Heaven Upon Earth, Sermon · Application 2
USE 2.
Secondly, Is there to be acquaintance between the ſoul and God? then let us learn to make a right judgement of our own Excellency; let us judge of our ſelves as too high and noble to converſe with this baſe and beggarly world. I am of a nobler original, then to debaſe my ſelf to ſuch mean things; I am the off-ſpring of God, and ſhall I acquaint my ſelf with earth? I am of the family of God, & ſhall I converſe with Sathan? Is there bread enough in my Fathers houſe, and ſhall I periſh for hunger? Lift up thy ſelf, O my ſoul, ſhake off the intanglements of the fleſh, break out of that bondage of the Devil, trample upon the glory of the world, and ſcorn to let out thy precious deſires upon dung and droſs, get the Moon under thy feet, cloath thy ſelf with the Sun, put on the ſon of righteouſneſs, come into the palace of God, and acquaint thy ſelf with him, for this is thy glory, this is thy excellency. Ye precious ones, who can call God Father, and the ſon Brother, who have fellowſhip with the Father and the Son, who may have communion with the Holy Ghoſt? What do you lying among the Potts? What do you raking in Dunghills? What do you converſing with the World? Have a holy ſcorn of theſe things, as below the dignity of your ſouls: know your worth, eſteem of your ſelves, as of more value then all theſe lower Treaſures. This is your glory and your excellency, that ye are of Gods acquaintance, that ye are Sons of God, Heirs of God, & joynt-Heirs with Chriſt, that ye underſtand and know God.
There are two things wherein moſt men are miſtaken.
Firſt, In the Nature of Pride. Some look upon that only as Pride, which manifeſteth it ſelf in coſtly Apparel, and bodily Ornaments, beyond the degree and rank of the perſon. Some look no further then the carriage of one man towards another. Now favourably conſider with me, that the greateſt Pride in the world is mans undue eſteem of himſelf toward God; and this is in the heart of every one by nature. Every one by nature doth lift up himſelf againſt God, goes about to dethrone God, and to crown himſelf: Every one takes counſel in his heart againſt the Lord, ſaying, Let us break his hands aſunder, and caſt his cords from us. This is the voice of every one that dares wilfully to ſin. We will not have God to rule over us. Yet this is the working of the Pride of a man againſt God, to thurſt God out of the Throne of his Majeſty, and to ſet himſelf in. For what is Gods glory and reſpect among his creatures? Is it not this; that he being the beginning, and Author of all, ſhould be likewiſe the end of all? And this is the very purpoſe of God in making of man, that having received himſelf from God, he ſhould have what he might freely give up to God; ſo that all man is, and all that he hath, is to be offered to God, as the end and center of all. Now a ſinning creature brings God under to ſerve him, to provide for him. Now though this Pride of man againſt God be not ſo much taken notice of, yet it is the very daring ſin of the World. It is indeed to be wondered at, that ever creatures did caſt out the firſt thoughts of ſuch an attempt. Now conſider how far mans Pride is from his true Excellency in his Union with God. We are therefore to diſtinguiſh between that high eſteem that man is to have of himſelf, and pride. For man to look upon himſelf as a noble being, and of rank above all the natural world, it is not Pride, for thus he is (being a Spiritual underſtanding Agent) in a capacity of being acquainted with God, of being united to God, and, as I may ſay, of exchanging himſelf with God.
Secondly, Another miſtake of moſt men, is, concerning their Dignity and Excellency, and in the rule and meaſure of their Excellency. Moſt meaſure their Dignity by the advantage which they have over others in this world; As ſome in their Power and Authority; ſome in their Friends and Relations; ſome in their Riches and Eſtates; ſome in their Wiſdom and Faculties; ſome in their Strength and power. And what more univerſal evil is there then this, for every one in to ſomething or other to lift himſelf up in his own eſteem, and in his thoughts to tread upon others, as ſomething inferiour to himſelf? But men lie blinded in their own deluſions, not conſidering what is the true Excellency of man; nor know the right rule by which mans worth is to be judged of. The way for us to judge rightly concerning our ſelves, is to ſee how we ſtand towards God. God is the perfection of excellency; and the nigher we are to God, the greater is our excellency. This is the greatneſs of a Nation, to be nigh to God, Deut. 4.7. What nation is there ſo great which hath God ſo nigh unto them? And Amos 8.7. God is called the Excellency of Jacob. God ſweareth not by any thing below himſelf; therefore God is here meant, Iſa. 60.19. God is called the Glory of his people. The Lord ſhall be to thee an everlaſting light, & thy God thy Glory. Now God is the glory of thoſe that are acquainted with him.
Firſt, By vertue of the Relation wherein God ſtands towards them. An intimate Relation to thoſe that are perſons of Dignity, & Worth, doth communicate Worth and Dignity to thoſe who are ſo related to them. As the ſon of a mean man is not ſo highly valued and eſteemed as the ſon of a prince. David reckoned it to be a great thing to be Son-in-law to a King, 1 Sam. 18.18. Who am I, and what is my life, or my fathers family in Iſrael, that I ſhould be ſon in-law to the king? Thus are we to reckon it our Dignity and Excellency to be in nigh relation to God, to be ſons of God, to be heirs of God, and to be the friends of God, what greater honor then this to be in ſuch a nigh relation to the God of Glory? Now the Excellency that we have from this Relation, ariſeth from the excellency of that Act which is the Foundation of this Relation, and that is our being born of God, as we are Sons, Joh. 1.12, 13. God marrying us to himſelf as he is our husband. Jer. 3. Turn, O back ſliding children, ſaith the Lord, for I am married unto you. God takes us into fellowſhip, & communion, and acquaintance with himſelf, as he makes us his friends, and his acqaintance. This act of God doth inſtamp a Worth and Excellency upon man, as the impreſſion of the Kings Seal upon Wax, and makes it of value, Rev. 22.4. It is here ſpoken as the glory of the ſervants of God, Thoſe that follow the Lamb, they ſhall ſee his face, and his name ſhall be in their foreheads; that is, God hath choſen, and, as it were, marked them out for his own: and this marking them, and owing them, it ſets a high Dignity upon them, ſuch as ſecures them from the Curſe that is to be upon all beſides, as Revel. 9.4. They are commanded to hurt none but thoſe who have not the ſeal of God on their foreheads. This Relation of the ſoul to God, gives the ſoul an excellency, as it doth intereſt the ſoul in the glory and excellency of God himſelf; they are Gods, and Gods is theirs, 2 Cor. 6.16. I will dwell in them, and walk with them, and I will be their God, and they ſhall be my people, verſ. 17. He argues from the dignity of this relation, that they ſhould count themſelves too good to convers with the world; Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye ſeparated, ſaith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing: and I will receive you, and be a father to you, & you ſhall be my ſons & daughters, ſaith the Lord. Thus you ſee the dignity that is upon the ſoul by its acquaintance with God. Our relation to God in our acquaintance with him, doth ennoble us, lift us above the world, make us that we are too good for the company of thoſe that are not acquainted with God. It is then no pride in us thus to eſteem of our ſelvs, to have high thoughts of our ſelves, becauſe of that acquaintance which our ſouls are to have with God. It is pride for to think too highly of our ſelves: but it is ſobriety to think of our ſelves according to that acquaintance which we have with God. Rom. 12.3. I ſay, through the grace of God given to me, to every one that is among you, not to think of himſelf more highly then he ought to think; but to think ſoberly according as God hath dealt to every man the meaſure of faith. Here the Apoſtle commands them to meaſure the eſteem which they have of themſelves, by the meaſure of faith which they have from God; becauſe by faith they come to be valued excellent in the eye of God. So likewiſe we are to meaſure our eſteem which we have of our ſelves, by the meaſure of our acquaintance which we have with God: becauſe by acquaintance vvith him, vve come to be truly excellent. And vvhile vve do thus, vve ſhall not think more highly of our ſelves then vve ought to think: for while we account our ſelves excellent becauſe of our acqaintance with God, we in lifting up our ſelves magnifie God; and while we thus glory, we glory in the Lord, 1 Cor. 1.31. But now herein we are to beware of two things.
Firſt, That we diſtinguiſh carefully between our capacity of being acquainted with God, and our being actually acquainted with him: for our capacity, or being ſo as that we may be acquainted with God, is of no worth, unleſs we be actually acquainted with him. We are in a remote capacity naturally as men, and we are in a more nigh capacity by the mercy and covenant of God; but this adds no true worth to the ſoul without the actual acquaintance of the ſoul with God. Yea, man is the worſe for this, if he be without the other; for if man being made fit for enjoyment of God, and communion with him, never attain to an enjoyment of him, he becomes more vile then thoſe things whoſe nature is inferiour, if they attain to the perfection of that nature. And it is like to fare worſe with man, if he fall ſhort of the glory of God, becauſe he was capable of the glory of God, then with beaſts which are not capable of it. And again, in regard of that more nigh capacity wherein we are by Jeſus Chriſt of acquaintance with God, if we are not really acquainted with God, we ſhall thereby not only have no addition of excellency, but thereby we ſhall be more vile and miſerable: and therefore thoſe who through the mercy of God have been in the viſible Church, and have heard of the good will of God to man through Chriſt; and know that God is ready to entertain them into acquaintance with himſelf; if they ſhall fall ſhort of this, their condernnation will be greater then that of thoſe who never heard of Gods invitation, and his grace in Jeſus Chriſt. If we therefore ſhall glory in our capacity of being of the acquaintance of God, and neglect to be really acquainted with him, we do but as the Jews of old, who cried out, The temple of the Lord are theſe, Jer. 7.4. And the nigher we are to God, if we do not come to a thorow cloſure with him, the nigher we are to the ſtroak of his wrath: as the nigher any is to Musket-ſhot, the greater will the force of it be upon him. Diſtinguiſh therefore between our capacity of being acquainted with God, and our actual acquaintance with him.
Secondly, we muſt be ware leſt in our eſteem of our ſelves, we lay the foundation of our glory in our ſelves. There is that in every ones corrupt nature which doth provoke him to it: ſo that I dare boldly ſay, that there is not a man in his corrupt natural ſtate, who doth not ſome way or other lift up himſelf in his own eſteem for ſomthing of his own. And we are apt to make every ſpiritual excellency to be matter for pride and ſelf-conceitedneſs. We do not ſufficiently eye God as the Fountain, the Author, the Foundation, the Rule and Pattern of all our Excellency. Such is the way wherein God receiveth man to acquaintance with himſelf, that he might hide pride from his eyes, and that no fleſh might glory in his preſence, 1 Cor. 1.29. If we therefore lay the foundation of our glory in our ſelves, and pleaſe our ſelves in the ſparks that we have kindled, we ſhall glory in our ſhame, and lie down in ſorrow. This high eſteem which we are to have of our ſelves, becauſe of our acquaintance with God, it doth not at all contradict that precious grace of humility, but they rather help forward one another; for the more any eſteems of himſelf, becauſe of that relation which he hath to God, the leſs is the eſteem of himſelf, becauſe of any thing of his own; the more we make God the matter of our glory, the leſs do we glory in our ſelves. The more we apprehend of our Excellency, being from God, the leſs account do we make of all other ſeeming Excellencies. When the light of the Sun ariſeth, then all Star-light diſappears.
Firſt, All Dignity we have, ſeems to ariſe from that relation which we have to God in acquaintance with him.
Secondly, By acquaintance with God, we come to have an abſolute poſitive Dignity which is real in our perſons, yet ſtill depending upon God a As by our union with Chriſt we come to have a righteouſneſs imputed, which is our juſtification▪ and a righteouſneſs likewiſe inherent, which is our ſanctification; ſo by our acquaintance with God, we have a dignity, as it were, imputed by our relation to God, and a dignity real, which is that excellency whereby we are made abſolutely better. By acquaintance with God, we come to be like God; and the Image of God in us, is the greateſt excellency that we are capable of. When Moſes had been fourty days in the Mount with God, his face did ſhine with ſuch a brightneſs, that the people could not behold him: ſo thoſe that converſe with God, they retain a luſter, which ſhines in their converſe with men. The Image or picture of any worthy perſon, is ſteemed by them that eſteem the perſon, and this eſteem of it, is from a relation which it hath to that perſon; but now the children of any perſon whom we love, being a lively image of their fathers perſon, have another value upon them, having not only a relation worthy, becauſe of their reſemblance in the outward lineament, but a real participation of nature and diſpoſition, which they receive from their father: So there is an excellency in thoſe that are acquainted with God, not only as being in Relation to him, but as receiving, and being partakers of the Divine Nature. As Children learn to pronounce their words according to the pronunciation of the Mother, or Nurſe, with whom they converſe, (as every one is apt to be formed unto the manner and diſpoſition of the company wherein they muſt uſually are) thus thoſe who converſe with God; they become in ſome meaſure like unto God; and this is poſitive perſonal excellency which thoſe have which converſe with God. Thus the Apoſtle John argueth concerning that perfection of glory and excellency, which hereafter is to be upon thoſe that are the Sons of God. But it doth not yet appear what we ſhall be; but we know that when he ſhall appear, we ſhall be like him, for we ſhall ſee him as he is. In Heaven we ſhall be like God, becauſe we ſhall ſee God; and on earth thoſe that converſe with God, ſhall in ſome meaſure be like God according to their meaſure of acquaintance with him And ſo Paul argues concerning this preſent life, 2 Cor. 3.18. But we all with open face beholding as in a glaſs, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the ſame image, from glory to glory, even as by the ſpirit the Lord. Here we ſee clearly that beholding the glory of the Lord, doth change into the ſame image of God, and likewiſe that this image of God only is the glory of man; for that is meant by, From glory to glory: that is, from one degree of glorious ſimilitude, to another degree gf glorious reſemblance and likeneſs to God. Thus ye have ſeen that the excellency of man conſiſteth in his acquaintance with God; and that by the vertue of his relation to God, he hath an imputed excellency; and an excellency by his propriety in God, in whom is all excellency; and that by his converſe with God, and acquaintance with him, he becomes really like God, which is his inherent excellency. Let us then reckon of our ſelves as thoſe who have their Dignity and Excellency from God, and in this let us glory, That we know God, and are acquainted with God. This is the Second Ʋſe of this Propoſition.