The Marrow of the Oracles of God, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII.
Containing the generall Rules to be remembred in the manner of doing all good duties.
HItherto of the first sort of generall Rules. The second sort concernes the manner of welldoing. There are diuers things in the generall, which are to be obserued of the godly Christian in all good duties, which he ought There are 5 things to be still remembred, which concerne the manner of wel-doing.to hauehave perfect in his memorie, and such as he might bring with him at all times to form his heart in respect of them, to beget in him that holy m…ner of carrying himselfe, which is requisite vntounto the acceptation of the good things he employeth himself in: and the rather should he be moued to the care of learning and expressing of these things, because the matter of good duties may be done by wicked men, as they were by the Pharises, and yet all abomination to the Lord. That therfeore hee may not lose that he worketh, hee must striue in eueryevery good action to expresse these nine things following in the manner of his behauiour.
The first thing required in the Zeale with continual willingnes and feruen cie.manner of eueryevery holy duty, is, Zeale. It is not enough that hee doe the duty, but he must doe it affectionately, bringing with him the stirring of the desires of his heart, answerable and agreeable to the duty hee would performe. Zeale hath in it two distinct things, willingnesse and feruencie. It must not seeme euill to him to doe Gods worke; and in doing it, he must lift vp his heart, so as hee performe it with all his might, and with all his soule: and this hee doth, when either he brings an heart delighting in good workes, or when he iudgeth himselfe for what deadnesse, or distraction, or vnwillingnesse he findes in himselfe: he is accounted zealous, when he striue… for it, and lifts vp his soule against the impediments which burthen him. This zeale is n…cessary; Christ died to redeeme a people vntounto himselfe, not onelyonly that would do good workes, but that would bee zealous of good workes, Tit. 2. 14.
2. The second thing required 1. Sinceritie which hath in it fiue things.in the manner of good duties, is sinceritie; all his actions must be done in the sincerity of his hart. The life of a Christian is like a continuall Passe-ouer: Now this Feast, hee must keepe alwaies with the vnleauened bread of sincerity, 1. Cor. 5. 8.
Now this sinceritie hee must shew diuers wayes, as,
1. By the truth of his heart, as 1 Truth.it stands opposed to hypocrisie: he must not talke of well-doing, or seeme to doe it, but he must doe it indeed.
2. By his respect to all Gods 2 Respect to al Godscommandements; when he can say commandements.with Dauid, I esteeme all thy precepts, concerning all things, to bee right, and I hate eueryevery false way. He that is truly sincere, accounteth that eueryevery word of God is good, & desires to yeeld obedience in all things. He hath not his reseruation, or exception. He doth not with Herod giuegive himselfe liberty to lie in the wilfull breach of one commandement, resting satisfied to hauehave reformed himself in other things. And he would hauehave God to forgiue him all his sinnes, so his heart desires to forsake sinne, and so hee desires also to doe eueryevery part of Gods worke.
3. By propounding the glory of 3 Right end.God, as the chiefe end of all his actions: His praise must not bee of men; nor must he do good duties for carnall ends, 1. Cor. 10. 31.
4. By obeying without expostulating, 4. Obedience with out expostulation.though God giuegive no apparent reason of his commandement. Thus Abraham shewed his sincerity, when God bade him goe out of his owne countrey, though he knew not whither he should goe, Heb. 11. 8. This is to obey simply, because God hath commanded it.
5. By obeying absent as well as 5. Obedience in all places.present, in all companies as well as one. This praised the sinceritie of the obedience of the Philippians, Phil. 2. 12.
Thus of sinceritie, which is the second thing required in the manner of wel-doing.
3. The third thing is constancy: He is blessed that doth righteousnes The third thing required in the maner of welldoing, is constancie.alwaies. Doing righteousnesse will not serue the turne, but it must be at all times, Psal. 106. 3. Our righteousnesse must not bee like the morning dew. It is not sufficient to do good by fits; we are no day-labourers, but Gods hired seruants. He that is righteous, must be righteous still, Rom. 6. 19. Reuel. 22. 11. There must be continuance in welldoing, Rom. 2. 7, 8.
Now to bee constant in well-doing, And hee is constant, that doth good duties.it is to doe good duties.
1. Without wearinesse. It is required as a thing necessarie to the manner of well-doing, that we be not wearie of it, and that wee faint not, Gal. 6. 9. This we must striue for by prayer.
2. Without discouragement; we … Without discouragement.must lift vp the hands that hang downe, and the feeble knees, and make straight steppes to our feete. How much hinderance to well-doing, discouragement is, may appeare by this similitude: Feeble knees will dispatch but a little space of the iourney, and hands that hang downe, are not fit for worke: great is the hinderance comes to many by their discouragements and aptnesse thereunto, which ariseth vsually from pride, and the dregs of worldly sorrow, and ought much to bee resisted by true Christians, Heb. 12. 12, 13. Iosh. 1. 6, 7.
3. Without impediment: that is' notwithstanding all the impediments 3. Notwithstanding impediments.may be cast in the way: iudgement should runne downe as waters, and righteousnesse as astowing streame; we should ouercome all difficulties. You cannot stop the flowing streame, though you cast in great logs or stones, yea though you would goe about to dam it vp; and such should be the resolution of a godly Christian, Amos. 5. 24.
4. Without wauering or vncertainetie. 4 Without wauering.It is vncertaine running the Apostle impliedly forbids, 1. Cor. 9. 26. Our life is like a race: Now in a race it is not enough that a man runne now & then, though he run fiercely for the time; hee must not trifle and looke behinde, and stand still at his pleasure, and then run againe, but he must be alwaies running: so ought it to bee with vsus in the race of godlinesse. It will not serue the turne to bee good by fits, and to be forward in good things onelyonly at sometimes, and then bee carelesse, and off the hookes, as wee say, at other times.
5. Without declining or going backe. Iob comforts himselfe against 5. Without declining.the aspersion of hypocrisie, by this, that his foote had held on his steps, and Gods wayes he had kept, and not declined, nor had hee gone backe from Gods commandements, Iob 23. 11, 12. Though he had not made such progresse as he desired, yet this was his comfort, he had not backe slided by Apostasie.
And thus of the third thing also required in the manner of well-doing, which is Constancie.
4. The fourth thing required, is feare: thus Prou. 28. 14. The 4. Feare.man is blessed that feareth alwaies. And 1. Pet. 1. 17. & 3. 2. Our conuersation must be with feare. This feare excludes rudenes, carelesnesse, conceitednesse, pride, and the like, and includes reuerence, lawful regard of Gods holines, or holy presence, (whom wee should set alwaies before vsus) and the feare of the deceitfulnesse of sinne, and our owne corrupt dispositions, and the care to auoid all occasions of offending God or men.
The fifth thing is Simplicitie. Simplicitie which is,This is so necessary, as the Apostle mistrusted most the subtiltie of the diuell, in beguiling Christians of this simplicitie which they had in Iesus Christ, 2. Corinth. 11. ….
Now this simplicity containes in it distinctly diuers things.
1. A resting in those formes of holinesse and happinesse which 1 To rest vponupon the Word for the formes of holines and happines.God hath prescribed, when a man desires no more to make him happy, then what God hath offered and giuen in Iesus Christ, 2. Corinth. 11. 3. and when hee accounts nothing to defile him, but what God hath forbidden, and nothing needfull to be done by him, what God hath in his word required.
2. A Doue-like innocencie, and 2 To bee harmelesseharmlesnes, when the Christian shewes a desire to be iniurious to no man, but rather to seeke the good of others, as well as his owne, 1. Cor. 10. 24.
3. An ignorance of the depths 3 To bee simple concerning euill.of Satan, and the methods of sin, when hee is not cunning in sinning, but simple concerning euili, no way desirous to get subtil excuses, or arguments to defend himselfe in euill, Romanes 16. 19.
4. A louelove of Godlinesse for it 4 To louelove goodnesse for it selfe.selfe, and hatred of sinne, as it is sinne.
5. Meekenesse of Wisedome, 5. To ….…mes. 3. 13. which is shewed three wayes. First by lowlines…e of mind, when a man is not conceited, or wise in himselfe, but retaines a sense of his owne vnfitnesse; and vnworthinesse, Iob 37. 24. Secondly, by silence from his owne praises, Prou. 27. 2. Thirdly, by auoiding vaine ianglings, which arise out of enuy, or contempt of others.
6. The preseruing of himselfe 6. Feare God, and not enuie the wickedin the feare of God, notwithstanding the prosperitie of euill doers, not enuying the wicked, that hath successe in his way, Prou. 23. 17.
The sixt thing required in the The sixth is circumspection, which hath fiue things in it.manner of well-doing, is Circumspection, Ephes. 5. 15.
Now he walketh circumspectly or exactly:
1. That makes conscience to obserue the lesser commandements as well as the greater, Math. 5. 19.
2. That abstaines from the very appearance of euill, 1. Thess. 5. 22.
3. That with discretion lookes to the circumstances of things to be done, as time, place, persons, order, and the like: that doth not onelyonly doe good, but is wise to doe good, Romanes 16. 19.
4. That liues without rebuke, and is vnspotted of the world, Phil. 2. 15. Iames 1. vlt. that is not guilty of any scandall, and giues no iust cause to the wicked to blaspheme, but prouides for things honest in the sight of all men, 2. Cor. 8. 21.
5. That will not doe euill, though good might come of it, Rom. 2. 8.
The seuenth thing required in the manner of well-doing, is The 7 is growth or increase.growth and increase: Wee must not onelyonly get grace and knowledge, and do good, but we must grow in the grace and knowledge of Which hath three things in it.Iesus Christ, 2. Pet. 3. 18. and this growth should hauehave in it distinctly three things.1 Abounding in goodnes.
1. Abounding in good workes, or a more frequent practice of al sorts of duties, that we hauehave opportunitie and power to practise, 1. Corinth. 15. 58. Coloss. 1. 10.
2. The perfecting of holinesse, 2. Perfecting of holinesse.2. Cor. 7. 1. or the ripening of our gifts, and finishing of the good things we begin, not leauing off till wee hauehave accomplished them in some good measure and manner.
3. Progresse, so as our 3. Progresseworkes bee more at last then at first.
And all this we should striue for, both that so our profiting might appeare, 1. Tim. 4. 15. and we may be fit to be an example to … T…m. 4. 2. 1others, 1. Thess. 1. 7.
The eighth thing required in the manner of well-doing, is Faith: wee must walke by faith in all our actions, 2. Cor. 5. 7. Now 8. Faith.faith is employed partly in taking notice of Gods will, as the warrant of our actions, and partly in ouercomming the difficulties of well-doing, making vsus hold out, though we be scorned, or disgraced, or opposed in the world, and raising vp our hearts to beleeue Gods assistance, notwithstanding our owne weakenesses, and partly in trusting God for the successe, beleeuing Gods promises.
The ninth and last thing required The last is moderation.in the manner of well-doing, is Moderation. This rule is expressed in these words, Eccles. 7. 16. Be not iust ouer much, The place in, Eccles. 7. 16. expounded.neither be thou wicked ouer much. Now for the sence of these words, we must know in the negatiue, that this place is most prophanely alleaged by such as produce it as a reproof of strictnesse of life, and the refusall of the excesses of the time.
There are many things said to giuegive a sence of those words.
1. Some referre these words to Iustice, either Distributiue, or Commutatiue, and that either in the case of a priuat person, or of a Magistrate. A priuate man must neither stand too much vponupon his right, nor yet suffer his innocencie to bee too much wronged. A Magistrate must not be too seuere in a selfe-conceited iustice, not yet too remisse in sparing or fauouring wickednesse.
2. Some thinke it restraines curiositie and carelesnesse, as if the sense were, Bee not curious to pry or search into secret things, that are not reuealed: for he that will be searching into Gods maiestie, may bee oppressed by his glorie: nor yet be so carelesse, as not to take notice of the truth reuealed.
3. Some thus: Exceede not by too much precisenesse on the right hand, or by too much prophanenesse on the left hand. On the right hand they goe out, that bring in workes of supererogation, and such as worship God after the precepts of men, & such as tye mens consciences to obserue or auoide things without warrant of Scripture, and such as say they hauehave no sinne, and neede not the grace of God.
4. Lastly, the fittest interpretation is theirs, that expound the words in this sense, Bee not iust ouer-much, that is, thinke not too highly of thy selfe in any thing thou doest well, nor yet be wicked ouer-much, that is, account not too vilely of thy selfe, denying Gods gifts in thee, and refusing the iust comforts thou shouldest take to thy selfe; aggrauate not against thine owne soule thy weakenesse aboue reason and measure.