God a Christians Choice, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. The firſt thing evplained. What it is to chuſe God, opened.
IN the explication of the Doctrine, I ſhall open theſe two things following.
Firſt, I ſhall ſhew you what it is to chuſe God to be ours.
And Secondly, why we are to chuſe God to be ours.
Firſt, what it is to chu… God to be ours, what is the inte…dment of it, and what it imports.
Here ſeveral things conſiderable; 1. Some things precedent. 2. Some things there are wherein the eſſence of the act conſiſteth. 3. And ſomething that is the iſſue and product of it.
1. Somethings implyed as precedent.
I. The Choice of God doth imply a knowledg of God, that is a thing neceſſarily antecedent to every choice, that thing cannot be choſen that is not known; ſo that the Soul that chuſeth God to be his, muſt know, not that God is only, but ſomething what he is alſo, according as he hath revealed himſelf in his holy Word. God hath laid himſelf open before us in the Word, as in a glaſs, and the only way to chuſe him, is by beholding of him by the eye of the underſtanding, enlightned by this Spirit of God, in this glaſs of the Goſpel. In all choices knowledg is prerequired. A man chuſeth not a perſon to be his Wife, that he knoweth not; no Woman chuſeth a man to be her Husband, whom ſhe knows not; a Perſon chuſe…h nothing to be a portion, which he knoweth not; no more will the Soul chuſe God to be his God, that hath not acquaintance with him, whoſoever will chuſe him muſt have ſome knowledg of him.
II. There is required to a choice of God Converſe with, and ſome Experience of him. Therefore Joſhua rehearſeth here all that ever God had done for Iſrael, from the beginning to that day, in order to this Tranſaction between God and them. They had experience of God all their days, how much God had done for them. And Joſhua here recals them on purpoſe to draw them on to chuſe him, and ſix them in their choice. Deliberation is required to every choice, and when a man doth deliberate, he doth conſider of things, and thereby debates within himſelf about the object of his choice, and hereby he converſeth with, and hath experience of it: ſo when a man by the view of God in the glaſs of the Word, deliberately conſiders, and apprehends the excellencies of God, above all other objects whatſoever; he becomes the more firmly fixed, and ſettled in his choice of him; raſh choices are often repented of, therefore the word*foreign Elegit, as a general doth Sol… ers, for ſpecial ſervice, of whoſe valour and skill he …ath had pro…. Exod. 17.9. P. I. Crit. Sacra. here uſed, and rendred to chuſe doth ſignifie to chuſe upon proof and tryal: So that there muſt be in every perſon that chuſeth God acquaintance with God, and experience of God; had we a little more Converſe with God what experience ſhould we have of him, and how ſhould we chuſe him! the more we Converſe with God, the more ſhall we ſee, and know, and have experience of him, and conſequently the more deliberately, and the more reſolvedly chuſe him.
III. Choice of God doth alſo imply a deſire after, and a love to God; this is apparent in nature, a man will never chuſe that againſt which he hath an enmity, or an Antipathy; a man will not chuſe that meat, that he hath Antipathy againſt. Now there is never an one of us, but are naturally enemies to God, and are haters of God, Rom. 5.10. with Rom. 1.30. This people cannot endure to hear of, and will hardly believe, but ſo it is, Gods Word tells you ſo God's miniſters tell you ſo, that you were born enemies in your mind by wicked works: and this is the great Command of God's Law, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, &c. Mat. 22; and they that do not, will not chuſe him to be theirs: chuſing of God, and loving of God go together, Iſa. 56.4. with 6. Thus ſaith the Lord, to the Eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and chuſe the things that pleaſe me, &c. ver. 6. alſo the ſons of the ſtranger, that join themſelves to the Lord — to love the name of the Lord, &c. what the heart is moſt of all ſet upon with deſire and love, that it doth chuſe: Affection always goeth before Election, and Election is the iſſue of Affection. The heart muſt be ſet upon that which a man takes to himſelf to be his. Iſa. 26.9. with 13. With my Soul have I deſired thee in the night, &c. 13. other Lords have had dominion over us, but by thee only will we make mention of thy name, &c. If there be the l…aſt diſguſt of the heart againſt, and loathing of any thing, never do we make choice of that to be ours: That we are ſo far from chuſing, that we cannot endure it, the affections are the ground, or beginning of the choice; when the heart is drawn up in love toward God, and enamoured with deſire after him, then it will chuſe him. The choice is of the Heart, if that be alienated, their's no cloſure with, nor choice of any thing… ſo nor of God, if the heart be ſtill alienated from him: if we love him we chuſe him.
Theſe three things are antecedaneous to the choice of God, do go before it; now there be two other things, wherein the very eſſence of the Act conſiſts, and they are Election and Appropriation.
IV. The firſt of theſe (or the fourth in order to the former) is the Election, and preference of God above all: ſo that now all other things are neglected, and undervalued in Compariſon with God; thus David ſaid, Pſal. 73.25. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon the earth that I deſire, in Compariſon of thee. David choſe God becauſe he had God an Eſteem above all the World; q. d. Take all in heaven and Earth, yea Heaven and Earth themſelves, whoſoever will, ſo as I may have God to be mine. Now doth thy Soul ſay ſo? ſo when Jeſus Chriſt is choſen by a Soul, all things elſe are but droſs and dung in Compariſon of the Excellency of the knowledg of Jeſus Chriſt, Phil. 3.8, 9. It is a Chriſtians chief duty, and diſpoſition, eminently to prefer God, and Chriſt above all. Remember, that God is a Chriſtian's all, and his all is in God. And a Soul that is in ſuch a frame chuſeth God a right.
V. (But the Second thing wherein the Souls actual choice conſiſteth), is Appropriation of God to a mans ſelf, a taking God to be his own, when we lay claim to God as our peculiar portion; as though there was no one that had intereſt in, nor relation to God but our ſelf only. So the Church, Pſal. 67.6. And God even our own God ſhall bleſs us. I do not know any ſuch expreſſion through the Scripture as here, implying ſuch ſpecial Appropriation. When the Soul takes hold on God, receiveth him and embraceth him as his own peculiar, as if he was his own, and none's elſe beſide. The Church ſeems ſo to ſpeak, as if it was her peculiar priviledg, and her's alone to appropriate, and claim God to her ſelf. When a man can come to ſay God is my own God, then he hath choſen God indeed. So David Pſal. 18.1, 2. I will love thee O Lord my ſtrength, the Lord is my rock, and my fortreſs, and my deliverer, my God, my ſtrength in whom I will truſt, my buckler, and the horn of my Salvation, and my High Tower. How many My's be there? no leſs than eight or nine which the Prophet as ſo many terms of intereſt doth there uſe to expreſs propriety: and as the Church ſaith elſewhere, My beloved is mine, and I am his, Song. 2.6.
VI. …huſing of God conſiſteth as the iſſue of all this, in the rejection o… all others beſides God, when once God is choſen, then all other god's be caſt away: this is according to what God himſelf doth call for and require. Hoſ. 3.3. And I ſaid unto thee, thou ſhalt abide for me many days, thou ſhalt not play the Harlot, thou ſhalt not be for another, ſo will I alſo be for thee: as God can't endure the ſoul ſhould have any god beſides him, but doth command the contrary; ſo neither will the Soul endure it. Juſt as a Virgin that hath many Suit…rs, when once her affections are ſet on the perſon whom ſhe makes choice of, then away with all the reſt, ſhe will not converſe with them any more; ſo it is here, if there be an indifferency in the affections to divers things, it's a ſign the choice is not yet made, for the choice being once made, all other things are overlooked and refuſed, but ther's an indifferency ſtill remaining where more than one is entertained, Pſal. 81.9, 10. O Iſrael if thou wilt hearken unto me, there ſhall no ſtrange god be in thee, neither ſhalt thou worſhip any ſtrange god: I am the Lord thy God. They that have or will have God for theirs, muſt have no other to themſelves but … thus we ſee, wherein the chuſing of God conſiſteth.