The Rules of a Holy Life, 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 concerne the manner of well-doing:There are 9. things to be still remē bred, which cō cerne the manner of wel-doing There are diuers things in the generall, which are to be obserued of the godly Christian in all good duties, which hee ought to hauehave perfect in his memory, and such as hee might bring with him at all times to forme his heart in respect of them, to beget in him that holy manner of carrying himselfe, which is requisite vntounto the acceptation of the good things he employeth himselfe in: and the rather should hee bee 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 therefore hee may not lose what 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 manner of eueryevery holy duty,1. Zeale, with continual willingnesse and feruencie. is Zeale: It is not enough that hee doe the dutie, but hee must do it affectionately, bringing with him the stirring of the desires of his heart answerable, and agreeable to the duty he would performe: Zeale hath in it two distinct things, willingnesse and feruencie; It must not seeme euill to him to do Gods worke, and in doing it, he must lift vp his heart, so as he performe it with all his might, and with all his soule; and this hee doth, when either hee brings a heart delighting in good workes, or when hee iudgeth himselfe for what deadnesse, or distraction, or vnwillingnesse he findes in himselfe: He is accounted zealous, when he striues for it, and lifts vp his soule against the impediments which burthen him: This zeale is necessary; Christ died to redeeme a people vntounto himselfe, not onelyonly that would do good works, but that would be zealous of good workes, Tit. 2. 14.
2 The second thing required in the manner of good duties,2. Sincerity, which hath in it 5. things. is sincerity, all his actions must bee done in the sincerity of his heart. 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 waies, as,
1 By the truth of his heart, 1. Truth.as it stands opposed to hypocrisie; he must not talke of well-doing, or seeme to do it, but he must doe it indeed.
2 By his respect to all Gods commandements, 2. Respect to al Gods commandements.when he can say with Dauid, I esteeme all thy precepts, concerning all things to be right, and I hate eueryevery false way. He that is truly sincere, accounteth that eueryevery word of God is good, and desires to yeeld obedience in all things. Hee hath not his reseruations, or exceptions: He doth not with Herod giuegive himselfe liberty to lie in the wilfull breach of one commandement, resting satisfied to hauehave reformed himselfe in other things. As he would hauehave God to forgiue him all his sinnes, so his heart desires to forsake all sinne, and so hee desires also to do eueryevery part of Gods worke.
3. By propounding the glory of God, 3. Right end.as the chiefe end of all his actions: His praise must not be of men, nor must hee doe good duties for carnall ends, 1. Cor. 10. 31.
4. By obeying without expostulating, 4. Obedience without expostulation.though God giuegive no apparant reason of his commandement. Thus Abraham shewed his sincerity, when God bade him goe out of his owne country, though hee knew not whither hee should goe, Hebr. 11. 8. This is to obey simply, because God hath commanded it.
5 By obeying absent as well as present, 5. Obedience in all places.in all companies as well as one. This praised the sincerity of the Obedience of the Philippians, Phil. 2. 12.
Thus of sincerity, which is the second thing required in the manner of welldoing.
3. The third thing is Constancy: The third thing required in the māner of well-doing, is Constācy.He is blessed that doth righteousnesse alwaies. Doing righteousnesse will not serue the turne, but it must be at all times, Psalm. 106. 3. Our righteousnesse must not be like the morning dew. It is not sufficient to doe good by fits; wee are no day laborers, but Gods hired seruants: Hee that is righteous, must bee righteous still, Rom. 6 19. Reuel. 22. 11. There must be continuance in well-doing, Rom. 2. 7, 8.
Now to bee constant in well-doing,And he is constant, that doth good duties, is to doe good duties,
1. Without wearinesse: 1. Without wearines.It is required as a thing necessary to the manner of well-doing, that we be not weary of it, and that wee faint not, Gal. 6. 9. This we must striue for by prayer.
2. Without discouragement: 2. Without discouragement.wee 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 the similitude: feeble knees will dispatch but a little space of the iourney, and hands that hang down, are not fit for worke: great is the hinderance comes to many by their discouragements and aptnesse thereunto, which ariseth vsually from pride, & the dregs of worldly sorrow, and ought much to be resisted by true Christians, Hebr. 12. 12, 13. Iosh. 1. 6, 7.
3. Without impediment: 3. Notwithstanding impedimēts.That is, notwithstanding all the impediments may be cast in the way; Iudgement should runne downe as waters, and righteousnesse as a flowing streame: wee 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 damme it vp; and such should be the resolution of a godly Christian, Amos 3. 24.
4. Without wauering or vncertainty. 4. Without wauering.It is vncertaine running the Apostle implyedly forbids, 1. Cor. 9. 25. Our life is like a race: Now in a race it is not enough that a man runne now and then, though he runne fiercely for the time: He must not trifle & looke behinde, and stand still at his pleasure, and then run againe, but he must be alwaies running: so ought it to be with vsus in the race of godlinesse. It will not serue the turne to bee good by fits, and to bee forward in good things onelyonly at some times, and then be careles, and off the hookes, as wee say, at other times.
5. Without declining or going backe. 5. Without declining.Iob comforts himselfe against the aspersion of hypocrifie by this, that his foot had held on his steps, and Gods waies he had kept, and not declined, nor had hee gone backe from Gods Commandements, Iob 23. 11, 12. Though hee had not made such Progresse as he desired, yet this was his comfort, he had not backeslided by Apostasie.
And thus of the third thing also required in the manner of well-doing, which is Constancy.
4.4. Feare. The fourth thing required is feare: thus Pro. 28. 14. The man is blessed that feareth alwaies. And 1. Pet. 1. 17. & 3. 2. Our conuersation must be with feare: This feare excludes rudenesse, carelesnesse, conceitednesse, pride, & the like, & includes Reuerence, awfull regard of Gods holinesse, or holy presence (whom wee should set alwaies before vsus) and the feare of the deceitfulnesse of sinne, and our own corrupt dispositions, and the care to auoyd all occasions of offending God or men.
The fift thing is simplicity. SimplicityThis is so necessary, as the Apostle mistrusted most the subtilty of the Diuel, in beguiling Christians of this simplicity, which they had in Iesus Christ, 2. Cor. 11. 3.
Now this simplicity containes in it distinctly diuers things.
1.Which is, 1. To rest vponupon the Word for the formes of holines & happinesse. A resting in those forms of holinesse and happinesse which God hath prescribed, when a man desires no more to make him happy, then what God hath offered and giuen in Iesus Christ, 2. Corin. 11. 3. and when he accounts nothing to defile him, but what God hath forbidden, and nothing needfull to bee done by him, but what God hath in his Word required.
2. A Doue-like innocency, 2. To bee harmlesse.and harmlesnesse, when the Christian shewes a desire to bee iniurious to no man, but rather to seek the good of others, as well as his owne, 1. Cor. 10. 24.
3. An ignorance of the depths of Sathan, 3. To bee simple cō cerning euill.and the methods of sinne, when hee is not cunning in sinning, out simple concerning euill, no way desirous to get subtill excuses, or arguments …o defend himselfe in euill, Romanes. 16. 19.
4.4. To louelove goodnesse for it selfe A louelove of goodnesse for it selfe, and hatred of sinne, as it is sinne.
5.5. To bee meeke & lowlyminded. Meekenesse of wisedome, I am. 3. 13. which is shewed three wayes. 1. By lowlinesse of minde, when a man is not conceited, or wise in himselfe, but retaines a sence of his owne vnfitnesse, and vnworthinesse, Iob 37. 24. 2. By silence from his owne praises, Prou. 27. 2. 3. By auoiding vain ianglings, which arise out of Enuy, or contempt of others.
6.6. Feare God, and not enuy the wicked The preseruing of himselfe in the feare of God, notwithstanding the prosperity of euill doers, not enuying the wicked, that hath successe in his way, Prou. 23. 27.
The sixt thing required in the manner of well-doing,The sixt is circumspection, which hath fiue things in it. is Circumspection, Eph. 5. 15.
Now he walketh circumspectly or exactly:
1. That makes conscience to obserue the lesser commandement as well as the greater, Mat. 5. 19.
2. That abstains from the very appearance of euill, 1. Thes. 5. 22.
3. That with discretiō lookes to the circumstances of things to bee 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. I am. 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 euil, though good might come of it, Rom. 3.
The seuenth thing required in the manner of well-doing,The 7. is, growth or increase. is growth & increase: Wee must not onelyonly get grace and knowledge, and doe good, but wee must grow in the grace and knowledge of Iesus Christ, 2. Pet. 3. 18.Which hath three things in it. & this growth should hauehave in it distinctly three things:
1.1. Abounding in goodnes. Abounding in good workes, or a more frequent practice of all sorts of duties, that wee hauehave opportunity and power to practise, 1. Cor. 15. 58. Col. 1. 10.
2.2. Perfecting of holinesse. The perfecting of holinesse, 2. Cor. 7. 1. or the ripening of our gifts, & finishing of the good things we begin, not leauing off till we hauehave accomplished them in some good measure and manner.
3.3. Progress Progresse, so as our workes bee more at last, then at first.
And all this we should striue for, both thth so our profiting might appeare, 1. Tim. 4. 15. and we may be fit to be an example to others, 2. Tim. 4. 12.1. Th. 1. 7.
The eighth thing required in the manner of well-doing,8. Faith. is Faith: wee must walke by faith in all our actions, 2. Cor. 5. 7. Now 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 wee bee scorned, or disgraced, or opposed in the world, and raising vp our hearts to beleeue Gods assistance, notwithstanding our owne weaknesses, & partly in trusting God for the successe, beleeuing Gods promises.
The ninth & last thing required in the manner of wel-doing,The last is moderatiō is Moderation. This rule is expressed in these words,The place in Eccl. 7. 16. expounded. Eccles. 7. 16. Be not iust ouer-much, neyther bee thou wicked ouermuch: Now for the sense of these words, wee must know in the negatiue, that this place is most prophanely alleadged by such as produce it as a reproofe 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, eyther Distributiue, or Commutatiue, and that eyther in the case of a priuate person, or of a Magistrate. A priuate man must neyther stand too much vponupon his right, nor yet suffer his innocency to be too much wronged. A Magistrate must not be too seuere in a selfe-conceited Iustice, nor yet too remisse in sparing or fauouring wickednes.
2. Some thinke it restraines curiosity and carelesnes, as if the sence were, Be not curious to pry or search into secret things, that are not reuealed: for hee that will bee searching into Gods maiesty, may be oppressed by his glory: nor yet be so carelesse, as not to take notice of the truth reuealed.
3. Some thus exceed not by too much precisenesse on the right hand, or by too much prophanenes 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, and such as tye mens consciences to obserue or auoid things without warrant of Scripture, and such as say they hauehave no sin, and need not the grace of God.
4. Lastly, the fittest interpretation is theirs, that expound the words in this sense, Be not iust ouer-much, that is, think 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 thy owne soule thy weakenesse aboue reason and measure.