England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 37
COLOSSIANS 1.19. It pleaſeth the Father, &c.
AS this terme involves the will of God, ſimply and ſingly conſidered, ſo I purſued it the laſt day:foreign, it notes ſomething deare or complacentiall to us, and ſo rendred. 1 Theſ. 2.8. the word alſo comprehends the ſtrength and intention of affection, ſuch a complacencie of love, as makes one delight and reſt to doe ſuch or ſuch a thing. It gave reſt to Father and holy Ghoſt, it delighted both to lay out liberally in Chriſt, for fallen mans reliefe. Fire hath its propertie, which is to burne: ſo doth love in Gods breaſt to us-ward. Wee are now led to ſpeake upon the propertie of mercy, how ſtrongly the rivers and ſtreames of life run: God is reſtleſſe till befallen man have full reliefe provided.
Doctr. It gave reſt to the Father, &c.
What agents doe naturally, they doe it intenſly: the Sun is reſtleſſe till it riſe, and ſhine upon us. 'Tis naturall to God to ſhew mercy, as 'tis to the Sun to ſhine: according to this he wrought, as ſoone as ever he began to worke, and could not tell how to worke otherwiſe; God could not tell how to make any thing but bleſſed creatures, and bleſſed places, a Heaven and a Paradiſe, bleſſed ſpirits, and bleſſed men; God caſt all that ever he did into a frame full of mercy, but man jogd his hand, and turned all out of courſe; God is the ſame ſtil, reſtleſs til all be brought into a ſtate of bleſſedneſſe againe. As the Needle is reſtleſſe, till it ſtand to the North point, ſo was God, till he turned againe to fallen man, as may appeare by his ſpeedy proviſion for Adam.
God eyes the beautie of action; motion with delight unto good, is glorious. Delight is love in ſtrength, love in ſtrength is reſtleſſe till it can vend it ſelfe. Since I ſpake againſt him, I doe earneſtly remember him ſtill, Jere. 31.20. Earneſt affection makes mind worke, memory worke, head worke, heart worke ſtill; it makes all reſtleſſe perpetually, till the thing pitied and beloved have reſt. God goes reluctantly about no act of kindneſſe, 'tis inglorious; it may be competent to you, it cannot be to God. 'Tis below God to ſhew kindneſſe to us here reluctantly, though wee be all here ſuch baſe creatures. God delights to exerciſe loving kindneſſe in the earth, Jerem. 9.24. One would thinke that it might be delightfull to him, to ſhine in his owne ſpheare, to exerciſe loving kindneſſe in Heaven, to caſt pearles and raies upon thoſe noble peeres, and ſo 'tis; and 'tis delightfull alſo to the Sunne, to ſhine upon dunghils, upon us baſe creatures, to exerciſe loving kindneſſe in the earth.
God eyes the neceſſitie of action; unleſſe he acts throughly, wee are all loſt; intenſe affection, makes through action; what you coldly act, you doe by halves. Sin makes more then ſcars upon us, it makes deep wounds; you ſtirre with all your might, when you ſee ſuch diſtreſſe, if there be any bowels in you. God wants not bowels, he lays our condition to heart, though we doe not; our dying condition puts life into him; unleſſe I ſtirre, this ſinner is loſt, unleſſe I ſtirre unceſſantly, this world is all loſt; all are under ſin, wounded, gaſping, giving up: thus God puts home neceſſitie of vitall action upon himſelfe. This is our plague, we cannot put home the neceſſitie of things upon our ſelves, we are ſo careleſſe and forlorne; could we, it would make us reſtleſſe, to worke out our owne ſalvation; you may ſee it in Paul, Neceſſitie is upon me, and I cannot be quiet, unleſſe I preach; unleſſe my ſoule ſtirre unceſſantly, 'tis loſt for ever; alas for us! wee cannot put home neceſſitie thus, though our lives lie on't, and therefore doth the Devill fetch away all under our very Citie-wals. What we cannot doe, God can and doth. God pities man, becauſe no eye elſe doth, our deſperate condition is ſtill in his eye, and O how his heart beats! he can neither ſlumber nor ſleepe, he watches continually, becauſe we are groaning and dying; ſome hope of life, and then, and not till then, he reſts. It gave reſt to the Father, &c.
Ʋſe. The propertie of divine motion you ſee, 'tis reſtleſſe to good; the contrary to this is diabolicall; and yet, oh Lord! how common is this in the world! to be reſtleſſe to evill. Bowels worke not at all, but braines worke that they foame and froth againe. The loſſe of meate, nothing; the loſſe of ſheepe, nothing; the loſſe of Heaven, nothing, ſo men may goe in their owne way. A man cannot be too ſlow to ſin, nor bogle enough at a bad buſineſſe, nor doe too little of that which is naught; 'twere better a man had no legs, then run to evill; no braines, then acute and reſtleſſe to doe evill well. What grieves not you, grieves God; but if this will not doe, perſons ſhall have their courſe, and take as comes. 'Twere better I had nothing, no parts, then all Satans. Reſtleſſe ſoules to evill, you are all Satans, you ſerve him with your might, with all your ſtrength, you ſerve him when you are up, and when you are abed, you give the devill foure and twenty houres to his day. God you know had his Holocauſt under the Law, his whole burnt offerings, haire and hide, and all burnt; ſo the devill hath his Holocauſt, his whole burnt offerings. Reſtleſſe ſoules in ſin, you are Satans whole burnt ſacrifices, you are all on fire of hell, heart, tongue, hand; you offer up all your rich parts, wealth; you are in the depth of ſin, in the gall of bitterneſſe; and if you can ſucke any ſweetneſſe out of this, doe.
What is wholly Satans, is firmely his, give the Devill hold with both hands, and heel' hold faſt. Reſtleſſe ſoules to evill, you are cloſe priſoners to the Prince of darkneſſe, ſuch as are double bolted and chain'd, who ever get looſe, you will not. 'Tis ſad to ſee the bent of mens ſpirit, 'tis nothing to them to reſigne up all to the Devill; you are well pleaſed, ſo is Satan; but know that he doth not ſo eaſily reſigne all back againe; he fortifies as he takes, and will not loſe an out-worke gain'd, eaſily. If Satan have got hold but on a mans tongue or eye, or ſome ſuch like out-part, this is not taken away from him againe preſently; but when he hath all, he makes impregnable works. Satan ſecures his throne; if he get into the ſoule, that ſoule ſhall ſinke to hell, ere he will riſe out of his chaire. Satan will not let you goe, ſaid I? You will not let Satan goe, which are reſtleſſe to ſin. Two knit in love, who can part them? Satan and you burne together in affection, and God will not breake the match, you ſhall burne together in hell.
Till this marriage day, you ſhall not want tokens; can you tell how many blacke letters are written to conſcience, whilſt affection burnes to evill? When you ſee ſinners ſin and ſmile, aske them, Doth God and your conſcience ſmile? Face mirth is nothing to me, mens courſes muſt not gaine credit, becauſe they are impudent. I beſeech you, deale truly with your eternall ſoules; how oft doth your conſciences ſmile upon you? There is no peace to the wicked. What then to him, that is nothing but wicked? What nothing but warre, and wounds and bloud inwardly, and yet ſmiles and flaunts and flouts outwardly, againſt good? What a bad condition is this! If you will talke of your wayes, talke without to others, as God talkes to you within, and then 'twill be worth the hearing: if you will write, write as God writes within, and 'twill be worth the reading. Active ſpirits in ill, want not imployment, conſcience takes them up with reading newes, from beneath. Eye time to come, eye time preſent; the condition is dreadfull, where affection in ſtrength workes to any evill. Let it make ſoules breake off from this courſe, and become imitators of God, who is reſtleſſe to contrive good.
Gods motion is exemplary, you may ſafely make his ſpirit your pattern, and 'tis a bleſſed ſoule that can move as he doth. Bodies bleed to death, ſoules blead to death, all England giving up, and we are not reſtleſſe in prayer, nor reſtleſſe in preaching, nor in wreſtling with God and man, to ſave. The houre of Chriſts crucifixion is come, and a ſpirit of ſlumber is upon us; we cannot watch nor pray, what ever temptation be at our dore. Jacob was renowned, he wreſtled for himſelfe and familie all night, he was reſtleſſe till he had gotten the bleſſing; but alas, our night is not over, and God knowes when 'twill, and we are tired alreadie; purſe tired, ſpirit tired; men will doe nothing, but God will if we wreſtle reſtleſly with him. A man may doe much with God, a righteous man may, one unrighteous man may by importunitie. Was not the unrighteous Judge overcome by importunitie? Keep on to move as a Chriſtian, to God and to men, and make no concluſions at home; take wing, and to Heaven, and die not in the neſt. Mercy ſtill is in travaile for them that are in travaile for it. Error of one hand, muſt not make error of tother: wee have our mercies by degrees, that dutie may be hightened, not flatned. Let's better every one, by our unwearied goodneſſe. Wee muſt ſerve God for naught; let iſſues be what they will, paines muſt be perpetuall. 'Tis Gods caſe, as he hath to doe with us, he is reſtleſſe in meanes to gaine us all; but alas! how few doth he gaine! If men were reſtleſſe till they had done their part, God would be reſtleſſe till he had done his. Be reſtleſſe till you are in Gods garden, and he will be reſtleſſe to make a hedge about you; give your hearts to God, God will give the hearts of men to you: be reſtleſſe about your owne worke, be not reſtleſſe about Gods.
The carriage of God ſhould be imitated, and the love of God ſhould be received, and admired; theſe are the laſt things that I will urge upon you. Every heart ſhould be taken, when divine love breakes forth, eſpecially when it breaks forth ſtrongly, and reſtleſly. Our climate is more glorious then all the world, the Sunne in brightneſſe ſhines continually upon us; wiſdome cries in every ſtreet, and cries reſtleſly, cries and dies. The Crowner will ſit, the debt of love will be laid to our charge; If you love your ſoules, be as reſtleſſe to receive and admire, as God is to proffer. MercieMercy is our Manna, our bread from heaven, we ſhould feed upon it; every good thing comes downe from heaven, and ſhould lead our ſoules thither, and then 'tis good to us. You have not a crum of kindneſſe but comes from heaven; but love in ſtrength is heaven it ſelfe deſcending. Who can but admire, and receive this? who can but enter into heaven, when it comes to his dore? What will heaven be turned into, if turned off at our dore?
Let ſinners tremble, ſuch as trample upon reſtleſſe love, and gag the mouth of continuall crying mercy, but let weake hearts cheare themſelves: 'tis a delightfull thing to God, to receive you; he is reſtleſſe, and will be reſtleſſe, till you have reſt. Broken hearts can make nothing hold together, to doe them good: with cords of love, they hang themſelves. When mercy in latitude is mentioned, 'tis turned off: God hath no heart to me; why? I miſ-pend and miſuſe all. Why, yet thou art invited to eate that which is good, and to let thy ſoule delight it ſelfe in fatneſſe. And God is reſtleſſe in this invitation; he eyes not what you have neglected, no nor what you have abuſed; he eyes your neceſſitie, and his owne grace; and it would delight him much, if you would now eate that which is good, and let your ſoules delight themſelves in fatneſſe, Eſa. 45.2. God is not pleaſed that I ſinne, but he is pleaſed that I believe, let my ſin be what it will, dying hearts fetch life from this Text, that it pleaſeth God to give Chriſt for you.