God a Christians Choice, To the reader 3 – Preface
To the Reader.
Chriſtian Reader,
Appineſs is the Vote of all men: But though all deſire it, yet moſt take the wrong courſe to the attaining of it; as if one ſhould intend a voyage to the Eaſt and Sail quite Weſtward, Auſtin reckons up 288 opinons of the Philoſophers about Happineſs, and they have all ſhot wide of the mark. We muſt not weigh happineſs populari trutina, in the World's Ballance, but in the ballance of the Sanctuary. Doubtleſs the Pſalmiſt did hit upon the right. Pſal. 144.15. Happy is the people whoſe God is the Lord. God is the Summum bonum, or chief Good. In the chief Good there muſt be. 1. Suavity, it muſt be delitious, cauſing a jubilation, or extaſy of Joy. And where can we ſuch thoſe pure, quinteſſential Comforts, which do raviſh the Soul with ſweet delight, but in God?*In Deo duad im dulcedine delectatur anima, immo rapitur, Aug. Pſal. 16.11. In thy preſence is fulneſs of Joy. 2. Tranſcendency; the chief Good muſt have an innate, ſparkling Beauty, Superior to all other. God is the ſpring of Being, who doth enrich and beſpangle the whole Creation; the Cauſe is more noble than the Effect; He muſt needs infinitely out-ſhine all ſublunary Glory. God is better than the Soul, than the Angels, than Heaven. 3. Duration; the chief Good muſt run parallel with Eternity.*foreign Chryſ. God abides King for ever. Pſal. 29.10. Eternity is a Flower of his Crown; he is an inexhauſtible treaſury of Goodneſs. So that God being the chief Good, the enjoyment of God is the ſole thing which Crowns us with Bleſſedneſs. And how doth God come to be our God but by chooſing him? It is one thing for the Judgment to approve of God, and another thing for the Will to chuſe him. Many are in their Judgments convinced that God is the moſt amiable Object, but they are ſwayed another away: their Corruptions are ſtronger than their Convictions. But we muſt upon mature deliberation foreign Cleave to the Lord, Acts 11.23. We muſt chooſe him though with Affliction, Heb. 11.25. Religion is not a matter of chance*Nemo fortuito fit bonus. but of choice, Pſal. 119.30. I have choſen the way of truth. This chooſing of God for our God. 1. Preſuppoſeth an enlightned mind. We muſt underſtand thoſe illuſtrious Perfections which are in God, his Wiſdom, Holineſs, Veracity, Bounty; as Knowledg uſhers in Faith. Pſal. 9.10. ſo it precedes choice. 2. It denotes a ſingling out God from all other Objects to ſet out heart upon. While others Court the World, and like Apollo embrace the Lawrel-Tree in ſtead of Daphne, the Believer ſaith as Aſaph, Pſ. 73.25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and as Jacob Gen. 28.21. The Lord ſhall be my God. This Chooſing God is that in which the vital part of Chriſtianity conſiſts: Affections not grounded upon a judicious Choice die and vaniſh. That fruit cannot laſt which wants a root to grow upon. This chooſing God is a bleſſed ſign we love God, and belong to him; our chooſing God is but the reſult and effect of his chooſing us, John 15.19. And where there is this chuſing of God, there will be a davoting … ſelves to him. Pſal 9.38. and … entring into Covenant with him; Jer, 50.5. Come and let us joyn our ſelves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant … follows … Bond, and … a con… … Vow, … ſo often re… … ratified in the … Supper? Theſe things are the ſubject-matter of the enſuing Treatiſe, wherein the Reverend Author hath (ſo far as I have read) taken good pains, and given the World a taſte of that Savoury gracious Spirit which reſides in him: his whole Deſign in this book, is, to diſcover the intrinſecal Excellencies in God, which may haſten our Choice of him for our ſupream ſolace and …. As alſo to make us break off our Covenant with Sin, and engage in Covenant with the high God: by vertue whereof, we procure that great Dignity to be matched into the Crown of Heaven. The Lord give an effectual bleſſing, and ſucceſs to this preſent Diſcourſe; and cauſe Souls to enter into a more ſtrict way of Commun… with him: Which is the earneſt prayer of him who is,
Thy Friend and well-wiſher in Spiritual-Affairs, Thomas Watſon. Octob. 28. 1674.
THE PREFACE.
Courteous Reader,
I Do here ingenuouſly confeſs, that taking up a Book in my houſe, and looking on the names of ſome books at the end of it, I there met with a diſcovery of a Diſcourſe on this ſame Subject, both for matter and text, a Diſcourſe I ſay, of a very Reverend Divine, Mr. Richard Vines; but I can and muſt as truely acquaint thee, that it was after theſe Meditations of mine were ſtudied, preached, and intended for the preſs: and having tranſiently viewed it (for I have not had time, for various diverſions, to read it over, though I believe near as ſhort as my own, and indeed one main reaſon was the fitting my own for, and haſting it to the preſs; I find that his and mine differ very much as to the methed of the handling of this bleſſed Priviledg; and I have read from St. Auſtin, that it's very profitable, for divers to handle the ſame point, alii ſic, alii autem ſic, ſome in this wiſe, ſome otherwiſe. Whatſoever came from him muſt needs be excellent good, yet ſith that may be out of the preſs, and known to very few but in and about London, and ſcarce to be got; I judg this as it cannot detract from the worth, ſo nor prejudice the eſteem, and I hope will never hinder the pauſal of that; leaving both that, this and thee to the, bleſſing of the Almighty, and not daring, but out of an ingenuous ſtrain heartedneſs to give thee this notice, being my ſelf accidentally acquainted with it;
I remain thine in the Service of the Goſpel, S.W. From my Study, Aug. 28. 1674.