Law-Power, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
§ 1 NOw we proceed to tell our ſelves, and you, if ye will heare what thoſe people will doe, in whoſe hearts the finger of God hath written the law of their Relations. They will ſpeake, and doe the very ſame thing, which all Gods people, Miniſter and people ſpeake, and doe, in whoſe hearts the Law of their Relation is written.
It may be asked here; What are theſe Relations? And what is the Law thereof? Breifly, and to narrow theſe matters as much as we can.
Their Relations are theſe; Firſt, The great, and dreadfull God for His deare Son's ſake (manifeſted in the fleſh) ſtands related to them, as theirs, their God; they to Him, as His people; more particularly, the great God ſaith of every one of theſe; Thou art my Diſciple, thou art mine, Iſa. 43. 1. He againe Ecchoeth forth to his God, And I am thine Lord; (for all is reciprocall between God, and this gratious Saint). The intercourſe is mutuall; if He ſay, He is ours; We ſay againe, we are thine Lord, and we give our ſelves to thee; The claime is mutuall; He claimeth us for His; we Him, for Ours. Thou art mine; I am thine. Breifly, there is the Relation; Now the Law is this; As Jehovah God ſaith to this perſon (ſo ſingly we muſt ſpeake) All I am, and I am all; All I have, and I have all; All I can, and I can all, I am for Thee, who doeſt truſt Me, art my Diſciple indeed, My Saint in Truth; So now ſaith this Beleever, this Gracious Saint, this ſeperated-one, What I am, it is of Thee; What I have, it is from Thee; What I can, it is by Thee. All I am, I have, I can, it is for Thee O my Beloved *Cant. 7. 13.; It is a Curſe that one ſhould ſowe, and another reape; It is God that ſowes, ſhall the fleſh, or the world, or the Devill reape? God forbid, He that ſowes, He ſhall reape, ſaith that perſon, that feeles the Law of His Relation. For thus this Perſon ſaith to his Lord, and his God. Thou haſt ſaid, even becauſe it pleaſed Thee, ſo to ſay, That all Thine is mine; And by Thy grace, I ſay, and ſhall never ceaſe ſaying of it; And All Mine is Thine. There is the Law of that Relation.
Secondly, The great God ſtands to them in the Relation of a Deare Father; they to Him as Deare Children; God ſaith to every one of them firſt, or laſt, I am thy Father, and call Me ſo, My Father; He, or ſhe Ecchoes againe to Him, Thy ſonne, Thy daughter; there is the Relation; The law thereof is this; This Heavenly Father in, and through Chriſt, makes over Himſelfe unto His Childe; His Love and all; This Child makes a deed of gift, as we may ſay, of himſelfe backe againe, unto his Father, through Chriſt, by Whom he received all, gives Him all his love, and all too little (yet he has not the leſſe, but much more for all his Relations here below, well corrected, and ordered, now God hath all) all his love, and all his feare, and all his ſervice (but feare is all) And now this Child ſhall be ſpared, as a father ſpareth his, and ſo he ſhall be ſerved, For all things in heaven and earth ſhall ſerve him, and Miniſter to him, if need be; And this Child, while he is himſelfe, and not over-taken nor ſurprized, is as tender of his Fathers Name, as he is of that he moſt dearly loveth, and as fearefull to offend Him, as he is to offend the tendereſt part about him, the apple of his eye; There is the great Law of that Relation alſo.
Thirdly, The great God ſtands to them in Chriſt, as a Bridegroome (for as was ſaid, His love never decayeth; as ſervent at laſt, as at firſt) they to Him, as His Spouſe; He ſaith to every one of theſe firſt, or laſt, I am marryed to thee; Thou art my Hephzi-bad, my delight is in thee; I am for Thee; and Thou ſhal… not be for another, Hoſ. 3. 3. There is the Relation: The Law is this: The Bridegroome is intirely the Brides; The Bride is intirely the Bridegroomes. His delight is in her (that implyes all, tongue can expreſſe, or heart can wiſh open it never ſo wide) her delight is in Him, and that implyes alſo all that is expected from her: He ſits downe with great delight taking pleaſure in her; and ſhe with the ſame delight, in her meaſure, taking pleaſure in Him. There is the Law of that Relation; we might be very large, and it is hard to ſpeake little of ſo much as might be ſaid, once more.
Fourthly, He ſtands to them, as a Lord, they to Him as ſervants; He ſaith to every one of them, Thou art my ſervant: he, or ſhe to Him againe; Thou art my Lord, (a Name of as much uſe and comfort as Jeſus is with a Saint) and my God: There is the Relation.
The Law is this, Thou ſhalt doe all that I command thee, as to the ſubſtance, or matter, forme, or manner of the worke; what I command thee, and as Ile have it done; all My will, and, all according to My will. The matter of a ſervice hath been rewarded, when the manner of doing it hath been revenged. I doe it, Lord, ſaith this ſervant; ſpeake, Lord, thy ſervant heareth; Command, Lord, thy ſervant doth it; As the eyes of a ſervant lookes to the hand of his Maſter; as the eyes of a Maiden to the hand of her Miſtreſſe, ſo my eyes waite upon Thee, my Lord, and my God. We will onelyonly name two Relations more.
The Great God ſtands related to theſe His people every one of them, as a friend to a friend, as a Shepheard to his flock. From this, and all that which went before, we will ſet downe theſe Conſectories.
SECT. II.
FIrſt, Theſe are a peculiar, and choice people, a royall Prieſthood, of whom God ſaith, You are my people; They againe, Thou art our God; and being ſuch they muſt accordingly be dealt with. They ſhall dwell alone, they ſhall not be numbred among the Nations. There ſhall be a better account had of them, who can give a reaſon of their hope, than is of your Diſciples, Beleevers, and Saints; of no more account with their God than Infidels are, Amos 9. 7. While they can give no other reaſon of their hope, but that they were borne and baptized in the Nation.
Secondly, They are Children▪ and every one expects a Childs portion; Childrens bread to be given unto them, and they will not receive it among the Dogs; They are marvailouſly ſeparated, Pſal. 4. We muſt be ſeparated from them here, or in hell live with them for ever. Learned, and Holy Sibs.and now they can no more mixe themſelves with the wicked, "workers of iniquity (though they would ſtoope to their foote; or take them into their beſome to doe them good) than they can mixe with their workes; or light mixe with darkneſſe, or Christ with Belial. The Children of God, they will not at any time, or place, unleſſe by a good warrant, much leſſe at the Lords Table, mixe with the Children of the Dev…ll, their deareſt fathers enemies as well as theirs.
Thirdly, They are the Spouſe of Chriſt, or His Bride; They will, through grace, carry themſelves honourably, and as becometh the Law of that Relation. And if ever you will deale with them, which you will doe, if you know the Law of your Relation, you muſt take them out of the throng and tumult of the world, as was ſaid; The Bride of Chriſt is a virgin modeſt and ſhamefaſt; you muſt appoint a ſet time and place to meete with them. If ye will not doe ſo, not feeling the law of your Relation upon your hearts, they will meete without you, and they know who will give them a meeting (they doing all they doe decently, and in order) He, Who never failed them hitherto; You muſt take them out of the throng, and tumult of the world alone, and apart, as the Beloved His Spouſe, Cant. 7. 11. and as He tooke the blind man out of the Towne, Mark. 8. 23. And
Fourthly, Theſe are the ſervants of the moſt High God; And the Law of that Relation gives Law to their thoughts, all their ſaying and doings. Their eyes looke up to their Lord, what He Commands that doe they, and what He forbids that they avoide as an Adder in their path, or a ſhe▪ Beare in their way: What care they what the principles of Inſant Baptiſme ſay, if theſe ſay but accoring to that, we have heard ſayd; they heare what the Word ſaith, for the word hath bored their eare. They follow their Lord going before them by His Spirit in the directions of His word, for they know His voice; and a ſtranger will they not follow, but will flee from Him, for they know not (allow approove not of) the voice of a Stranger.
Fifthly, They are the Friends of Chriſt; that is the RelationC…nt. 7. 15. they ſtand in to Him; now He walkes with them in His Galleries, and holds them there, while He openeth His whole ſoule unto them. All things, ſaith Chriſt, that I have heard of my Father, I have made knowne unto you; An Admirable Scripture. Certainly Chriſt hath heard great things of His Father. He is theJohn 15. 15. wiſdome of the Father; He hath been with the Father from all eternity; and the Father loves Him; He will tell Him all the Glorious things He hath in His Heart, and Chriſt will hide none of theſe things from His Friends. Judge you now how ſtrong the law of this Relation is with all His Friends; will they not deale friendly with Him? Thinke you: can they allow of any perſon, or thing, that offends His glorious eyes? will they be a Companion of His enemies? deriders of him, as the covetous are? A mans Companion is, (as he ſaith) the Counterpaine of himſelfe. Of all other Mr. San…: page. 173.things Company is the worſt diſſembled, as that worthy man hath it from Excellent Learned Preſton. Truly they can ſay our fellowſhip is with the Father, and with His Sonne Jeſus Chriſt our Friend. And
Sixthly, Laſtly, He is their Shepheard, they His ſheepe; they heare Him, and follow Him in all things; And if they are as ſheepe without a Shepheard in ſight, They have an eye to ſee their great Shepheard, and over-ſeer of their ſoules. He hath undertaken for them, to follow them with His eye upon them (where ever they are, to deale well with them *Pſal. 32. 8. Jer. 40. 4.,) and Him they will heare, and Him they will follow. An hireling they flie from, and with Goats they cannot mixe; In a word, and a plaine word; They are an abomination to the wicked, and the company of the wicked (viſiblyProv. 29. 27. ſuch) in Church-Communions is an abhomination unto them. They feed in cleane Paſtures, upon the daintieſt meate provided for them; They love to feed together, to lie downe together, to walke together, for what Communion betwixt light, and darkneſſe? Chriſt with Belial? with the wicked they cannot mixe.