England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 47
COLOS. 1.21. You that were ſometimes alienated, &c.
THe Garden of God is pleaſant, 'thath variety yet in all congruity, to make perpetuall delight. We are come to conſider a ſad ſtate, yet ſurely this will be ſweet to ſouls that deſire to know their condition: God and all creatures were in a league, all good in common, infinite felicity every ones mercy, God in the boſome of every ſoul, throughout the creation: Sin hath broke this league; the fat and fertill cloud that covered Adams Tabernacle, and the Oracle upon his Mercy-ſeat, that was ſo univerſally audible, is drawn up, and God that was neer every one, is now far from all naturally. And you which were ſometimes alienated.
Alienation ſpeaks all miſery; man quite gone from God, and God quite gone from man; body and ſoul under the perpetuall influence, of infinite wrath. God is all, or nothing to the creature, all favour, or nothing but diſpleaſure. Diſpleaſure orders every thing about a ſinfull State, as love orders all about a good condition; poiſon is in every diſh at a ſinners Table, not a bit he eats, not a rag he wears, not a thing he does, but 'tis curſed from heaven: This is the proper expreſſion of alienation. The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, ſhall a nation which thou knoweſt not, eat up, and thou ſhalt be only oppreſſed, and cruſhed alway, Deut. 28.33. Theſe expreſſions ſuit a ſtranger, he is one that is blaſted in all things, the divine hand of God doth only oppreſſe him (i.) only puniſh him, only cruſh and curſe him always. Some men live ſo far from the Sun, that they have nothing but hard weather, only Winter and ſtorms.
Alienation is a ſtate ſhut out from all divine privilege. Divine priviledges are of ſeverall ſorts, ſome ſignifie more favour then other: a man alienated from God, is cut off from all, he is none of the Commonwealth of Iſrael; if he be called an Iſraelite, if he be called a Chriſtian, he is miſ-called. The proper title of an alienated perſon, is a Heathen, a Publican, a Dog. A title is a ſmall thing, a ſhadow, yet God allows not this to ſome; an alienated perſon hath not the ſhadow of love, he may not call himſelf by the name of Iſrael, he ſhall anſwer for this, that he bears the name of a Chriſtian, that he carries the name of the living, and is dead; that he calls himſelf homo, and is cadaver, a man, and is a carkaſſe. There be many things in the Commonwealth of Iſrael; common and ſpeciall, yet nothing ſo common as an alienated perſon can challenge any intereſt in. There were Candleſticks, Baſons, Tongs, Snuffers, and there were Pins and Aſhes, about the Tabernacle; an alienated perſon is not a pin, not a duſt of the Tabernacle, he cannot write himſelf by the title of one Cinder of the Sanctuary; not the leaſt ſcruple of the Church of Chriſt militant, he is not the duſt of the ballance of the Sanctuary; and yet 'tis ſtrange to conſider the ſpirit of ſtrangers, they think they are wronged, when they are denied the greateſt priviledges of Church ſtate, and they are wronged when they have the leaſt: Alienated perſons are ſtrangers from the Commonwealth of Iſrael.
Yea, they are ſtranges from the Covenant of Promiſe: If from the leſſe, from the greater much more; ſuch ſteps as theſe the Apoſtle makes, when expreſſing this thing. Aliaens are alienated from the name of God, and from the life of God, that's one expreſſion to the life which the Apoſtle uſeth, Epheſ. 4.18. Having their underſtandings darkened, being alienated from the life of God, becauſe of the blindneſſe of their hearts. Alienation ſpeaks God gone, reſpecting externals, but the weight of the expreſſion lies in this, God gone from the ſoul, the heart without the life of God, through darkneſſe. The life of God, is heart-panting to follow Chriſt: Life makes pulſation: Did you ſee my Beloved? Which way is he gone, that I may go after him? Blind hearts beat out themſelves after other things, no pulſation of ſpirit after Chriſt, this ſpeaks the ſoul dead, alienated from the life of God through darkneſſe. As mens principles are, ſo they ſtirre to or from God, after, or away from Chriſt, ſtrangers to God, their principles are ſtrange; divinity is no rule, reaſon is no rule. That we may be delivered from unreaſonable and wicked men. That's wickedneſſe indeed, which deſtroyes divinity and reaſon, and yet 'tis ſpoken of aliens, whoſe luſt is their law, their belly their god; not one luſt, but many luſts: they ſerve divers luſts. 'Tis a ſtrange life that ſtrangers to God lead, they obey that which God and nature forbids, they ſerve luſts againſt religion and reaſon. Reaſon is low divinity, teaching things neceſſary and comly to the body; it runs forth into many principles, and makes conſcience to keep them, till temptation be ſtrong, and then an alien becomes unreaſonable, unnaturall, a brute beaſt. Every man is brutiſh, by his knowledge, the founder is confounded by his graven Image, Jerem. 51.17. Paſtors brutiſh, people brutiſh; temptations came, and inſtructed perſons waved all, divinity, reaſon, and moved as nonſenſically as wilde brutes; and this is the Proprium of an alienated ſtate in ſtrength, one at an utter diſtance from the life of God. Even amongſt them that are far off from God, ſome are neerer then others. Thou art not far from the Kingdome of God, and yet ſo far, that Chriſt had no kingdome in the man, not ſimple ſubjection to his will, which is that alienation from the life of God, which the Apoſtle ſpeaks of.
Finally, Alienation ſpeakes a condition without hope. At that time you were ſtrangers from the Covenant of promiſe, having no hope. Divine priviledge is graduall, every ſtep to Heaven, a heaven: a ſtranger to God cannot de jure, ſet hiS foot upon one round of Jacobs ladder, he cannot without preſumption, promiſe himſelfe any good, and yet nothing more common with perſons unacquainted with Chriſt, then to hope for good when bad is upon them. I hope all will be better one day: but when will that day be? They doe not this upon warrantable grounds; for alienation is a condition without hope; a man in this ſtate may fancy what he will, and ſet his ſoule at a greater diſtance from merciemercy then 'tis, but he can warrantably expect no felicitie for time to come, what ever his preſent miſery be. Miſery I know is graduall, ſome are neerer hell upon earth then others, yet the moſt is juſt, it merits no pitie, neither can the largeſt head alive, argue any pitie from extremitie, but from the qualitie of the partie in it; if he be a ſtranger to God, 'twill be ſtranger with him, yet then 'tis, and yet neither now nor then, muſt he or may he hope, to have things better, whilſt he abides naught, an alien from God. The qualitie of perſons is all; perſons neere God, let diſtreſſe be what it will, and ſeeme to ſet them never ſo far from God, yet they may and ſhould hope: perſons farre from God, muſt let his favour lie at the ſame diſtance from them, which they let himſelfe; God will have none meddle with his favours in the leaſt kind, which let alone himſelfe, not ſo much as fancy them as theirs, or that ever they ſhall be theirs; if any thing riſes in their ſoule this way, God blaſts it. The hope of Aliens periſheth, they have no hope of good; if they create any, God blaſts it; 'tis a condition without hope. All runs into this, Alienation is a condition wholly ſhut out from all divine priviledge.
Ʋſe. Whoſe condition this is, ſhould be laid to heart ſpeedily: men far off from God, are not far from hell. The farther from God, the leſſe conſidered, that's the plague of this State. Alienation is a graduall thing; ſome God viſits very ſeldome, they live ſo farre from him, ſcarce a lively ſtirring of heart in many weekes, in many moneths together. The ſoule goes one way, and God goes another; ſtrangers take their leave, ah Lord, who knows when or where they will meet! aliens and ſtrangers what is it to you, that God comes ſo little at you? Little or much? Nothing more ſad to a ſenſible ſoule, then the loſſe of divine preſence: God gone, a good heart is broke. Woe is me, now all is gone, now I am undone, and never till now. Why hideſt thou thy face farre away? This was the wound that went to the heart, and yet this is nothing, if other things be preſent, to one that is a ſtranger. Wee little lament the departure of ſuch as we know not, wee let ſtrangers come and goe, and take no notice. Sinners, what doe yee injoy of God? much or little? When was he with you? Not a great while. When will he againe? I know not: I doubt whether ever any more. Ah Lord! how didſt thou uſe Chriſt then? didſt thou as the Gaderens, thruſt him out of dore?
Alienation is ſometime eterniz'd, ah tremble at that every heart! dogged uſage of Chriſt, makes this. See my face no more, ſaith Pharaoh to Moſes. Thou haſt well ſaid, I will ſee thy face no more, ſaith Moſes, and Chriſt in him. What a ſad parture was here! Such a parture had Saul and Samuel, but they lived not long neither of them after this. Some ſay to the Almightie depart: ah wretches! is not God farre enough from you alreadie? Will you have him quite gone? This is the ſin of this generation: our hearts ſwell againſt truth, wee bid the Almightie depart. Sinfull England, God is gone very farre from thee, doſt thou not feele it? Thou wilt. Wilt thou have God quite gone? Woe unto ſinners, if God judge them in the perverſneſſe of their hearts. If God take a perſon or a Kingdome at their word, he returnes no more till they die, he comes no more but to the funerall. Mercy is everlaſting, ſo is juſtice, and it acts ſo upon us, upon deſperate diſcoveries; God doth not alwayes ſtrike. Whom God loves, he loves to the end, and whom he hates, he hates to the end, when all meanes to gaine love, are throwne off. Know the ſtate of your ſoules, perverneſſe in any ſin, ſpeakes your ſoules farre from Gods law, Pſal. 119.150. one far from Gods law, is far from God: know the danger of your ſoules, God may be ſo farre gone from you, that he will not returne; Yee ſhall die in your ſinnes, ſaith Chriſt, or in this your ſin you ſhall die.
Perverſe ſinners muſt have their portion, but humble hearts muſt not wrong themſelves. Perſons never ſo far off, that would be neere, verily God is very inclinable: conflicts are ſtrong in ſome hearts, ſin now and then is too hard, and then the ſoule concludes that condition is deſperate. God will not take me by the hand, and therefore I fall and fall, and ſhall doe ſo till I fall as low as hell. God hath taken ſomething unkindly, and is gone far away. God hideth his face in wrath ſometimes, and then he and the ſoule never meet, till the great day: that's my caſe, methinkes I heare ſome poore ſinner ſay: Conſcience is out with me, that condemnes me; God is quite out with me, he will not looke towards me, but he forbeares condemning, till that day in which he will doe it once for all. This ſoule muſt be told this, The naked acting of ſin, ſpeaks not the condition deſperate, God finally gone, but abiding perverſly in it. Secondly, the medium of returning God to man is Chriſt, throw not off Chriſt, becauſe thou think'ſt God hath throwne off thee: The leaſt degree of faith, will turne God about towards a poore ſinner, and all good that hath forſaken him. Wee are made neere by the bloud of Chriſt (i.) by believing in it. When mercy is thus held out, conflicting ſoules queſtion the latitude of it; Chriſt doth make many afar off neere, but he will not doe this for me; ſuch muſt read the latitude of the promiſe, none are excluded. I create peace to them that are neere, and to them that are farre off: perſons diſcourage not Chriſts undertaking, let them be who they will: the worke diſcourages not Chriſts undertaking, though the greateſt in the world; though it be as the creating of another world, to bring God and the ſoule together, yet Chriſt undertakes it for them that groane after it. I create the fruit of the lips, peace to them that are far off. Sin wounds, and then Satan makes it mortall, this muſt be looked to: 'tis the worke of Chriſt to ſeeke out poore ſoules, which are ſtray'd away from God, and to carry them home to him in his arme.
We that enjoy the preſence of God, ſhould joy and bleſſe him, ſo I conclude this point. Alienation is a ſad condition, it hints lively what the contrary is, to wit, a fruition of all priviledge, a ſoule in the boſome of God, one ever with the Lord, which is Heaven. In thy preſence is the fulneſſe of joy: 'tis ſo here, God preſent in an Ordinance, God preſent in a Saint, God preſent in a dungeon, and there is fulneſſe of joy to the ſoul, what ever be to the body. Much company ſpoiles ſome, ſo doth much ſolitude others: a man is too much alone, when without God. Society is never too few, nor too many, when God is one: Delight, not too little, nor too much, when God is preſent. If I had never ſo many enemies, I would care but for the company of one to encounter them. 'Tis enemies we fear now, it ſhould not be. Fear not, I am with thee: So 'twas ſpoken to Gideon, The Lord is with thee. God takes it for granted, that he hath ſpoken enough to ſetle any heart againſt any feare, when he hath ſaid, we ſhall have his preſence, Read Iſaiah 64.1, 2. O that thou wouldeſt rend the heavens, that thou wouldeſt come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy preſence, as when the melting fire burneth; The fire cauſeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adverſaries, that the nations may tremble at thy preſence: Let's priſe much that condition which cannot be undone; having Chriſt with us, we have him whoſe preſence can make mountains melt, turn any thing to nothing that nihilates our felicity.