The Amendment of Life, Book 2 · Chapter 8
That we ought to put in practiſe the word of God. Chap. 8.
NOw as we vnderſtand, that in dutie we are to ioyne with the Church of Chriſt, carefully to frequent Sermons, deuoutly to communicate in the holy Sacraments, namely, in the Supper, zealouſly to aſsiſt at common praiers, feruently to exerciſe our ſelues in priuate praier, and diligently to reade Gods word: ſo the principall end and purpoſe of all theſe duties doth import, that we ſhould order our liues according to the will of God, and thereafter put in effect and practiſe as well whatſoeuer wee learne in the worde and Sacramentes, as alſo euerye thing which in our praiers we beg at Gods hand. For as medicines doo miniſter health to none but thoſe that take them, whoſe nature alſo is ſtrong and wel prepared to receiue their operations, ſo is it requiſite that they which heare and reade Gods word, ſhould receiue and apply it to themſelues, and praie vntounto God to prepare them, and by his holie ſpirite ſo to diſpoſe their harts, that the doctrine and exhortations may worke their operation in them. And in deed, if the end of all ſciences, as an ancient philoſopher teacheth, conſiſt not in the knowledge, but in the practiſe, the ſame ought eſpecially to take place in Chriſtian religion and doctrine. Hee that ſtudieth ciuill law or Phiſicke, is not ſtraight ſatisfied with the knowledge that he hath gotten, but proceedeth to practiſe. One becommeth an aduocate, a counſeller, or a preſident, the other ſpendeth his time in the cure of diſeaſes. They that hauehave learned the arte of ſewing, of cordwainrie, of draperie, and ſo foorth, yet are not reputed taylers, cordwainers, or drapers, vnleſſe they doo in act exerciſe thoſe ſciences, which is in deede, the purpoſe of theyr apprentiſhippe: in like manner, let vsus neuer looke to bee Chriſtians or Gods children, notwithſtanding wee hauehave learned the manner thereof, vnleſſe wee alſo performe the woorkes of Chriſtians, and of the children of God. Bleſsed are they (ſayeth Ieſus Chriſte) that heare the worde of God, Luke 11.28 Rom. 2.13. Iam. 1.22.and keepe it. Agayne, The hearers of the lawe are not righteous before God, but the dooers of the lawe ſhall bee iuſtifyed. Wee muſt therefore, as Saint Iames ſaith, bee doers of the lawe, and not hearers only, otherwiſe we ſhall deceiue our ſelues. And in deede, as the holy Scripture is full of exhortations to obedience to the will of God and Amendement of lyfe, ſo it importeth not onelyonly that wee ſhoulde knowe that wee muſt amend, but alſo that wee amend really and in deede.Luke 16.6 The figge tree that bare no fruite was threatened to bee cut downe: a Sunne without light,Iam. 2.17 is but a painted Sunne: a coale without heate is dead: a bodie without motion liueth not: euen ſo ſaith without woorkes is dead, and the Chriſtian that bringeth not foorth the fruites of the ſpirite of Chriſt, belongeth not to Chriſt, and ſo is no Chriſtian. After we hauehave ſhorne our heads and our beardes,Rom. 8 before we come foorth wee looke in the glaſſe whether it bee well, how much rather ought wee, after wee hauehave heard the Sermon, the end whereof tendeth to amend our liues, immediatly to looke vppon and peruſe our ſoules, to the ende to ſee whether our corruptions and vices beeing cut downe and mortifyed, the ſame bee cleere and pure in the ſight of God. For as a certayne Philoſopher in olde ſayde, The vſe of the bath, and of the worde that purgeth not, is vayne and vnprofytable: and therefore ſayth the Apoſtle Saint Paule, Yee hauehave not ſo learned Christ, if ſo bee ye hauehave hearde him, and hauehave beene taught by him, and the truth is in him. That yee caſt off, concerning the conuerſation in time paſt, the olde man, which is corrupt through the deceiueable luſtes: Ephe. 3.20.21 22.23.24and bee renewed thorough the ſpirite of your minde, and put on the newe man, which after God is created in righteouſneſse and true holyneſse. Still labouring, that in the ende wee maye bee founde irreprehenſible, without ſpot, wrinckle, or blemiſh, and that the image of God maye bee reſtored and ſhine in vsus. This is it that wee are now to intreate of.
2 Heere hauehave wee worke inough cut out. For what is man become by the tranſgreſsion of Adam? Euen the verie ſame as the Apoſtle Saint Paule deſcribeth him, ſaying: There is none righteous, no not one: there is none that vnderſtandeth: there is none ſeeketh God: they are all gone out of the waie? they hauehave beene made altogether vnprofytable: Rom. 3.10there is none that doeth good, no not one: Their throate is an open ſepulchre: they hauehave vſed theyr tongues to deceite: the poiſon of Aſpes is vnderunder theyr lippes: whoſe mouth is full of curſing and bitterneſſe: Destruction and calamitie are in their wayes: and the waie of peace hauehave they not knowen: the feare of God is not before their eies. True it is, that ſome ſparkes of the image of God doo yet remayne in man, but verie fewe, ſmall, and of no ſtrength: which alſo wee doo quench, or at the leaſt ſo abuſe, that man is neuer more deuoyde of reaſon, than when hee ſuffereth himſelfe to bee lead by reaſon, and of thoſe ſparkes he is to looke for no profite, but that thorough them hee ſhall bee made the more inexcuſable in the daie of the Lorde. Manye beaſtes and fowles doo in vertue goe beyonde man. The Doue in ſimplicitie, the Ant or Emet in diligence and induſtrie,Eſa. 1. the Storke in kindneſſe, the Dogge in louelove and fidelitie, the Oxe and the Aſſe in memorie and acknowledging of benefites, the Lambe in meekneſſe, the Lyon in magnanimitie, the Cocke in wakefulneſſe and lyberalitie, the Serpent in wiſedome, generally all in ſobrietie and contentment: But in vice man paſſeth them all: For hee is more traiterous and cruell than a woolfe, more craftie and ſubtill than a Foxe, more proude than a Peacocke, more voluptuous and vnthankefull than a Hogge, more daungerous than an Aſpick. Moreouer, al vices and wickedneſſe whatſoeuer that reſteth particuler and ſeuerall in ſundrie beaſtes, are altogether or for the moſt parte in one man. For wee ſhall ſee one man both couetous, proude, craftie, cruell, enuious, vnthankefull, and a theefe. To bee ſhort, as many members vnited make one bodie,Rom. 6.6. ſo the holie Apoſtle Saint Paule tearmeth this heaping of vices in man, the bodie of ſinne, euerie vice beeing, as it were, a member to that bodie. It is ſayde that in a ſheepe euerie thing returneth to profite and commoditie, the fleſh for foode, the wooll for clothing, the ſinnewes for ſtrings for muſicall inſtrumentes, and ſo foorth: But contrarywiſe, euerie thing that is in man, is eyther naught or tendeth to euyll. The reaſon, to beguile and deceiue: the lybertie, to riotous licentiouſneſſe and other wantonneſſe: the eyes, to ſee and beholde vanitie: the heart, to couet and thirſt thereafter: the handes, to beate, to ſtrike, and oppreſſe: the feete, to runne after ſinne and wickedneſſe: the tongue, to backbite, lie, and blaſpheme: to bee ſhort, all the members are inſtrumentes of iniquitie,Rom. 6.19 as Saint Paul tearmeth them.
3 Heereby maye euerie man whatſoeuer hee bee, perceiue and knowe that Chriſtes exhortation, ſaying, Amend your liues, ſtretcheth verie farre. Alſo that manye are the vices that we are to amende, eſpeciallye conſidering howe Saint Paul admoniſheth vsus,Rom. 8.13. Ehe. 4.22. Col. 3.9. Math. 16.24 not to mortifie two or three members of this bodie of ſin, but the whole body, as alſo to put of the olde man, and as Ieſus Chriſt ſaith, to denie our ſelues. In the deduction of this matter, we will therefore deale ſomtimes with the names of the vertues which we are to put in practiſe, and ſometimes of the vices that wee are to ſhunne, according as the names doo import ſome generalitie, or do beſt fit our intent. So ſhall euerie one vnderſtand, that the amenment of lyfe conſiſteth in the deniall of vice, and contrariwiſe in the aduancement of vertue.