joyntly at his own honour and the profit of his creatur's, as the compleat end of all he does. Honour as much excell's profit, as God (to whom all honour belong's) excell's the creature, to whom all profit belong's; that is, infinitly. God therefore principally intend's his own honour in all his works; but his crearur's profit is so wrapp'd up, and inseparably connexed with it, that the more he design's his own honour, the more he design's his creatur's profit; and the more his creatures honour him, the more profit do they receive. Here then are the two grand fruits of the universe, God's honour and man's profit. The honour redounding unto God, from all his works of creation and providence, will endure for ever. They therefore must remain for ever, that can ascribe it to him. And consequently their profit will also remain for ever. God will have everlasting honour, and man everlasting profit; each, that which is most convenient and suitable to them. What should a needy creature do with honour; or the inexhaustible fountain of all fulnes and perfection, with profit? Man is a needy creature within; honour therefore, being a meer outward thing, signifies nothing to him. Nothing does him any reall good, but what tends to his inward perfection and accomplishment. If he fondly seek honour, which is due to God only, he not only receiv's no profit thereby, but great disadvantage. He corrupt's, and waxes worse and worse within, being puff'd up with that which to him is a meer nullity, a vanity. Man is apt to be seeking his own encrease and advance, one way or other. If he seek not a right, to encrease in goodnes within, he will fondly seek to encrease without, in honour, glory, praise, name or fame, in which the more he encreases, the more will he decrease in inward goodnes. Such practice is direct hostility to God, against nature, reason, and the due order of all things.
God's honour, being transcendently the most principal end of all his works, is infinitly more valuable then all creatur's put together. He then that seek's and usurp's his honour to himself, can't answer the injury done to god, if he had the whole world at his dispose, to give, by way of satisfaction. He that seek's the honour of God, seek's his own true good, and wil be sure to find it. He that seeks his own honour, will find everlasting shame, as a vessel of dishonour. Christ himself, as a man in flesh, sought not his own glory. Jo. 8. 49, 50.
SECTION. V.
The name of God, acquired by his wonderful works.
THere is a twofold name of God, natural, or acquired. Amongst men, there is a proper name, whereby one person is distinguished from another, which is not given on the account of any thing done by them. But if a man, in the course of his life, do some notable things, he acquir's a name amongst men, as David's worthies, according to the excellency of his performances. And this name is joyned with his other, which before did only distinguish him from other men, but carried nothing of fame or honour in it. His former name is rend'red honourable and famous, from this additional name, acquired by his atchievments. Such hononr, glory, or fame, as this additional name brings with it, enters not at all into the being, but name only of the man. Yet though the name, fame, honour and repute of a man, be but a meer outward thing, and no intrinsecal ingredient into his person; it is, of all outward things, the most neer, dear, and valuable to him. This acquired name of man, may encrease two wayes; intensively, by more and more honourable exploits; or extensively, and by way of multiplication, as more and more men do come dayly to hear of his fame.
God, on the account of his inward naturall excellencies, and infinite perfections, has a manifold natural name, which together with his additional name and honour, acquired by his wonderful works of creation, providence, &c. do make up one most great and glorious name, ever to be fear'd and prais'd by man. He does not, by all his wonderful works, acquire any new thing within him, but an outward name only. The glory of all good things, done by God immediatly; or mediatly, with and by his creatur's, is properly attributable to him alone. His name alone is excellent in all the earth, and his glory is above the heavens. This name of god is capable of encrease; by new works and wonders. He got him a name, or a fresh addition to his name, by his wonders on Pharaoh, in Egypt; Ex. 9. 16. 14. 17. And as it is with man, in this point of honour, who by self-love makes himself his God, so is it with God; his honour or honourable name, though but an outward acquest by his famous works, is more neer, dear, and valuable to him, then all creatur's put together, as being the principal end for which they were all made.
God was ever omnipotent, infinitely wise, just, and good. But he cannot be known by any other, to be so, till in a way of bountifull communicativenes, he manifest himself to be so, by his works, to the works of his own hands, angels and men. Had God not made some creatur's, capable to take notice of his works, and thereby to know him, who could have known or honour'd him? By the works of his omnipotency, justice, judgment, and wisdom, he declares and so gets the name of an omnipotent, infinitely wise creatour, and just judg. He does also by his works, get the name… or titles of most faithful, true, merciful, bountiful, gracious, holy, helpful, saviour, protectour, deliverer, &c. whereby men are obliged to place all their hopes, expectations, confidence, and trust, in him. One glorious name of God acquired by his works, is made up of all these, to beget the true feare thereof in men.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handy work; Psal. 19. 1. By the works of God, may and ought men to take notice of, and know him. For the invisible things of him, even his eternal power and godhead from or by the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. Rom. 1. 20. Accordingly as men do more or less know, regard, and consider the works of the lord, the operations of his hands will they more or lesse know, love, and honour him. If they consider them not at all, they will not know, love, or honour him, at all.
The heart or will of man, is the proper receptacle, and ought to be the habitation of the name of God, As men then are multiplied, the most honourable name of the lord is capable to be multiplied, as finding new hearts to reside and dwell in. Those men, in whose hearts that name does dwel, will discover it unto others, by some outward signs, actions, or words. Out of the abundance of the heart or inner man, the mouth, or whole outer man will speak, and act. His light will so shine in good works before other men, as to induce and incline them also to take notice of, glorify and honour his father which is in heaven. Mat. 5. 16.
Amongst the works of God, man is the masterpeece; the comprehensive epitome of all the rest. As then a man does more or less know and se himself (the principal mirrour and resemblance of god, the summ of all created beings put together) the more or lesse clearly will he se and know God; and accordingly, more or less esteem, love, and honour him. We may know much of God, by knowing what other creatures are; but more, by knowing what ourselvs are, as the principal work of God: and yet much more, by experiencing the peculiar works of his grace and spirit, in our new formation, or true regeneration, as we come to be born of him, of his will, his spirit. As the right knowledg of ourselvs encreases, our knowledg of God will encrease: and the more we know him, the more shall we love, praise, honour, and admire his glorious name.
All the works of God are calculated and designed for his own honour, name, glory and praise: So ought all the works of man. Every man ought to do his utmost for the spreading abroad, encreasing and multiplying the name, fame, and glory of God, in the world. The more he does, gives, or parts with, on this account, the more profit and advantage redounds unto himself. Godlines is great gain. If he lay down his life for the honour of God (which is the utmost he can do in this world) he can't part with it on better terms, or use it more to his own advantage.
Whatever any man does in this world, whereby he honour's not God, he dishonours him. There's no middle, neutrall way, thought, word, or action. To honour God, is the greatest good man can do; to dishonour him, the greatest evill. All that man owes unto God, (love, fear, praise, obedience, hope, faith, confidence, &c.) belong's to his honour: and the neglect thereof, or opposit's thereunto, are a dishonour to him. He that does not love, fear, and obey, him; beleeve, hope, and trust in him; dishonour's, contemn's, and injur's him.