God a Christians Choice, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Coutaining the ſecond Evhortation, to them that have choſen God to them.
2. Uſe of Exhortation.
Ʋſe 2 Exhort.HEre follows in the ſecond place, Exhortation to all them that have made choice of God to themſelves, to be their God, as I hope many that heard it, and there are alſo many that read this that have done it. Oh your infinite happineſs that have made this choice! all that God is is yours, and all God hath is yours. I ſtand aſtoniſhed, in the very Admiration of the portion of that perſon, that hath choſen God to be his God, and ſo may every Soul: What hath not God? and what cannot God do? What is his happineſs and portion then, that hath this God for his portion!
A few ſuitable particular Exhortations.
1. Exhortation. As you have choſen God, ſo cleave to the God you have thus choſen, hug him, and embrace him, and let him not go again away from you: Do not caſt him off, I pray you; remember that paſſage, Mal. 2.16. The Lord, the God of Jacob ſaith, that he hateth putting away. The paſſage is uttered, in reference to married perſons ſtedfaſtneſs one to another; and if ſo be, that God hateth putting away in reference to theſe Corporal, and Carnal marriages, between a Man and his Wife, Doth he not much more in this Spiritual marriage, between the Soul and himſelf? If God be once married to us, and we are betrothed unto him, he is as much againſt putting away on either ſide, as he is againſt the Husbands, or Wives putting away each other; Doth He ſo to us? Iſa. 41.9. there is a notable paſſage, I have choſen thee, and not caſt thee away. God doth not chuſe us, and then caſt us away, … then ſhould we deal thus …, God? be perſwaded to cleave …, and not caſt him away, ſtick to God as David reſolved to do, Pſ. 16. before. When Barnabas came, and ſaw the Grace of God in ſome whom he viſited, Acts 11.23. It's ſaid, he exhorted them, that with full purpoſe of heart they ſhould cleave unto the Lord. It's God's Command, Thou ſhalt fear the Lord thy God, and ſerve him, and cleave unto him, &c. Deut. 10.20. And this is made the condition of God's driving out the Canaanites before them, Chap. 11.22. The like Exhortation joyn'd with a Commendation is given, Joſh. 23.8. But cleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day. And this in the text, is put in oppoſition to denying God, ver. 27. where we read that Joſhua put up a ſtone, in this place in the preſence of all the people, to be as a witneſs, between the Lord and them of this tranſaction; that ſtone ſhould be a witneſs, of what they had done, in making ſuch a willing choice of God to themſelves; leſt upon the occaſion of any temptation, they ſhould deny and renounce him. Be intreated, whoever hath heard or doth read this to cleave to God, and not deny him, nor put him away: when you have choſen him, do not change him, as the heathens will not, though God's people are apt ſo to do, Jer. 2.10. Hath a nation (that is Heathen and Idolatrous) changed their gods which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their Glory, for that which profiteth not; Oh do not ſo, eſpecially ſith God doth not deal ſo with us, and he indeed hath cauſe and provocation ſo to do, yet we have none at all: this God hinteth to them, and upbraideth them with, ver. 5 before. Thus ſaith the Lord, what iniquity have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, &c. ver. 6. Neither ſay they in their heart, where is the Lord, that brought us up out of the Land of Egypt? &c. The Lord taxeth them, What iniquity have your Fathers found in me? &c. but what iniquity may not God charge us with, as a juſt cauſe of caſting us off, and putting us away for ever! and whoſoever will may ſee it charged home on Jeruſalem, Ezck. 16, 19, 20, 23, &c. if others lie at us for embracements; let us caſt them away, but let us not deal ſo with God, who is ſaithful to us, notwithſtanding our demerits from him.
2. Exhortation. Content your ſelves with him alone, whom you have choſen. So did the Prophet David and rejoice in his portion, Pſal. 16.5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, &c. ver. 6. ſhews his ſatisfaction with this, The lines are fallen unto me in pleaſant places, yea I have a Godly heritage; as if he had ſaid, I am in a very good eſtate,*Significat ſe diligere Deum ſuper omnia, & ipſo contentum eſſe. Calvin. Cum Deum habeame & haeriditate, optima amaena pars agri mihi obtigitt. M. P. ſyn. having God to be my portion, I am in a Condition that doth wonderfully Content me, let others chuſe riches, honours, &c. Be ſatisfied therewith, look after none other but himſelf; be taken up with him: Yea, there is reaſon to be Contented with God only, becauſe God is All, and hath All. Therefore continue for ever with him.
3. Exhortation. Having choſen God, never repent of your choice. You may repent of chuſing the World, becauſe that may be hurtful unto you: but we can never have cauſe, juſtly to repent of chuſing God to be ours; are not the things of the World compared, and that fitly to Briars and Thorns? and hath not a Thorn coſt and loſt many a man a Limo, yea his very life? how many have ventured their Souls for the World! though our Saviour ſaith, What will it profit a man to gain the whole World, and loſe his Soul? or what ſhall a man give in Exchange for his Soul? alwaies there is danger in chuſing other things, but never any danger in chuſing God to be ours. It brings deſolating judgments on any people, They choſe new Gods, and there was War in their Gates, Judg. 5.8.
4. Exhortation. Be perſwaded, to joy in him above all, reſt in your love to him as he in his love to you. Zeph. 3.17. He will rejoice over thee with joy, he will reſt in his love, he will joy over thee with ſinging: Have we not much more cauſe to rejoice in him than he in us? he fills our deſire with goodneſs, we never fulfil his deſire, but grieve and provoke him; ſay and do as Mary, Luk. 1.46, 47. My Soul doth magnifie the Lord, and my Spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.