England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 31
Coloſſ. 1.18. He is the head of the body.
HOw God doth ſuit things, is here conſiderable: ſuch a body, and ſuch a head. Chriſt is [the] head oſ [the] body. God doth nothing at randome: divine diſpenſations are exactly proportioned, one thing is fitted to another, and this is the thing I would a little ſtand on.
The wayes of the Lord are equall, mercy runnes into veſſels of mercy. I have ſet [my king] upon [my holy] hill of Sion. Such a body ſuch a head, a holy people have a holy king, my people have mine anointed over them. I have ſet my king upon my holy hill. The world is full of variety of condition, ſo is divine action ſhaped every one hath as he is: Iron hearts have an iron ſcepter to order them, and hearts of a more noble mettall, have a ſcepter of gold, every one hath a ſuitable offendant.
Gods way in this world, is nothing elſe, but a tracing of man: you eat but the fruit of your own way, when 'tis moſt bitter. A people of wrath, have a king in wrath, there was diſpenſation exactly ſuited. This is the carriage of God through out the world, he doth not work at randome, he ſquares action to the thing he works about, and fits one thing to another. I am ſent to loſt ſheep, ſaith the Saviour. God directs a Saviour to loſt man, and a Phyſitian to ſick man; and to blind and hardned men, which think they ſee, Chriſt is ſent to move in juſtice to them: juſtice naturally ſuits all her actions to the ſubject, about which ſhe works, as mercy doth. I am come for judgemen into the world, ſaith Chriſt, to ſhape action to perſon, to ſuit diſpenſation to condition.
The Deitie ſpeaks out it ſelf in apt action. Some men cannot, and others will not underſtand God in his word, ſuch muſt be dealt with another way; men that will not reade words, have apt works annexed to explain them. Divine action ſuited to humane, renders God as it were viſible to men born blind: let him that did cut off other limbs, have his own cut off, and be ſerved juſt as he hath ſerved others, and he will ſee a righteous God preſently, which could not ſee it before, and you will have him ſpeak good divinity preſently, by virtue of ſuch apt action annexed to the word, which could not underſtand a word of divinity before. As I have dealt with others, ſo God hath requited me, ſaid Adonibezek; it is a rare artiſt that can draw out himſelf, and yet this is naturall to God; by words and works together, he will draw out himſelf ſo plain, that any one ſhall runne and reade him. God can cut and hew a block ſo by line, ſo exact by the line of the word, and the manners of men, that you or any one elſe, the very block it ſelf, ſhall tell who and what hand did it. So God hath requited me, Perſons that cannot reade, are ſet to ſpell words by works, their own works by Gods works. God can draw out himſelf in any attribute, to any mans underſtanding, in juſtice, in mercy. God can ſuit action to any perſon, to any condition, and ſo exactly that at firſt ſight every eye ſhall ſee himſelf.
Divine action is to make conviction: Chriſt worketh ſo as to convince the world, he fitteth his hand to ſtop any mouth. Some are not onelyonly blind, but ſtubborn and dogged, and now is man an Aſſe, which was Balaams caſe, and now God opens the mouth of an Aſſe to rebuke him. The Aſſe rebuked the madneſſe of the Prophet. An Aſſe is a dogged wilfull beaſt, and ſo was Balaam, and God ſuits him in reproof, to convince. One Aſſe was upon the back of another, and the worſt a top, and God tooke his advantage as they lay one upon another, and uſeth one Aſſe to convince the other: one is wilfull to go on, and the other is wilfull and ſtops. 'Tis not eaſie to convince ſtubborn ſouls, God muſt more immediately, and more exactly ſpeak then ordinary in this work: Divine action ſuited is an immediate ſpeaking from Heaven, and proud hearts fall at the ſight of this, when nothing elſe will do it. Some muſt have every thing openly told to their face, ere they will be convinced and take ſhame, and God doth uſe this way with the world to convince them. Who ſhall declare his way to his face? and who ſhall repay him what he hath done, ſaith the Scripture of God in order to wicked men, Job 21.31. Juſtice ſuited to ſinne in word and work, ſpeaks ſinners ſinne to their face, that they cannot poſſibly deny it.
Sinners look to your ſelves, God will be even with you, walk as craftily as you will, with the froward he will be froward. Some men ſwell in pride, and yet pleaſe themſelves in their way, that they ſhall carry all before them without controll. Lofty hearts, you ſhall find a high and lofty one to deal with you, The day of the Lord of Hoſts ſhall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and this is the ſpeech of a lofty God, Eſay 2.12. title is advanced, brows bended, a ſouldiers face put on by God, when fleſh ſwelleth and groweth proud. The day of the Lord of Hoſts ſhall be upon the proud, &c. A ſtern ſpirit ſhall ſee nothing but a ſtern God. Sinne is a lie, ſinners periſh in the heat of their purſuit, one fire kindleth another; ere firy ſpirits are aware, they are caſt into everlaſting burning, and this is the way of God to fit things one to and for another. Tophet is prepared for the King; the Kings of Iſrael made a Tophet for the burning of little ones, and God ſuiteth this wicked action with righteous juſtice, and maketh another Tophet for them; you ſacrifice your children to the devil, and I will ſacrifice you; as if the Lord had ſaid; God maketh burning for burning, bloud for bloud, tooth for tooth. Poore diſtreſſed England, comfort thy ſelf, thy Princes and Nobles make a Tophet for thee; they burn thy houſes, thy goods, and ſacrifice thy little ones and great ones to devilliſh men, and God will fit them home if they repent not, he will make a Tophet for them, he will burn their honours, their powers, and ſacrifice all to deſtruction; he will turn them out of all, as they turn thee and thine, Becauſe thou hast dealt by taking vengeance, thou ſhalt know my vengeance, ſaith God to Edom.
In great extremities it is hard to keep poore hearts quiet, the ſpirit woundeth it ſelf when men wound the fleſh: God is juſt to me in this and that, I was thus and thus. Is God juſt to thee, and will he not be juſt to them that ſpoyled thee? Hath he paid thee home, and will he not do it to them that are worſe then thee? Juſtice in the exactneſſe of it, doth but hint her ſelf to the godly, it doth but nod upon them as it were, but ſhe ſtrikes full blowes at the wicked, ſhe proſecuteth her own nature in full ſtrength, and maketh a compenſation upon theſe creatures, becauſe none made, nor to be had any where elſe. Weep not for your ſelves, but weep for them that have ſpoyled you, Heaven and Earth ſhall reade the juſtice of God againſt the bloudy wretches of England and Ireland. They that kill with the ſword ſhall be killed with the ſword. Stand ſtill and be quiet, let God alone to ſuit wicked mens plagues, if thou doſt not ſee them paid in their own coyn, then do not believe me.
England, juſtifie Chriſt: he hath fitted one thing to another, ſuch a body hath ſuch a head, like Prieſt, like people; like Prince, like people. You cry out of your king, and I cry out of you; Are not Gods wayes equall? Say no, who dares. You will not have a man rule over your bodies according to his will, and you let the devil rule your ſouls as he will. Looke into your hearts the beſt of you all, do you not make truth a ſlave, to be at the beck of your reaſon, and at the beck of your luſts? you make Chriſt a ſlave, and he giveth you to be ſlaves; you make your ſpirituall king a ſlave, and your temporall kings make you ſlaves. Doth not Chriſt fit you in your kind? Our king is ſo and ſo miſled ſaith one, and ſiths and whiſpers: take it to thy ſelf, ſo art thou miſled by many baſe luſts: every one reapeth as he ſoweth; can a man gather figs of thiſtles. England doſt not thou reap as thou haſt ſowed? Haſt thou not had the guilt of bloud upon thee a great while? haſt not thou the guilt of the bloud of many abroad, and of many faithfull miniſters and Chriſtians at home upon thee, which could not ſwallow thy baſeneſſe? Haſt thou not made truth bleed this many years? and that Chriſt maketh the bleed a few moneths, and a few years, is it not fit and right? To juſtifie God is the firſt ſtep to repentance: men that can do nothing but wrangle at divine action, forget the main work. Do not bite the ſtone that is thrown at thee, but bite thy heart; for one is as hard as the other I dare ſay. Pride meriteth much, but can bear but little, but juſtice will have its way for all that. Men that cannot be ſilent. ſhall have their mouths ſtopt: miſery becometh mortall, when impatience groweth ſtrong; the burden killeth, when the ſoul will uſe no ſhoulders to bear it. No life ſo bitter as that which taketh all ill at Gods hand; this is hard, and that is hard, &c. and yet all is no harder then thy heart, nor yet ſo hard. God doth not an action without us, but to ſuit it to ſomething within us.
This point may be uſefull reſpecting time to come, and the mercy you look for. You look for great things, but how are ye fitted for them? Chriſt doth fit one thing to another. Great things are already, but you priſe them not; the doores of Gods houſe are open, but you have no hearts to go in: the day of ſmall things is deſpiſed, and yet you expect great things. Iſrael expected milk and honey flowing, and yet could not eat the Manna that was about their tents, and did God give them their expectation? doth God give great ſpirituall mercy to full ſtomacks? doth he ſatisfie the loathing ſoul? The Iſraelits were judged in the baſeneſſe of their hearts, and their bodies fell in a wilderneſſe. Juſt as they kept their ſouls, Do you not keep your ſouls in a wilderneſſe, out of the fellowſhip of the Goſpel, as the reſt of the world do? you will be judged where you lie; where your ſouls lie cold and dead, their ſhall your carcaſes fall and die. God is ſpuing out hovering ſpirits that are neither hot nor cold, but hot and then cold, that will and then will not obey Chriſt. Diſcreet ſtomacks, do not expect great feaſts, you muſt have a vomit firſt; you are bid to come into the feaſt, and you have excuſes, the high wayes and fields ſhall yield gueſts to Chriſt, and you ſhall die in your ſhame. The poore unknown parts of the world, poſſibly may poſſeſſe what Chriſt is now diſhing out.
Simplicity fitteth for great things, God maketh ſuch a ſpirit, and then beſtoweth all upon it, the choyceſt ſpirituall favours. England thy miſery is double, were it but ſingle, thou mightſt ſoon recover. Thou haſt no knowledge of God, but this is not all, if it were, means might ſoon make this; but thou haſt no truth nor knowledge of God: there is no truth nor knowledge of God. Some ſpirits are wanton, and they know not what they would have; others proud, and this and that they muſt have: others politick, and they ſay, this we ſhould have, but not yet: who can expect brave things in the midſt of ſuch a baſe people. Chriſtians deceive not your ſelves with dreams, for God is not mocked, he will make you open your mouths wide, ere he give great things; Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it, Pſal. 81.10. You purſe up your ſpirits, and wring and ſqueez your conſciences, ſo that there is no capacitie for the reception of full ſoul-mercies. The new heaven will have a new earth, the holy land ſhall have a holy ſeed come into it. Can you cleanſe your ſelves from all your abominations? and can you do this ſpeedily? Then may you ſee the good of Gods choſen, but otherwiſe expect as you are.