Circumspect Walking, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
Rules of wisdome for our owne necessary actions, in respect of their 1. order, 2. subiect.
THe fourth sort of rules for actions, respecteth such as concern our selues,Rules for necessary actions. and these are either necessarie or indifferent actions.
Wee were sent into this world to doe some necessarie businesse,1▪ Ground. Thou wast sent into this world for necessary businesse. which wee must intend, and not waste our time in impertinent things. The Master that sent his seruants into the vineyard, sent them in to worke. Doe wee thinke that God sent man into the world to play and sport, for his recreation sake or idlenesse, yea, or to eat and drinke, and onelyonly to get what to maintain himselfe by? No, but for some thing beyond all these: else his end were not beyond the bruit beasts. Or can we thinke that God hath giuen men gifts of reason, vnderstanding, iudgement, and meanes of nature and grace, for the culture of all these, only to enioy outward things, to feed their pleasure and appetite, which they might fully enioy without all these gifts? No, but the Master gaue his seruants talents to trafficke withall, to make their Lord and themselues gainers. Wee must therefore acknowledge some thing to be absolutely necessary, vntounto which all other things are necessary but respectiuely, and carry our selues vntounto eueryevery thing accordingly. If wee would know what that is, which is absolutely necessary, our Sauiour tels vsus, One thing is necessary, Luk. 10. 42.namely, to know how a man may come into Gods sauour and be saued; and all earthly things are respectiuely necessary, so farre as they conduce to this. To know the vertue of Christs death and resurrection, is absolutely necessary; all things are to bee counted but drosse and dung vntounto this, Phil. 3. 10.
But in all necessary actions,2. For the order; The most necessary things must bee done first. the rule of wisedome requires that the most necessary action be done first and most: Eccles. 9. 10. Whatsoeuer thy hand shall finde to doe, doe it with all thy might. Nothing in the world is so necessary, as to repent vsus of sinne past, and the reason for it is the present time, to day. Nothing so necessary as amendment of life for time to come: therefore doe it now: Delayes in all things are dangerous; in this, often deadly. And this most necessary businesse must be done most.Deficit in necessarijs, qui redundat in superfluis. August. Well said Augustine, He must needs faile in necessaries, who ouer-flowes in superfluities. How then can men answer the wasting of their liues and time in pleasures, recreation, eating, drinking, buying, selling, and sieldome finde in their hands the businesse which tends vntounto eternall life? A good rule therefore it is, often to examine our selues thus? What am I doing? and whether in all inferiour things doe I aime at the chiefe? In eating I must not forget the bread of life. In recreation and pleasure, I must chiefely affect the pleasures of Gods house. In buying and selling, I must specially helpe forward my purchase of eternall life. In my earthly calling I must expresse the calling of Christianity. This is the way to doe the one necessary thing most of all.
3. Most necessary actions in euill men are euill:3. For the subiect: The most necessary actions of euill men are euill. the best actions of the vnregenerate are sinnes: and therefore it is most necessary to be a good man. The truth hereof appeares, because a man may doe what God commands, and omit and forbeare a worke prohibited, and yet sinne in both: for example, Aristides practised iustice most strictly; yet herein he sinned, because it was no worke of faith. Alexander conquering Darius violated not the chastity of Darius his wife and daughters, but forbare this prohibited and sinfull action; yet therein he sinned, because hee forbare not of good conscience. But wee must know, that this sinne lieth not in the substance or matter of the worke, which is materially good, but in the vice of the doer, and manner or end of doing: neither are these sins in themselues but onelyonly by accident.