England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 12
Coloſſ. 1.15. Who is the image of the inviſible God.
THis is ſaid of Chriſt eminenter, he is what none elſe are in heaven or in earth for likeneſſe to God. They are excluſive words, and make a proper rule for our right apprehenſion of God. When we would conceive of God as he is, we are to conceive of him as he holds forth himſelf in Chriſt, and no where elſe; for God hath no repreſentation, for divine adoration but Chriſt; God hath no artificiall ſimilitude, nor no naturall ſimilitude, nothing grows like him, nor nothing can be made like him.
Nature keeps her compaſſe, and attempts nothing this way, and yet art is venturous. I admire it much; for no man hath ſeen God at any time, that is, as he is, onelyonly he that lay in his boſome thus ſaw him. Sight is the rule of art, fancy cannot work upon nothing, not our fancy. Folly makes her ſelf viſible and not God, when the man goes to make the likeneſſe of him he never ſaw. Fancie is but bad at recollection when at a loſſe, yet a little it can do ſometimes this way, call to mind ſuch a countenance which at ſuch a time it ſaw; but that which it never ſaw it can do nothing about that, but befool it ſelf: No man hath ſeen God at any time.
Fancie can draw to the life, and it can work at ſecond hand; fancy can go after nature, and fancie can go after art, and make good work; ſhe can draw from a thing drawn, from a thing it ſelf, or from the ſhape of that thing; it can ſhape again to pleaſe it ſelf, and continue ſo contemplative; but it hath neither wayes relief reſpecting God: neither the naturall form of God, nor any artificiall ſhape can be got: Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor ſeen his ſhape, John 5.37. No man hath ſeen God to draw him to the life, nor none hath ſeen his ſhape to copie him out, ye have neither heard his voice, nor ſeen his ſhape. Chriſt as man is not the ſhape of God. There was apparition frequently under the old covenant, viſion was an ordinance, and although it were an ordinance, yet God did make viſion ſtill under the ſhape of ſome other thing, & not of himſelf; under the ſhape of men, or of an eagle, or a dove. The form of man gives not a ſhape of the form of God; Chriſt as man was not the image nor the ſhape of God, but called ſo as he had a divine eſſence and action, as the godhead and the fulneſſe of the godhead dwelt in him, and wrought by him.
Though fancy hath no full ſhape as a copie, yet from a little, from an eye or from a toe, ſhe can form the whole, if ſhe hath but the ſhadow of a ſhadow, any rough draught, any ground-work, or any glimpſe of ſuch a ſimilitude, ſhe can with ſome applauſe ſet her ſelf on work; but there is not this relief to make the image of God: Take good heed, for ye ſaw no manner of ſimilitude when God talked with you in Horeb; If there were any times to get ſome glimpſe of God, it was in Horeb, but yet then there was no manner of ſimilitude. The reſult of all is this, There is no image of God but Chriſt, nor can be. There is no repreſentation, for relief of apprehenſion in adoration, but Chriſt.
Uſe. Mens principles are ſtrange which conceive otherwiſe, and yet perſons abuſing their light, make what apprehenſions of God they pleaſe. Look how the heart is engaged, ſo it fancies God, and repreſents him to it ſelf. A vain heart makes vain imaginations; will guides affection, affection guides fancie, and fancie guides action, when the ſoul is given up to ſinne and death: the heart chooſeth its way, and then fancy & other powers ſet up a god in ſimilitude to this way, to go before the man, to confirm the man in his way, and to ſeal his deſtruction; and yet thus men generally live and die.
Some mens principles are ſtrange, yet they will venture their ſouls upon the practiſe of them; the pride of man and the wrath of God is in this; what is the idole of any mans heart, ſhall become the idol of his life, to his death. God will have what is in the heart, under the mans hand to condemne him: Profeſsing themſelves to be wiſe, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God, into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and foure-footed beaſts, ſaith the Apoſtle. Firſt they became vain in imagination, then in action; the idol of the heart begins the idol of the hand, and outward man neceſſarily: if you would know any mans conception of God, look upon his action, if you would know what idol is in any mans heart, be but patient a while, and he will draw it out himſelf in his life. How Romaniſts conceive of God, they give it you under their hand▪ by the many ſenſuall helps they uſe in their devotion, their images, and multitudes of carnall repreſentations, whereas God is a ſpirit, and under the ſame notion and apprehenſion alone, muſt be worſhipped. Carnality ſpeaks corruptibility, and that is admirable abominable to relieve apprehenſion by, reſpecting an incorruptible God, and yet this is the abomination of Rome, and the perſons which we ſtand to defend our ſelves againſt at this day.
Men which have corrupted their own glory, ſtrive to corrupt infinite glory, let this ſet an edge upon every mans ſword: I go forth againſt a company of carnall worſhippers, which deſtroy God, which change the glory of the incorruptible God, into an image made like to corruptible man. I know not what fire this puts in your ſpirits, I know what fire it kindles in Gods ſpirit, namely, jealouſie which is a kind of unquenchable fire, which burns to the third and fourth generation, and which nothing quencheth, but the bloud of them that kindle it; ſhed this when called to it, or elſe God will, and yours too. Read the ſad condition of this generation, Revel. 14.9. If any man worſhip the beaſt and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the ſame ſhall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is powred out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he ſhall be tormented with fire and brimſtone in the preſence of the holy angels, and in the preſence of the holy Lambe. Falſe repreſentation makes falſe adoration, and our kingdome is full of this, and we have done little ſpiritually to give better inſtruction, and therefore 'tis no wonder that we fall corporally with them that fall; 'tis the manner of God to whip his with thoſe with whom they ſinne, and commit fornication. The beaſt and the image of the beaſt, idolatry and ſuperſtition, hath ſwayed above three parts of us for a long time, and it will be no wonder to ſee ſcarce one part of four out-live our preſent miſery; if there be any place to ſanctifie your ſelves, and to ſave this generation, it will be well if God give you hearts to take it; know your own blindneſſe, and it will teach you how to uſe your out-going againſt others:Immedicabile vulnus enſe, &c. if means to reclaim take place before cutting off, I wiſh that may be uſed every where.