The Rules of a Holy Life, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Containing the Preface, which shewes the drift, warrant, profit, and vse of the ensuing Treatise.
THE onelyonly thing intended in this Treatise is,The scope to collect for thy vse (Christian Reader) those directions scattered here & there in the Scriptures, which may, through out the whole course of thy life, tell thee, what thou must do in the right order of thy conuersation: How thou shouldst behaue thy selfe toward God, and how thou shouldst carry thy selfe toward men, in all the occasions of thy life: In company, out of company: In all duties either of righteousnesse or mercy: and how thou shouldst dispose of thy selfe in affliction, and out of affliction, at all times.
And thou maist be the more encouraged to study and practise these rules,Thy warrant. because thou hast the most expresse & apparant word of God to warrant and require thy obedience herein.
Be not so prophane, as to thinke, that here is more to do then needs, or that I burthen the liues of Christians with a multitude of vnnecessary Precepts, and so make the way harder then it is: For I require thy obedience in nothing, thou hast not reason to be perswaded to bee enioyned thee by the pure word of God; And thou must know, to the confusion of thy security; that hee that will walke safely, must walke by rule, Gal. 6. 16. Hee is yet in darkenesse, and walkes on in darkenesse, and sees not what he doth, or whither hee goeth, that doth not make the Word of God the light vntounto his feet, and the Lanterne vntounto his pathes: Psal. 119. There is a holy order of life commended in the godly, Col. 2. 5. and Gods promises are made to such as will dispose of their waies aright. A loose conuersation is an ill conuersation; and if euer we would see the saluation of God, wee must bee at the paines to dispose of our waies, and to see to it, that we dispose of our waies aright, Psal, 50. vlt.
The benefite thou maist reape by this Treatise,The profit of the course. is much eueryevery way, if the fault bee not in thy selfe: for here thou maist briefely behold the substance of a godly life; thou maist in a short time informe thy knowledge in that great doctrine of practicall Diuinity: But especially thou maist, by the help of this Treatise see a sound way, how to beautifie thy owne conuersation, with the addition of diuers rules, which, perhaps, hitherto thou hast not taken notice of: God hath promised much peace, and comfort vntounto such as will walke according vntounto rule, Gal. 6. 16. Yea, hee hath promised, that they shall see the saluation of God, that dispose their way aright, Psal. 50. vlt. It is true, it is a greater labour to trauaile in the way, then to shew it; but yet it is a great benefite to be shewed the way. Howsoeuer, it may not be denied, but it is a greater glory to obserue these rules, then to know them, or prescribe them.
It may be thou wilt obiect,The easines of the course. that the rules are so many, thou canst neuer remember them, and so not profite by them. I answer:
If I hauehave made the rules no more in number then God hath made them in his Word, thou maist not finde fault with me.
Secondly, no man that is to learne any Trade, or Science, but hee meeteth with more directions, then hee can on the suddaine reach to, or practise, and yet hee reiects not his Trade or Science, because in time he hopes to learne it all. Would we put on a resolution to serue a Prentiship to Religion, and to worke hard one whole seuen yeeres: oh, what work would we dispatch! How many Rules and Knowledges would wee grow skilfull in! But alas, after many yeeres profession of Christianity, the most of vsus, if all were put together, hauehave not done the worke, that might hauehave bene done in few daies.
Thirdly,Marke this direction. I answer, that it is not necessary thou shouldst lay all these Rules before thee at once, but marke out certaine choise Rules, so many as thou canst well remember, and striue, by daily practice, to bring thy selfe to some kinde of dexterity in obseruing them. There bee some rules of each kinde, which, if thou bee a true Christian, thou knowest and obseruest already: These thou maist continue to obserue still, without loading thy memory about them. Now if those be omitted, then consider of the rest that remaine, which of them do most concerne thee, or would most adorne thy practice and profession, or are such as thou neuer hitherto didst make conscience of: Extract or marke out so many of those at a time, as thou wouldst in daily practice striue to attaine, and when thou hast learned them, then go on, and prescribe to thy selfe new Lessons. To a carnall minde, all the way of godlinesse is impossible, but to a godly and willing minde all things, through the power and assistance of God, are possible: God will accept thy desire and endeuour, and will adde strength and might, and encourage thee in all his waies. By prayer thou maist forme any grace in thee, by reason of the power the Lord Iesus hath to preuaile for any thing thou dost aske the Father in his name.
The last benefite may come to thee, if thou daily reade these directions, is, that they will quicken thee to a great care of weldoing, and giuegive thee cause to walke humbly with thy God, and abase thy selfe for thine owne insufficiency: The Lord giuegive thee vnderstanding in all things, and vnite thy heart vntounto his feare alwaies, that thou maist obserue to doe, as hee commandeth thee, and not turne from the good way all the daies of thy life.