Seven Treatises, Treatise 6 · Chapter 4
CHAP. 4. Of the third priuiledge: How God giueth grace to his children to liue godly: and of the firſt branch.
BVt that it may better appeare how great this priuiledge is, (and ſo I may proceed vntounto the reſt) let vsus further heare, what worthy and ſingular fruits doe flow from this fatherly eare and moſt louing prouidence of God ouer his, and accompany the ſame thorowout their liues; which though they ariſe and proceed from the former, yet I will ſet them downe as particular priuiledges diſtinctly by themſelues. And becauſe it is not ſo eaſily ſeene and conceiued of many, much leſſe beleeued, I will more particularly lay forth the ſame: and firſt this third; the ſumme whereof is this, that who ſo are thus cared for of God, he beſtoweth this grace vponupon them, that they learne of him that which none can learne elſewhere, nor any but his choſen ones can learne, that is how to liue, and goe through their whole pilgrimage according to his will; and how to die, and goe from this vale of miſeſy, that they may afterwards be taken vp into glory: euen this prerogatiue he granteth them. And it hath theſe two branches: the one, that they may be fruitfull in good life; the other, that they may be kept from foule offences.The firſt branch of it.
Now concerning the firſt; namely, the holy life which God teacheth them to lead, this is not the leaſt,They hauehave grac to liue well. Mat. 11.29. 2 Pet 1.8. 1. Tim. 5.10. I might rightly ſay there is no greater treaſure here to be inioied: that they need not count the Chriſtian life comberſome, vnſauory, and an heauy and tedious burden as the moſt doe, but an eaſie yoke, an eſtate wherein they need neither be idle nor vnprofitable, but readily prepared vntounto eueryevery good worke. Now that they may be able to doe this, to be ſetled conſtantly in a godly courſe, and wiſe to preuent and auoide the hinderances that lie in their way, and to aime at the commandements of God as at a marke, that they may keepe them: is not this a benefit,Pſ. 119.1▪ 2. Pſ. 1.2. yea a ſingular priuiledge, when the prophet calleth him an happy man that is inabled of God thereto? and Chriſt himſelfe teacheth, that it is the chiefe happineſſe which can be inioied in this life, to keepe the word of God which we heare,Luc. 11.28. that it may direct & guide vsus? yea, that one day in his houſe,Pſ. 84.2. that is ſpent and paſſed in the militant church and as his ſeruants doe, is better then a thouſand in any eſtate beſides?
And although it be an eſtate full of happineſſe, yet let no man maruel that I ſay Gods beloued ones may hauehave this liberty and prerogatiue to walke and liue in it:Phil. 4.13. for the Lord inableth them thereunto by whoſe power they can doe all things; he giueth them an heart not defiled and vncleane,Ezek. 36.27. The reaſon. as it was ſometime, but purged and clenſed in good ſort, and therefore now it is able to like and louelove his will which ſometime it loathed: and they who beleeue and are perſwaded, that God will beſtow and doth daily offer this grace of ſanctification vntounto them, they receiue it, and thereby are ſtrengthened to doe that good in their life, which they can louelove with their heart, and which they approoue of and allow in their iudgement.
Now if this liberty of Gods ſeruants be not either knowen of ſome good Chriſtians, or not beleeued,Why ſome good people inioy not this. Pſ. 77.7. I deny not but euen they (as yet) may goe without this priuiledge in great part, accordingly as we may ſee in many. But this need not be, if they knew and were perſwaded of Gods liberality and bounty towards them, as ſome others are, who is ſo farre from denying grace hereto, that he hath pleaſure to ſee them vſe it well to whome he granteth it. And vntill this be, that they draw by faith daily ſtrength from Ieſus Chriſt to ſubdue their luſts, they cannot obtaine to finde the Chriſtian life eaſie to them, as ſome others doe, but goe to worke by their owne ſtrength in all their duties, and by the vertue of their praiers hoping to preuaile againſt their ſinnes; which indeed are not conquered by any ſuch meanes, but remaine in their old ſtrength ſtill: the which they ſeeing, that for all their labouring and ſtriuing againſt them, yet they doe not finde that they are weakened or abated in them, but that although they toile themſelues much, yet they profit little; they begin to be diſcouraged and faint, euen in vſing the meanes which they did, beholding how they ſticke faſt ſtill in the mire wherein before they lay: and ſo they being diſcouraged, fall into ſome great ſorow, or which is little differing, breake out into ſecurity and looſeneſſe. And this ſlauery they are brought vntounto, through the malice and ſubtilty of the diuil, who ſeeing their vnableneſſe to beleeue the promiſe of God, (which is, that he will ſtrengthen them againſt their ſpeciall infirmities) doth play the Lion, holding them vnderunder with vnbeliefe.
Againſt the which their remedy muſt be this, that they reſiſt ſtedfaſt in faith:1. Pet. 5.7. that is, that they yeeld not to this diſtruſt, which long hath oppreſſed them, but by little and little ſuffer themſelues to be perſwaded that their caſe is farre better then they conceiue (which ſhall neuer be hard to perſwade them:God hath not taken care of his, to leaue them in the midway. Ioh. 14.18. who found true deliuerance from the ſpirit of bondage) and that the Lord hath not taken them into his fauour to leaue them at ſix and ſeuen (as they ſay) in the world, and to make them ſhift for themſelues as orphans, and to truſt to their owne wiſdome and ſtrength to preſerue them from ſathan and ſinne: but that he as a father caring for them, hath ſufficient power in his hand to ſtrengthen them, and requireth this of them, that they ſhould beleeue it: which they cannot doe but thereby they are mightily ſtaied and vpholden,The beleeuer ſhall be ſet at libertie from his ſpeciallest ſinnes. and by the ſame faith ſhall more and more be vpholden daily; vntill they ſee themſelues ſet at great liberty, and that it was the diuill who before held them in feare and bondage.
Obiection.The common obiection will heere be put foorth vntounto me: that they would (if they durſt be ſo bolde) beleeue with all their hearts, that God will ſubdue and ſlea their ſinne and lead them forward to liue godly, if they could firſt ouercome ſome particular ſinnes which doe moſt trouble them: but as long as they preuaile in them they dare not thinke (they ſay) that God will giuegive them that grace,Anſwer. which he doth vntounto others. But to anſwere them, I hauehave ſaid before, that they hauehave no power in them of their owne whereby they may weaken any ſinne in them, but this they muſt obtaine by faith, as well as grace to liue: and that commands them to doe, ſo that they may know, it pleaſeth them that they ſhould doe ſo.1. Ioh. 3.23. And till that: they are holden from their owne right through the deuils craft, who hideth from them (as their euidence) this confidence in God; euen as, if a ſubtile man ſhould keepe backe from his neighbour, any part of his lande or liuing. I conclude therefore, that Gods children (who pardoneth their infirmities through Chriſt,Pſ. 130.3.4. and will not looke ſtreightly vponupon them) hauehave this prerogatiue, that they may lead their liues acceptable to him:What the libertie of a Chriſtian is that he may and ought to attaine vntounto. and if they be carefull to know, what liberty he hath giuen them whereby they may obtaine ableneſſe thereto, they may walke woorthy the Goſpell indeauouring to pleaſe him in all things, and ſo to be vnrebukeable in the middeſt of a wicked and froward generation; although (as I hauehave ſaid) through the deuils tirannie and the vnbeliefe of their owne hearts, many euen of them, are farre from inioying this priuiledge.
The which, as it is accompanied with happineſſe it ſelfe, ſo that it may be ſeene to be a priuiledge indeed peculiar to them, know we, that as for other it ſhall not neither can be ſo with them; they hauehave no part in this treaſure, no not euen they,No wicked man can liue godly. which at ſometimes will ſeeme more holy then the reſt. The wicked (I ſay) hauehave no fitneſſe nor aptneſſe to receiue this grace [To liue godly] no more then a dead man is fit to riſe againe and walke, or the blacke Moore by waſhing to change his blacke skin. And therfore although they like well enough of the name of it, yet that they are ſuch as deny the power of it, heereby it may appeere, that as the worſt ſort of them like dogges and ſwine tread it vnderunder feete and ſcoffe at it; the common ſort count it and tearme it preciſeneſſe, and louelove to be conuerſant with thoſe that are of their owne mindes: ſo the beſt ſort of them are ſuch as finde in themſelues and know, that they hauehave no pleaſure in it. No better is the patched life of the beſt ſort of papiſts, who liue not by faith, but pleaſe themſelues in this, that their works are good if they doe the outward works which God and their church commend. All of them remaine and continue in the damnable eſtate they were in at the beginning.
Neither doe I maruell at this, which the Scripture affirmeth ſo plainly,Rom. 8.7. that the vngodly are not obedient to the will of God, neither poſſibly can be.Rom. 7.9. For I my ſelfe (ſaith Paule) when I was in darkeneſſe and liued after the luſtes of mine ignorance, was greedily ſet to commit ſin. Therefore if it be impoſſible for a man vnrenued to forſake ſome particular ſinne, but by infinite degrees much more impoſſible to clenſe his heart, from whence onelyonly good life can come; it is moſt certaine and cleare, that all wicked men, while they abide ſo, are far off from this priuiledge, To be able to lead a godly life: and therefore that is peculiar onelyonly to Gods children to doe ſo.