True Christianity Part 35

2. All sins, therefore, in the world, are committed against G.o.d's righteousness, and the sinner thereby offends all creatures, even all the angels in heaven, and his own conscience, and sets them in hostility against himself. For when G.o.d is offended and provoked to anger, all creatures are also offended and made angry; so, too, when G.o.d is reconciled, all creatures are reconciled also, and rejoice over such a man. Hence St. Paul says, that all things are reconciled by Christ, whether they be "things in earth or things in heaven" (Col. 1:20): and this, because G.o.d is reconciled through him. Therefore the Lord says, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of G.o.d over one sinner that repenteth." Luke 15:10. The angels rejoice for man's own sake.

3. But if G.o.d be not reconciled to man, all creatures, angels, and nature itself, execute vengeance upon him. Hence come the dreadful judgments of G.o.d: and it is impossible to avert such vengeance and judgments. "Thou art to be feared, O G.o.d; and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still." Ps. 76:7, 8. Thus may we see in the plagues of Egypt how all creatures executed vengeance upon the wicked.

4. From the most holy righteousness of G.o.d, when offended, proceeds also the curse; as Moses, the man of G.o.d, witnesses, when he speaks of the transgression of the divine law. Deut. 27:15, etc.

5. It is a curse when the justice of G.o.d executes such vengeance, that the cursed cannot enjoy any good, either from G.o.d or the creature, but is made an "abhorring unto all flesh." Isa. 66:24. "A curse is a liableness and condemnation unto eternal misery." Therefore a curse is terrible and dreadful unto all creatures, so that they cannot endure it. And this is the highest vengeance of the justice of G.o.d.

6. From the most holy righteousness of G.o.d proceed also those wonderful, unsearchable, secret, dreadful judgments, whereof David says, "Thy judgments are a great deep" (Ps. 36:7); and St. Paul, "How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Rom. 11:33.

7. When, therefore, we consider them, we see therein the righteousness of G.o.d, of which the man of G.o.d, Moses, says, "To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense," saith the Lord. "If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people! for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land and to his people." Deut.

32:35, 41, 43.

8. In these words, Moses declares the vengeance of G.o.d upon all the wicked, who resist the righteousness of G.o.d. Against them G.o.d will whet his glittering sword; that is, his dreadful sentence and judgment, at which the earth feareth, and is still. Ps. 76:8. And him, upon whom G.o.d executes his vengeance and judgment, all the world cannot save; according to the words of the Psalm: "O Lord G.o.d, to whom vengeance belongeth; O G.o.d, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up thyself, thou Judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud." Ps. 94:1, 2. Here we read that although the Lord G.o.d is a gracious, loving, kind, merciful, long-suffering G.o.d, to all them that fear him, he is nevertheless a just judge, according to his righteousness, of all the wicked that transgress against his righteousness.

9. He, therefore, sets before us in his word, not only instances of his grace and mercy, but also of his justice and vengeance; such as those of the deluge, Sodom and Gomorrah, Pharaoh in Egypt, and in the Red Sea; Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; Saul, Ahithophel, Ahab, Jezebel, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Sennacherib; and in the New Testament, Herod, and many more; in every one of whom, we may see the wonderful judgment and vengeance of G.o.d. Therefore he is called, a _G.o.d of vengeance_, "unto whom vengeance belongeth," because he is the most holy, and the most righteous G.o.d; nay, righteousness itself. Therefore, the saints (Rev. 6:10) appeal to the justice of G.o.d with a loud voice, saying: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

10. Such judgments of G.o.d are executed daily, but are rightly understood only by believing and holy souls, according to the words of the Psalm: "With thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked." Ps.

91:8. This saying is not to be understood according to carnal pa.s.sions and affections, but it is to be considered spiritually; for it imports that we are to give unto the Lord our G.o.d, the praise of his righteousness; and to say, "Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments" (Ps.

119:137); and "The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." Ps. 145:17. Thus holy and believing souls delight to see the wonderful judgments of G.o.d; yet not according to the flesh, so as to rejoice over the destruction and perdition of the wicked (which would proceed from self-revenge); but, according to the spirit, they take delight, that is, they acknowledge and praise the righteousness of G.o.d, who fulfilleth his word, and is a righteous G.o.d. And at the same time, they lament and weep over the perdition of the wicked, even as our Saviour wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41); and as David wept over Absalom. 2 Sam.

18:33.

11. So, then, we are here to have a twofold respect, namely, to G.o.d and to men. If we look upon the destruction of men, we are justly to be sorrowful; but if we look upon G.o.d, we are to praise his justice, for he doeth wrong unto none. Ps. 92:15.

Chapter x.x.xIII.

Showing How The Loving Soul Considers G.o.d As The Eternal Wisdom.

_Known unto G.o.d are all his works from the beginning of the world._-ACTS 15:18.

G.o.d ordains, governs, moves, and regulates all things according to his unsearchable wisdom, as it is written (Isa. 45:4-12): "I have even called thee by thy name; I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no G.o.d besides me.-I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the Lord do all these things.-Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth? Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded."

2. This is a powerful testimony concerning the eternal wisdom, and the wondrous, incomprehensible government of Almighty G.o.d, which may be first observed in this, that he has called every one of us by his name, and has surnamed us, though we did not know him, and were not yet in being. This our name by which G.o.d calleth us, is our faith, our outward calling, and our whole course of life. There we are inclosed in, or surrounded with, G.o.d's eternal wisdom and providence, as it respects our whole life, its beginning, middle, and end (Ps. 139:16), or as to our going out and coming in. Ps. 121:8. "He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names" (Ps. 147:4); that is, he gives them their courses, powers, and operations. How much more doth he so in reference to men! G.o.d forms the light and creates darkness. He makes peace, and creates evil; that is, as to the evil of punishment, the just reward of sin; this he creates and permits; nay, he calls the sword, and causes an alarm of war to be heard.

Jer. 49:2.

3. In a word, he ordains all things wisely. He sees and hears all things before, according to the words of the Psalmist: "Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?" Ps. 94:8-10.

4. Here king David teaches us that G.o.d has laid a mirror of his omniscience and eternal wisdom into man, into the hearing ear, and seeing eye, those two wonderful powers of the human body.

5. It is extremely offensive to a man, to hear and see anything unjust or unreasonable; how much more to G.o.d, who has an all-seeing eye and an all-hearing ear, must men's ingrat.i.tude be offensive; he having ordained all things by his wisdom, in order to be serviceable unto men. He has made the sun by his wisdom to give light, not unto itself, but to us; the water affords drink, not to itself, but unto us; the earth brings forth fruits, not for itself but for us; the fire warms, not for itself, but for us; the air gives breath, not to itself, but to us; the bread feeds, not itself, but us; the herbs do not heal themselves, but us.

6. The eternal wisdom of G.o.d has planted so many powers in the creatures, and has so wisely distributed them, that they are, as it were, so many hands through which the wisdom and goodness of G.o.d divide these treasures among us, according to the words of Job: "Who knoweth not in all these, that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:9, 10. And "Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee" (Ver. 7); that "with G.o.d is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening." Ver. 13, 14. "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them." Job 26:7, 8.

7. Since then the Lord our G.o.d ordaineth all things by his wisdom, he ordaineth all our crosses; and therefore we are not to murmur, but to praise his wisdom, and to learn patience; for things cannot proceed otherwise than as they are ordained by G.o.d. But not only the things that befall us in particular, are the most wise order of G.o.d; but also all great national plagues, famine, pestilence, wars, and revolutions of states. And although we may think that these are nothing but confusion, perdition, and destruction, yet there reigns the wisest order of G.o.d. This we may gather from the histories of Holy Writ, where famine, wars, pestilence, desolations of the kingdoms of the world, the destruction of the Jewish kingdom, and of empires, the Babylonian Captivity, and many similar events, are described. "I know," saith Solomon (Eccles. 3:14), "that whatsoever G.o.d doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and G.o.d doeth it, that men should fear before him."

8. And again, "Consider the work of G.o.d; for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?" Eccles. 7:13.

9. If we consider it aright, we must own that G.o.d could not have ordered things more wisely. So we may say also, with reference to the persecutions of the saints, both in the Old and New Testament; to our Lord Jesus Christ; the holy Gospel; the holy martyrs; and all other things. In our sight, these all seem to be absurd, and foolish, and yet they are the highest wisdom of G.o.d.

10. As then we are to give unto G.o.d the praise of righteousness, in all his wonderful judgments; so we are also to give unto him the praise of wisdom, in all the wonderful changes of the world, and in all our crosses and sufferings; knowing that he can direct all evils to a good end, and out of evil derive good: so that in all things, how confused soever they may appear unto us, there shineth forth his wisdom, even as his righteousness doth in all his judgments.

11. But the loving soul sees the wisdom of G.o.d especially in the restoration and redemption of the human race, and in the renovation of the soul and the faculties thereof. For so it pleased the wisdom of G.o.d, that the corrupt image of G.o.d in man, should be renewed by the divine substantial image of G.o.d, that is, by Christ. After man had lost by sin that blessed wisdom, that glorious light of his _intellect_, by which he knew G.o.d aright, and so had fallen into the utmost blindness, nay, into eternal darkness, wherein he must have dwelt forever; the Son of G.o.d, who is the eternal wisdom of the Father, became man, and a light of life unto men (John 1:4), that he might bring back those that had gone astray; that he might teach the ignorant; call to himself the sinners; and rekindle in them the light of the knowledge of G.o.d by faith and the Holy Ghost; nay, that he might unite himself to the soul of man, and might shine forth therein.

12. Secondly: after the _will_ of man was entirely turned away from G.o.d, perverted, and wholly changed into disobedience, striving against G.o.d in all things; the Son of G.o.d was made man, that he might be unto us a pattern of perfect obedience; that he might heal our evil will; implant his good will in our hearts; renew our will through the Holy Ghost; and make us partakers of his holy obedience by faith; according to those words of Scripture (Gal. 3:14), "That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith;" nay, that he might unite himself to us, and live in us, that so our will also might be made conformable unto G.o.d.

13. Thirdly: because the _affections_ of our hearts, and all our faculties, were in contrariety to G.o.d, and "every imagination of the thoughts of our hearts, was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5); the Son of G.o.d, who is love itself, became man, that he might give us a heart wholly new; that he might plant therein the love of G.o.d, and sincere humility and meekness; that he might take from us the old carnal heart, and unite himself with us, that so we might be made of one heart, mind, and spirit with him; all which are the fruits of his most holy incarnation wrought in us.

14. And this is the highest wisdom of G.o.d, that by his dear Son, He thus reneweth man. For as G.o.d has created man by his wisdom, after his perfect image; so He hath also, by his dear Son, who is eternal wisdom, and who was made man, created man anew, and regenerated him to a new image of G.o.d, wherein his wisdom, glory, and righteousness should shine forth forever.

It is in this chiefly that the image of G.o.d consists.

15. Thus the corrupt image of G.o.d in man, is renewed by the substantial image of G.o.d, which is Christ.

Chapter x.x.xIV.

Showing How A Man Should Seek The Wisdom Of G.o.d By Prayer; Containing Also A Useful Treatise On Prayer, Wherein The Reader Is Taught How The Heart Is To Be Moved Unto Prayer, And Brought Into A Quiet Sabbath, So That Prayer May Be Wrought In Us By The Lord; The Whole Being Set Forth In Twelve Sections.

Section I.

All That We Have Lost In Adam We Recover Fully And Completely In Christ.

_In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge._-COL. 2:3.

In the beginning G.o.d formed man out of the dust of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living and immortal soul, adorned with perfect wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and blessedness, after the image of his Creator. For where there is divine wisdom, there is blessedness; and where there is blessedness there is divine wisdom. Man, therefore, wanted nothing in Paradise to make him completely happy. But when, being seduced by the temptation of the serpent, he turned away from G.o.d, and fell into sin, then was this divine image in man effaced, and he became subject to the devil, to death, and to misery. For as soon as this divine image was defaced in him by sin, he could discover nothing in himself but misery, blindness, and the curse.

2. But in order that Adam, that is, all men in Adam, might not utterly perish, G.o.d himself was made man; that is, he was pleased to send his Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born of a virgin. The Son of G.o.d has, by his holy life and doctrine, as by a pattern, shown us again the way of wisdom and salvation in which we are to walk. For he has not only delivered us from our sins by his most bitter death, but has moreover given us a commandment, that "we should walk, even as he also walked." 1 John 2:6.

3. We are, therefore, begotten again by him, through faith, to be the sons of G.o.d; nay, we are made sons of G.o.d in and with his own Son. For "as he is, so are we also in this world." 1 John 4:17.

4. In this Son "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden." For whatsoever was lost in Adam, is perfectly to be found in Christ. Rom.

5:18, 19.

5. If we would, in this life, have a foretaste of these great and glorious treasures, it must be obtained by prayer, diligent searching, and continual knocking. For no man can have admission into the kingdom of G.o.d, unless he walk in the new birth, and seek it earnestly of G.o.d. No man can be delivered from the power of sin and the devil, unless he repent, and offer up his prayers in the name of Christ. For though Christ has purchased for us all good things, yet without faith no man can be partaker of them; in and by faith he must also pray, seek, and knock. In a word, it is by prayer only that we can obtain those "good and perfect gifts which come down from above, from the Father of lights." James 1:17.

A PRAYER.