The Dignity of Gods Children, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIIII.
Of true hope, proper onelyonly to the children of God, and therefore much making for their further dignity: and of ſome ſpeciall points belonging to all before ſaid of their life, wiſedome, &c.
ONe thing yet remaineth concerning the matter of being the children of God. This is true hope of all things promiſed either for this life or for the life to come.
And although this hope be the daughter and companion of faith yet I hauehave reſerued my ſpeech therof till this place, becauſe it ariſeth from all the former points of the matter of our new birth, and becauſe it doth ſupport and nouriſh them by the obiect thereof, as the oile maintaineth and nouriſheth the fire in the lampe.
Although alſo Peter ſaith that we are regenerated, or begotten againe to this hope. 1. Pet. 1. 3. and ſo doth ſeem to make this hope the end of our regeneration, yet becauſe it is wrought in vsus as ſoone as the former things, therefore I may without any abſurdity, here ſpeake of it alſo, as one of thoſe things wherein our being the children of God doth conſiſt. This hope agreeth with faith, in that it hath the ſame author, is wrought and increaſed by the ſame meanes, is in the ſame ſubiect, and continueth the ſame time: but herein it differeth, that the obiect of faith is the whole word of God: but the obiect of hope is only the promiſes in the word. By faith we beleeue all things written in the word; of things paſt, preſent and to come, (as hath been ſaid in chap. 8.) But by hope we …e expect and looke for onelyonly thoſe things that are in the word promiſed to be performed her eaſter, either generally concerning the Church, or particularly concerning our ſelues. So all the good, promiſed hereafter to be performed, is beleeued by faith, and expected or looked for by hope. EueryEvery truth therfore of God reuealed in his word written, is the obiect of faith: (For by faith we beleeue the word touching the creation of the world by the word: Heb. 11. 3.) but hope hath only relation to the promiſes of God. Therefore the Apoſtle exhorting the Hebrews to keepe the profesſion of their hope without wauering. confirmeth the ſame by the faithfulneſſe of him that hath promiſed. Heb. 10. 23. So he reſtraineth hope, only to the promiſes of God.
As by faith we beleeue as well the promiſes of this life, as of the life to come; and therefore the iuſt man doth liue by his faith, as well touching this life, as touching the life to come: ſo by hope we doe expect or looke for the performance as well of the promiſes of this life, as of the life to come. Notwithſtanding, as the things of the life to come are the principalleſt obiect of faith, ſo alſo be they of hope.
This hope is as proper to the children of God as faith it ſelfe; becauſe it is an handmaid only of faith: looking only for the performance of thoſe things, which faith beleeueth ſhall be performed. Therefore it is ioined with faith, 1. Cor. 13. 13. Tit 1. 1. 2. 1. Pet 1. 21. and Iude 20. and 21. Therefore alſo theſe words, Faith and hope, to beleeue and hope, are often confounded, and are vſed one for another.
This faith and hope are immortall; they ſhall neuer periſh. The ſeed of ſaith is immortall; Chriſt Ieſus the obiect of faith is the ſ…me yeſterday, to day, and for cuer. By faith we ouercome all things, and all things are poſſible vntounto vsus. How then can faith decav? By faith …e are alſo kept vntounto ſaluation: 1. Pet. 1. 5. How then can faith itſelfe periſh? It faith periſh, whereby we are kept vntounto ſaluation, where is our ſafety? Peter proueth faith o be better then gold: becauſe gold periſheth though it be neuer ſo well tried and refined in the fire. 1. Pet. 1. 7. How is this argument good, if faith may periſh as well as gold? If faith do thus continue, then alſo doth hope: for theſe are twinnes, borne together, liuing together, and laſting one as long as the other. The hope therefore of Gods children ſhall neuer be fruſtrated: it ſhall not be confounded. Thoſe things that proue the perpetuity of faith, proue alſo the perpetuity of hope. The ſame is alſo euident by the attribute liuing, wherby Peter deſeribeth the hope of them that be begotten againe, 1. Pet. 1. 3. Paul ſaith, it maketh not aſhamed: Rom. 5. 5. Salomon ſaith, The patient abiding (that is, the hope) of the righteous ſhall be gladneſſe. Pro. 10. 28 In this place and in that of Peter, let it be obſerued, that hope is limited only to them that are begotten againe, and to the righteous.
This is the more, becauſe we are as often taught that the hope of the wicked ſhall periſh. When Salomon had ſaid in that place before alleged, The hope of the righteous ſhall be gladneſſe, preſently he addeth, but the hope of the wicked ſhall periſh. Bildad ſaith, that As the ruſh cannot grow without mire (or moiſture) ſo the hypocrites hope ſhall periſh. Iob 8. 13. Zophar ſaith, The eye of the wicked ſhall faile, and their refuge ſhall periſh, and their hope ſhall be ſorrow of mind: Iob 11. 20. The Pſalmiſt ſaith, The deſire of the wicked ſhall periſh: Pſal. 112. 10. If their deſire ſhall periſh, can their hope continue? Who doth not deſire that which he hopeth for? Salomon ſaith againe, when a wicked man die…h his hope periſheth, and the hope of the vniuſt ſhall periſh. Pro 11. 7.
Examples hereof are many. How vaine was the hope of the mother of Siſera, and of her wiſe la…es touching the ſafe returne of Siſera with great ſo …ile? Iudg 5. 28. How was the great boaſting hope of great Goliah decerued? 1. Sam. 17. 44. The like may be ſaid of Ah…b, touching good ſucceſſe againſt Ramo…h Gilead: 1. Kings 22. 6. and of the hope of Saneherib touching the like ſucceſſe againſt Ieruſalem, 2. Kings 18 28. So alſo of the hope generally of all Papiſts; and particularly both of the Spaniards in the yeer 15 88, and alſo of many of our own Papiſts here at home here to fore; and of late in the powder treaſon, and of many other.
What an excellent priuilege then is this of the children of God, that their hope grounded vponupon God word, for things either of this life, or of the life to come, ſhall not be fruſtrated, but certainly accompliſhed? yea, that we may be the better aſſured, that our hope ſhall not deceiue vsus, it is called the helmet of ſaluation. 1. … heſ. 5. 8. whereby we are taught, that as the helmet, or an head peace defēdeth the head from all wounds, ſo likewiſe hope is a principall part of the ſpirituall armor for the defence of a ſpirituall man, from ſpirituall dangers, and for keeping him from deſpaire of ſaluation. If hope bee a ſpeciall preſeruatiue againſt deſpaire of ſaluation, then alſo muſt it be againſt deſpaire of things promiſed for the comfort of this life. Feare not little flocke (ſaith our Sauiour) it is your Fathers pleaſure to giuegive you a kingdome. Luk. 12. 32. By the aſſurance therefore of a kingdome, hee ſtrengthneth them againſt all feare of want of things for this life. Can we rightly hope that God will giuegive the greater, and doubt or feare, that he will not giuegive the leſſe, viz. the things of this life? yea, therefore hope is compared to a ſure and ſted faſt ancre, of the ſoule, faſtened to that which is with in the vaile. Heb. 6. 19. This is a ſweete and moſt comfortable compariſon, viz. of hope, not to an ancre only, but to a ſure ancre, & to a ſtedfaſt ancre; not faſtened in the bottome of the ſea, in ſand, or in any earth, but in heauen, euen in God himſelfe, or in Chriſt Ieſus more firm then any rocke.
How ſoeuer therefore the children of God be here (as it were) vponupon the midſt of the ſeas, toſſed with mighty ſtormes and tempeſts, yet as a ſhip by a ſtrong ancre, with a cable ſutable, well faſtened, is the more ſafe in great ſtormes and tempeſts, ſo according to the words of the ſame Apoſtle in the ſame place verſe 18. the children of God by their hope well fixed and faſtened vponupon the things eſpecially within the vaile (that is, in heauen) hauehave ſuch ſtrong conſolation, as that no ſtorms or tempeſts of all the power of hell it ſelfe, ſhall be able to remoue the ſame, or at leaſt ſo to remoue it, as that they ſhall ſuffer ſhipwracke. To the ſame purpoſe the Apoſtle Paul …oineth theſe two together, euerlaſting conſolation, and good hope through grace. 2. I heſ. 2. 16. The faith euen of the beſt, and the beſt faith may ſometime be ſo wounded, that it may for a time fall into a kind of ſwoone: as the faith of Peter did for a while: and of Salomon for a long time. In like manner, their hope may be much quailed, and ſhaken, and obſeured. For faith being wounded, hope cannot be found; becauſe it dependeth vponupon faith. But neither faith nor hope can be altogether and vtterly ouerwhelmed.
This then is a moſt ſingular priuiledge and comfort. And hereby the children of God, in great afflictions of this life, in common death and famine, in ſpeciall want and penurie, in ſicknes, in priſon, in baniſhment, in the hatred and malice of many and mightie aduerſaries, in croſſes abroad, and in croſſes at home: as alſo in great aſſaults of Satan, in great accuſation of their owne conſcience, in remembrance of their great and manifold ſinnes ſet before them by Satan in all their colours, and amplified and aggrauated by all the circumſtances that may be: by this hope (I ſay) the children of God in all theſe are moſt cheerefull and comfortable (as Paul was 2. Cor. 4. 8. &c.) when the wicked hang downe their heads, are oppreſſed with cares, feares, and griefes, and doe vtterly deſpaire, and be alſo vncapable of all comfort. But of theſe things ſomwhat hath beene ſaid before, and more ſhall be afterward.
Now all before ſaid of our life, knowledge, wiſedome, holines, and righteouſnes generally, as alſo more particularly of our ſobrietie, watchfulnes, louelove and hope, is not ſo to be vnderſtoode as if the ſaid things were in like meaſure in all the children of God. For all hauehave not the like outward meanes, whereby to atteine vntounto them: neither the like time &c. Beſides, as the hand of a man is greater then the hand of a child; and as the hand of one man is larger then the hand of another; and the larger the hand of any is, the more it will comprehend of whatſoeuer it doth apprehend: ſo there is difference both in the meaſure of faith, which is the hand of our heart whereby we lay hold of Chriſt, and alſo in the meaſure of Chriſt himſelfe laid hold of by faith. For although eueryevery one that layeth hold of Chriſt, layeth not hold of a peece of Chriſt, but of whole Chriſt ſpiritually touching his eſſence, yet it is not ſo touching his efficacy. So then the more faith any man hath, the more he layeth hold of Chriſt (in maner aforeſaid) and conſequently he receiueth the more life, the more wiſedom, the more ſanctification generally, and particularly the more ſobriety louelove and hope.
In the matter notwith ſtanding of iuſtification this holdeth Note.not. For he that hath the leaſt faith, is as perfectly iuſtified as he that hath the greateſt. Our life, knowledge, wiſedom, &c. doe admit plus & minus, more and leſſe: But our iuſtification doth not ſo: No man is iuſtified in part before God, except he be iuſtified perfectly, and altogether. If a man could be iuſtified and diſcharged of all his ſinnes, but only of one, and that one the leaſt of all otehr, yet that one were ſufficient to the eternall cōdemnation of that party, notwithſtanding his iuſtification, and diſcharge from all the reſt. The worke alſo of our iuſtification is but one worke, wrought all at once, not by degrees. But though our regeneration be ſo likewiſe, I meane of the whole man together (not firſt of one part then of another:) & though alſo in our regeneration, our ſanctification be likewiſe begun, yet our ſanctification is not perfected all at once, but by degrees it is more & more encreaſed. To ſhew this more Note.plainly (for I deſire to be rather indeed perſpicuous for the edification of the ſimpleſt, thē by obſcurity to ſeem profound, for the affecting of the learned, or rather of ſome that are more curious then truly deſirous of good knowledge, to whō plainnes ſeemeth baſenes) To ſhew this (I ſay) more plainely, as our regeneration is nothing elst ut our new birth, ſo our ſanctification may be compared to our ſtarure. As therefore a man is but once naturally borne, not by degrees but all together, and the new borne babe as ſoone as eure he is out of the mothers wombe, is as perfectly borne as he that is 20. or 40. yeeres old; but being new borne he is not preſently of his perfect ſtature, but commeth & groweth to that by degrees in time, by meate, & drinke, and other meanes fit for the ſame: ſo is it touching our regeneration & ſāctification: we are new borne all at once, euen the firſt day we receiue by the word the ſpirit of adoptiō, but though the alſo we begin to be ſāctified, yet we grow more & more therin afterward, as the new born babe doth in ſtature.
Laſt of all, the matter of our iuſtification is altogether without vsus; euen wholly in Chriſt, as he did actiuely & paſſiuely obey his father, performing his whole wil for doing & ſuffering that which he required: but our ſpiritual life, and other things before ſpoken of, are things within vsus. As Chriſt firſt apprehended by faith aloft (as it were) doth iuſtify vsus in heauen, (hauing before notwithſtanding here in earth fully ſatisfied his fathers will in our behalfe) ſo after ward, and from the very moment of our iuſtification, hee dwelling likewiſe in our hearts by the ſaid faith ſpiritually, doth ſanctifie vsus here in earth. Within this exc…ption likewiſe of our iuſtification, to be without differing degrees of more or leſſe, as are in other things before mentioned, I comprehend the freedome of the children of God before noted, as one point of their being the children of God: eſ…ecially touching the latter branch thereof; that is, not their freedome from the bondage of ſinne and ſatan, but their freedome of the new heauenly Ieruſalem, for trading and traffiquing for the merchandiſes thereof, as alſo for enioying other priuiledges belonging to the ſaid freedome.
For to grant, that the freedom of the children of God from the bondage of ſinne is not all alike (though in ſome reſpects it muſt be acknowledged to be like) yet this is moſt certaine, that the other branch of their freedome is alike in all. For one as well as another of them that are regenerated and borne againe to God, hauehave the like freedome of heauen, and all may in like manner trade for the commodities thereof. Notwithſtanding as they that are alike free of a city, neither hauehave all the like ſtock at the firſt to begin with, neither all the like dexterity Note.to vſe their freedome, and ſtock to the moſt aduantage of themſelues, wherby ſome th…iue and proſper more then other, ſo is it with the children of God.
Though they be all alike free of the heauenly Ieruſalem euen of the C…ty of God which is called the kingdome of God: yet the Lord giueth not the like ſtocke, and portion of his graces to all where with (as it were) to ſet vp, and to begin, and ſo they do not all alike thr…ue and proſper.
In all theſe things hitherto handled from the eight Chapter to this place, doth conſiſt the matter of our being the children of God, and that excellent and glorious image of God, which being before regeneration altogether defaced in vsus, is now by regeneration, through the great grace and mercy of God againe renued in vsus.
It is (I ſay) only renued in vsus that are regenerated. It remaineth ſtill in all the wicked and meere naturall men altogether defaced. Yea as this image of God ſo before deſcribed, i… daily more and more increaſed in all that are new borne: ſo likewiſe the image of the Diuell, which all naturall men hauehave by nature and by propagation from their parents, is the more increaſed in ſuch, the longer they continue in their ſaid naturall ſtate. As naturall children borne in fauour like their father, the more they grow in ſtature doe the more reſemble their naturall Father: ſo all naturall men being (as we hauehave heard) the children of the diuell, and faſhioned in qualities like vntounto him do the more reſemble him, the longer that they cōtinue in their naturall ſtate, & the more they heape ſinne vponupon ſin.
By this image of God ſo renewed, and daily increaſed in all the new borne children of God, the pooreſt and meaneſt of the ſaid children of God, how deformed ſoeuer they be in body (bleare-eied, or ſquint-eyed, crook-necked, crook-backed, or crook-handed or legged, or hauing any other bodily deformity) are notwithſtanding more truly beautifull, then euer was Abſolom, though In all Iſrael, there was none ſo much to be praiſed for beauty as Abſalom becauſe that frō the ſole of the foot euen to the top of his head there was no blemiſh in him. 2. Sā. 14. 25.
This beauty of the body may decay by age, by ſickneſſe, and by diuers other meanes: There be many ſinnes alſo, the continuance wherein doth take away the moſt excellent bodily beauty that is. Doth not whoredome this oftentimes? For doth not that foule diſeaſe (not fit almoſt to be named) which for the moſt part accompanieth that ſinne) eat vp a man within and without? doth not drunkenneſſe cauſe redneſſe of eyes? Pro. 23. 29. bloughtineſſe of face, and tunne-like growth of the whole body? yea, doth it not (as it were) tranſubſtantiate them into monſters, that were (before acquaintance with that ſinne) comely and goodly perſons?
As therefore Bathſheba ſpeaketh euen to Salomon her ſonne whom ſhe knew ſhould be king, for the better directing of him in choice of a wife, that he might not reſpect beauty of the body ſo much as inward graces and vertu…s (and yet who ſhould reſpect beauty if kings may not?) As (I ſay) Bathſheba ſpeaketh to Salomon touching this matter, ſo ſay I, Fauour is deceitfull and beauty is vanity. Pro. 31. 30. But the image of God renued in the new birth of the children of God, and the ſpirituall beauty therof ſhall continue for euer, in all ſickneſſe and in death it ſelfe; yea, it ſhall eueryevery day increaſe more and more, as afterward we ſhal heare; yea, at the laſt in the reſurrection alſo it ſhall be crowned with ſuch a glorious beauty euen of the body (as in handling of the ſecond verſe, and of our future ſimilitude to Chriſt himſelfe ſhall be ſhewed) as in reſpect wherof, the goodlieſt beauty of any man or woman that euer was in the world, ſhall be ſeen to hauehave been deformity. Doth not this alſo amplifie the dignity of Gods children?
To conclude all hitherto ſpoken of the things wherein the being and matter of the children of God (as they are the children of God) doth conſiſt, whatſoeuer other things meer naturall men hauehave, or whatſoeuer reſemblances be in ſome hypocrites, either of all the things before handled, or of ſome of them, yet in truth all ſuch are vtterly void of them.
As before touching the life of God, we compared meer naturall men to images, applying that vntounto them that Habbakuk ſpeaketh of images, that although they were laid ouer with gold and ſiluer, yet they had no breath in them: ſo now alſo all thoſe things whereby images be deſcribed. Pſal. 115. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. may likewiſe be ſpoken of meer natural men, and of all wicked men whatſoeuer: They hauehave a mouth and ſpeake not, they hauehave eyes and ſee not, they hauehave eares and heare not: they hauehave noſes and ſmell not, they hauehave hands and handle not: they hauehave feet and walke not: neither make they a ſound with their throat. Theſe things (I ſay) wherby images are thus deſcribed, may alſo be applied to all meer naturall men. For though ſuch hauehave all ſuch parts of men, yet they performe no office of ſuch parts either towards God or men, which do belong vntounto them.
Thus much touching the image of God renued in the new borne children of God, and touching all things wherein the ſame conſiſteth, as alſo touching the increaſe of the dignity of the children of God thereby.