A Christian Library, Chapter 15 – Chapter 16
CHAP. XV.
But the better to illustrate, and set out this Love; it will be good to branch it out into some more Particulars. As
First, Call to mind all these external, inferiour, earthly and temporal benefits; as that your being, breathing, life, motion, reason, is from God. That he hath given you a more noble nature, than the rest of the creatures; excellent faculties of mind, perfection of senses, soundnesse of body, competency of estate, seemlyness of condition, fitnesse of calling, preservation from dangers, rescue out of miseries, kindnesse of friends, carefulnesse of education, honesty of reputation, liberty of recreations, quietnesse of life, opportunity of well-doing, protection of Angels.
Then rise higher to his Spiritual favours, though here on earth; and strive to raise your affections with your thoughts. Blesse God, that you were born in the light of the Gospel, for your profession of the truth, for the honour of your vocation, for your incorporating into the Church, for the priviledge of the Sacraments, the free use of the Scriptures, the Communion of Saints, the benefit of their prayers, the aid of their counsels, foot-steps of Faith, Hope, Love, Zeal, Patience, Peace, Ioy, conscionablenesse, for any desire of more.
Then let your soul mount highest of all, into her Heaven, and acknowledge those Celestial Graces; of her Election to Glory, Redemption from Shame, Death, and Hell, of the Intercession of her Saviour, of the Preparation of her Place; And there let her stay a while, upon the meditation of her future Ioyes.
This or the like do, and it will teach you where to beg blessings when you want them, and whom to thank when you have them. For as the Sea is that great Cistern, to recieve the confluence of all waters: as first from that large and vast pond, water is derived into all parts of the earth, by veines and springs, those springs run into rivers, and those rivers empty themselves again into the Sea: so all blessings come from God, and all praises must be returned to him.
If we have any thing that is good, God is the giver of it. If we do any thing well, he is the Authour of it. God is Alpha, the fountain from which all grace springs; and Omega, the sea to which all glory runnes. All blessings come from him, like so many lines from the center to the circumference: therefore we must return all praises to him, like so many lines from the circumference to the center, Rom. 11.36. 1 Cor. 10.31. His wisdom he communicates, and his justice he distributes; and his holinesse he imparts, and his mercy he bestowes, &c. 1 Cor. 1.30, 31. but his glory he will not give to another, Isai. 42.8.
But this is not all; yea, what can we think of, that can be thought sufficient, to render unto the Lord our God, so good and gracious, in way of thankfulnesse for all these his mercies? For in reason hath he contrived so many waies to save us; and should not we take all occasions to glorifie him? Hath he done so much for us, and shall we deny him any thing that he requireth of us, though it were our lives, yea our souls; much more our lusts? We have exceeding hard hearts, if the blood of the Lamb cannot soften them: stony bowels, if so many mercies cannot melt them. Was Christ crucified for our sins? and should we by our sins crucifie him again?
Now the meditation of what God and Christ hath done for thee, will wonderfully inflame thee with the love of God, and thy Redeemer; and withall make thee abhor thy self, for thy former unthankfulnesse. It will make thee break out into some such expression as this, Praised be the Lord, even the God of our salvation, who loadeth us daily with benefits, Selah, Psal. 68.19. The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat, in due season; thou openest thine hand, and fillest all things living of thy good pleasure, Psal. 145.15, 16. To come to promotion, is neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south: but God is the Iudge, he maketh low, and he maketh high, Psal. 75.6, 7. And so of all other mercies and deliverances.
He that confers a Benefit, upon a gratefull nature, robs him of his liberty, and self also: and in one and the same act makes him a vassal, will make us to direct all our thoughts, speeches, and actions to his glory, as he hath directed our eternal salvation thereunto.
But to help and further you herein, if you be willing so to do, take these few Directions.
First, Let these things be never out of the minds, memories, and mouthes of those whom Christ hath done thus for. O let us (I say) remember, as we should never forget! Si totum me debeo pro me facto, quid jam reddam pro me refecto, saith holy Bernard. If I owed my whole self unto thee, for giving me my self in my creation: what have I left to pay for giving thy self for me to so cruel a death, to procure my Redemption, which was not so cheap as my Creation? Great was the benefit that thou wouldst create me of nothing; but what tongue can sufficiently expresse the greatnesse of this grace, that thou didst redeem me with so dear a price, when I was worse than nothing? We are full of thy goodnesse: O let our hearts run over with thankfulnesse! Yea, let so many of us, as have either heart or brain, in the next place say, O Lord, What is man that thou art so mindfull of him? Psal. 8.4. And O man, what is God that thou art so unmindfull of him? And then conclude with, What shall I render unto thee, O Lord, for all these thy benefits? but love thee my Creatour, and Redeemer, and become a new creature. I will serve thee, O Lord, by the assistance of thy grace, because thou hast given me my self: but much more honour thee, because thou hast given me thy Son Christ.
Nor can any man in common reason meditate so unbottomed a love, and not study and strive for an answerably thankfull demeanure. If a friend had given us but a thousand part of what God hath, we should heartily love him all our lives, and think no thanks sufficient, but to him that hath given me all things, I have scarce given so much as thanks. Yea, I have striven to multiply offences against him, and to make them as infinite in number as his blessings.
Thirdly, The continual meditation of what God hath done for thee, will make thee do, what thou art able for him again. For did God and Christ, do all this for us? and shall we do nothing for him again? Like favours, require like gratitude.
This then, should at least make us part with our nearest, dearest, and sweetest darling sins, to serve him in righteousnesse and holinesse every day, every hour, all the daies of our lives. Even every sin; for what sin should be so dear to us, as Gods only Son was to him? Do we then for Gods sake not spare our dearest sin; when God for our sakes, did not spare his dearest Son.
Yea, what a bruitish and barbarous unthankfulnesse, and shame were it, that God should part with his Son, and his Son with his own precious blood for us, and we not part with our sinfull lusts, and delights for him?
Fourthly, Hath Christ done all this for us, his servants, so much, and so many waies obliged unto him? let us do what we are able for him again. 1. Let us be zealous for his glory, and take his part when we see or hear him dishonoured. Nor can there be any love, where there… no zeal, saith Augustine. Well-born Children are touched to the quick, with the injuries of their Parents. And it is a base, vile, and unjust ingratitude in those men, that can endure the disgrace of them, under whose shelter they live. 2. Let us seek to draw others after us, from Satan to Him. 3. Do we all we can, to promote his worship and service. 4. Take we all good occasions to publish to others, how good God is; and what he hath done for us. 5. Let us wholly ascribe all the good we have, or do to free grace; and give him the glory of his gifts, imploying them to our Masters best advantage, 6. Let us (that we may expresse our thankfulnesse to him) shew kindnesse to his Children, and poor members, who are bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, Ephes. 5 30. 7. Abhor we our selves for our former unthankfulnesse, and our wonderfull provoking of him. 8. Hearken we unto Christs voice, in all that he saith unto us; and expresse our thankfulnesse by our obedience. Yea, all this let us do, if we do it but for our own sakes: For what should we have, if we did thus serve Christ, who hath done all these things for his enemies neglecting and dishonouring him?
CHAP. XVI.
But thou wilt say, What can we do for God, or for Christ?
I Answer, We cannot properly benefit God, nor add to his fulnesse. They can add no good to him, that have all their good from him. The Ocean is never the fuller, though all the rivers of the world, flow into the same: So, What is God the better, for our praises or performances, to whom (in that he is infinite) nothing can be added? If we be righteous, our righteousnesse may profit the sonnes of men; but what can we give unto him? or what receiveth he at our hands? Can the Sun receive light from a candle? What profit does the Sunne receive, by our looking upon it? We are the better for its light, not it for our sight; or at all prejudiced by our neglect. A shower of rain that waters the earth, gets nothing to it self: the earth fares the better for it. Lord (saith David) our well-doing doth not at all extend unto thee; but to the Saints that are on the earth, and to the excellent ones in whom is all my delight, Psal. 16.2, 3. Yea, if we could give him our bodies and souls, they should be saved by it, but he were never the better for them. It is for our good, that he would be served, and magnified of us.
True, as the Ocean daynes to take tribute of the small brooks, and accepts that in token of thankfulnesse, which was its own before, it being the maintainer of the rivers streams: Or as Ioseph accepted of his Brethrens small gifts, albeit he had no need of them, Gen 43.15. So does God accept of our free-will offerings, and bountifully rewards them, Phil. 4.18. Yea, if in impolying our Talents, we aim at his glory, and the Churches good, he doubles them, Matth. 25.21, 22, 23.
Nor does God look for such glory, or service from us, as he is worthy to receive, but as we are able to give. Our praises and performances, are not sinnes; yet they are not without some touch of sin. Duties and infirmities, come from us together: but Christ parts them, forgiving the infirmities, and receiving the praises and performances. They are full of weaknesses, yet does not he except against them for their imperfections. He takes them well in worth, though there be no worth in them: and vouchsafes them a reward, which had been sufficiently honoured with a pardon.
Neither can we hurt, or take away any thing from him: For if we be wicked, our wickednesse may hurt a man like our selves; but what is it to him, Job 35.7, 8. Yet neverthelesse, we may do many things, which he accounts and rewards, as done to himself; of which I will give you one in special, and I pray mind it.
Though we can do nothing for Christ himself, he being now in Heaven: yet we may do much for his poor members, those excellent ones whom David speakes of Psalm 16.2, 3. which Christ accounts all one, as if it were done to himself, as appears by many expresse testimonies. When I was an hungred, ye fed me; when I was naked, ye cloathed me; when sick and in prison, ye visited me, &c. For in as much as ye did it unto one of these little ones, that believe in me, ye did it unto me, Matth. 25.34. to 41. He that giveth unto the poor, lendeth unto the Lord, Prov. 19.17. And many the like which I have formerly cited.