The vvay to heaven discovered: and, the stumbling-blocks (cast therein by the world, flesh, and devill) removed. Or, The ready way to true happines

XVII.

The seventeenth stumbling block, that doth many times lie in a Chri∣stians way, may be this about the Trinity. I having received satisfacti∣on, in all the former things, thought all was well with me, saith another Chri∣stian, but behold I see a greater moun∣tain lying in my way, then any of the former, and I have no hope either to get over it, or to have it removed; and that is, I doe not know God; and He will come in flaming fire, rendring vengeance on them that doe not know him, 1 Thess. 2. 8. Nay, it seems to be a paradox to me, that there should be three Gods, and yet but one God; nay, some of our Ministers do say, that there are three persons; and if so, there must be there distinct beings; others say again, that there is but one God, and the Scripture saith, O Israel, the Lo••d thy God, is one Lor••! and whom

to beleive, or what to thinke of it, I know not; only this I know, that all those that live without God in the World, and die in ignorance, shall never goe to heaven, 1 Thess. 2. 8.

Answ. I must confesse, if a man should goe about to know what God is by those definitions, and descriptions, that most men give of God; a man may spend all his dayes in learning, and yet die in ignorance: So confused are most mens notions of God, some declaring him to be that which he is not, and others saying, he is not what he is: And for mine own part, I can speak by sad experience, who was my selfe about 14. years since, at such a losse in my soul about this very thing; that had not he that doth live in that inac∣cessible light, that no mortall eye can appro••h unto, satisfyed my soul in some measure, I had been mad, for I was in that con∣dition for the space of one moneth; during which time I remained restlesse in my soul; and sometimes felt the flames of hell burning within me as it were; then I felt what a wounded conscience was, and could say by experience, who can beare it? Well, I set my selfe, sometimes

to reading severall Authours upon the attributes of God, and the more I sought after the knowledge of him there, the more ignorant I saw my selfe of him; I inquired also of many Mini∣sters, and of some Antient professors, but they could make out but little to my understanding; at last I went to ano∣ther Minister, Mr. Stubbs by name, and declared to him my condition, and after a little serious consideration, he gave me a milde and tender answer, as one that did sympathise with me in my misery, and as he was speaking to me, or within few houres after, my spirit was finely calmed, and my trouble a∣bated. The substance of what he said unto me was in these two heads; First, that whereas I was so troubled that I did not know God; he said that nei∣ther I, nor any man under heaven did know him so as we ought to know him, and as hereafter we shall know him; Paul himselfe said he knew but in part. Se∣condly, he further said, this my igno∣rance of God, is not a willing igno∣rance; and God never comes in flaming fire rendring vengeance upon those that are willing to know him, but he comes

to render vengeance upon those that are willingly ignorant of him. With these and such like words, the Lord was pleased to calme those stormes that were within me, which mercy I trust I shall never forget &c. And to proceed for the removing of this stumbling blocke, that God hath in mercy removed from me;

Consider, that God in himselfe is wonderfull, and God in Christ is wonderfull, see Isa. 9. 6. Father and Son in the Spirit is wonderfull, the Fathers wayes are in tho deep, the Sonnes wayes are in the deep, the holy Ghosts wayes are in the deep, and so their foot-steps are not known, Psal. 77. 19. If any aske, How can these be three, and yet but one God? I an∣swer, great is the mystery, the Sonne in the Father, and the Father in the Sonne, and the Spirit of truth which is sent by the Father and the Sonne, Joh. 14. 11. with 15. 26. & 14. 26. God is incompre∣hensible, there is something in Gods essence, not to be inquired into; and there are some things that may be known of God, and some things not, Rom. 1. 20. Of his great and glorious being, we can see but the glimmerings. Exod. 33. 20,

23. No man can see and know him as he is, and live in this sinfull body; we may admire his essence, but not com∣prehend it. Rom. 11. 33. It is life eternall to know him, as we may read Joh. 17. 3. But he dwelleth in that light that no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen or can see. 1 Tim. 6 16. No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hath decla∣red him, Joh. 1. 18. And as he is immor∣tall, so he is invisible, 1 Tim. 1. 17. & 1 Joh. 4. 12. But more particularly, how can these be three, and yet but one God? I answer, they are distinguished, not di∣vided, they be distinguished into Father, Son and holy Ghost, 1 Joh. 5. 7. There are three that beare record, and these three are one, he is so eternall as is n••t onely without beginning and ending, but by and in him all things begin and end.

For the further clearing hereof, Con∣sider, at the first the Lord made man of the dust of the earth, and breathed in him the breath of life, and he became a living soul; and in this soul there is a spirituall substance as is God, but finit and not being of it selfe, so is not God;

the Lord stamped his owne likenesse of an holy Trinity in Unity, and of an holy Uni∣ty in Trinity; as the soul is but one essence, yet there ariseth three diverse faculties in that one substance: first, there is the Minde; secondly, there is the Will; thirdly, there is the power of doing or working; the minde conceiveth and understandeth things; the will affecteth the object according as the minde first conceiveth of the thing, and from this minde conceiving and will affecting, there proceedeth the working power by which something is done; the minde so conceiving resem∣bleth the Father, the will having his affections begotten by the minde, con∣ception resembleth the Son begotten of Father, and the power of doing pro∣ceeding both from the minde and will, re∣sembleth the holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son: and as these three, Father, Son, and Spirit make but one God; so these three faculties doe make but one spirituall substance or soul. But as the Father worketh not without the Son, nor the holy Ghost without the Father and the Son; so neither doth the minde or will or work∣ing

power, effect any thing apart, but joyntly together; yet as we attribute Creation to the Father, Redemption to the Son, Illumination to the Spirit; so to the minde we attribute understanding; to the will we attribute both well or ill affecting; and to the working power we attribute the thing wrought or done: And as in that one God, no person is before or after another in time but only in order; so neither in that one soul, is the minde before the will in time, nor the work∣ing power behinde them in time, for the power of working is before the thing wrought: There is no distinction but only in order, for there is no sooner the soule in the body, but there exist all them three, and without any one of them the soul cannot be. If any de∣mand, who created all things? I an∣swer, God. Who redeemeth man fallen? God. Who doth inlighten man? God; yet there are not three, but one God. So if any man demand, What is that in me that understandeth? I answer, the soul. What is that willeth or affecteth any thing? I answer, the soul. What is that whereby I am inabled to live? I answer, the soul; yet I have not three,

but one soul in me, whereby I live and act.

But as the image of any thing, cannot attain the perfection of that thing where∣of it is an image; so neither this Image of God in man, cannot attain the ex∣cellency of the Highest, who in every thing is infinite only, and the cause of all things; and although man was by him made of the dust, yet notwithstan∣ding this almighty Being preferred him above all other creatures, viz.

• 1. By putting in mans soul an Image of himselfe.
• 2. By setting him in the most glorous place of the earth called Eden or Pa∣radise.
• 3. By giving him dominion over all other his Creatures.
• 4. By revealing his minde to man, what he would have him to doe, that thereby he might professe subjection to his Creator.

Now this great, incomprehensible and everlasting God is every way so glori∣ous, that if thou didst but see him thou wouldest admire him, and account all things lighter then vanity in comparison of him, if thou didst but know him,

thou wouldst be so ravished with the love of him, that many waters could not quench it: if thou didst but taste him, thou wouldst hunger and thirst after him, more then the hart doth after the water brooks. In a word, it is life to know him, Joh. 17. 3. It is heaven to behold him, it is melody to hear him, it is endlesse happinesse to injoy him, he is all thy tongue can aske, thy heart can wish, thy minde con∣ceive; he is light in darkenesse, joy in sorrow, rest in trouble, health in sicknesse, food in famine, life in death, heaven in hell. Isa. 40. 22, 23. It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and all the inhabitants thereof are as grass-hoppers: this is he that stretcheth out the heavens as a Curtaine, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in; this is he that bringeth the Princes to nothing, and maketh the Judges of the earth as vanity; it is he that dwelleth in everlastingnesse, whose throne is inesti∣mable, whose glory may not be com∣prehended, before whom the host of Angels stand with trembling: Job 11. 7. Who by searching can finde out God? can any mor∣tall man finde out the Almighty to perfecti∣on? We may know something of God and of his will, but not perfectly, for

that is too great a task for any of us, or any creature to doe, it goes beyond all created understanding, mans eyes can∣not see, nor his understanding compre∣hend: take the most knowing men in the world, and they are not able to comprehend the highest heavens, nor the lowest hell, nor the length of the earth, nor breadth of the sea: much lesse the perfection of the Almighty, which is higher then heaven, deeper then hell, longer then the earth, broader then the sea, Job 11. 8, 9.

We cannot give an account of the cau∣ses of things in heaven, as of the moti∣on of the Sun, Moon, and Starres; what can poor mortall man say to it? deep things are hard to be found out, and sometimes impossible: Job 9. 11. Job saith, that the Lord goeth by him, and yet he could not see him: not that the Lord moveth from place to place as men do, but he being spirituall is as invisible and in∣comprehensible to the eye and minde of man, as a man that passeth by unseen and unthought of.

In a word, he is such a one that is present in all places; The Lord was in this place, and I knew it not, said Jacob, Gen. 28. 16. and David, in Psal. 139. 7,

8, 9, 10. Whither shall I goe from thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy pre∣sence? if I ascend up into heaven, thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there, If I take the wings of the mor∣ning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall uphold me: what shall I say? all things had their being from him, and all things doe centre in him, all things lead us to him; wherefore let us forsake all things for him, and follow hard after him, and cleave close to him, that we may know, that we have a relation to him, and an interest in him: all other relations, and interests, which vain man is apt to rest upon and centre in, will prove a sandy founda∣tion. If thou doest expect comfort from friends as near to thee as Jobs friends, they will prove but sorrowfull comforters, as his friends did to him: if thou doest expect comfort from the Magistrate or Minister, they are muta∣ble, sometimes smiling upon thee, some∣times frowning: if thou doest expect comfort from thy children, they may bring abundance of sorrow upon thy heart, as Jobs sonnes and daughters, and the sonnes of Eli; or as in the Proverbs,

A foolsh sonne causeth shame to his father: if thou doest expect comfort from thy neighbours, they will speak thee fair to thy face, and make thee their table-talk behinde thy back: if thou doest expect comfort from thy servants, the one will be apt to runne away, and the other to answer thee again, or else to serve thee with eye-service: if thou doest expect comfort from the King or Prince, alas! he is turned tyrant, for which he must lose his life or be ba∣nished, and so is unable to comfort him∣self: if thou doest expect comfort from he or shee that doth lie in thy bosome, bone of thy bone, and flesh of thy flesh, which was made to be a help one to another, this bosome friend is ei∣ther given to idlenesse, or pride and wast∣fulnesse, or both; or if free from that, then full of frothy talking, to the grief of thy heart; or else froward and tou∣chy to thy self and servants, that as So∣lomon saith, you were as good be in house with a roaring Lion, and a raging Beare, and so thy bosome friend from whom thou didst expect some comfort, when all other creatures comfort faild; why, this frined above all the rest proves the grea∣test

enemy, and brings more sadnesse up∣on thy heart, and sorrow upon thy spi∣rit, then all the losses, crosses, scandals, and reproaches that ever thou mett'st with before, from all the world be∣sides; so that now thou art fain to keep thy self from him or her that lyeth in thy bosome, and the one must not re∣prove, for fear the other will flie in the face; the fairest face is sometimes match∣ed with the foulest heart; and the smi∣ling looks with hellish thoughts, Prov. 6. 26. & 9. Prov. 13. & 21. 19. Prov. 27. 15. Eccles. 7. ••8.

Again, if thou doest expect any com∣fort from thy estate, one Scripture saith that riches make themselves wings and flie away: another Scripture saith, that moth and rust doth corrupt, and theeves will break through and steal: another Scripture, name∣ly the second of Ecclesiastes, saith that all is Vanity, and vexation of spirit, vani∣ty on the door posts into which we en∣ter, on the tables where we sit, on the dishes out of which we eat, on the cups out of which you drink, on the bed∣steeds where you lye, on the wals of the house where you dwell, on the garments which you wear, and on the

foreheads of all them whom ye meet, and on your own selves in every member of your body, and faculty of the soul, Psal 39. 5. Every man at his best estate is vanity: Where is the glory of Solomon, the sumptuous buildings of Nebuchad∣nezzar, the nine hundred Chariots of Si∣cera, the power of Alexander, the au∣thority of Augustus, that commanded the whole world to be taxed? all these at their best estates we••e but vanity; nay take Solomon for beauty, Samson for strength, Achitophell for policy, Haman for favour, Ahasael for swiftnesse, Alexander for great conquests; and yet all these at their best estate are altogether vanity.

Wherefore centre not in any creature comfort, take not up thy rest in any thing be this side God, the God of rest and peace; for all is mutable that hath the name of creature upon it, on∣ly the Creator is immutable and un∣changeable, in all that he saith or doth; if he be once a Father, he will be ever a Father; if once a Friend, he will be ever a Friend; if he once love thee, he will never hate thee: and for this ground it is we are commanded to love him with a supreme love; if we love

father, mother, wife, or children, more then he, we be not worthy of him, nay we can∣not be his disciples, unlesse we, in a sense, hate all the••e for his sake, Luk. 14. 26.

Moses desired to see the Lord, that he might know him more perfectly, and the Lord told him, Exod. 33. 20. Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me and live, and Paul renders the rea∣son of this, 1 Tim. 6. 16. who only hath immortality, dwelling, in the light, which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen or can see: in a word, man is so vailed, and clouded, and narrow spiri∣ted, that at the highest degree, he can know God but only in his attributes, and that but in part neither, for he is won∣derfull in every attribute; and as the Prophet saith, such knowledge is too won∣derfull for me: wherefore, to winde up all, and for the removing of this stum∣bling block, endevour to beleeve in one God, Father of all; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, redeemer of all; and in one sanctifying Spirit of grace; it is the of∣fice of the Father to Elect, the office of th•• Sonne to Redeem, and the office of the Holy Ghost to Sanctif••e those, and

only those, whom the Father hath ele∣cted, and the Sonne redeemed: Endevour in the Name of the Lord, to see the Father love thee freely, and the Sonne manifesting that unto thee, and the Spi∣rit beginning to evidence it in thee; further, endevour to see that the Father loves thee as redeemed by the Sonne; the Sonne looks upon thee and loves thee as being given by the Father, for him to redeem; and the Holy Ghost see∣ing the love of the Father in choosing thee, and the love of the Sonne in redee∣ming thee, he also sets his love upon thee, and will shortly manifest it unto thee, and evidence it in thee; this is that intenall eternall Word by which all things were made, supported, ruled, quickned, enlightned, and judged: this glorious infinite wisdome was vailed in flesh, and so God manifest in the flesh, was the mirror of Angels, the terrour of Devils, the expectation of the new creation; in a word, it is as easie to compasse the heaven with a span, and to contain the sea in a nut-shell, as to apprehend, or comprehend this inter∣nall, eternall being in the fulnesse there∣of; we may as soon fill a bag with wis∣dome,

and a chest with virtue, and a circle with a triangle, as the heart of man with the knowledge of God: man may have some glimerings, and know him in part, and this is life eternall, but dark man is so narrow spirited that in all things God is above him; he saith of himself to man, My waies are not your waies, nor my thoughts your thoughts, for as the heavens are higher then the earth, so are my thoughts above your tho••ghts, and my waies above your waies, Isai. 55. 9. as if the Lord had said, there is as vast a difference, between my knowledge of you▪ and your knowledge of me, as there is distance between the heaven and the earth, my dispositions and dealings both for mer∣cy and goodnesse, and for firmnesse and faithfulnesse, are as farre above your un∣derstanding, as the highest heavens are above the very centre of the earth, and farre higher: for the one is unmeasurable, yet finite; whereas the other because infi∣nite, is for greatnesse, and amplitude, and immensity inconceivable. The best of men that have bowels of compassion, some tender heartednesse, some ingenuity, and readinesse to remit a wrong, or some firmnesse, or faithfulnesse in making

good what they promise, what is all this to that which is in God? for so much as God is above man in point of Ma∣jesty, so he is above man in mercy; he is a guide to lead you, a staffe to up∣hold you, a cordiall to strengthen you, a plaister to heal you; he will stand you in stead, when friends forsake you; he is as swift to shew mercy, as he is slow to anger; he will carry you through the hardest services with the greatest swift∣nesse; if he give us more knowledge of him, we shall live more upon him, and delight more in him, and be more conformable unto him: true happinesse lies only in our injoyment of a sutable good, a pure good, a totall good, an eternall good; and God is only such a good; the treasure of the Saints is the knowledge of God, the presence of God, the favour of God, union and commu∣nion with God, the pardon of sin, the joy of the Spirit, and peace of consci∣ence, all which c••mes into the soule, by the knowledge of Christ, and is clou∣ded again in the absence of Christ: a man wi••hout this knowledge of Christ and God, is as a workman without hands, a painter without eyes, a tra∣veller

without legs, a ship without sails, or a bird without wings, or as a body without a soul; all our discourage∣ments doe flow from our ignorance, and want of faith in this Almighty God, viz. it springs from our ignorance of the riches, freenesse, fulnesse, and ever∣lastingnesse of Gods love, or from our ignorance of the power, glory, sufficien∣cy, and efficacy of the death, and of the sufferings of Christ Jesus our Lord, or from our ignorance of the worth, glory, fulnesse, and compleatnesse of the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ, or from our ignorance of that reall, close, spiri∣tuall, glorious, and inseparable union, that there is between Christ and our precious souls: To drive further into this mystery, time would fail me, strength fail me, light would fail me, I doe ra∣ther lispe then speak in the things of God, and therefore must I needs stammer in so mysterious a point as this I have been speaking to.