The Rules of a Holy Life, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Rules, that order is about the manifestation of our louelove to God.
HItherto of the Rules that concerne the knowledge of God, as the foundation of our louelove to God: The rules that should order vsus in the exercise of our louelove to God,Rules about the exercise of our louelove to God. follow; and those are of two sorts: 1. for either they concerne the manifestation of our louelove: 2. or our preseruation in the louelove of God; wee must shew our louelove to God, and we must keepe our selues in the louelove of God, Iude 21.
In our manifestation of louelove to God, we must look to both the matter, (as the things whereby) and also the manner how we should expresse our louelove to God.
For the first,Seuen waies to manifest our louelove to God. there bee diuers excellent Rules to bee heeded of vsus in our practice, in obseruing whereof we may soundly prooue the truth of our louelove to God: if wee say wee louelove God, wee must shew it by these things following.
1.1. By auouching him to bee our God. Wee must auouch God to be our God, Deut. 26. 17. and so we doe, if wee do not onelyonly make choice of God aboue all things to set our harts vponupon him, but also maintaine our choyce by a constant refusall of all idols in the world, euen all things which might intice vsus to louelove them in stead of God, by sound affection and practice declaring our resolution to cleaue to God, as our sufficient happinesse, though all the world follow their profits, or pleasures, &c.
2. 2. By prouiding him a place to dwell where wee dwell.Wee must prouide and prepare a place for God, that he may dwell with vsus, wheresoeuer we dwell, Exo. 15. 2. It is a signe of our true louelove to God, when we cannot liue without him: He that can be content to liue in any place, where he is not powerfully present in his ordinances, shewes no louelove to God: It should be our chiefe care to seate our selues so in the world, as the Lord and his presence may bee prouided for, that hee may raigne amongst vsus by the Scepter of his Word.
3.3. By shewing our louelove to Iesus Christ. We shall shew our louelove to God, by our louelove to the Lord Iesus the Sonne of God: we must kisse the Sun, Psal. 2. vlt. And if any man louelove not the Lord Iesus, hee hath not the Father, 1. Cor. 16. 22. We shew that wee louelove God, when we highly esteeme Iesus Christ, and make much of him in our hearts, & striue to fire our affections toward him; and this must bee our care through the passages of our life, to forme in vsus the louelove of the Lord Iesus, that wee may long after him, and hauehave the desires of our soules after him, and his comming.
4.4. By walking with God. We must shew our louelove to GOD by walking with him, Genes. 17. 1. Mica. 6. 8. The Lord doth not account it a signe of louelove to offer to him a thousand Rammes, or riuers of oyle. But this is it that pleaseth him, To humble our selues to walke before him.
Now we walk with God diuers wayes.
1. When we set the Lord alwaies before vsus, Men walk with God 5. waies.remembring his holy presence, & not daring to goe long without thinking of God, Psal. 16. 18.
2. When wee nourish the motions of the Spirit, and retire our selues of purpose to entertaine them.
3. When we daily hauehave recourse to those meanes by which the Lord is pleased to conuerse with men, and not rest in the bare vse of the meanes, but striue to finde out the Lord in his holy presence, in eueryevery ordinance of his, Psal. 63. 1, 2.
4. Whē we vse our selues to Soliloquies with God, taking all occasions to speake to God by prayer and priuate meditation of things offered to vsus, out of which wee could extract matter for frequent Ciaculations, lifting vp our hearts vponupon the very first motions of good vntounto God, Psalm. 63. 5, 6.
5. When our hearts are fired with longing desires after his presence of glory in heauen, 2. Cor. 5. 8.
Thus of our walking with God.
5.5. By honouring God. We should manifest our louelove to God by honouring him: For this is one speciall way by which God requires to hauehave our louelove shewed to him, Malac. 1. 6. Now there are many waies by which in our cōuersation we may declare our desire to honor our God:10. Waies of honouring God. As,
1. By performing the care of businesses that concerne his kingdom, aboue al other businesses, & shewing our respect of the duties of the first table, that concern God, before the duties that concerne men in the second table: we honouring him by seeking his kingdome first: First (I say) in the precedency of time, and first, in respect of the measure of our affections, Math. 6. shewing a desire to please him rather then all the world.
2. By making a bold & open profession of GODS truth vponupon all occasions, without feare of oppositions or snares of the world.
3. By grieuing heartily for his dishonours done vntounto him, by the blasphemies or prophanenesse of his enemies, Psal. 42. 3.
4. By directing all our actions to his glory, striuing in al the things to order them so, that some way God may be praised by vsus, or others, 1. Cor. 10. 31.
5. By our willingnesse to suffer any thing for his sake, though it were extremities, euen the losse of all worldly things, yea and life it selfe, if wee were called to it.
6. By honoring them that feare his name, and are begotten of him, and beare his Image, receiuing them, & making much of them, and defending them for the louelove we beare to God himselfe, Psalm. 15. 1. Ioh. 5. 1.
7. By hating them that are his enemies, as if they were our own, conceiuing more dislike of them for dishonouring God, then for any wrongs they could do vntounto vsus, Psal. 139. 21, 22.
8. Wee honour God, when we speak of the Oracles of God with alreuerence as may become the nature and glory of them, Commandement 3. 1. Pet. 4. 11.
9. We honour him by gifts bestowed vponupon him, when we bring to him our free-will offerings, such as are the first fruites of all our increase, when out of all things wherein God hath prospered vsus, we with gladnes consecrate a part for the furtherance of his worship, or the maintenance of his poore: Prou. 3. 6. Esay 60. 6.
10. Wee honour him, when we praise him. One vsuall way by which we honour great persons in the world, is by taking all occasions to magnifie them, by commending their vertues, or their worthy Acts: And this is likewise one great way of honouring God: & therefore with sorrow for our neglects herein, we should study his praises for the time to come, and striue for language to be able readily to doe so.
Now God is praised diuers wayes.Rules about the praise of God. Some of them belong not properly to this place, and therefore I will but touch them.
We praise God.
1. When we keepe and obserue carefully the solemnities set apart for his praise, as when wee celebrate the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, which is therfore called the Eucharist, because it is to be performed as a thanksgiuing, and praising of God.
2. When daily we take all occasions in priuate to blesse God for his daily mercies: but let these and such like passe, as not proper to this place. We must praise him in our discourse to others:When we commend God, diuers things are to be obscued. This is required of vsus in many Scriptures, Psa. 33. 1. Iob 36. 24. Psal. 96. 4. But because this must not bee done cursorily, diuers rules are to bee obserued: As,
1. That we may praise him effectually, wee must wisely consider of his workes, and so of his nature to extract from thence sound arguments of praise, Psalm. 64. 9.
2. We should do well for this purpose to keep Records, and Register vp the speciall glorious workes of God, Iob. 36. 24. & 37. 14. Psalm. 78. 7.
3. When we do praise him, it must be done with our whole heart, speaking of his prayses with all possible affection, and not as if we spake of ordinary things, Psalm. 9. 1.
4. VVe must thus praise him, not once, or for one worke of his, but wee must praise him for all his workes, especially his wonderous works, Psal. 9. 1. & 105. 1, 2. & 106. 2.
5. VVe must praise him from day to day, and continue to doe it, while wee liue, Psal. 63. 4. & 96. 3.
6. This is a duety, that all the kindreds of the people are bound to: All the people must praise him, Psalm. 148. 12, 13. & 96. 6, 7, 8.
Thus of the fift way of shewing our louelove to God, and that is by honouring him.
The sixth way by which wee must shew our louelove to God,6. By trusting in him. is, by trusting in him; As men shew, whom they louelove most, by relying most vponupon them, and their fauour and helpe; Now there are diuers cases, in which we must shew our trust in God.
1 By relying vponupon his mercy for our iustification and saluation: How wee must shew it that we trust God.and in this wee should most vse our trust, as being in a businesse that most highly concernes vsus, Esay 45. 24, 25.
2 By committing all our workes to him, for assistance in them▪ or successe of them: This is to commit our way to God to be carefull to seeke his assistance to helpe vsus, to doe our duty, and then to leaue the successe of all to his blessing, Psal. 37. 3, 5. Prou. 16. 3.
3 By beleeuing all that hee saith is true, whether hee promise, threaten, or comfort by his Word, vponupon all occasions beleeuing his Prophets, 2. Chro. 20. 20.
4 By staying our hearts vponupon him in all our distresses: How wee may proue that wee trust God in distresseNow in the time of distresse we may proue, that wee trust in God diuers waies:—As
1 By running to him, and powring out our hearts before him, making our moane vntounto him, Psa. 18. 2. & 62. 10. Looke amongst men, to whom we first run to make our moane in our distresse, and that person is he whom we most louelove, and trust: so is it toward God.
2 By casting our cares and burthens vponupon him, Psal. 55. 22.
3 By not respecting the proud, and such as turne aside to lies, Psal. 40. 4.
4 By relying vponupon his help, Ioel 3. 16. Esay 50. 11. but then we must obserue how wee must relye vponupon Gods helpe: For there are many things we must cast out of our hearts in affliction:In relying vponupon God in affliction, wee must auoid fiue things. When wee hauehave beene with the Lord and committed our selues to him, wee must relie vponupon him,
1 Without leaning to our owne vnderunder standing, or wilfull inclination to follow our owne courses, and proiects, Prou. 3. 5.
2 Without murmuring or repining at our condition, or vexing our selues at the prouidence of God toward vsus, Psal. 37. 7.
3 Without feare, that is, without mistrustfull feares, and seruile perturbations, imagining euils, which the Lord hath not brought vponupon vsus, Psal. 3. 6. & 27. 1.
4 Without vsing ill meanes to get out of distresse, Amos 5. 4, 6.
5 Yea, lastly, without care, that is, without distrustfull carking cares, Phil. 4. 6.
Thus of the sixth way of shewing our louelove to God, and that is by trusting in him.
The seuenth & last way,7. By obeying him. by which we must shew our louelove to God, is, To obey him: For this is the louelove of God, that wee keepe his commandements: Neither is the signe in this, that wee do what God requires for the matter, but that his cōmandements are not grieuous vntounto vsus: Wee louelove God, if wee louelove to doe his worke, and if wee lift vp our hearts in his waies, setting vponupon his work with a speciall readinesse, and strength of desire, and more then ordinary care, 1. Ioh. 5. 2. 2. Chron. 17. 6. & 19. 2.
Thus of the matter, that is, the things by which we must shew our louelove to God; The manner also is to bee considered: For in all those things which we would do at any time to prooue our louelove to God, we must look to the manner how wee do them, as was a little touched before:2. Things in the manner of shewing our louelove to God. Now distinctly wee must bring to the declaration of our louelove to God, two things;
1 Feruencie.
2 Feare.
For the first,1. Feruencie. wee must louelove God, and shew it in all the fruits of our louelove; How? Euen with all our hearts, and all our soules, and all our might, and all our vnderstanding. Our hearts must bee more inflamed then they are, in shewing louelove to wife, children, friends, parents, &c. Wee must louelove God aboue all, Deut. 6. 3. & 30. 6.
For the second,2. Feare. we must louelove God and shew it too, but it must be with feare. Howsoeuer with men true louelove casts our feare: yet God being so infinite in Glory and Maiestie, wee must louelove him, but yet with feare. Now that this may not be mistaken, I will set downe the particulars of this feare.
Wee must shew our feare:Eight wayes by which we shew our feare of God.
1 By entertaining awful thoughts of his dreadfull Maiestie, casting out all vile, meane, and vaine thoughts of him, Dan. 6. 26.
2 By departing from euill, that might any way displease him, being tender in this point, not daring to presume, or plead impunity, or freedome from danger, but in all things desire to auoide what might anger him, Prou. 3. 7.
3 By vsing all tearmes of hearty abasement of our selues, when wee come before him: Thus Abraham cals himselfe dust and ashes; and thus wee should humble our selues vnderunder the mighty hand of God, 1. Pet. 5. 9.
4 By doing his will, without fearing man, or any other creature, Esay 8. 12, 13.
5 By a daily and reuerent remembrance of his continuall holy presence.
6 By trembling at his iudgements, Psa. 4. 4. Hab. 2. vlt.
7 By the humble vsing of all the meanes of communion with God, vsing his Ordinances with all conuenient reuerence, attention, and abasement of our selues. Mal. 2. 5.
8. Lastly, By the reuerend vse of his very Titles, fearing that great, and fearefull Name of the Lord our God, Deut. 28. 58.