England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 6
Coloſs. 1.13. Dear ſonne, or ſonne of love.
CHriſts honour and thy foundation of it, are the two things which take up this latter clauſe: his honour is great, to wit; a kingdome, the rule of all: his favour is great, and this raiſd him ſo high, he is a dear ſonne, a ſonne of love, ſaith the originall.foreign. The father loveth the ſonne, and gave all things into his hand, Joh. 2.35. and Joh. 5.20. The father loveth the ſonne, and ſheweth him all things that himſelf doth, &c. Love gives forth preferment to all Gods children, not any ſonne but riſeth this way; not any adopted ſonne, no not the naturall ſonne; he hath a kingdome becauſe a ſonne of love.
Love is the common doore by which all favours go forth to all children: ſome children are higher then others in dignity, but none by their wits, or any thing elſe, but all from love. Wits make their way too much with men, and 'tis all the friends which ſome have to riſe by, but they procure no preferment with God; if not beloved, let a man be as crafty as the devil, he will never be rais'd by God. God flatters none; whom he cannot love he tells them ſo in all he doth; every thing works to throw them down, not to raiſe them up, as every thing tends to the advancement of them that are beloved. We do make diſtinction of talents, ſome bigger ſome leſſer; but love hands them out all to children; God gives to all his children with his own hand, adopted ſonnes, and the naturall ſonne have a kingdome; as dear children, as ſonnes of love.
God gives orderly; his heart firſt, and then his hand: perſons are indeared, and then have all, countrey, city, the whole kingdome. Iſaac could not bleſſe at a diſtance, Come near my ſonne, &c. God doth not caſt great bleſſings he knows not upon whom, he takes perſons very near him, relates them, and indears them, and then advanceth them. The Lord did not ſet his love upon you, and chooſe you, becauſe ye are more in number, &c. Gods order in advancing is here ſet forth; he firſt ſetteth his love upon perſons, and then chooſeth them forth for advancement according to that love; The Lord did not ſet his love upon you, and chooſe you, &c. Love ſingles out perſons, and then ſingles out preferments ſuitably, ſhe culls out and then crowns; ſo naturall and ſo adopted ſonnes riſe to the kingdome. There are kings in wrath in a temporall ſenſe, but none ſo in a ſpirituall: all ſpirituall kings are kings in love, and from love ſet up, and kept up. Kings of a little ſpot of earth, and the king of all the earth, all one in the originall of their preferment, all children of love, therefore children of honour and greatneſſe, and carry away all from all the world beſide. The heart of God is the foot-ſtool up to the throne for all.
God gives purely: nothing without him ingages him to any, no not to the naturall ſonne, You are given unto, and therefore give, but God gives ſo to none: Who hath given unto him firſt? did the naturall ſonne? or do the adopted ſonnes? All his children have what they have, becauſe beloved; love onelyonly is the wombe that brought forth ſonnes, and a kingdome for them. Deſigne makes you ſtir, but God cannot be more happy then he is, the advancing of love is all his deſigne in all he raiſes; he makes perſons great to make great his love, no ſonne ſhould have had a kingdome, neither adopted ſonne nor naturall ſonne, had it not been to make great his love. Love is the efficient and finall cauſe of all Gods actions towards all his children; the naturall ſonne and the adopted ſonne are made great of love and for love; ſet up by love, that love may be ſet up by them, and for no other deſigne.
Gods gives ſolacingly: that is, ſo as to delight himſelf in what he gives, ſo as to delight the giver as well as thoſe that are given to: all given in love makes a heaven to God and to man, to the giver, and to the receiver. The motion of father and children each to other, is by the ſame ſpirit: children move towards their father in love; and that's the heaven of their way; the advancement and kingdome which they give God in their hearts is in love. Father moves to all his children in love, and that's the heaven of his way: the fruit of the ſpirit is love, ſo the reward of the ſpirit is love; the one ſpeaketh that which we give to God, and that is love; and the other ſpeaketh that which God gives to us, and that is love: Gods way within and without to all his, is in a rapture, he makes a heaven to himſelf in making one for us. All motions between father and children make love-meetings; we obey him in love, and he crowns us in love; adopted ſonnes and the naturall ſonne, all Gods children move in love to their father, and their father meets them in love, and imbraceth them; ſo did Chriſt advance his father, and ſo did his father advance him as a dear ſonne.
Ʋſe. You ſee Gods generall way of raiſing perſons, he firſt loves and then advances, not a perſon in the world doth God preferre out of this method. Many men have a mind too much to a heaven here and hereafter, but no mind to look after the love of God; wrath ſecretly conſumes theſe, in their blind ſtrugglings to be happy. Is hatred or love faſtened upon you? ſo will you riſe or fall, ſtruggle and ſtrive, and do what you can. Is deſpiſed Chriſt a ſonne of God, a ſonne of love? If he be of that ſeed he will riſe, and will flouriſh into a kingdome, notwithſtanding all the devils in hell oppoſe. Is Mordecai of the beloved ſeed? then he will riſe, let Haman ſtruggle his heart out. Is Haman an Agagite, of the curſed Amalekites? then he will fall, and all the favour in the world cannot keep him up.
I am grieved to ſee what prepoſterous wayes men take for preferment, the love of this man, and that man is made out after, and not the love of God, as the onelyonly medium to riſe by. I view the wayes of men, and ſigh in ſecret; I ſee one man make a god of another to get up, and he that is indeed God, and the onelyonly giver of honour and worth neglected. Men move according to their principles, ſenſe undoes all; greatneſſe is neither from Eaſt nor Weſt, advancement is by a very inviſible hand, and you onelyonly catch hold of hands which you ſee, to lift you up to a kingdome, to ſuch a great felicitie which you aim at. How low do moſt men move to be high! The ſoul is enſlaved which makes humane induſtry, all his endeavour to be bleſſed. The countenance of God ſets up, or throws down man: if all the world did love you, could they make you bleſſed? could they raiſe your eternall eſtate? Deluded ſycophants! men may give you fields and vineyards; but can they give you a kingdome, an everlaſting kingdome? and yet ſo doth God to his favourites, to adopted ſonnes, and to the naturall ſonne.
Know your errour, 'tis ruining, you that look onelyonly after the love of men to riſe, which make ſo much of the love of man, and ſo little of the love of God. Both may be purſued, but ſubordinately and candidly, otherwiſe a man makes fleſh his arm, and himſelf liable to the curſe of ſuch a condition. A great many men love me, but what will this do me good when I die, if this be all the favour I have? Can mens ſhoulders carry me to the kingdome of heaven? Will the vapours of many mens mouthes make ſilver wings to carry my ſoul to heaven? What will conſcience cry out for, think you, when that pale meſſenger comes to call you hence? Ah my ſoul! thou art now to leave every body indeed, thy very own body in which thou haſt lived ſo long: Doth God love thee? conſcience will ask this queſtion again and again▪ O ſoul, ſoul. thou art to be gone out of the body preſently, doth God love thee? dear ſoul, art thou dear to God? One ſpirit is going to another, two ſpirits muſt reaſon together about all things done in the fleſh, and ſtanders by may not plead a jot, onelyonly what is in the breaſt of God to plead for thee, or againſt thee. Sinners, what is in the breaſt of a God towards you? love or hatred? So will be your great happineſſe, or your great miſery, in this world and that to come.
Love ſpeaks it ſelf, and ſo hatred ſpeaks it ſelf: by Gods dealing with you, you may know whether he loves or hates you. God is dear to them which are dear to him, relations are indearing on both ſides: God loves all his children dearly, and they love him dearly. Chriſt was dear to his father, and his father dear to him; he would rather die then diſobey his will. The ſpirit of the naturall ſonne, is in all the adopted: if God be your father, where is his honour? Death is eaſier then diſobedience, to a child of God. Relations have their proper nature, they that are begotten love him that begat; God hath no unnaturall child. Some of you ſtand upon your ſonne-ſhip, and yet tranſgreſſe the will of your father with eaſe: is he indeed your father which you call ſo, and uſe ſo? Are relations, the higheſt relations without bowels? can you uſe your father at your pleaſure? Do you love God, and fight againſt him, againſt his ſpirit within, and againſt his truth and people without? Our war in England certainly diſcovers a great many dear children of the devil, as well as a great many dear children of God. 'Tis a time of great thoughts of heart, a time of great-ſtirring, and 'tis a brave time to know your hearts, and who is in them; whether God or the devil; when humours ſtirre much, 'tis the onelyonly time to know the ſtate of the man, and what is his diſtemper. God lives in every heart he loves, and ſtirres as he lives: how divine are the ſtrings of your hearts now? how generally divine? how ſtrongly divine? There are not two better things to demonſtrate any ones eſtate; not any love ſpeaks the love of a father. Chriſt looked upon the young man, and loved him; but 'twas not with any indearing love: ſo not any love ſpeaks the love of a child, but that love which takes up the heart, and indears God there: How precious are thy commandments; my ſoul loves them, ſaith the Pſalmiſt: and ſo elſewhere, My ſoul thirſteth after thee▪ Pſal. 143.3. Weak ſouls ſhould warm and comfort themſelves in that flame they feel in their ſouls towards Chriſt and his wayes.
I am to be generall in conſolation to all Gods people, from this point: think how you are to God, very dear, and refreſh your ſouls with it in all ſad conditions. Miſery ſinks us becauſe we think every humane diſtreſſe ſpeaks divine diſpleaſure, or at leaſt an abatement of love. Afflicted Chriſtians! adde not to your load, God is never out with them he loves; all miſery ſpeaks not divine diſpleaſure. Miſery ſpeaks divine diſpleaſure onelyonly, when it makes the ſoul wicked, more adherent to ſinne, and leſſe to Chriſt and Chriſtians. Some mens bitters from God, make them bitter and ſowre to good; I like not that ſtate: God would make a baſtard a ſonne, and he will not be corrected. Miſeries which make you groan under ſinne, and groan after Chriſt, ſpeak you very dear children to God, how heavie ſoever they be, and you ſhould account ſuch bitters ſweets. Let ſuch mourners chear themſelves, God is very mindfull of your condition.
As things are dear to us, ſo we think of them: Is Ephraim my dear ſonne? is he a pleaſant child? Since I ſpake againſt him, I do earneſtly remember him ſtill. Thy folly may be ſpoken againſt▪ and yet thy perſon very dear, and thy diſtreſſes compaſſionately carried in mind, when thou thinkeſt all are ſlighted. Chriſt ſtrikes with one hand, and ſtrokes with the other, 'tis his uſuall carriage to children. Speak againſt them before men, and ſpeaks for them at the ſame time before God his Father: Since I ſpake against him, I remember him ſtill, I do earneſtly remember him as yet; recordando recordabor ejus adhuc, as they read the text, which is very lively. When miſery is upon a child of God, he thinks then he is forgotten, and then he is moſt remembred, then 'tis not recordabor ejus, I will remember him, but 'tis recordando recordabor, I will certainly remember him, or I will earneſtly remember him; now in that very time that I have ſpoken againſt Ephraim a dear ſonne, notwithſtanding all that I have laid upon him, I do as yet earneſtly mind him: as divine love is towards us, ſo it works; if it be ſtrong towards a perſon, it is very earneſtly intent about him for good. Dear hearts in affliction! believe that God remembers you, and that he remembers you earneſtly, your deliverance is ſhaping day and night, and thoughts ſhall never lie ſtill till it be finiſhed, and you confeſſe what a deal of love is ſet upon you.
Dear children, your bleſſedneſſe is above all mens here, let times and fortunes favour perſons as they will, troubles may be great, but yet your mercy will be certain; many may ſink under them, but ſurely you will not, if the mercy of a God be enough to keep your head above water. Others have nothing ſure, you have all ſure, the mercy of God ſure, in which is all. If Ephraim be a dear ſonne, then my bowels are troubled for him▪ and I will ſurely have mercy upon him, ſaith the Lord. Dear children of God, rejoyce in theſe ſad times, your bleſſedneſſe hath as ſure a foundation as truth it ſelf, if God can inſure any thing, you will never miſcarry. Your bleſſedneſſe will be certain, let times and ſtates turn and overturn as they will; yea, your mercies will be great. What God is in heart to any, he is in hand; where he loves much, he gives and forgives much. Dear children of God, I cannot tell exactly how great you will be, you will all have a kingdome, let this kingdome ſtand or fall; the naturall ſonne and the adopted ſonnes have all kingdomes, and the one doth not envie the other, but joyes in it; the naturall ſonne is ſtill moving and mediating that this wretched world may have as full a demonſtration of this as can be; that the naturall ſonne, and the adopted ſonnes may be loved with the ſame love, and honoured with the ſame honour, is one paſſage of Chriſts prayer, and dear children read it often. I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou haſt ſent me, and haſt loved them, as thou haſt loved me▪ John 17.23. Your mercies will carry correſpondency with Chriſt, and can you tell what felicity the ſonne hath in the father? And if you can, ſuch a felicity will you have in the ſonne: I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one. Dear ſonnes of God, tell the world your greatneſſe in your meanneſſe, that you are beloved as Chriſt, and ſhall be as happy as he, let men and devils do their worſt. We are ready to impart to you our own ſouls, becauſe you are dear unto us, 1. Theſſ. 2.8. God is ready to impart his own ſoul to you, becauſe you are dear, the greateſt things are given to the deareſt ſouls.