The Rules of a Holy Life, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Containing such Rules as in generall men must take notice of, as preparations and furtherances to a godly life.
THE Rules of holy life may bee cast into two rankes:The rules of life are either generall or particular. the first containing such rules as are Generall: and the other, such as are Particular.The generall rules concerne either, The helps to a godly life▪
The generall rules are likewise of two sorts: some of them concerne certain generall preparations, helpes, or furtherances to a holy life, without which men in vaine beginne the cares, or endeuours of a reformed life: And some of them comprehend those necessary rules which are to be obserued in the manner of doing all holy duties,Or secondly, the manner of wel-doing and so are of singular vse to bee alwaies remembred, when wee go about any seruice.
Of the first sort there are many rules;Whoso will address himselfe to a holy course of life. for they that will addresse themselues to order their conuersation aright, must be soundly carefull in the obseruation of these directions following.
1 He must examine himselfe about his faith and repentance; hee must bee sure hee is reconciled to God, and hath truely repented himselfe of his sinnes, 2. Cor. 13. 5. For vnlesse hee bee a new creature, hee is no creature, but a dead man, and so vtterly vnable for the practice of these rules following: And without God we can do nothing; and without God we are, till we liue by faith: Besides, the pollution of our hearts or liues drawne vponupon vsus by the custome of sinne past and present, will so infect all we do, that it will bee abominable to God, and so lost labour.
This is the first Rule.
2 His next care must be to learne the knowledge of the rules of life; wee can neuer practise what we know not, and therefore our next care and paines must be to get the knowledge of Gods waies distinctly, and effectually, into our heads and hearts; Our direction must not be in our bookes, but in our heads; and a Christian must hauehave his rules alwaies before him, that so hee may walke circumspectly by line and leuel, Ephes. 5. 15. vnderstanding the will of God in what hee is to doe. He is in the way of life, that hath and keepeth instruction, how to liue, Prou. 10. 17. whereas he that will not be at the paines of getting instruction, erreth, as Salomon saith: And therefore wee must take fast hold of instruction, and not let her goe, but keep her: for shee is our life, Prou. 4. 13. Knowledge then, of necessity must be had, or in vaine we go about to liue well. Now this is such a rule, as must not slightly bee passed ouer, and it is not enough thus in generall to require knowledge, but withall, I would shew certain choice rules to be obserued by vsus,And hee that would prosper in seeking knowlege must obserue nine Rules. if wee would take a sound course to attaine knowledge. He then that would prosperously seeke sound knowledge, must remember these directions.
First,1. He must esteeme knowlege. hee must esteeme knowledge, and labour to frame his heart to a high estimation of it, accounting it as great treasure, accounting the getting of wisdome aboue all gettings, Pro. 4. 7. We must seek for knowledge, as for siluer, & search for her, as for treasure, and then with wonderfull successe shall wee vnderstand the right feare of the Lord, Prou. 2. 4. else our labour will bee blasted and fruitlesse, if wee bring meane thoughts to the exercise of directions for the attaining of knowledge.
Secondly,2. He must not consult with flesh and bloud. he must take heede that hee consult not with flesh and bloud, Gal. 1. 16 He must not regard other mens opinions, or his own carnall reason, but resolue to giuegive glory to God and his Word, as willing to beleeue or doe whatsoeuer the Lord saith vntounto him.
3.3. He must redeeme the time. Thirdly, he must redeeme the time, Ephes. 5. 16. Inasmuch as he hath lost so much time past, hee must now prouide to allow himselfe conuenient and certaine time to be spent this way for the attaining of knowledge, else to study by snatches and vncertainly, will bee to little or no purpose. To complaine of ignorance, will not serue the turne, nor will the pretence of worldly businesse excuse vsus: and therefore we must buy so much time of our occasions, as may bee competent for the supply of our wants in knowledge.
4.4. He must be wise for himselfe. Fourthly, in seeking knowledge, he must be wise for himselfe, Prou. 9. 12. He must striue to vnderstand his owne way, so to be carefull to know the generals about religion, as his speciall care bee in all things to referre what hee reades or heares, to the particular directions of his owne soule. This is a rule of singular Vse, if it could bee beaten into mens heads, and for want of this, many Christians, after long paines, & much time spent, hauehave bin found exceeding ignorant.
5.5. He must be swift to heare. Hee must be swift to heare, Iam. 1. 19. with all frequency and attention, making vse of the publike Ministry, striuing with his owne heart against deadnesse, and drowsinesse, and remouing al impediments might bee cast in his way from the world, or his worldly occasions, obseruing all opportunities for hearing, especially when hee seeth the heart of his Teacher enlarged, and the power of Doctrine more then at other times, or in other things.
6.6. He must study only profitable things. Sixtly, he must auoid vaine questions, and fruitles contemplations, Titus. 3. 9. 1. Tim. 6. 20. 2. Tim. 2. 23. When the light of doctrin was so great in the Primitiue times, this was one practice of Sathan, to draw aside the studies of Christians from necessary and solid truths, to Genealogies or quarrels about words or vaine controuersies, falsly called oppositions of science: We must therfore be warned of this method of Sathan, & till we know cleerly the wayes of life, allow our selues no time for more remote studies, or fruitlesse Controuersies. What riches of knowlege might some Christians hauehave attained to, if they had spent the time (they hauehave imployed about con…rouersies, genealogies, & generall knowledge) in the …ound building of themselues vp in such things, as their soules apparantly stand in need of?
Seuenthly,7. He must striue to increase in knowlege. hee must not …est satisfied with a small measure of vnderstanding; hee must not giuegive ouer when he hath gotten a little knowledge more then he had: hee must desire to increase in knowledge, and neuer be well pleased with himselfe, while he is but a Child in vnderstāding, 1. Cor. 14. 20.
8.8. He must propound his doubts Eightly, Hee must inquire and take counsell, he must propound his doubts daily and carefully. Hee that would know much, must aske much, hee must breake off that wretched silence he is prone to, and prouide, if it bee possible, to enioy the fauor of some one or moe, that are able to resolue his doubts from time to time. This rule hath incredible profit in it, if it bee rightly practised, Prou. 15. 12. & 20. 17, 18. & 27. 9.
Ninthly,9. He must be rightly ordered towards his Pastor. and lastly: He must bee rightly ordered in respect of his Pastor. For the principal meanes of knowledge is assigned of God to be in the Ministry of his seruants: and therefore if wee would attaine knowledge, we must dispose our selues aright towards our Teachers, and to this end we must looke to it,
First,1. To pray for him. that wee pray for them, that their word may run and hauehave free passage, & that God wold make them able to open vntounto vsus the mysteries of his will, 2. Thes. 3. 1. 2. Colos. 4. 3. Ephes. 6. 19.
Secondly,2. To obey him. we must keep their directions, and make conscience of it to be carefull to obey them, in what they command vsus in the Lord, 1. Cor. 11. 2.
Thirdly, wee must take heed of discouraging them. For this is not profitable for vsus. For the more cheerefull and comfortable their hearts are, the more apt they are to finde out profitable things for vsus, Heb. 13. 18. 1. Cor. 16. 10, 11.
And thus of the first and second rule.
Thirdly, hee that would redresse his waies aright,The third rule. must get out of the way of wicked men: Hee must get out of euill company.He must giuegive ouer euill company, and sequester himselfe from the counsell and society of carnal and prophane persons. The necessity of this rule is both proued and vrged in these & many other Scriptures, Prou. 4. 14. Psal. 1. 1. 2. Cor. 6. 17. Epb. 5. 7, 8.
Fourthly,4. He must resolue to practise. he must bring a minde full of care & desire, and resolution to practise the rules, when hee hath learned them: he must as the phrase is, obserue to doe Gods will, Deut. 5. 32. Hee must be watchfull and diligent, hee must ponder vponupon the waies of God, bewaring lest hee eyther neglect or forget to doe them, Deut. 6. 17. & 31. 46. & 8. 11. 1. Corin. 16. 13. Prou. 4. 26. we must follow after righteousnesse, 1. Tim. 6. 11. and binde directions as signes vponupon our hands, &c. Deut. 8. 28. If wee could be thus awakened, this rule would breed vsus vnspeakable good in our conuersation.
Fiftly,5. He must settle his outward estate. he must endeuor to settle his head and his estate in respect of his worldly affaires. It is a singular helpe to godlinesse, to reduce our outward callings into order, and eueryevery daies experience shewes, that confusions in worldly businesse breede miserable neglect in Gods seruice. And therefore hee that would profite in an orderly course of life, must prouide to vse the world so, as he may serue the Lord without distraction: Hee, that would runne a race, abstaineth from all things, that might encumber him. No man, that warreth, intangleth himselfe with the affaires of life, that hee may please him, who hath chosen him to be a souldier: And therefore we may not think it much, if in our spirituall course God lay some restraint vpō vsus, in respect of the cares and encumbrances in our outward Callings, 1. Cor. 7. 29. 35. &c. 2. Tim. 2. 4. 1. Cor. 9. 28.
Sixthly,6. He must keep company with the godly. He must walke in the way of good men, both setting before him their practice, as patternes of imitation, as also by conuersing with them, that thereby he may gather encouragement, and help in well-doing. Hee is deceiued, that thinkes to goe alone, and yet go prosperously in the course of a godly life: Hee may profit, and learne by many things he heareth, receiueth, and seeth among the godly. Prou. 2. 20. Phil. 4. 8, 9.
Seuenthly,7. He must not be the seruant of men. Hee must not bee the seruant of men, 1. Cor. 7. 23. other mens humours must not be the direction of this practice: He must so depend vponupon persons he hopes to get any thing by in this world, as hee be not thereby hindred in workes of Religion, knowing, that he is Christs Free-man.
Hee must haste to,8. He must looke for the comming of Christ. and looke for the comming of Iesus Christ, 2. Pet. 3. 12. Hee must often remember his latter end, and daily set before his eies the comming of Christ, striuing to stirre vp in his heart the desire after Chrst, praying for it, and dispatching those workes, that may prepare him thereunto: The remembrance of our accounts in the day of Christ will wonderfully quicken men to the care of well, doing, and the cause of the viciousnesse, and miserable neglect, and procrastinations of many is, their forgetting of their latter end: A great reason, why the directions about godlinesse are not entertained, is, because men put farre away from them the day of the Lord: whereas the remembrance of the reuelation of Iesus Christ, would put Spirit and Life into vsus. Hee dares not say from his heart, Come, Lord Iesus, come quickly, that is not resolued diligently to worke the works of Christ.
9 He must not stay for company,9 He must notregard what the multitude doth. but rather choose to runne alone; or with a few, then hazzard the losse of the Crowne. Our life is a Race, and as in a race men stay not for company, but striue who may runne formost: so it is in the race of godlinesse: He must so runne, as he may obtaine: He must set out with the first, and runne as it were for his life: As he must make vse of the society of the godly, so hee must not stay, till his carnall friends, and acquaintance will set out with him: Hee must bee of Ioshua's minde, that if the whole world will liue in wickednesse and prophanenesse, yet he and his house will serue the Lord, 1. Cor. 9. 24. & 14. 12. Iosh. 24. 15.
Tenthly,10. Hee must in all things giuegive thanks. hee must in all things giuegive thankes; when God giues him successe in any thing, or prospers the meanes to him, and helps him with victory ouer any sinne, or strength to performe any duety, or bestowes vponupon him any spirituall blessing, hee must remember to praise God in the name of Iesus Christ. This will quicken him: Daily thankfulnesse will breed daily alacrity in wel-doing: Hee that will not be thankfull for beginnings of successe in the practice of holy duties, will not hold out: This is the speciall will of Christ, that wee should in all things giuegive thankes, 1. Thess. 5. 18.
He must study to be quiet,11. Hee must study to bee quiet. and follow peace with all men, meddling with his own businesse, and auoiding all occasion of contention, that might distract him in his owne course: A busybody is as good as no body in respect of sound progresse in sanctification: It is an excellent skill to bee able to auoide the intanglements of discord; especially hee must prouide to hauehave perfect peace with the godly. Though GOD bee able to sanctifie the oppositions of vnreasonable men, yet wee must take heed of drawing needlesse troubles vponupon our selues; for that makes vsus neither to be, nor to be accounted the more holy, but contrariwise. The Apostle could not speake vntounto the Corinthians, as vntounto spirituall men, but as vntounto carnall; at the best, but Babes in Christ; and the reason was, because there was strife and enuy, and diuision amongst them, Romanes 9. 19. Hebrewes 12. 14. Marke 9. vlt. I. Cor. 3. 3.
His eyes must looke straight,12. Hee must keep a strict course in following onelyonly profitable things. and his eye-liddes right before him, Prou. 4. 25. Hee must take heed of going about, and fetching of compase in Religion, Ier. 31. 32. Hee must bee still aiming at the marke of the high prize of his calling: being sure that the things hee employeth himselfe in, tend directly to the furtherance of his saluation, and not lose his time in vnprofitable studies, or practices, proceeding from one degree to another, till hee come to a ripe age in Christ.
13.13. Hee must bee conuersant daily in the reading of the holy Scriptures He must bee conuersanrt in the Scriptures, & bee familiarly acquainted with them, that they may dwell plenteously in him: For those good words of God hauehave not onelyonly light in them to direct vsus, but power also to assist vsus to do what they require, and by the daily reading and hearing of them, wee shall bee excited to more care of well-doing: we must exercise our selues in the Word day and night, and neuer let them depart out of our hearts, but keep our hearts still warme, with the heate that comes from them, neuer suffering the warmth to go out through our long forbearance of the vse of them, Col. 3. 16. Psal. 1. 2. Iosh. 8. Isaiah. 8. 16, 20.
14.14. Hee must keep his first louelove. Hee must carefully perseuer in his first louelove, Reu, 2. 4. The Lord is wont at some times or other, about the first conuersion of a sinner, to shew himselfe with such power in his ordinances, and to reueale vntounto him such glories in the merits & gifts of Iesus Christ, and the happinesse of his estate in him, that his hart is thereby fired to a cheerfull liking of the meanes of saluation, and of godly persons, and to a wonderfull desire after God, and care to please God. Now hee that would prosper in a Christian course, must bee wonderfully careful to preserue affection, & this spirituall louelove in his hart, and watch, against, and resist the first beginnings of decay, or coldnesse, or declining in his heart, and take heed of suffering his heart to be drawne away by the deceitfulnesse of sin, or the inticements of the world.
15.15. Hee must couet the best gifts. Hee must couet earnestly the best gifts, 1. Cor. 12 vlt. There are some duties in Piety or Mercy, or righteousnesse, which in respect of our places do most concerne vsus, and would in a more speciall manner adorne our particular profession: so are there some gifts which doe aduance our communiō with God, and do make vsus more profitable amongst men. Now these things we should study, and earnestly labour to frame our selues to, and to expresse them more effectually in our conuersation. This no doubt is the reason why the holy Ghost doth in Scripture make Catalogues of certain speciall duties, or graces singled out from the rest, and fitted to the conditions of the people who are written to: and this would be a singular aduantage to vsus, if wee also would single out to our vse some few of the chiefest vertues or duties which wee would daily set before vsus, and striue by prayer and all holy indeuor to fashion them to life in our hearts of liues.
16.16. He must often humble his soule before God. He must renew often his mortification; mans heart is like fallow ground, which is not to receiue seed, till it be broken vp, and at best it is like a garden which will often need weeding. If we doe not at some times in speciall manner humble our soules before God, worldly cares, or carnall delights will ouer-grow our desires and our practice, & choake the seed of the Word receiued by vsus; we must keep vnderunder our bodies, & bring them in subiection, and be often dragging our lusts to the crosse of Christ, there to crucifie them. Our practice is like to sowing, which presupposeth plowing before, Ier. 4. 34. Hosh. 10. 12. 1. Cor. 9. 27.
17.17. Hee must watch for the opportunities of wel-doing Hee must watch for the opportunities of well-doing, and take heed of procrastination: he must seeke righteousness, and haste to it, hee must not put it off, till to morrow, Esay 16. 5. Pro. 3. 28. & 23. 26. Amos 5. 14.
18.18. Hee must bee carefull of sāctifying the Sabbath. He must remember the Sabbath day to sanctifie it: The commaundement concerning the keeping of the Sabbath, to sanctifie it, is placed in the midst betweene the two Tables, of purpose to shew that the keeping of the Sabbath is a singular helpe to all piety & righteousnesse, and God hath promised a speciall blessing to the obseruers of the Sabbath, and giues strength by the rest of that day, the better to perform holy duties all the week after, Commandement 4. Esay 58. 13.
19.19. Hee must often thinke of the example of the godly that hauehave excelled. Hee must meditate much on the example of the godly of all ages, and striue diligently to learne their waies, and to quicken himselfe by the thought of their care, zeale, and sincerity. And thus he may also profitably set before him the examples of some of his owne acquaintance, as excell in the gifts of Christ, and fruits of well-doing. The example of good men should bee as forcible to draw vsus to good, as the example of euill men is to incline others to euill: we hauehave bin compassed about with a cloud of witnesses, who hauehave liued in all ages of the Church: we must therefore stand in the wayes and see, and aske for the olde way to walke in it, and with all gladnesse follow any that are fit to bee guides to vsus therein, Hebr. 12. 1. Ierem. 12. 16. & 6. 16.
20.20. Hee must daily seek a way of God. Hee must goe daily to him that teacheth to profit, begging of God to shew him away, and to lead him by his Spirit vntounto the right practice of eueryevery holy duty, euen to guide him in the plaine path, Esay 48. 17. Psal. 27. 11.
Thus I hauehave set downe those rules which are generall helpes vntounto godlinesse, and must bee attended by a godly Christian.