The Beatitudes, Discourse · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
Containing ſeveral Ʋſes drawn from the Propoſition.
Uſe 1 Reproof. Uſe 1 HERE is a bill of Inditement againſt thoſe who declare to the world they are not the children of God; all profane perſons; theſe have damnation written upon their fore-head.
1. Scoffers at Religion; it were blaſphemy to call theſe the children of God; Will a true childe jeer at his fathers picture?
2. Drunkards, who drown reaſon, and ſtupifie conſcience; theſe declare their ſin at Sodom, they are children indeed, but curſed children, 2 Pet. 1.14.
Uſe 2 Uſe 2. Exhortation; which conſiſts of two branches.
Exhort.1. Let us prove our ſelves to be the children of God.
2. Let us carry our ſelves as the children of God.
Branch. 1 1. Let us prove our ſelves to be the children of God; there are many falſe and unſcriptural evidences.
1. Saith one, the graveſt Divines in the Country think me to be godly, and can they be miſtaken? Are the ſeers blind?
Anſw. Others can but ſee thy outward carriage and deportment; if that be fair, they by the rule of charity judge well of thee; but what ſaith God and conſcience? Are theſe thy Compurgators? Art thou a Saint in Gods Kal…nder? 'tis a poor thing to have an applauding world, and an accuſing conſcience.
2. Oh but ſaith another, I hope I am a childe of God, I love my heavenly Father.
Anſw. Why doſt thou love God? perhaps becauſe God gives thee corn and wine; this is a mercenary love, a love to thy ſelf more than to God; you may lead a ſheep all the field over with a bottle of Hay in your hand; but throw away the Hay, now the ſheep will follow you no longer: So the ſquint-ey'd hypocrite loves God only for the Provender; when this fails, his affection fails too.
But leaving theſe vain and falſe evidences of Adoption, let us enquire for a ſound evidence; the main evidence of Adoption is Sanctification: Search (O Chriſtian) whether the work of Sanctification hath paſſed upon thy ſoul! Is thy underſtanding ſanctified to diſcern the things which are excellent? Is thy will ſanctified to embrace heavenly objects? Doſt thou love where God loveth, and hate where God hateth? Art thou a conſecrated perſon? This argues the heart of a childe; God will never reject thoſe who have his image and ſuperſcription upon them.
2. Let us carry our ſelves as becomes the children of Branch. 2 God; and let us deport our ſelves as the children of the high God.
1. In obedience; 1 Pet. 1.14. As obedient children. If a ſtranger bid a childe do a thing, he regards him not; but if his father command, he preſently obeyes: Obey God out of love, obey him readily, obey every command. If he bid thee part with thy boſome-ſin, leave and loath it. Jer. 35.5. I ſet before the ſons of the houſe of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I ſaid unto them, Drink ye wine; but they ſaid, We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the ſon of Rechab our father, commanded us, ſaying, Ye ſhall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your ſons for ever. Thus when Satan and thy own heart would be tempting thee to a ſin, and ſet cups of wine before thee, refuſe to drink; ſay, My heavenly Father hath commanded me not to drink. Hypocrites will obey God in ſome things which are conſiſtent either with their credit or profit, but in other things they deſire to be excuſed: Like Eſau, who obeyed his Father in bringing him Veniſon, becauſe probably he liked the ſport of Hunting, but refuſed to obey him in a buſineſs of greater importance; namely, in the choice of his wife.
2. Let us carry our ſelves as Gods children in humility: 1 Pet. 5.5. Be ye cloathed with humility, 'tis a becoming garment. Let a childe of God look his face every morning in the glaſs of Gods Word, and ſee his ſinful ſpots; this will make him walk humbly all the day after; God cannot endure to ſee his children grow proud; he ſuffers them to fall into ſin, as he did Peter, that their Plumes may fall, and they may learn to go on lower ground.
3. Let us walk as the children of God in ſobriety: 1 Theſ. 5.8. But let us who are of the day be ſober: Gods children muſt not do as others, they muſt be ſober.
1. In their ſpeeches; not raſh, not unſeemly. Col. 4.6. Let your ſpeech be ſeaſoned with ſalt: Grace muſt be the ſalt which ſeaſons our words, and makes them ſavoury; our words muſt be ſolid and weighty, not feathery; Gods children muſt ſpeak the language of Canaan; many pretend to be Gods children, but their ſpeech bewrayeth them; their lips do not drop as an honey-comb, but are like the ſink*Prov. 15.2., where all the filth of the houſe is carried out.
2. The children of God muſt be ſober in their opinions; hold nothing but what a ſober man would hold; errour, as Saint Baſil ſaith, is a ſpiritual intoxication, a kind of phrenſie; if Chriſt were upon the earth again, he might have Patients enow; there are abundance of ſpiritual Lunaticks among us which need healing.
3. The children of God muſt be ſober in their attire. 1 Pet. 3.3. Whoſe adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, &c. But let it be the hidden man of the heart. Gods children muſt not be conformed to the world, Rom. 12.2. 'tis not for Gods children to do as others, taking up every faſhion. What is a naked breaſt, but a glaſs in which you may ſee a vain heart? What is ſpotting of faces, but learning the black Art? God may turn theſe black ſpots into blew; walk ſoberly.
4. Let us carry our ſelves as the children of God in ſedulity; we muſt be diligent in our Calling. Religion doth not ſeal Warrants to idleneſs; it was Hieroms advice to his friend, to be alwayes well employed: Six dayes ſhalt thou labour; God ſets all his children to work, they muſt not be like the lillies which toile not, neither do they ſpin; heaven indeed is a place of reſt, Rev. 14.13. They reſt from their labours; there the Saints ſhall lay aſide all their working-tools, and take the Harp and Vial; but while we are here, we muſt labour in a Calling; God will bleſs our diligence, not our lazineſs.
5. Let us carry our ſelves as the children of God in magnanimity and heroicalneſs. The Saints are high-born, they are of the true blood-royal, born of God, they muſt do nothing ſneakingly or ſordidly, they muſt not fear the faces of men; as that brave-ſpirited Nehemiah, Shall ſuch a man as I flie? Nehem. 6.11. ſo ſhould a childe of God ſay, Shall I be afraid to do my duty? Shall I unworthily comply and proſtitute my ſelf to the luſts and humors of men? the children of the moſt High ſhould do nothing to ſtain or diſhonour their noble birth. A Kings ſon ſcorns to do any thing which is below him.
6. Let us carry our ſelves as Gods children in ſanctity, 1 Pet. 1.16. Holineſs is the diadem of beauty, in this let us imitate our heavenly Father; a debauched childe is a diſgrace to his father; there's nothing doth more caſt a reflection on our heavenly Father, than the irregular actings of ſuch as profeſs themſelves his children. What will others ſay, Are theſe the children of the moſt High, is God their Father? Rom. 2.24. The Name of God is blaſphemed through you Gentiles. Oh let us do nothing unworthy of our heavenly Father.
7. Let us carry our ſelves as the children of God in chearfulneſs. It was the ſpeech of Jonadab to Amnon, Why art thou being the Kings ſon lean? 2 Sam. 13.4. Why do the children of God walk ſo penſively? Are they not heirs of heaven? perhaps they may meet with hard uſage in the world, but let them remember they are the ſeed-royal, and are of the Family of God. Suppoſe a man were in a ſtrange Land, and ſhould meet there with unkind uſage, yet he rejoyceth that he is ſon and heir, and hath a great Eſtate in his own Countrey: So ſhould the children of God comfort themſelves with this, though they are now in a ſtrange Countrey, yet they have a title to the Hieruſalem above; and though ſin doth at preſent hang about them (for they ſtill have ſome relicks of their diſeaſe) yet ſhortly they ſhall get rid of it; at death they ſhall ſhake off this viper.
8. And laſtly, Let us carry our ſelves as the children of God in holy longings and expectations. Children are ſtill longing to be at home; 2 Cor. 5.2. We groan earneſtly, &c. There is bread enough in our Fathers houſe, how ſhould we long for home! death carries a childe of God to his Fathers houſe; Saint Paul therefore deſired to be diſſolved; 'tis comfortable dying, when by faith we can reſign up our ſouls into our Fathers hands. Luk. 23.46. Father, into thy hands I commend my ſpirit.