Severall Nations have severall Gods: Or there are ma∣ny false Gods in the World.
In the 1 Cor. 8.5. There be Gods many, and Lords many. No truth so generally and universally gran∣ted as this: That there is a God; but none so much controverted as who the true God is. Man brings into the World with him notions and sure appre∣hensions of a deity: Education and Custome do spe∣cificate, and shape these generall notions of a GOD, and a Religion; to that God, and into that Religion that the Countrey accounts the true. From hence he that is borne in Turkey is a Mahumetan: In Italie a Papist; in England a Protestant. So soone as Men are borne, they fall a groaping for a God, and for a Religion: One there is, but who, and which wee know not; and that, that is first put into our hands by our Parents and Governours, that we close with∣all. And this is the State and condition of all Men living; the best and dearest Saints of God are thus by nature, and would have beene Turkes, and Papists had Page 6they bin borne there, till God seized upon them by his grace, regenerated them, and reveal'd himselfe unto them. Yee were without God in the World as well as others.
A God then there is, but who, and what 〈◊〉 one, the People and Nations of the World cannot agree; and therefore, how many have the Nations who are left unto the light of nature, set up for Gods; that had Country Gods, and Citie Gods, and houshold Gods, and particular personall Gods: Gods for all places, for Heaven, and Hell, and Sea, and Land; for all occa∣sions; for war, and peace, and plenty, and health, and sicknes: the number of their Gods as some of their own Authors have summed them up, was above thirty thousand. The Papists in our dayes have more.
If yee say, what's the cause of this, that the World should be thus out in so great a point?
[Reas. 1] All have lost the knowledge of God in Adam, that was our great losse; for his sin God hath withdrawne himself, hid himself in secret, & will not fully, suffici∣ently, or savingly reveale himself by the Creatures to the sons of men: but hath chosen a new way to vent himself, which is by Iesus Christ, Mat. 11.27. No Man cometh to the father but by mee (saith Christ) and so Ioh. 11.6. No man knoweth the Father but the son, and he to whom the Sonne shall reveale him. There is not in all the Booke of Nature, one Iota, or one hint of Je∣sus Christ. Many nations are without the Gospell; few persons know Jesus Christ, (I pray God you may looke to your selves) and therefore are wilde, and vaine, and various in their Imaginations of God.
It comes from the infinite disproportion that is Page 7between God and Man. [Reas. 2] What House will yee build mee? (saith God) I fill Heaven and Earth, the Hea∣ven of Heavens are not able to containe mee: So, what thoughts will yee reare up to entertaine the great God in? How will yee doe to stretch those narrow Soules of yours that the King of glory may come in? It is impossible for a Camel to goe through the eye of a needle, but how impossible for God to come into his Creature? The sences, which are the Lanes, or Gates which lead to the soule, neither is there any thing in the understanding but it is first in the sences: these are all too narrow, God is invisi∣ble, and cannot be seene: Thou canst not see my Face, (sayes God) to Moses, and yet he had, and could see great and dreadfull things; but had hee seene this, his soule would have ran away.
He is ineffable, bigger then all definitions and de∣scriptions; greater then words can tell. Its peculi∣ar to God to exceed knowledge. And therefore the Logicians have wisely excluded him out of their Predicaments, ubique prosens, sed latens, nothing more present then God, and nothing more unseene.
[Obj.] If you say, but this Reason shuts out all Men; yet there are that doe know him.
[Answ.] It doth indeed shut out all from any naturall knowledge of him, by naturall meanes; the know∣ledge of God is a supernaturall grace; bred onely by the spirit of God in the hearts of the Men, of his good will. This Spirit doth supernaturally stretch out the narrow soule of Man, doth in large and widen it, and raises it up about its own nature to conceive a∣right of God. This Spirit lifteth up the doores, and Page 8sets open the Gates that the King of glory may come in. And because the faculties cannot bee wound up to infinitenesse, that they may hold proportion to the immensity of God, therefore the spirit does two things.
First, it creates an eekening in the soule, which is Faith, helping of it to believe, what it cannot ap∣prehend. He that commeth unto God must believe: hee'll never reach him else. The understanding and knowledge cannot be stretched out to conceive high enough of God, and therfore the spirit creates an addition, which is Faith, helping of the soule to believe, what it cannot conceive. As when the Virgin Mary was told, that she should conceive and be are a Sonne, how can this be (saith she) seeing I know nor a man? her reason could not reach it; and ther∣fore she laid her Faith to it: Be it unto me according to thy word.
2. As the Spirit doth inlarge, and adde to the soule; so it doth in a manner lessen God. God hum∣bling of himselfe in being willing to be described after the manner that man can take him, and reach him. And oh! what a condescention and stoope is this in the Almighty, that he should be willing to be set out, as having hands, and feet, and eyes; that so men may sippe a little of him! Man cannot goe up to God, and therfore God will meet him halfe way, and come down to him. And before the Spirit doth thus worke in the soule, none know the true God, few Nations or people, yea few persons have this worke in them; and therfore few doe know Page 17the true God, and from hence so many false gods in the world.
3. The heart of man is inrag'd and vext that God doth hide himselfe from his senses. God keeps him∣selfe in secret, and will not be seene: and therefore man will have other gods who shall. Make us gods that may goe before us, (say the Israelites to Aaron) such as we may see. Hence are your Idols among the Heathen: Pictures, and Crucifixes among your Pa∣pists: and with men of carnall and corrupt mindes amongst our selves. Men will have something before their eyes to direct their worship and service unto. Men are vext that God should keepe himselfe, or any thing else secret from them. How faine would men be fingring of Election, and Reprobation? How an∣gry were our desperate Divines of late, because they could not finde out the bottome of them? See the reason:
There's none, unlesse they can see the depth and Cause.
We are very prone to be too sawcy with divine things wch dwel in darknes, and God wil not bear it. Bounds and limits were set the people when God gave the Law: they must not gaze, lest they die. And as men are angry with this retirednesse of God, that he will not make himselfe familiar to their sen∣ses: So are they vext and fretted with his monopo∣lizing, and reserving all the wayes and manner of his worship to himselfe: men are mad upon Will-wor∣ship. Something they will have of their owne inven∣tion to be mingled with the worship of God: he shall not have altogether his owne way and will. They Page 10will out of their wisdome (which is their folly) adde some Ceremonies, at the least, to beautifie the sloven∣ly worship of God: as some of them have more then prophanely spoken. And from hence were your gol∣den Copes, & gorgious Altars, shining Candlestickes, decent Ceremonies, the more to decorate and adorn the service of God. Thus man will be corrupting the spirituall service of God, with his base, carnall, beg∣gerly inventions. And for this cause God gives men over to extreame folly; even to worship the things that they have made so beautifull: to bow downe to their Altars that they have deckt: and all their wis∣dome, Scholership, learning, and distinctions, are not able to deliver them from it. The 1. Rom. 21. Because when they knew God, they worshipped him not as God, therefore God gave them over: laid them fast in their owne dung and filth: And who were these? Such as profest themselves to be wise, the great Scholars of the world. In the 1 Cor. 1.20. Where is the wise? where is the disputer? not in Christ, as Paul was; he was foolishnesse. So with us, Where were our great learned Rabbins? their distinctions had carried them downe to Rome: they could break the Sabbath with distinctions, and bow downe to Name and Altar with distinctions: and therefore God befooles them, and gives them over to worship the workes of their own hands, their owne babies: And therefore wonder not (my Brethren) that you have lately seene great Scholars to be sortish in their bowing downe to name and places, for God committed them to superstition and Idolatry, and who could baile them? These Reasons may suffice, Page 11though many more may bee given.
[Vse 1] Consider this, and learne to pitty, pray for, and help the nations and people who are without the knowledge of the true God. Survey the world in your thoughts, and consider how great a part of it sits in the dark, groping after a God and taking hold of the Creatures: some of Stocks and Stones, yea, some of them (if we may beleeve Historians) of the very Devill himselfe, and worshipping of him in stead of God; and God as yet withholding of him∣selfe from them: and that, so farre as we know, for Adams sin. Rom. 11.33. Oh! the depth of the riches, both of the wisdome and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his Judgements, and his wayes past finding out! Private men may pray for them: but it must be the power of some such Soveraigne Assembly as this is of yours, to send unto them the knowledge of the true God: and who knows, but for this also, you are met together at this time? that when you have repaired our breaches, and done the will of God for us, you may be a blessing, and a healing to other na∣tions.
[Ʋse 2] If many false Gods in the world, then let us bee thankfull for the knowledge of the true God. Re∣joyce in Gods name, lift up your banners, Let Eng∣land rejoyce in him that made it; * for blessed is the na∣tion whose God is the Lord, and the people whom he hath chosen for his owne; this makes them Gods owne. This is the greatest kindnesse, the most distinguishing, speciall favour of God: this mercy of knowing God, comes out of the very heart of Jesus Christ; for in him, and none else, God reveales himself unto Page 20men, God lookes to be praised and thankt for this The knowledge of God lifts a nation up to heaven; Capernaum was lifted up to heaven by preaching of the Gospel, * and when God thus exalts a nation, he looks to be exalted by it: * Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thy selfe unto us, and not unto the world? So, who is England, Lord, that thou shouldst reveale thy selfe to it, and not to other nations? Man is a brag∣ging creature, and God takes notice of it: If his face be fairer, his backe or armes stronger, or his head wiser, his purse fuller then others, he will bee ready to boast of it, and glory in it: but God would have all this laid out upon himselfe. * Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord.
[Ʋse 3] Are there many false gods in the world? Then take heed that there bee none kept secretly in Eng∣land; it hath been with England, as it was with Ja∣cobs family, and the Israelites in the dayes of Moses and Joshua, though the true God was publikely ac∣knowledged and worshipped in both, yet there were private persons and families, who kept Idols and false Gods, and worshipt them; and therefore when Jacob was to goe up to Bethel, to build an Altar there unto God, he first purges his family from Idols, Gen. 35. And Joshua, when he tooke his last leave of the children of Israel, and caused them to enter into a Covenant that they would serve God, exhorts them to put away the strange gods that were among them Page 21Josh. 24.14. So, how many false gods have there been still kept, and worshipped in private families and houses here in England, ever since the re∣formation? Nay, it hath been worse with us: for the Romish, superstitious, nay idolatrous Crosses and Crucifixes have been upheld and deckt, if not new built, in the staring-Cheape, in our Church-yards, High-wayes, and these have been worshipt, and by these, and some other things, the Pope hath kept possession of our Kingdome: Doe you cancell these cursed Evidences, God lookes for it at your hands; Downe with these high-places, search England with Candles, till you finde out all the abominations which are committed in secret; and doe you in the name of England (for your places will beare it) say, What have I to doe with Idols any more? get you hence as filthy and uncleane things; and instead of these send abroad those, who may teach the good knowledge of the Lord, may scatter the light of the Sunne of righteousnesse. How many uncatechised darke cor∣ners are there in this Kingdome? how many per∣sons that know not God, nor whether Christ were Man or Woman? Helpe these to know their Ma∣ker.
1. The greatest good that you can possibly doe this Kingdome is, to helpe it yet more to the know∣ledge of God; this is the end and the perfection of man; herein his excellency above other crea∣tures, that he had a rationall soule given him, fitted to sip a little of the knowledge of God: this is the life and the liberty of the subject, ye stand much for Page 14them, and (for ought I know) cannot stand too much: This is eternall life, to know thee the onely true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, and this estates us into the glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God.
2. This is the greatest profit, it will bring the Kingdome in more then all the Merchants of it. Looke how much any doe know God and Christ, so much are they theirs; now a little of God is more then a great deale of the creature: I desire to know nothing but Christ and him crucified (sayes Paul) if he could know him more, hee should be more his.
3. This would reforme the Kingdome better then all the Lawes that you can make; knowing the ter∣rour of the Lord we perswade men. If wee can but get men to know God, we may perswade them: A good Minister will reforme a Parish better then a Iustice of Peace; the weapons of our warfare are not car∣nall, but spirituall, yet mighty through God to cast down strong holds. We spit fire into mens consciences, and binde men over to the great Assizes of Quicke and Dead.
4. God is the fountain of all the Mercies and Mi∣series that we meet withall; if any should still bee sending of us kindnesses, now and then a sweet child, an Office, change of Apparell, Meat, and Drinke, and Sleep, night and day one thing or another: and sometimes should be reaching of us a smart blow, a Feaver, a fit of the Stone and Gout, killing thou∣sands in a weeke in our streets of the Pestilence, ba∣thing of his sword in our bloud, how should we de∣sire to know this person, that we might know how to carry our selves towards him, and to be at peace Page 15him? Helpe England to know the God of Englands mercies and of Englands corrections.
Firstly, We can neither goe any whither, or doe a∣ny ••ing without him. In him we live, and move, and have our being. Yea, wee shall ever have to doe with him. The knowledge of God, would do a Man good in time of affliction: when comfort will bee worth a World, and what will Men doe in time of affliction, if they know not God? When the Soule comes to sigh it's last, and to groane into eternity: to goe to meet with a God it knowes not, how sad a thing is this? And you that know him, labour to know him more, for yee are not past this lesson, nor ever shall.
