England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 36
Coloſs. 1.19. For it pleaſed the Father, &c.
THe reaſon of what Chriſt is to man, is rendered by the Spirit of God in this Text: the cauſe of his greatneſſe and fulneſſe to maintain it, is the will of God, it pleaſed] the Father, that in him ſhould all fulneſſe dwell. 'Tis not foreign but foreign, the word, ſpeak will and delight, ſuch a purſuit and ſuch action, as wherein there is tranſcendent ſouls reſt. Behold my ſervant which I have choſen my beloved which my ſoul hath willed, Eſay, 42.1. In whom my ſoul is at reſt ſaith the Evangeliſt, foreign, which is the ſame word here in my Text, which noteth that the will and the delight of God, are in the furniſhing of Chriſt for us.
Scriptures compared, the word you ſee ſoundeth double, the will and the pleaſure of God are wrapt up in it, which we ſhall unfold one after another. Doctr. God ſhapeth every thing to man according to his own will.
The will of God is abſolute, he moveth by a perfect rule, his motion is without errour, and yet guided in all, by that which is no guide in us, his own will. We have many things from earth, from Heaven, and all ſhaped out to us according to the will of God.
Things below man.Things below man are many and various, and yet God turneth and windeth them all, according to his will. Can you tell how many good bodies come out of the earth to wait upon one bad? Not one of them would do this, but that God giveth them ſuch bodies, and ſhapeth them by his will, to ſuch qualities and properties, and to ſuch ends and purpoſes, as to give their life to keep up dying man. That which thou ſoweſt, thou ſowest not that body that ſhall be, but God giveth it a body as he willeth, 1. Cor. 15.38.
Things equall to man.'Tis the like reſpecting things equall to us. No creatures would ſerve one another; man would not ſerve man, member would not ſerve member; the eye would not ſerve the hand, nor the hand any other part, were they not all ſhaped to this by the will of God. God hath ſet the members in the body, every one of them as he willeth. 1. Corinthians, 12.18. A foot with ſo many toes, a hand with ſo many fingers, a head with ſo many hairs, bodies with ſuch variety of members, ſoules with ſuch variety of gifts, have all their ſhape according to divine will. But all theſe worketh that one and the ſelf ſame ſpirit, dividing to every man ſeverally as he will, 1. Corinthians, 12.11. One hath much wiſedome, another much knowledge, another but a little of either, onelyonly enough for a toe, to be carried and guided by a bigger and nobler member, and yet as much of the will of God in this as in the other. Windes, Seas, Planners, Brutes, Men, Perſons, Parts, Actions, all are carried about with one wheel, the will of God.
Things above man are ſhaped alſo,Things above man. and ſquared according to the will of God. Whatſoever the Lord pleaſed, that did he in Heaven, in Earth, in the Sea, and in all deep places, Pſalme 35.6. Omnia quae voluit Deus, all things which the Lord willed, &c. God hath no other counſellour but his Will about all buſineſſe; buſineſſes here below, and buſineſſes above in Heaven. God moveth to every thing in Heaven as he pleaſeth, and maketh conveyance thence of things as he pleaſeth: God hath many about him, and when he hath any buſineſſe to diſpatch here below, he maketh a meſſenger to man, of whom he will, and wrappeth up what good he will, and ſendeth it along with him. The word goeth forth out of Heaven for the ſouls of men, from divine will: This wind bloweth where he liſteth, it pleaſed God by the fooliſhneſſe of preaching, &c. The Spirit goeth forth out of Heaven by the will of God.
Chriſt goeth forth from Gods will, and all that he bringeth: Gods will guideth him to ſend whom he will, and what he will with him, from Heaven to Earth. It pleaſed the Father to ſend Chriſt out of his boſome, and with him all fulneſſe from Heaven to Earth. All runneth into this, that God ſhapeth every thing to man according to his will.
Uſe. This maketh a diſtinction between God and Man. Know Gods prerogative and give it him; no creature may purſue his own will. Man ſhould know his bounds beſt, and he breaketh bounds worſt. No man may purſue his own will, and do whatſoever pleaſeth him, and yet he thinketh he may. Pride is deſperate wickedneſſe, the ſpirit of the Devil is in man, he would be as God, above God, and carry all by his will: The enemies ſaid I will purſue, I will overtake, I will divide the ſpoil, my luſts ſhall be ſatisfied upon thee, I will draw my ſword, mine hand ſhall deſtroy them, Exodus, 15.9. All theſe expreſſions ſhew how man doth invade the prerogative of God, to move according to his will, If they have perſecuted me, ſaith Chriſt [they will perſecute] you. Chriſt relateth many ſad things concerning his people, but the ſaddeſt of all is this, that he mentioned at laſt: all theſe ſad things ſaith he, they will do unto you for my names ſake. Perſecuting bloudy wretches, is your will abſolute? May your will be an infallible rule to you, as Gods is? Are ye men? or are ye Gods? or are ye Devils? Will you do what you will? Is it a ſmall thing to you to deſtroy divine prerogative, to ſtep up into the chair of State, to ſlaſh and cut Truth and the lovers of it, with your tongues, and pens, and hands, as you will? Malice broke out, hypocriſie ſtriveth to hide it, men would not have their inſides outward, but God giveth up man to his will, and then the heart is plainly ſeen: Reſolution to evill, is the puniſhment of hypocriſie: obſerve theſe times, and you ſhall ſee men ſpeak out themſelves, and write down in red letters, what they are.
A man faſt to his will, was firſt very looſe from God. He that ſeeth in ſecret, doth not tell all preſently: looſeneſſe generateth pride, pride generateth perverſeneſſe, and now God leaveth the man to his will: A man left to his will, maketh this his rule as God doth, and is a little god in his own eyes, doth what he will. Know your condition, you that know no rule but your will: you are hypocrites diſcovered, a generation left of God; left by Mercy, that Juſtice may take you. Reſolution to evill, is a ſinner upon the top of the ladder, putting a halter about his own neck, and bidding the hangman to do his office when he will.
A man pinn'd to his will, hath three grand plagues upon him. One is this, whatever he doth amiſſe is aggravated ſtill: thou didſt it wilfully. Chriſt bleeds, truth bleeds, conſcience bleeds, and all theſe take their bloud, and throw it in the face of this ſinner, with this anguiſh, Ah wretch, thou gavest us theſe wounds with thy will, thou haſt committed wilfull murther: we preached unto thee, we prayed unto thee, we cried and wept unto thee, to ſave our bloud, yet thou wouldeſt not. O how is Jeruſalems ſinne aggravated, from their will! I would have gathered thee, but thou wouldeſt not. I ſpake words to thee, ſhed tears to thee, to ſave my bloud, to love my perſon, and yet thou wouldeſt not. 'Tis made ſelf-murther in the Scripture, which is the bloudieſt murther of all, ſo highly is ſelf-will aggravated. O Iſrael thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf. 'Tis all one as if God had ſaid, thou haſt been ſelf-willed. A man may fall off, and yet have his honour with Chriſt, if will move well; no ſinne is aggravated, but all extenuated, alas, the fleſh is weak! But 'tis enough to me ſaith Chriſt, that the ſpirit is willing. Bigge-ſpirited ſinners, think of this, you ſinne nothing but bigge ſinnes; the letters you make are ſuitable to the penne with which you write them, 'tis a text penne you write with, and they are all text letters which you make, and Chriſt will ſhew you them in his book hereafter, and they will be very plain to be read, by men, Angels, and conſcience, they are ſo bigge. Aggravation is a willfull ſinners plague, he ſinnes nothing but bigge ſinnes, all his brats are clothed in ſcarlet, which ſpeaks very loud to conſcience.
Conviction is a ſecond plague, of a wilfull ſinner; this is all his gratulation from Chriſt, fire thrown in his face. When ever Chriſt meets a wilfull ſinner,, he draws his ſword at him, ſlaſhes conſcience, and wounds it deeply. This ſinner comes to Church, and there Chriſt meets him, and ſtabbes him to the heart, with every word he ſpeaks, which is the ſword of the ſpirit; this ſinner goes into company more ſuitable to him, and yet there too, Chriſt meets him and throws dirt in his face, the filth of his action whilſt hot, that it may be the more ſcalding; in the midſt of laughter, nips him by the heart. Whileſt the Saints are before the wicked, and the bloud of their names upon their tongues, ſporting themſelves, he makes them tremble as he did Felix. Bigge veſſels that are high above water, are eaſily ſhot through and through: 'tis the uſuall practiſe of God, to make Paſhurs Magormiſſabib, to ſhoot them through and through, to ſmite ſuch within, as ſmite his without, and to make them fear round about. None in ſtronger terrour at times, then ſtout-hearted ſinners. This makes vexation, which is our next thing to purſue.
Devils are tormented, 'tis their proper plague; 'tis the proper plague of a man pinned to his will, to be ſtill croſſed and vexed, God doth what he can, and another doth what he can to pleaſe him, yet nothing goeth right, his will is ſo crooked and perverſe, and this makes him mad, and this is Gods way of whipping his bedlams, thoſe that are out of their wits, againſt truth and holineſſe. One calls for morter, and the other brings ſtones, the proud Babel will not up: did not that vex and torture them, think you? The great God and great-ſpirited men meet ſometimes, and they juſtle and he juſtles, and crouds their limbs againſt the wall, and that maddes them to the heart. Fruſtration of intention, and diſproſperity of action, you cannot find out a worſe hell for a proud man, and yet thus God dealeth uſually with ſuch ſpirits. God oppoſeth will to will, and what men ſay ſhall be, God ſaith it ſhall not be: he ſets himſelf to walk contrarie to them, which walk contrary to him, and this makes weeping and gnaſhing of teeth indeed, amongſt wilfull wretches. Can you imagine how this ſcourges wretches on the kings ſide, that God croſſes their will in all things? David pleaſed not Saul, Jonathan pleaſed not Saul, God pleaſed not Saul, becauſe none pleaſed his will, this was an evil ſpirit vexing him continually. 'Tis the portion of all ſpirits more or leſſe, which are pinned to their will, they are vexed with an evill ſpirit of diſcontent perpetually. Continuall raging enrageth God, and then he reveals his will, and then devils deſcend to hell, which is their place: all fiery ſpirits are put in a room together.
Let wilfull wretches ſtoop to the will of God, which is the uſe that Solomon makes of this point. Stand not in an evil thing, for he doth whatſoever pleaſeth him. Eccleſ. 8.3. He ſpeaks it in regard of the king, how much more true is it of the King of kings. That we do evil is not ſimply damnable, but that we ſtand in it. There muſt be but one God, one to rule by will; when we make more, then we pay for it. As God makes his will his rule in all things, ſo do you make his will your rule in all things, and not your own. Mine own heart is deceitfull, 'tis an ill guide. Sathan can get favour in every court here below, not a heart upon earth, but he finds ſomething in it, when he comes to welcome him; 'tis dangerous to make this generall commander of a mans military life in this world, which holds ſuch correſpondencie, with ſuch a deadly enemy. O that men would thus wiſely conſider their way, and do like diſciples of Chriſt that have denied themſelves, and not like heady perſons, that have ſould themſelves to do wickedly. Poore creatures think that there is but one ſtep to felicitie, and that is to have their will in this thing or that. O if I had this or if I had that, what a bleſſed creature ſhould I be! whereas our felicity is not in having our own will from God, but in Gods having his own will from us; our bleſſedneſſe is not in our ſelves, but in him; not in any thing that we propoſe, but in what he propoſeth. 'Tis our meat and drink to do Gods will. 'Tis our felicity to riſe dayly to the life of Chriſt, who pleaſeth not himſelf. For even Chriſt pleaſeth not himſelf, but as it is written, the reproches of them that reproched thee, fell on me, Romans 15.3.
A word of conſolation, and I have done. Some favours are long a coming, and then we are ſad: it ſhould not be, for they come as ſoon as God will, and ſooner would not be well for us. Some perſons are very bitter in their carriage, this makes others concerned therein, to weep bitterly: it ſhould not be, no creature is bitterer to me then God will; the cup of gall and vinegar in Chriſts hand, is Gods will. Father thy will be done. Men are ſtrong, devils are ſtrong, luſts are ſtrong, and I think they ſhall never down, and this throws me down: but it ſhould not be, for though I cannot throw theſe down, God will; he wills the death of ſinners, when paſt remedie; and he wills the death of ſinnes, when paſt our ſtrength, and that he wills this is enough; I will be thou clean. That God ſhapes out every thing by his will, makes ill for ſinners, for wilful ſinners, but very well for ſuch as are humble and penitent.