Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 31
CHAP. XXXI. Of godlines, and by what meanes we must drawe neere to God.
IT is a fearefull thing when the exercises of godlinesse hauehave no power with vsus. And itPrayer. is wonderfull to see how they profit best in knowledge which spend much time in prayer.
2 EueryEvery day must hauehave a dayes increase in godlinesse.
3 God is precise in iudgement though hee tempereth it with mercies: So we must bee precise in godlines though it be mingled with infirmities.
4 Seeing the Lord hath ioyned together the meanes of godlines & godlines it selfe, let vsus not separate them, either with the superstitious Papists, resting in the worke wrought,Papists rest in the worke wrought. as in prayer, thankesgiuing, hearing the word, receiuing the Sacraments, keeping of the Sabbath, &c. (all which things must bee leuelled to the increase of our knowledge, and building vp of a good conscience) neither with frantike heretikes despise the meanes, as though without them we could liue in obedience to God, or louelove to our brethren.
5 It is an easie thing to disswade men from holy dayes, but it is a hard thing to bring men to the true obseruation of the Sabbath: it is easie to disswade men from popish shrifts, but it is hard to bring them to Christian conession of sinnes: it is easie to withdrawe men from superstitious fasting daies, but it is hard to bring them to the true vse of fasting: It is easie to remoue the papisticall feasting dayes, but hard to bring in the godly louefeasts.
6 As the Lord giueth the wicked a taste of hell in this life: so doth he giuegive a taste of heauen and of his goodnesse to his holy children in this life: for godlines hath the promise of Gods louelove to bee manifested and found of the faithfull both in this life and in the life to come. Of the trueth of Gods promise we must consider thus: If we looke well to our small obedience, and manifold transgressions, wee shall not thinke it much, if we feele his fatherly corrections: It may be that euer since we hauehave giuen our selues to Gods seruice, wee are more afflicted diuers wayes. Then if we consider that wee cannot looke for these promises in our selues, because we hauehave not done the cōmandements as we ought; or if we beleeue in Christ and through him looke for the promise which belong to godlinesse, euen then we may see, that for weaknes of faith, and coldnes in repentance, and slacknes in our sanctification, we doe iustly feele the want of Gods sweet promises.
7 We shall not accuse God of hard dealing, if we consider how many waies he blesseth vsus, and in how few things he humbleth vsus: and if we thinke how many sinnes we commit, and how few he punisheth, how few duties we doe, and how many blessings he giueth vsus. Let vsus neuer maruell why we are often or much afflicted, why we hauehave not Gods promises fulfilled vntounto vsus: nay rather let vsus for euer maruell at the goodnesse of God, which so plenteously rewardeth our small obedience.
8 We must not say with Peter, Lord I am a sinner, depart from me; but, Lord I am a sinner, come neere to me, and draw me neerer to thee. They that will not draw neere to the thorne of Mercy in this life, shall draw neere to the throne of Iustice in the life to come: soBy what meanes we must draw neere to God. they shall go from the East of Gods mercy to the West of his iustice. And if the Lord hath sanctified your hearts, ye must know, that we drawe neere to God by meanes. The first meanes is prayer, we goe to God by prayer, not by paces: Prayer is a sacrifice to God, a refuge to man, a whip for the diuell. The second meanes is hearing of his word: if we willNon gressib. sed precib…itur ad Deum. Oratio est Deo sacrificium, homini subsidium, Daemoni flagellum. hauehave God heare our prayers, it is meete God should claime thus much of vsus, that we shuld heare his word. If we will say, Lord heare my prayer, he must say, my sonne hearken to my words. The Lord vttereth his affection in this, O that Israel would hauehave heard my commandements. O Ierusalem, Ierusalem, saith Christ, how often hauehave I called and thou wouldest not heare: let all men know that there hath been no word from our birth to our death spoken to vsus, but in way either to our saluation or damnation. The third meane whereby we draw neere to God, is by the Sacraments. The word it selfe is an audible word, the Sacrament is a visible word; the commandement is flat, 1. Cor. 11. Doe this. Esay. 55. Come buy and eate. Matth. 11. Come ye that are heauie, &c.
9 Great is the wrath of the Lord; if we looke to strength, are we stronger than the Lord?That we can neither suffer the wrath of God, nor flie from it, the best is to yeeld vntounto it. Do we thinke to shift & escape his anger, or that we can abide the furiousnes of his wrath? That we cannot escape it, it is plaine, for the Lord is eueryevery where; if we run from him, we run as in a circle, the further we run from one side, the neerer we run to another, and still we are in the Lord his compasse. If we run from the East, he will meete vsus in the West: the Lord hath a chaine for vsus, and will hold vsus in darknes, so that easily we shall not be able to escape. Now for making our part good with the Lord, we are not, as Iob saith, rocks; or if we were mountaines, we should smoke, when the Lord doth blow on vsus: we are but potsherds, and the Lord hath a rod of yron to bruise vsus; and such is the power of God, which we shall trie in our destruction, if we will not trie it in our saluation. What shall we then doe? Surely, hauing so mighty an aduersary, it shall be good to seeke peace and reconciliation with him. For as this is comfortable, he shall be our Aduocate, which is our Sauiour, and he that is our Sauiour shall be our Iudge; so this is as fearefull a thing, that he shall be our accuser which is our Aduocate. Yet therein is the Lord mercifull, that he doth not bring vponupon vsus a sodaine Outlawrie, but he fore-telleth vsus of his suite, and therefore it is good to be reconciled: and for our reconcilement, because the first part standeth in a confession, we must acknowledge that we hauehave offered as much violence to the law of the Lord as we can, and that so we hauehave forfeited all our benefits, our bread, our sleepe, our apparell to the Lord. The confession of the whole plea is lost, if we confesse not all, otherwise we are in Adams case to bee condemned, who would hide his fault; and in theConfession. estate of the damned, Matt. 25. who being accused, did plead againe, Lord, when saw we thee? or heard we thee? &c. There is no standing out with the Lord; but seeing we hauehave lost all, we must confesse all, that for knowledge the pap is stil in our mouthes, and in respect ofKnowledge. our liues, we are certainely fellonious vsurpers of his creatures; and so promise that hereafter we will doe otherwise: but if wee stand out (I say) with the Lord, nothing is to beePsal. 32. 45. looked for but eternal condemnation, mourning, and woe. And as we must confesse this, so must we stand against our selues, and so goe vp into the chamber of our own conscience, and award shame to our selues: and hauing such an hote controuersie with our own soules, the Lord will remit all.
10 We must learne to louelove the Lord for himself, & not for our good: & let vsus learne not to indent with God, as if he will giuegive vsus riches, or health, or power, then we will serue him,We may not indent with God. or else not; for men cannot away with this indenting with them: but let vsus say, rather, Lord take away my sinnes, and as for other things, Lord doe as it pleaseth thee. Thus Dauid did, when he was so disquieted in his kingdome by his sonne. Let vsus desire this heart of God: for hee hath wrought euen in sinfull flesh to see life in death, health in sicknes, wealth in pouertie. And this if wee belieue, we may see the wonderfull worke of God, as well as our fathers hauehave done.
11 Many worldly wise men suspects vsus of lightnes of beliefe, when we can so soone crediteWe pause to passe in heauenly things though we be guided, but wee runne fast enough in earthly things thogh no man guide vsus. the Word: but let no man thinke wee can be too credulous herein, seeing eueryevery jote therein is as true, as if it had beene from Christ his owne finger, or vttered with his owne tongue. Deliberation is a goodly thing to a man indeede, but yet reason will let a man be credulous enough, and as hasty as an horse rushing into the battell, vnlesse it be in matters of religion, and of conscience, and then we feare that Christ would seduce vsus, and we deale with him & his preachers, as though they were dangerous fellows. And therefore, though Gods cōmandements be neuer so plaine, yet they must goe vnderunder the examination of reason. And because worldly men say either with Thomas, Shew me by experience this: or with Nicodemus. Shew me that by reason, and I belieue you: God can hauehave no dealing with vsus, Oh is it not marueilous that the lumpe of foolishnes should call into question the Trueth of God 'which is Trueth himselfe, and dares not mistrust the worde but of a friend, of oneSimile. that is in some authoritie, though smaller credit aboue him? And yet they say Faith is tooFaith. hastie, it should take a greater pause, A deepe point of policie, to vse deliberation. Well, Faith is not to morrow, it must be presently: Christ gaue not so much respite to the young man, as that he should burie his father. And surely, if we knewe all, there is great reason of not staying n ithese matters. There will be embassadours to stay our well-doing, there are fellowes will vse a dialogue with vsus, and surely if we will needs shake hands with the world, if we will bid the flesh farewell, and take our leaue of profit, it will be violence, rather then a habit at first: For these are such eloquent perswaders, that if a man admit their orations, he shall soone be pluckt backe from the right way, or it is a maruell else.
12 There is a great reason of honestie, that we will not obey God, if hee requireth ourWe cannot serue two cō trary maisters. obedience, wee hauehave other callings calling vsus away; we hauehave a good liking of this, that Caesar commandeth vsus to waite vponupon him in the house of exchange. Doth Christ not want a Christian, as well as Caesar doth want a custome? Surely, wee must needes hauehave leaue of Caesar to serue Christ. Caesar is not greater than Christ, and therefore euen by demonstration, Christ must be first waited on. As for those that thinke, that the worshipping of Baal and of God wil stand together, & that we may serue Christ and Caesar, profit and religion: the errour for the grossenes is not worthie confutation, for it is a manifest halting. The very cō mandement sheweth vsus, that we must be knit to God, as a man is to his wife: It is a possession in priuate and not in common; if we do not so, iealousie will arise. But may not God and Caesar be serued together? It may be so, if they both command one thing: but I would wish a mans eye in the obedience bee still vponupon God. For surely if God and Caesar bee followed in one thing; it is hard to say, how wee stand affected, whether wee followe God or Caesar. And for this cause the Lord is faine often to pull off the viz…rd of hypocrisie herein, that when God and Caesar hauehave parted companies, it may bee seene how many thousands goe after Caesar, and how scarce seuen follow the Lord. And if when God needeth, his glorie needeth; when his glorie needeth, his Church needeth: it is sure, that rather than the Church should need, Caesar must tarrie and giuegive place. It is beter that Caesar should want an auditor, than Christ an inheritour: if Church and common-wealth want at once, it is better the Common-wealth should want, than Christ should be left destitute of seruants. Let vsus therefore wait on Christ, not onelyonly a mile or two out of the towne, but euen to the riuers of Babel: and not onelyonly so farre, as we can with the C…pernaites conceiue Christ with reason, but euen to the resisting with blood, not Christ as a King, but as Christ to the bar, we must not with Peter follow along to see, what will become of him, but hard at the heels to the bar of iudgement, and to beare his crosse with Simon also if neede so bee, euen through the lane of reproches, though we see many pillars to fall away and to become flat Apostatacs through the ranke of false opinions, and though iniquitie so get the vpper hand, that there seemeth no religion to be left.
13 Then we may be said to walke after Christ, when as it is said Iob, 13. we hauehave troden his footsteps, when our steps stand as Christ his steps, that is, whē our paces stand as ChristHow we must follow Christ his paces and not contrary to Christ, but agreeing with Christ in wel doing. The best signe for our gouernmēt is to hauehave Christ & his word in our eies. But some through the blea…ed sight of their consciences are afraid, that Christ should looke behind, and see them for going backward, yea if they doe but dreame of him, if they see but Paul or some good man, they are afraid. But if we hauehave the peace and testimonie of a good conscience, we will desire that Christ would espie vsus out, as he did Nathaniel, and others of his Saints.
14 There be some notable markes, whereby wee shall know, whether our trauell be toCertaine indices or notes to know whether we iourney to heauen heauen or hell. First, though a man be so close, that he will not open the way, whether he is purposed to trauell, yet a man shall espie his intent by marking, whether he sendeth his cariage: if our carriage follow the flesh, to the flesh we goe; if it followe the spirit, to the spirit it will carie vsus, Galat▪ 6. If a man will conceale his intent, yet one may discerne it, by his iniquiring of this way or that way. If hee aske, how hee may goe to Canaan, and which1 is the way through the wildernes, it is an argumēt he is going to the promised land. Thirdl…,2 though he would keepe his iourney neuer so priuily, yet he is bewrayed, if when a man3 speakes against his Countrie, and dispraiseth the Prince or people thereof, he begin to beSimile. grieued, and take offence at it So if when men disgrace God his word, speake euill of the way of the Lord, reproch his Saints, we finde our selues mooued and not able to containe our selues from reprehension, it is a token, we are going to heauen-ward.
15 Oh that men would feare and follow the Lord: well, follow we must one way or other.Seeing wee must follow Christ, we had better follow to saluation than to destruction. If wee will not follow the Shepheard to the fold, we must follow the Butcher to the shambles. If we will goe to the shambles rather than to the fold, we are beasts indeed, and as the case is with vsus, worse than beasts. But men here hauehave gotten an old distinction, They say they will one day seeke the Lord, that is, when they are not able to turne their sicke bones on their beds, but seeing they offer their old sinewes to the Lord, he wil leaue them, and they shall seeke, but they shall not finde.