The Practical Sabbatarian, Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII. God is moſt illuſtrious in his Bounty and Preſence.
WE muſt meditate on the morning of a Sabbath, not onelyonly on the nature of God, on the attributes of God, and on the works of God, but likewiſe on the bounty of God, and his indulgence in giving us his Sabbath. Our very work on this day is our reward, our ſpiritual duties are our greateſt dignities; O what an honour, what a favour, what a happineſs doth God vouchſafe us in giving us this golden ſeaſon. David though a King, and the Head of the Pſal. 84. 10. Pſal. 42. 2.beſt people in the world, eſteemed it an honour to be the loweſt Officer in Gods houſe, Pſal. 84. 10. The ordinances Pſal. 63. 2.of God, are called our appearing before God, Pſal. 42. 2. The fruition of them is as the ſeeing of his face: Capernaum Deut. 4. 7.becauſe of them was lifted up to heaven, Mat. 11. 23. Who can tell what honour it is, to appear in the preſence of this King? Or what happineſs to ſee his lovely countenance? In the ordinances of God, the Chriſtian hath ſweet communion with, raviſhing delight in, and enflamed affection to the bleſſed God, if in them he taſts God to be gracious, and hath the firſt fruits of his glorious and eternal harveſt. Well might the Proteſtants of France call the place of their publick meeting on Gods holy day, Paradiſe. Ordinances are heaven in a Glaſs, and the Londs day is heaven in a Map. O the bounty of God in giving us this bleſſed day! This day is to be valued at a high rate, therein we enjoy fellowſhip with the Father, and with his Son Jeſus Chriſt, we have taſts of the Spirit, and feel the influential impreſſions of his grace, we are going up the ſtairs, till we come to the higheſt loft of 1 Joh. 1. 3. Pſal. 34. 8.glory. The Jewes call the week dayes, prophane dayes, foreignbut the Sabbath a holy and precious day; The Greeks call week days working dayes; but the Sabbath is a day of ſweet reſt: Other dayes are common and ordinary dayes, but this holy Sabbath is the chief of dayes: Many daughters have done vertuouſly, but thou excelleſt them all. Many dayes, as Lecture Prov. 31. 25.dayes, Faſt dayes, Thankſgiving dayes have done vertuouſly, but thou O Sabbath excelleſt them all. Well might the good ſoul run to meet thee in the morning, and ſalute thee, with a, Come my ſweet ſpouſe, thee have I loved, for thee have I longed, and thou art my deareſt delight. How far then Honos ne ſit onus, nec verba ſpiritus verbera carnis.ſhould we be from accounting the Sabbath our burden, and our attendance on Ordinances upon that bleſſed day, our task or bondage? O let us not eſteem ſpiritual opportunities our fetters, but our freedom. Think what the Phaenix is among the birds, the Lyon among the beaſts, the Fire among the elements, the Prince among the Subjects; that is the Lords day among other dayes. Wax in the ſhop is worth ſomething, but wax put to ſome Deeds is worth thouſands. Ordinary dayes are wax in the ſhop, but the Lords day is wax put to the deeds. Upon this day Chriſt carries the ſoul into his wine-Cellar, and his banner over him Cant. 2. 4.is love, Can. 2. 4, 5. Upon other dayes Chriſt feeds his members, but on this day he feaſts them; on other dayes they have their ordinary dyet, but on the Sabbath, they have their exceedings; on this day Chriſt brings forth his living waters, Gen. 43. 34.his beſt wine, Joh. 2. 10. His fineſt bread, his Benjamins Haec viſio non eſt perſonalis, et Jacobi ſolummodò conſolatio, ſed commune piorum ſolamen, ut de praeſentiâ, et divino auxilio dubitemus. Parmeſs. On the Lords day Chriſt pitches his Tabernacle among us, we are as it were taken up into the mount with God, there to be transfigured before him, Mat. 17. 2. When the Lord appeared unto Jacob in a viſion by night, he ſaw a Ladder erected between Heaven and Earth, and the Lord on the top of it, the Angels aſcending and deſcending by it, and when he awoke, How dreadfull (ſaith he) is this place, the Lord was here, and I was not aware; ſurely it is no other Gen. 28. 16, 17.then the houſe of God, and this is the gate of heaven. Are not Hoſ. 11. 9.our places of aſſembling the very gates of heaven? In our Deut. 33. 3.ſolemn aſſemblies is there not a ladder erected between earth and heaven, and is not the Lord at the top of it? The gracious Sicut deus ſanctus eſt, ſic etiam populum ſonctificat, et ſervat, et in medio eorum eſt, et apparet. Riv.inſtructions which we receive, are they not ſo many Angels deſcending? The gracious motions which ariſe in our hearts upon meditation on Gods word, upon thankſgiving to God, or rejoycing in him, or elſe ſorrowing for our ſins, are they not as ſo many Angels aſcending? And have we not then great cauſe to be filled with admiration, and holy gratulations to God for Sabbath indulgence, for his rich bounty in the donation of his bleſſed day?
On the morning of the Sabbath, let us meditate on the preſence of God. Many miſcarriages are acted by man, and many miſeries do ſeize upon man, for the neglect of this ever Deus totus oculus eſt, et minima videt. Auguſt.ſeaſonable meditation. A ſolemn conſideration of Gods preſence would reſtrain us from ſin, would quicken us in duty, would draw out our graces, would compoſe our ſpirits, and caſt a holy awe upon us, which things would be inductive of much fruitfulneſs and piety. When we ſin, we forget Gods eye is upon us; when we flag in duty, we do not think God is nigh to us; when we trifle away Sabbath, we do not remember Gods hand will certainly be againſt us. Now there is a two-fold preſence of God.
There is a more general preſence; and God is preſent every where,Deus preſens eſt. 1. Per Eſſentiam Pſal. 139. 12. 1 Chron. 28. 9.
Firſt, By his Eſſence, and ſo he fills all things, 1 Kings 8. 27. and thus he fills heaven with his glory, Earth with his goodneſs, and Hell it ſelf with his power and juſtice.
Secondly, God is preſent every where by his knowledge, ſo he beholds all things, 2 Chron. 16. 9. Light and darkneſs, 2 Per Cognitionem.night and day are all one to him, Pſal. 139. 12. He ſeeth the very imaginations of our hearts; His eyes behold, and his eye lids try the children of men, Pſal. 11. 4. And though his Throne is as high as heaven, he ſeeth what is done below.
Thirdly, God is preſent every where by his ſupporting 3. Per Suflentationem.power; he upholds all things, the whole Axle-tree of the Greation would ſoon yield, and ſink under its weight, was it not ſuſtained by the power of the Almighty.
Fourthly, God is preſent every where by his Government; 4. Per Dominium.He rules all things, Angels and Men are his ſubordinate officers; the Sun and Moon are thoſe lamps he ſets up to rule both day and night.
But Secondly, There is a ſpecial preſence of God, his gracious preſence, whereby he manifeſts himſelf to his people; which likewiſe is three-fold:
Firſt, This preſence is evidenced in ſome viſible and ſtanding Exod. 13. 21.tokens; as in thoſe extraordinary, the pillars of the cloud Exod. 25. 10.and of the fire; and in thoſe ordinary, the Ark, and the Temple 1 Kings 8. 11.of old, and the Ordinances of the Goſpel now.
Secondly, In ſome inward influences and irradiations upon the hearts of his hidden and holy ones.
Thirdly, In ſome ſignal effects, in conducting, leading, and covering his people in times of danger and peril, Exod. 33. 14. foreign my face, faith the Original, my ſelf, ſaith the Exod. 33 4Septuagint, ſhall go before you. Now we ſhould meditate on the preſence of God in every diſtinction, and this would not only ſupply our thoughts, but direct our words, for God hath many eyes upon us.
Firſt, God hath an eye of obſervation and inſpection. God ſeeth with what uprightneſs and ſincerity we run through Jer. 16. 17.our duties, Jer. 16. 17. God eyes and takes notice of all our Mal. 1. 14.ſervices, and all our ſacrifices, whether we offer up to him the Male of our flock, or no; whether we are ſinging, or hearing, or praying, or reading, the eye of the Lord is upon us; Preces non tam verbis, quàm animo aeſtimantur. Lyſer.He takes exact notice with what frame of heart our performances are managed, whether ſlothfully or ſpiritually, whether heavily, or of a willing mind.
Secondly, God hath an eye of favour and benediction; Gods eye can convey a bleſſing, as well as his band, and his eye can ſpeak his good will as well as his heart, 2 Chron. 7. Jer. 24. 6. 1 Kings 9. 3. 2 Chron. 7. 16. Pſal. 101. 6. Pſal. 30. 7.16. Pſal. 101. 6. Gods eye is in his houſe of prayer, to approve, and bleſs us, if we ſanctifie his Name in holy Ordinances; we ſhould then be accurate and exact in Sabbath obſervation, for Gods eye is fixed upon us, and he will not turn it aſide, nor lies it within the verge of humane artifice to caſt a miſt before it.
Thirdly, God hath an eye of anger & indignation. Gods looks Iſa. 66. 4.ſometimes ſpeak his Anger, as well as his Blows, Job 16. 9. Iſa. 1. 26.His fury is viſible by his frowas; Gods ſight can wound Chriſtus iratus hoſtes, ut ignis paleas conſumit.as deeply as his ſword, Amos 9. 4. God ſeems ſometimes to ſtab to the heart by the glance of his eye. And if we wait on God irreverently, worſhip him careleſly, and prophane his day, Ezek. 22. 26, and 31.either by corporal labour, or by ſpiritual idleneſs, we may juſtly expect to be blaſted by an eye of divine fury and diſpleaſure. Dan. 10. 6.pleaſure. Chriſt whoſe eyes are as a flame of fire, Rev. 1. Pſal. 13. 2.14. walks in the midſt of his Golden Candleſticks throughout the world; He obſerves how holy duties are performed, and how his holy day is ſanctified; he is in the midſt of our Aſſemblies, to behold our inward and outward carriage in his Courts; he goeth down into his Garden of nuts, to ſee Hortus nucum ſunt corda ſanctorum, et quideum valdè diligunt coeleſtem dulcedinem in intimis gerunt. Del Rio.the fruits of the valley, Cant. 6. 11. He ſeeth the rotten bough of hypocriſie, the bare leaves of an empty profeſſion, without the anſwerable fruits of a holy converſation, and looks on theſe diſappointments with fury and indignation; In a word, this preſence, this eye of God muſt be thought of, and meditated on, upon the morning of a Sabbath, and it will be a good preparatory to the ſubſequent duties of the whole day.