God a Christians Choice, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Propoſing ſeveral Motives to provoke us hereunto.
HAving diſpatched the two foregoing particulars, I come now to treat of the third, viz. to propoſe to you ſome moving conſiderations, to ſtir you up to this ſo important a Duty: and give me leave in a few words to expoſtulate with you, about this matter of ſo great Conſequence.
I. Motive. Now firſt conſider what offers God hath made, and doth ſtill make of himſelf unto you. If you look on me to ſpeak in Gods name to you, then this is the work that I have to do now, to offer God to every one of your choice; If you will be prevailed with to chuſe him. This is the work of the miniſtry of the Goſpel to offer God and Chriſt according to the tenour of the Covenant of grace: How doth he diſplay his glorious excellencies in the Goſpel, to prevail with people to accept of him and embrace him! is not this the ſum of every Sermon? God ſaith in every Sermon chuſe me: is not this the intent of the Covenant of Grace which we daily preach, I will be your God, I am thy God, &c? as much as if God ſhould ſay, I offer my ſelf to you, chuſe me to be your God, and I am yours. This is the ſum of the Covenant, and the meaning of thoſe words: God and the World ſtand by the Soul, juſt as two Suiters to a perſon whom they are wooing, and are not we ready to joyn with, and chuſe the World rather than God? yea have we not often refuſed God for the World? Oh Brethren! I beſeech you that we may lay it to heart; hath not God ſtretched out his hand a long time, and no man regards? how oft hath he called, and yet hath been refuſed? Prov. 1.24. and doth he not ſay to us as he did to Iſrael? Iſa. 65.1. I ſaid, behold me, behold me to a nation (and ſo to a perſon or people) that was not called by my name. And may he not go on to upbraid us as he doth there v. 2. I have ſpread out my hands all the day-long, unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts? Surely methinks God ſaith to every Soul the ſame words, and yet how hard a matter to win a Soul to be drawn to chuſe God, to be eſpouſed and betrothed to Jeſus Chriſt!
II. Motive. Conſider how long God hath done this. How long have you lived? and how many Sermons have you heard? even ſo long and ſo often hath God offered himſelf to you: how long have you been a diſobedient and a gainſaying people! though God hath ſtretched out his hand! Rom. 10.21. may not God's meſſengers ſay? yea may not God himſelf ſay? they will not be prevailed with, Rev. 3.20. Behold I ſtand at the door and knock; if any man will open the door, I will come in, and Sup with him, and he with me. Though Chriſt be kept out all day-long, till Supper time; yet if the door be then opened, he will Come in, & Sup (converſe) with the Soul: yet for all that, though he ſo far condeſcends, how many perſons be there that will not open the door, as not all the day long, ſo nor yet at night neither! the worſe will be their condition one day: in how many Sermons, and Sabbaths hath God offered himſelf to be your God, and yet ye have not choſen him to be your God to this day! and will not this come upon account againſt you another day, if you ſtill continue to refuſe? Certainly it will.
3. Mot. Conſider, they are no hard terms that God ſtands upon with us, but that we may chuſe him and embrace him. And if they be hard he can make them eaſy, and enable us to perform them; and to be ſure they be all for our beſt Good and advantage. What be they? the terms be, that you forſake the World, Fleſh, and Devil, and is not this for thy beſt advantage? nay but is it not? Stand, and Pauſe a little about it; no man is able to gainſay this. It is true, of himſelf no man can do this, but God can impower us to renounce them, and to ſay to every idol, get thee hence; as it is propheſied, Iſa. 30.22. And becauſe the terms are not impoſſible, nor unprofitable, but for our advantage; therefore we ſhould not ſtick at them, but chuſe the Lord to us. The advantage is much every way: the caſting off the things to be forſaken for him is advantageous; and the chuſing of God himſelf to us is much more for our advantage: the forſaking of them is of great Good, in that it removeth from us that which is of greateſt prejudice to us,Damnum ceſſans; Lucrum emergens. and the choice of God is the choice of the chief Good: So that here is the removal of the greateſt loſs, and alſo there accrueth the greateſt gain. So then they are not hurtful, nor prejudicial terms that are required of us at all, nor ſhall we fail of fulfilling the terms, unleſs it be through our own default; God will enable us, that we ſeek it of him. If a man did offer me a gift, upon ſuch terms as I was never able to accompliſh, I ſhould think that he did it, but to deceive and befool me; but that perſon that offers me a kindneſs, upon ſuch terms, that he will make me capable of enjoying it, I have juſt cauſe to think he is in good earneſt: So it is with God; God can and will enable the Soul to reject all elſe, whereby it may be capable of chuſing, and enjoying him. He can give us, & aſſiſt us to do whatſoever is requiſite in order to our acceptance of him; and further. I ſhall add in the cloſe of this, that it is impoſſible without theſe, or upon any other terms to chuſe him, or have him to be ours; no having and cleaving to the World, Fleſh, and Devil, and yet having and chuſing God to be ours too. You cannot keep the former, odious, & unclean Trinity, and chuſe and take to you the bleſſed and glorious Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt; No man can have, nor ſerve two Maſters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or elſe he will hold to the one, and deſpiſe the other; ye cannot ſerve God and Mammon. Mat. 6.24.
4. Mot. Shall I ſay to you that you do not know what you chuſe, when you do chuſe God to be yours? I may well ſay ſo; for you do not know what you do chuſe, as to the benefit and advantage there is by him. You know not your own priviledg thereby; every one muſt ſay as Chriſt of Mary, Luk. 10.42. Mary hath choſen the better part: he that hath choſen the beſt, and chiefeſt Good hath choſen the beſt part, and therefore I will ſay again, you do not know what you chuſe, when you chuſe God; for
(1.) He that chuſeth God to be his chuſeth Life; God is the living God, and God is our Life and the length of our daies. Remember as you would chuſe life for your Souls, chuſe God to be your portion; there is life, and life to be had only in him, and will you not be prevailed with, for life's ſake to chuſe him?
(2.) God is light, and, he that chuſeth God chuſeth the light; and who that is wiſe would not chuſe the light rather than darkneſs? He is as he is call'd, the light of Iſrael, Iſa. 10.17. The Lord is my light and my Salvation, Pſal, 27.1. God is Light and in him is no darkneſs at all, 1. Joh. 1. and God is ſaid to be the Father of Lights, James. 1.17. Yea God is a Sun, in whom is concentered all the light, Pſal. 84.11. who would not chuſe to be in the Sun-ſhine of his Face? Eccleſ. 11.7. Truely the light is Sweet, and it is a pleaſant thing for the eyes to behold the Sun; if ſo pleaſant to behold the created Sun, as who would not chuſe the Sun to ſhine, and to give light? who is it that would not behold the light of the uncreated Sun of Righteouſneſs? whoſe light would be more refreſhing, than ten thouſand Suns ſhining in their ſtrength.
(3.) God is an exceeding great reward, Gen. 15.1. what a reward do God's people chuſe in chuſing him to be theirs? God is he that will abundantly recompenſe thy affection to him, and all thine obedience to him, all your rejoicing in him, and eſtimation of him. Whatſoever of theſe you have manifeſted to him, God will requite you, ſeven, nay an hundred-fold: every duty that you have performed, God will recompence it; all the pleaſure you have taken in him, and whereinſoever you have denied your ſelves any thing for him, God will make it up many-fold in this life, yea here, and hereafter too. And who would not chuſe ſuch a God to be his God, who is ſuch a great reward!
In ſhort what may I ſay more, he that chuſeth God chuſeth All at once, and I think no man will deny this to be the beſt choice. A man that chuſeth God, is like one that labours to graſp All at one gripe. Even as that devout Nobleman of France ſaid, in return to his Friend, which ſent a letter to him, in which were inſerted theſe Words, Deus meus & Omnia, My God and my all;Monſieure de Renti. you invite me thereby to return the ſame to you, and to all Creatures, my God and my All, my God and my All, my God and my All: Be it known unto you therefore, that he is my God and my All; and if you doubt of it, I ſhall ſpeak it an hundred times over, I ſhall add no more; for any thing elſe is ſuperfluous, to him that is truely penetrated, poſſeſſed with, and aſſured of my God and my All, &c. Oh that thouſands more had made (and could aſſure themſelves that they had made) this choice! that they might an hundred times over ſay with the ſame confident aſſurance; my God and my All.
5. Mot. Conſider, how freely God chuſeth you, and would, had ye hearts to chuſe and embrace him; and will you not anſwer God in his choice? there is no ſuch hard matter to prevail with him, for his choice and acceptance of us, all the difficulty is on our ſide. Shall not we be as ready to chuſe him, if he be ſo free to chuſe us? he would chuſe us, if we were not backward and unwilling; yea though altogether unwilling, how doth he draw the heart, and makes us willing in the day of his power! which ſhews his ſuperabundant grace, ſo freely diſpenſed to us, in fixing his choice on us, till he hath prepared our hearts, not only to a fixed reſolution, but to an actual choice of him.
6. Mot. As an improvement of the former, Conſider, if you chuſe God, this will evidence to you that God hath choſen you unto himſelf from all eternity; for your choice of God in time, is but a fruit of his fore-choice of you: therefore I muſt ſay as, 1. Joh. 4.19. We love him, becauſe he firſt loved us. So we chuſe him; becauſe he firſt choſe us: So our Saviour ſaith very ſuitable to this purpoſe, Joh. 15.16. Ye have not choſen me (that is firſt) but I have choſen you. Obſerve this, that that perſon that God hath choſen from all eternity, will, and ſhall in time chuſe God to be his God; and he that doth in time chuſe God to be his God, was from all eternity, before the Foundation of the World was laid, choſen to be one of God's people. Oh who would not make ſure of this to himſelf, and manifeſt this before all the World, that he hath choſen, and that he is choſen of God to be of the number of his peculiar people!
7. Mot. Again, Conſider yet further, that whatever there is that may provoke to a choice, is moſt eminently to be found in God. If beauty, honour, greatneſs, riches, faithfulneſs, bleſſedneſs, love, importunity, may be ſufficient motives to prevail with us to chuſe God, here's enough of all theſe; and how could I wiſh for the underſtanding, and tongue, and pen of the higheſt Angel, that I may apprehend and expreſs, ſuch deep things of God as theſe be! 1. If the perſon be a beauty that is a Suiter, how is he doted upon! Oh the beauty of holineſs that is in the face of God! the glorious beauty of ten thouſand Suns, ſhining in their noon-day Splendour, can't match the brightneſs that ſhines in his face continually. How earneſtly did the Prophet both deſire, and ſeek after the beauty of the Lord! Pſal. 27.4.2. If an honourable perſon makes choice of, and ſues to a perſon of mean extraction, how ſoon do the affections ſeem to comply? David tells us, that he would ſpeak of the glorious honour of his Majeſty, Pſal. 145.5. he is clothed with honour, and majeſty, Pſal. 104.1.3. If Greatneſs will prevail on us, God's Greatneſs is unſearchable, Pſal. 145.3. who can praiſe him according to his excellent greatneſs! Pſal. 150.2.4. If riches: Oh the unſearchable riches of his grace! Eph. 3.8.5. If faithfulneſs will do? how faithful are all his promiſes! how many Suiters come with fair pretences, and promiſes, with great ſhewes of riches, greatneſs, and honour, yet altogether inſignificant! but God will never ſuffer his faithfulneſs to fail, Pſal. 89.6. If wiſdom, none will chuſe (if poſſible) a fool to himſelf; now God is the only wiſe God, 1 Tim. 1.17.7. If love, how great is the love wherewith he hath loved us! Eph. 2.4.8. If patience will at laſt prevail, Oh the riches of his goodneſs, and longſuffering, and patience! how many refuſals, and put-offs hath he born at our hands! which yet ſhall never be laid to our charge, no nor caſt in our teeth, if at laſt we are prevailed with to chuſe, and give our Conſent to him. 9. If importunity, who hath uſed more! how oft hath he beſought us by his miniſters, by his word, Spirit, mercies, menaces, what not? 10. If Bleſſedneſs, Oh the infinite glorious, eternal Bleſſedneſs of God! Pſal. 119.12. Is he not God bleſſod for ever? Rom. 5. he is the bleſſed, and the bleſſing of God, the Fountain of all bleſſedneſs: O at laſt let ſome, or all theſe things prevail with you, to chuſe him to be your God! And as much as God is before all theſe things, and theſe eminent perfections are more conſpicuous in him than in all other beſides him, ſo much we ſhould be the more effectually prevailed with, ſpeedily, without debate or delay to chuſe him, before any of them all.
8. Mot. Conſider, moreover, if you chuſe God to be your God, you ſhall be ſure here to enjoy your choice, which as it is the beſt, and moſt bleſſed enjoyment of all in Heaven or Earth; ſo whatſoever we chuſe elſewhere, we may miſs of, and go without the enjoyment of it; as well if it be a mean thing, as if it be the more excellent in and among theſe low contemptible things of this world; yea and of the loweſt of them we cannot chuſe and take: But I dare in the name of God, to make this offer to any perſon whomſoever, that if he chuſe really, and unfeignedly God to be his God, as he ought, chuſe him and take him; chuſe him and he will become thine, thou haſt him as thine own, and ſhalt enjoy and poſſeſs all the Good that is in him, as thine own peculiar treaſure, if thou chuſe him and embrace him. We cannot wiſh & have, chuſe and poſſeſs, in theſe matters of this World; if ſo, who would not be in a far better eſtate than he is and can be? if a poor maid would chuſe the King for her husband, ſhe might go without him; or if a poor man chuſe a great mans eſtate, he might go without it: but if the pooreſt, and unworthieſt Soul ſhall chuſe his maker for his husband, he ſhall have him. I will betroth thee unto me, &c. Hoſ. 2. and whoſoever will chuſe the unſearchable riches of Jeſus Chriſt for his portion, the Kingdom of God for his, the inheritance of the Saints in light for his manſion, may enjoy them. Here you may certainly chuſe and take by choice; you may get intereſt in, nay poſſeſſion of whatſoever you make choice of to your ſelves: here is no failure, nor fruſtration of your affection and Election; and will not this prevail with you?
9. Mot. Yet once more, Conſider, that if you make choice of God for your God, you make choice of that can never be taken away from you: whatſoever you chuſe of the World, either is periſhing in it ſelf, or is ſubject to be made a prey, and a Spoil unto others, even the worſt of perſons; all Worldly treaſures, if we could chuſe and have them, are ſubject to the moth or ruſt,Mat. 6. or elſe the thief may ſteal them, and ſo take them away; either they breed that will deſtroy themſelves, or elſe others may deſtroy us for them, or if not ſo, they may at leaſt take them violently away from us; if you chuſe Gold, that will be gone, if Silver that may be taken away, if riches they Take themſelves wings, and flee away as an Eagle towards Heaven; and how ſwiſt is that! Prov. 23.5. but if you chuſe God, he can never be taken away, God will never take himſelf away. It is true God is pleaſed ſometimes to withdraw himſelf, and to hide his face, but yet never takes himſelf away from any Soul that hath choſen him, and whom he hath choſen; and none elſe can take him away, Devils, nor men, can never rob us of God, whatſoever they may, or do take from us.
10. Mot. Laſtly conſider, that if you continue to refuſe, and will not make choice of him to be your God, take heed that he doth not reject you, and caſt you off for ever; if we refuſe him now, beware that he refuſe us not hereafter, when we would: Is not this the trouble of perſons, when they are awakened & made ſenſible! come to them and ask them, whether they do not think that God is willing to receive them? they reply; Ay, but have not I neglected the offers of his Grace too long; ſo that God will not now be reconciled, and become mine though I do chuſe him? If he ſtand at the door, and knock, and we will not open, time may come, that we may ſtand at his door too, and knock, and he not open unto us. Prov. 1.24. Becauſe I have called, and ye refuſed, I ſtretched out my hand, and no man regarded, and would none of my reproof: ver. 28. They ſhall call upon me, but I will not anſwer, they ſhall ſeek me early and ſhall not find me, becauſe they would not chuſe the fear of the Lord. So Zech. 7.11. As I called and they would not hear, ſo they ſhall call and I will not hear, ſaith the Lord. Mat. 23.37. O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, how often would I have gathered thy Children together, as an Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings, but ye would not…, therefore your houſe is left unto you deſolate. God utterly caſt off the Jews, becauſe they would not chuſe him, nor cloſe with his tenders; let us take heed, leſt if we ſtand off till too late, he may reject us for ever.
Now lay all theſe things together, and ſee, whether they will not work upon your Spirits, to chuſe God to be your God! Oh let nor the tenders of Grace be alwayes in vain! but let God prevail with you while it is cal…d to day.