Seven Treatises, Treatise 3 · Chapter 1
CHAP. 1. What the meanes are, and the kindes of them, and of the ſumme and order of this treatiſe.
I HaueHave ſet downe a deſcription of the life of the beleeuer: by the which all, who deſire to bee acquainted with it, after they hauehave obtained the gift of faith, may walke godly and ſafely through their pilgrimage, euen ſo many as hauehave at any time in truth began, and gone about the ſame. Now ſeeing this Chriſtian life is vpholden and continued by meanes,Chriſtian life is vpheld by meanes. and eueryevery one which ſhall ſet vponupon it, will be deſirous to know them, as he hath good cauſe, and how to vſe them aright, becauſe the hinderances and diſcouragements from the ſame are many and great; I will therefore (as it is meete I ſhould) ſhew what I vnderſtand by the helps, and meanes: and which they are; alſo the kindes of them, their nature, and how they ought to be vſed, ſeeing that God hath promiſed, by the right and reuerent vſe of them, and the ſame conſtantly continued, to giuegive ſuch grace, euen to weake ones whereby they ſhall be able in truth as hard as it ſeemeth, to leade this godly life, and ſenſiblie to diſcerne, that they doe ſo. For as it was not begun without meanes, ſo neither can it grow without them.
Now as this doth wonderfully declare the goodnes and kindnes of our God, in ordaining of them for our exceeding great benefit and comfort: ſo we muſt know, that it is required of vsus, and earneſtly looked for at our hands, that we vſe them with ſuch care and conſtancie, as that they may be moſt profitable vntounto vsus, that ſo we may finde that fruite of them which God promiſeth.
Theſe meanes whereby God hath appointed that his people ſhall continue,VVhat theſe meanes be, and their kinds. and growe in a godly life, are ſuch religious exerciſes, whereby Chriſtians may be made fit to practiſe a godly life: and they are partly ordinarie, that is, ſuch as are commonly and vſually to be practiſed, of which ſorte there are many: and partly extraordinarie, at ſome eſpeciall time, as faſting, and ſome rare ſolemnities in feaſting and thankſgiuing. And both of theſe are either publike or priuate.
The publike helpes and which they be.The publike, ſuch as are vſed in our open aſſemblies: ordinarlie, theſe are three. Firſt, the miniſterie of the word read, preached, and heard, as the Lord preſcribeth. Secondly, the adminiſtration of the holy ſacraments, and worthy receiuing of the ſame. Thirdly, the exerciſe of prayer with thankſgiuing and ſinging of Pſalmes. But becauſe the publike cannot be daily had and inioyed, (and yet we neede daily reliefe and helpe) neither although they could, were they ſufficient to inable vsus,The priuate helps, and the kinds of them. to honour God, as it becommeth vsus: therefore, God hath commaunded vsus to vſe priuate exerciſes; whereof theſe eight be chiefe. Firſt, watchfulnes, meditation, and the armor of a Chriſtian; vntounto the which, is to be added our owne experience: and theſe properly belong to eueryevery one alone by himſelfe. The next are the vſe of company by conference and family exerciſe; and theſe are properly to be vſed of a mans ſelfe with others: the laſt two, which are prayer and reading, are common to both. The neceſſitie whereof is ſo great,The neceſſitie of the priuate. that if they be not knowne and vſed rightly and in good ſort, the publike will proue but vnprofitable, and the whole life out of ſquare, as ſhall be ſeene when we come to handle and ſpeake more particularly of the right vſe of them.
And of the helps or meanes to continue a godly life, which they are, and the kinds of them, thus much be ſaid. Now I will (as I promiſed in the entrance into this treatiſe) more fully ſhew, what eueryevery one of theſe, is; and what force they hauehave (God working thereby) to vphold the weight of a godly life: That all who liſt to conſider it wiſely, may ſee it, and ſo many as will vſe theſe meanes, may proue, and finde it themſelues. And firſt I will begin with the publike: and afterwards, ſpeake of the priuate. And I will ſo handle and ſpeake of eueryevery one (according to the skill which God hath giuen me) as may make moſt for this preſent purpoſe, that is, moſt largely of thoſe meanes which with their vſe, are leſſe knowne; and more briefly of thoſe, with which men are moſt acquainted.
Neither let this trouble the reader, that I hauehave made mention of ſome of thē by other occaſions in ſome other places: for whereas it may be obiected, that theſe meanes called helps, are ſpoken of in other treatiſes of this booke, as parts of a Chriſtians dutie. I anſwere, it is true: for I hauehave ſpoken of vprightnes, one piece of the armour, and of watchfulnes and prayer, in the former treatiſe; and ſo of the reſt. And there I ſpeake of them as of common duties and parts of godlineſſe, as the louelove and feare of God be: but here I ſpeake of them as ſpeciall helpes to godlineſſe: for though I denie not, but that all the duties of a Chriſtian man, are alſo helps to liue happily; yet who doth not ſee, that theſe here mentioned, as the Word and the Sacraments, watching and prayer with the other, are more properly ſo called? as more ſpecially fitting vsus for the right performing of all duties. Beſides, in other places, I ſpeake of them by occaſion, and therefore more briefly: but here, of purpoſe; and therefore more largely. But let it ſuffice, that I vnderſtand theſe which I mention in this treatiſe, to be helpes and meanes eſpecially.
And more particularly of the armour and of the parts thereof, this I ſay: becauſe otherwiſe, I muſt hauehave giuen a watch-word about it afterwards, when I come to ſpeake of it in due place: that though I ſpeake of all the parts of it by occaſion in one treatiſe or other; yet there I ſpeake of them for the moſt part, as particular duties to be done in our ſeueral actions: but here I ſpeake of them, as of ſuch duties as muſt alwaies abide, and be lodged in our hearts: and that we may hauehave thē, as a Larderhouſe, alwaies full of good and holeſome victuall, and not as one diſh to ſerue for ſome occaſion; where we may obſerue, that though the one is not without the other, yet there is a manifeſt difference betwixt them, ſo that the one is not the other. And ſo I take it, the Apoſtle meant in the Epiſtle to the Epheſians: where when hee had named diuers duties, as merciemercy, louelove, kindnes, Epheſ. chap. 4. & 5. which are parts of the armour; yet he ſaith after, Epheſ. chap. 6.14. Stand faſt in your armour, when ye hauehave put it on: as if he ſhould ſay, it is not enough to ſhew kindnes, merciemercy, to ſome perſons at ſome time, and to hauehave the vſe of the other parts of the armour when occaſion ſhall be offered; but to put and keepe them on, that ſo we may euer hauehave thē in a readines to be vſed: Euen as women doe not onelyonly trimme and dreſſe their houſes with flowers, but they hauehave alſo their gardens be ſet and filled with them, from whence they may hauehave them alwaies for ſuch vſes. This I thought good to ſay about the matter in hand, to free the reader from ſome doubts. Now I will proceed to the next chapter.