Circumspect Walking, Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII.
Rules for actions indifferent: 1. in generall.
A Great part of mans life is spent in the doing of naturall and indifferent actions, which in themselues are neither good nor euill, but as they are vsed: and being so common and ordinary, many sinnes creep into them, because we take our selues free and loose to doe as we list in them: which conceit growes out of ignorance of Gods wisedome, who by his word hath tied vsus as strait in the vse of them as in things most necessarily inioyned. For there is no action in which we must depart from God. Obiect. They are therefore indifferent, because they are neither commanded nor forbidden, and therefore as they be free, so be we also in them. Answ. Although there bee no word commanding or forbidding, yet there is a word directing and ordering in them, as wee shall see in some generall rules concerning them all, and in speciall rules applied to some particulars.
The generall rules concerning them all,Generall rules concerning all indifferents. as meat, drinke, apparell, recreation, houses, marriage, and the like, are these:
1. The most indifferent action that is, must be vsed by warrant and leaue from God:1. The most indifferent … be by Go…s 1. warrant▪ …. l…aue. warrant is from the word, leaue is by prayer; and thus must eueryevery creature of God bee sanctified by the word and prayer, 1. Tim. 4. 5. Our meat, our apparell, our houses, our recreations must all be vndertaken and vsed,Former by the word. First, by the warrant of the word: for else it cannot be done in faith, Rom. 14. 23. and whatsoeuer is not of faith, is sinne. The word must direct me in this particular meat, apparell, recreation, that it is lawful in it selfe and to me, or else I sinne in it. Secondly,Latter by prayer. by prayer: for we must lift vp our hearts at least in the vse of them all: 1. In inuocation for an holy vse, suspecting all our wayes, and our inclinations to corrupt our selues in euerything.Reas. 2. In thanksgiuing for our liberty in all the creatures, that were iustly forfeited, and Gods blessing in them. This neglected, 1. Wee may hauehave the creature, but want the blessing; hauehave bread, but not the staffe of bread; hauehave money, but not a bagge to hold it; cloathes, but no warmth; marriage, but not the comfort of it: and so in the rest. 2. Wee doe not distinguish our selues from the bruit beasts, who liue by things before them, and neuer looke aboue them to the giuer. 3. We hauehave no title recouered in any of them, but they all remaine vncleane, as was signified in all the vncleane beasts, as all other had beene, but that they were permitted by special leaue, without which we are but vsurpers. 4. God is not acknowledged the author of our life & liberties, and so is depriued of his honor & homage, which no Lord among men will endure, in such as hold the least coppy vnderunder them.
2. The most indifferent action that is, must bee don… for God,2. The most in … must be done for God. that is, to the glory and honour of God; whatsoeuer wee eat or drinke, &c. 1 Cor. 10. 31. For while we take our part in the comforts of the creatures, God will not lose his part of them, that is, his glory by them. Doth my eating and drinking make mee heauy and vnfit for the seruice of God, to performe it with cheerefulnesse? Here I hauehave sinned in a lawfull thing: for God lookes to bee serued with cheerefulnesse and a good heart, in the abundance of all things, Deut. 28. vers. 47. Doth my apparell tend to pride vp and aduance my selfe? This is a sinfull vse of a lawfull thing, wherein I should glorifie God. Doe my recreations and sports not onelyonly iustle out my duties of Christianity, of reading, and meditating, and priuate prayer; but ingrosse my time, so that I neglect my special calling? Herein I vse my liberty vnlawfully, and turne it into a wicked licentiousnes: Recreation was neuer ordained by God to bee an occupation, but onelyonly an helpe vntounto it.
3. The most indifferent action that is, must be vsed in louelove,3. The most indifferent must be vsed in louelove as well as in faith, to edification, as wel as in sanctification. This generall rule is in 1 Cor. 14. 26. Let all things be done to edifying. Rom. 14. 21. It is euill to eate with offence: and it is good, neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor to doe any thing wherby thy brother stumbleth,1. Not offending others. or is offended, or made weake: and Paul would neuer eate, rather then offend a weake brother. In case of offence, in different things loose their indifferency, and become sinnes, and must not be done, be they neuer so small, neuer so profitable, neuer so powerfully enioyned by authority, because an higher authority of God, bids vsus not offend our brother; the conscience of our brother must be more tender vntounto vsus, than our owne peace and preferment.Dan. 1. 8. Daniel and his fellowes refusing the Kings meat, might seeme very vnwise, and too strict, for so small a thing to lose the Kings fauour, and their owne aduancement: but it was not frowardnesse in them, nor disobedience to the King, but conscience and obedience to Gods commandement in a case offensiue to themselues and others: so they would not doe the least euill for the greatest good. So, is this garment lawfull to mee, and offensiue to other of Gods children? Then hauehave I no liberty in it. Is this eating, or drinking, or tobacco-taking lawfull to mee, and may it offend in circumstances? I must auoid occasion of offence. Is this sport and recreation lawful in it selfe and to others, but is it offensiue in mee a puulike man, a professor, a Preacher? Wisedome teacheth to refraine it. So the Apostle saith, All things (that is, indifferent, of which he there speakes) are lawfull, but all things are not expedient.
Now as we must be farre from offending any, so our endeuour must be to build vp our brethren and our selues in the vse of eueryevery indifferent action.2. But building them vp. Quest. How may that be? Answ. When in the ciuill vse of them we adde some spirituall meditation, as Christ when hee spake of bread, stirred the people to meditate on and labour for the food that abideth to eternall life: so in eating and drinking we should sometime thinke of feeding on Christ, the true bread and water of life; in putting on our clothes, of putting on Christ as a garment: in putting them off, of putting off the old man and the lusts thereof: in marriage, of the contract betweene Christ and the faithfull soule: in our iournies abroad, and returnes home, meditate with the Apostle Paul of our being from home, and at home with the Lord, &c. Thus shall we cherish and refresh our soules with our bodies.
4. The most indifferent things must be vsed in sobriety and moderation;4▪ The most indifferent must be vsed in sobriety. and this is, 1. When wee vse them as helps, not hindrances to our calling, generall or speciall, but our hearts are kept by them in a fitnesse vntounto both. This is our Sauiours rule, Luk. 21. 34. Take heed that your hearts bee not oppressed with surfetting or drunkennesse, or the cares of this life, that that day come vnawares. 2. When we exceed not in them our ability and degree, but square our selues to the most sober of our age and condition: the neglect of which rule makes the feast of churlish Nabal, like the feast of a King, and brings soft apparell out of Kings houses into very cottages, to the great confusion of all degrees, so as eueryevery man is out of order; the seruant more gallant than his Master or Mistris, Schollers arrayed in vnseemely sort like Souldiers, the Gentleman like a Noble-man, and the Carter like a Courtier, and eueryevery Degree many degrees beyond it selfe. 3. When wee hold them indifferent not in our iudgement onelyonly, but also in affection, keeping the command of these, and bee sure they command not vsus: 1 Cor. 6 12. All things are lawfull for me, but I will not bee brought vnderunder the power of any thing: and, 2 Cor. 7. 30. Wee must reioyce in the creature as not reioycing; vse it as not vsing; buy, sell, and hauehave a wife as not hauing. This is to affect indifferent things indifferently. Contrary whereunto is that excessiue desire and vse of any creature, which makes our seruants our masters, and puts vsus out of possession of them, that we may be possessed by them, as when riches hauehave our hearts, and wee hauehave not power to command them to any good vse; the heathen disclaimed this slauery, My riches are mine (said Seneca) not I my riches: Diuitiae meae sunt, non ego diuitiarum. Senec.would God Christians would say so much, to whom grace offers better things. So when a man or woman hauehave enslaued themselues to any creature, and made it a tyrant and commander, as insatiable drunkards, who can no more bee without strong drink or wine, than the fish without water, or themselues without ayre: The Mule (they say) must hauehave the bag hang by his mouth, and these must hauehave the bottle or pot at their elbow continually. Others that so addict themselues to that bewitching weed Tobacco, aboue all reason, set more thoughts vponupon it than they bestow vponupon God, bestow more time on it by tenne parts in one day than vponupon Gods seruice, yea, than vponupon any profitable calling; bestow more charge vponupon it then vponupon all pious and charitable vses, through the yeere; yea serue it as their God night and day, and all to turne their bodies into chimnies, their blood into foot, their best and radicall humour into smoake. This is an intemperate and sinfull vse of a creature, in it selfe good, if physically vsed: for we condemne not drinke, when we condemne drunkennesse, but the drunken vse of it. Neither can these dry drunkards more iustifie their sinne then the moist, nay farre lesse, seeing the one is ordained for common vse, so is not the other. But without comparing them together, it is a great sinne to be a slaue either to a pot or to a pipe.
5. In all indifferent actions, we must endeuour so wisely to passe them,5. For no indifferents forgoe better things thē they: as, 1. Time. as we doe not for them loose any thing, better then they; such as are, 1. Time: men must not cast away much time in them. We should eate out as little time with our meat as we may, much lesse play away our time. Women must be conscionable to spend as little time as may be in arraying and trimming themselues; for time is better then apparell. Neither for wealth must wee exchange our time, but that we reserue speciall times for better ends: for all the wealth on earth wil not buy an houre of time.2. Good name. 2. Our good name is better then any indifferent thing, and ought to be more precious then the sweetest ointment: wee must not eate and drinke to be counted gluttons and drunkards; nor play in excesse, to be counted dicers and gamesters, which are infamous names, and such persons were banished out of the heathens Commonwealth: nor so apparell our selues as to be accounted proud, garish, and wanton; nor build to be accounted vaine and prodigall: but preferre our good names before the vse of these. 3.3. Estate. Our goods and portion of wealth which God hath giuen vsus, are better then the excessiue vse of any of these, and wee must not waste our goods more then is fit for our estate. Men hauehave no warrant to venture great summes of money vponupon a fewe casts at dice, or bowles, or other sports. We are not Lords of our goods but stewards, and must be drawne to an account for them. Religion will teach a man good husbandry, and though it allow not onelyonly a necessary and conuenient expense, but also for honest delight & pleasure, in meat, drinke, apparell, recreation, building, &c. yet it allowes no prodigality, except in the case of godly and charitable vsus…s, to the poore members of Christ. Oh how rich should some meane men be in good workes, if they had giuen that to the poore which they hauehave lost in play? and who can say but one is farre better, far more comfortable then the other?4. Vertues. 4. Our vertues and graces are farre better then any indifferent thing, and therfore we must not loose these for the other. Against which rule they sinne who in meates and drinkes loose moderation, sobriety, and tem…rance; and they who in apparell loose their humility and lowlinesse; and they who in recreation loose their patience, meeknesse, louelove and peace; and they who in marriage loose their chastity and holines, &c.
By all which rules wee see, how godlinesse takes not away the vse of Gods creatures, (for it onelyonly giues liberty in them:) but orders the vse thereof, that they may be vsed in the iust measure of their goodnes, and giuegive place to better; and restraines vsus no further then so, as the calling be not exceeded, nor the rules of moderation violated.