Seven Treatises, Treatise 4 · Chapter 8
CHAP. 8. Of the deſcription of the daily direction.
I Hauing now prooued,The ſecond part of this fourth treatiſe. that the word of God ſetteth out vntounto vsus direction for our liues eueryevery day: it followeth to ſhew, what this directiō is. And although it may in ſome ſort be gathered by that which hath bene ſpoken alreadie, yet to the end we may more clearely ſee the will of God, and our duties for the more eaſie guiding of vsus through eueryevery part of our life, I will further lay foorth and deſcribe the ſame. Yet let none think, that I meane to ſet downe to thē particularly what actions they ſhall doe eueryevery day, for they are for the moſt part variable, & innumerable (on the ſixe daies eſpecially) & therfore impoſſible to be inioyned; but only ſuch as bind the conſcience eueryevery day, & cannot without ſin be omitted: & yet ſuch, as are neither too many to be learned to the troubling of the memorie; nor ſo few, but that they yeeld great furtherāce to the true Chriſtian for the well paſſing of the day. This daily direction then of a Chriſtian,A deſcription of this daily direction. is a gathering together of certaine rules out of Gods word, by which we may be enabled eueryevery day to liue according to the will of God, with ſound peace: and therefore the following of ſuch direction is a faithfull and conſtant indeuour to pleaſe God in all things eueryevery day, as long as we liue here to the peace of our conſcience, and to the glorifying of him. Let this deſcription be opened more plainely, and then I will ſet downe the parts thereof. And before I go further, I thinke meete to giuegive the Reader to vnderſtand, that I ſet not downe this, as preſcribing any other direction, then Gods word hath taught: but whereas through common ignorance and negligence in obſeruing that which God hath taught, the moſt do faile, this may be an helpe to bring them to ſee the light, after which they ought to walke. It is firſt called an indeuour to pleaſe God, to teach vsus, that neither full perfection is required by God, nor to be looked for in the beſt Chriſtians, nor to be thought that it is intended of me to feare any weake conſcience with it, or thruſt it vponupon him; but onelyonly to ſhew, that the will and deſire of the heart, and the indeuour of the life in the beleeuer, is accepted of him through Chriſt, and as well pleaſing to him, as our actions themſelues ſhould be, when they cannot be performed. 2. Cor. 8.12.
And if it were not ſo, what comfort could we hauehave, who ſee daily, that we are holden backe from many duties, which yet becauſe we know we deſire with all our hearts, and ſtriue to performe them, we hauehave peace to Godward? And thus are the places to be vnderſtood, which make mentiō of keeping the commaundements, that they are bleſſed which keepe them, as Pſal. 119.2. and .8. Luc. 11.28. Bleſſed are they which heare the word of God and keepe the ſame: as is to be ſeene by conference of other places, as 1. Chron. 28.7. If Salomon thy ſonne ſhall indeuour to keepe my commandements, I will establiſh his kingdome for euer: And in Hoſea, 6.3. then ſhall we indeuour our ſelues to know the Lord. In which places, the keeping of Gods commaundements is interpreted by the holy Ghoſt in the Scriptures, to be an indeuouring to know and keepe them. And this indeuor is eueryevery day neceſſarily to be found in vsus to pleaſe God, euen as euer we did any day, neither can it be neglected of vsus at any time but God is offended.
For it is a neare companion to the feare of God, euen a fruite of it, which muſt be in our hearts continually.Prou. 23.17. Which is to be marked the rather, for that we ſee how commonly it is neglected many dayes of Chriſtians, and how they thinke it meere bondage to be tyed to this care of looking to their waies, without which yet,Mat. 26.41. they lye open to all the craft and malice of the diuel, being taken of him at his will. Epheſ. 6.14.And therefore it is, that when the Apoſtle hath charged the Epheſians to take vntounto themſelues the whole armor of God, he addeth, that they must ſtand faſt in it, and giuegive *Epheſ. 4.27.no place to the diuell. So that as we muſt not be preaſſed with practiſe of that which is out of our power, but reſt with peace in this, that we indeuour and go about it: neither can there be leſſe offered to God of vsus then this, but we ſhall be iuſtly charged to be ſecure and careleſſe.Act. 24.16. And this meant the holy Apoſtle, when he ſaid: I indeauour alwaies to hauehave a good conſcience both before God and men.
But we muſt remember, that this indeuour muſt be heartie and conſtant:The third thing in this deſcription is, that our indeuour be heartie and conſtant. heartie, & not conſtrained or hollowe, that our beginning may be good as well as our proceeding; and conſtant, that we faint not, but hold out therein. For many make faire ſhewes, but they are not ſound and true from the heart, and therefore ſoone vaniſh: other meane well in practiſing that which they hauehave bene taught, but ſeeing they do not ſtrongly renew their couenant from day to day, and that with as good courage and deſire as they beganne firſt, and nouriſh and preſerue integritie; they therefore breake off and waxe faint and wearie, before they hauehave brought their worke to an end, that is, before death. Wheras we ſhould know, that foraſmuch as the diuels attempts will euer be great, with new deuiſes and by new occaſions in eueryevery part of our life, to breake off our care: (and yet we can neuer grow cold in it, but it ſhall be to our coſt, ſeeing whenſoeuer it ſhall be ſo, it will be our great ſin) therefore we ſhould go as chearefully about it, as at the firſt we began it, (I meane, to continue our care) that ſo we may proue our ſelues to be conſtant, and not charged (as they in the Pſalme 78.34.) to be vnfaithfull in our couenant.
The third thing in this deſcription is, whereto our indeuour ſhall tend:The third part of the deſcription. Luk. 16.13. euen to this, that we may pleaſe God in all things; for God will not admit anie into his ſeruice to do it by halfes: neither can we ſerue two contrarie maiſters. This is Saint Paules prayer for the Coloſſians: That they might walke worthie the Lord, euen that they might pleaſe him in all things, Col. 1.10.and in the Epiſtle to the Hebrewes: Pray for vsus: for we truſt, that we hauehave a good conſcience, Heb. 13.18.deſiring to liue honeſtly in all things. Now, who doth not ſee, that this is a worke of great weight, and requireth the taking vp our hearts wholy from other hinderances, that we may attend to this? And therefore this much condemneth the backwardneſſe and rebelliouſneſſe of ſuch, as looke not after this dutie: eſpecially we may ſay ſo, if we adde the other two points in this deſcription mentioned: as, that this muſt be daily, and continue to our end.
Both which points are included by the Apoſtle in this one word (alwaies) when he ſaith. Act. 24.16. Herein I do exerciſe my ſelfe, The laſt points.that I may hauehave a good conſcience both before God and man alwaies: that is, both through all the dayes of my life, and to the end. And hereto agreeth that of Salomon, Prou. 4.26. Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordered aright. If all our waies muſt be ordered aright, then no day can be excepted, but eueryevery daies actions and waies muſt be ordered aright. So Paule Act. 26.7. when he would note the conſtant and continuall courſe of the fathers in a godly life, ſaith thus: The twelue Tribes inſtantly ſerued God day and night. And this dayly walking with God, is the life which honoreth God, 1. Cor. 10.31. and that onelyonly which worketh our ioy and peace, 2. Cor. 1.12. as the laſt part of the deſcription of the daily direction declareth.
By this which hath bene ſaid though it may in ſome ſort be gathered, and that of the moſt of Gods children, how the day ought to be paſſed of them; yet for the ſimpler ſort, whō I do chiefly reſpect and regard through this my whole labour, for their ſakes I ſay, I will adde vntounto this direction ſomewhat more particularly a briefe ſumme of ſuch rules, as of neceſſitie muſt guide vsus, and which do bind the conſcience to a daily practiſe of them, which I may call the neceſſarie parts of it, and they (among others) are theſe: