True Christianity Part 62

As man devotes himself entirely unto G.o.d by love, so G.o.d bestows himself entirely upon man also by love. And as that love of his is in the highest degree of perfection, he cannot but give us Himself: for the highest instance of love is to bestow one's self upon the person we love. And as a consequence of this perfect love, He bestowed himself upon us in his only begotten Son.

2. This is the true spring of the incarnation, pa.s.sion, and death of the Son of G.o.d. Thus our blessed Saviour p.r.o.nounces these words of comfort, "G.o.d so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16); that is, G.o.d loved the world with an entire and perfect love, and therefore gave us his Son. But as the eternal love of G.o.d is the fountain of eternal life to the world; and that eternal love is manifested by Christ Jesus, in and by whom we have everlasting life, therefore, our Lord further adds: "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Chapter VI.

Showing How Much Man Is Indebted To G.o.d For His Everlasting Love.

_We love him, because he first loved us._-1 JOHN 4:19.

In every benefit or gift there are three things to be considered: the giver, the receiver, and the gift itself. As, then, there is a natural obligation upon the receiver to the giver, it is manifest, that since man has received all that he has from G.o.d, so he owes all to him, and is under the strictest obligations of love and obedience to his great benefactor.

2. And as man consists of body and soul, so G.o.d has abundantly provided for the comfort and happiness of both.

3. As for his body, it is sustained and refreshed by the various productions of nature, so that the whole creation seems to call upon him, and put him in mind of his Creator: "Consider," it saith, "O man, the benefits which thy Maker has bestowed upon thee, and what returns of grat.i.tude and service thou owest him for the same. I (saith the heaven), give thee daylight to work in, and send darkness in which thou mayest sleep and take thy rest. I give thee the pleasant spring, the warm summer, the fruitful autumn, and the cold winter, in their proper seasons. I (saith the air), supply thee with breath, and every kind of birds. By me (saith the water), art thou washed, and thy thirst is quenched; by me thou art supplied with all kinds of fish. I bear thee and sustain thee (saith the earth), and satisfy thee with bread, wine, and flesh; by all which thou mayest know how much thou art beloved by Him who made thee, and me for thy use; all of whose favors are as so many bonds and obligations upon thee."

Chapter VII.

Of The Things That Instruct And Comfort The Soul.

_Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee._-JOB 12:7, 8.

Let us now see what provision G.o.d has made for the comfort and instruction of the _soul_ of man. Here we shall find every creature in one way or another, subservient to this end. And, first, I shall speak of the pleasure which man receives from the creatures.

2. Man alone has the privilege of really enjoying what he possesses. Other creatures, being void of understanding, have no relish of those blessings from which man receives very great comfort; gold, silver, and precious stones, have no intelligence. But man, being endowed with an understanding mind, reflects with grat.i.tude and pleasure upon the goodness of G.o.d, who has provided so many beautiful creatures for his use and benefit. O the wonderful goodness of G.o.d, who has made all the excellencies of the creatures subservient to the happiness of man; so that they are the channels of conveying that happiness to us, which they themselves are not capable of enjoying! Thus the sweetness and goodness of the water, the fragrance and beauty of flowers, the light and glory of the sun, moon, and all the host of heaven, yield no pleasure to themselves, but all unite to promote the happiness of man. Nay, without them, man would have no enjoyment at all in this world; nor could he have any notion of the dignity and pre-eminence of his nature above that of other creatures, but by comparing his condition with theirs. This shows him the transcendent goodness of G.o.d, manifested to him above all the rest of the creation; this teaches him to be thankful for his beautiful form and stature, his erect countenance, but above all, for his rational soul, created after the image of G.o.d. From all which it appears, that the knowledge of a man's self is his highest wisdom, and the want of it, the most deplorable folly.

3. Moreover, the creatures were made, not only for the delight of man, but also to be his monitors and instructors. For from them we may learn, that our chief good consists not in worldly and outward enjoyments; such as eating, drinking, and the gratifying the other bodily appet.i.tes, all which are common to the beasts as well as to us; and this is a convincing argument, that man, being of a more n.o.ble frame and nature than they, ought to look for other meat and drink, and other pleasures suitable to the higher n.o.bility of his nature, which the inferior creatures cannot share with him. I need not here mention, that the greatest part of human wisdom arises from the contemplation of the creatures. Thus our music came from the sound of metals; our skill in medicine, from other creatures; and our astronomy, from the stars; which still farther ill.u.s.trates my first observation, that the whole world was created for the sake of man, for which he owes never-ending thanks to his munificent Creator.

Chapter VIII.

Of The Obligations Under Which Men Lie To G.o.d.

_O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this._-PS. 92:5, 6.

The obligations which man lies under to G.o.d, are as many and as great, as are the favors which he has received from him, or the excellencies which he has bestowed upon all the creatures. For as every creature was made for his use and benefit, so ought his grat.i.tude to rise in proportion for them all. If a king should bestow great estates and honors upon a company of children in the same family, and but one of the number had age and sense enough to know the greatness of the favor and honor done to them, he alone is certainly obliged to thank him in the name of all the rest, and would be guilty of ingrat.i.tude if he did not. So in this world, the rest of the creatures are like children, that know not the worth and value of G.o.d's blessings, as man does; he is, therefore, alone obliged to adore and praise him in the name and stead of all the rest, and is highly ungrateful if he does not.

Chapter IX.

Man Even More Indebted To G.o.d For Inward, Than For Outward Blessings.

_And the fear of you shall be upon every beast of the earth._-GEN.

9:2.

As man knows himself to be the most excellent of all creatures, so ought he to be more thankful to G.o.d for the perfections of his own being and nature, than for those of all the rest of the world. For as all things else were made for his sake, he must of necessity be more perfect and excellent than they. The sun, the moon, and all the host of heaven, those glorious bodies, all wait upon man, and do him service. This they do, not on account of his body, which, considered in this corrupt state, is less excellent than theirs; but on account of his soul, as to which he is in every respect superior to them. For the very notion of servitude implies a superiority in the person to whom the service is paid: so that it would be unnatural for those glorious bodies to do that service to man, if he had not an immortal soul, and by consequence, a more excellent nature than they.

2. And on account of the immortality of the soul, it is an unworthy thing for a man to fix it upon anything that is mortal and peris.h.i.+ng; because it is incapable of uniting with anything but what is immortal, and particularly with G.o.d himself. The body, indeed, is connected with corporeal objects, and is capable of terrestrial enjoyments; but the soul should be united solely with G.o.d; so that, as a king, he might be enthroned and bear rule in her; and in this consists the excellency of man above all other creatures, that his soul is the throne, the image, and habitation of G.o.d. Greater honor than this no creature is capable of receiving; therefore man is the most excellent of all, and is infinitely indebted to the Author and Giver of such inestimable benefits.

Chapter X.

Of The Wisdom Which G.o.d Has Shown In The Formation Of Man.

_O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all._-PS. 104:24.

There are three orders in the natural body. The first is to the body the same that the husbandmen and laborers are to the state; being employed in raising the appet.i.te, digesting and concocting the food, separating the juices, and in all the other inferior offices of the animal economy. This lower faculty works night and day, for the security and preservation of the others. For such is the const.i.tution of human bodies, that if the lower faculties be out of order, or cease to operate, the superior, which depend upon them, cannot subsist.

2. The next faculty is the sensitive, diversified by the five perceptions of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling, which are all more or less n.o.ble, the one than the other. The sight is more n.o.ble than the hearing, because objects are seen at a much greater distance than they are heard. The hearing is more n.o.ble than the taste, as being capable of exerting itself at a greater distance. And for the same reason, the taste and smelling are more n.o.ble than the feeling, which is the weakest and lowest of all.

3. The third order, which is the highest and most n.o.ble of all, answers to the government in the state, and is divided into the reason, the will, and the memory. These govern and command the faculties, having each a function distinct from the rest. These are not corporeal, as the others, but strictly mental faculties; and are, therefore, more n.o.ble and excellent.

Besides which, they are also endued with that perfect liberty, that they cannot be compelled to anything. For who can force the will to desire that for which it has no mind; or to hate that which it loves? The will is altogether free, and cannot be forced. These are clothed with virtues proper to each of them; as the will with righteousness; the understanding with wisdom; the memory with eloquence, etc. This is the economy settled by G.o.d in human nature.

Chapter XI.

Of The Obligations Man Lies Under Towards G.o.d.

_What hast thou that thou didst not receive?_-1 COR. 4:7.

There are two very general and comprehensive favors, for which man is exceedingly obliged to G.o.d; the one visible and corporeal, which is this world; the other spiritual and invisible, which is the love of G.o.d.