England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 15
Coloſs. 1.15. First born of every creature.
OF every creature.] That is, brought forth by eternall generation before any creature was. This tearm creature is not made a genus, in reference to Chriſt; but in reference to all below Chriſt, as Angels, and all other things. It is obſervable here under what genus all things below Chriſt are put, creatures, first-born of every [creature, &c. Angels, a creature; man a creature; every thing man ſees, hears, ſmells, taſtes, feels, a creature. Every thing on this ſide Chriſt, is but a creature; a piece of his workmanſhip.
The ſinne of man is aggravated upon this ground by Moſes: They have corrupted themſelves, they are a perverſe people: Do ye thus requite the Lord. unwiſe people? Did not he make thee, and eſtabliſh thee? &c. What I made, flies now in my face: what I made, ſeeks now to marre and deſtroy me: thus God aggravates your ſinnes, ſinners, in his word, and he will do it hereafter to your faces. I have brought forth children, and they rebell againſt me: creatures are the children of Gods power, new creatures and old creatures. As you have children of your womb, ſo God hath children of his hand: the work of my hand ſtrikes to my heart, I am ſtabbed by inſtruments of mine own making, I am ſlain by children of mine own womb this circumſtance will heighten ſinne with a witneſſe; and as ſin heightens, juſtice will heighten, and what a hell will he have then, that diſhonours his maker.
Relation is obliging: Remember your Creatour, him to whom you ow your being, who made you ſuch brave creatures, and not toads; or elſe he that made you, will have no mercy upon you. 'Tis a thouſand pities that every one conſiders not his ſtation; men ſwell in pride, and walk as if they were not creatures, but gods, which is the cauſe of all our bloud and miſery at this day. The will of the Creatour trampled under foot, and the creature will have his will; this is a creature making himſelf a God: but believe me, God will fight for his prerogative, the creature ſhall know he is but a creature, every creature ſhall know it; Princes and great men ſhall know they are but creatures, men ſhall know themſelves to be but men, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks: Wo unto him that ſtriveth againſt his Maker, ſaith the Prophet. And you will ſee this wo fulfilled in this land, if you pray hard, and fight hard.
Every thing on this ſide Chriſt being a creature, let things be feared as they are. Who are ye Chriſtians that ye ſhould be afraid of a man, is he not a creature? Is not a King a creature? Who are ye that ye ſhould be afraid of evil ſpirits, are they not creatures? Hath God made any thing too hard for himſelf? you bring forth children, and they grow up to be too hard for you, it is not ſo with God. God comforts his people upon this very ground by the Prophet, that enemies are but creatures, and he their creatour: Behold; they ſhall ſurely gather together, but not by me, whoſoever ſhall gather together against thee, ſhall fall for thy ſake: Behold, I have created the ſmith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an inſtrument for his work, no weapon formed againſt thee ſhall proſper, &c. Eſay 45.15, 16, 17. Doth God create waſters to deſtroy, and doth he not carry a power over them, to rule them and order them reſpecting his Church? Yes, ſaith the next verſe, No weapon formed against thee ſhall prosper. Miſery is much leſſened by a right conſideration of things: terrour is the miſery of miſeries. When I look upon a ſouldier with ſuch deadly weapons about him, and look no further, he is terrible to me, but when I look upon him as a creature, and ſay to my ſelf, I know who made the man, and who made thoſe deadly inſtruments that are in his hand, who made the waſter and his waſting tackling, then his dread falls. Creatures are bounded, they move as ordered; ſome things they can do, and ſome things they cannot do, nor ſhall not do: No weapon formed against me ſhall proſper. If there be any power beyond devils, the Apoſtle Paul raiſeth himſelf beyond fear of it, from this conſideration, that they are but creatures: Neither height, nor depth, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things preſent, nor things to come, nor any other creature, ſhall be able to ſeparate us from the love of God.
Let things be feared as they are, and let things be loved as they are: you love husbands, wives, children, ſet bounds to your love, theſe bounds in the text, love them as creatures. The creature is ſubjected to vanity. Creatures are vaniſhing things. We pick and chooſe creatures, and make as it were a noſe-gay of them, and ſet them in our boſome, and no ſooner there but they die: wife dies, children die, friends, fortunes, ſtates, kingdomes die, thus do all the ſweeteſt creatures we look upon, and this is common to every ones experience, but not to every ones inſtruction; yet for all this do men love the creature more then the Creatour. When ſhall we have mortification in England? and when in London? When all is dead? 'Tis ſad to behold how ſtill we love the creature, although the Creatour hath ſet creature to kill creature, as if he would not leave a creature alive.
Finally, truſt in things as they are: Let the rod of God, and the word of God inſtruct you: you are now ſending forth armies. look upon them as creatures; ſalvation is of the Lord, for the Lords ſake make not a God of creatures, leaſt you betray your ſtrength and lives. It is naturall to creatures to look onelyonly upon creatures, ſheep will look back to behold how many fellows they have when an enemy is before them, and ſo will other brutes; but God expects from man better carriage. Let your hearts be ſound, your faith pure, your reeds in which you truſt will run into your hands elſe. 'Tis very clear now that you did nor truſt in God, but in man, when your great armies went forth, becauſe you have no faith, now men are gone. Papiſts upbraid us with the terms of ſolifideans, but theſe forementioned may I upbraid with a tearm near it, ſolofideans, truſters in earth, or carnifideans, truſters in fleſh.