The Light of Faith, Part 2 · Section 1 – Section 2
§. I. The order.
THey that thus beleeueAgend…s. this matchleſſe louelove of God, and his exceeding kindeneſſe to them in Ieſus Rom. 5. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 14. P…al. 119. 9Chriſt, hauehave the louelove of God ſhed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghoſt, which will conſtraine them …o liue not to themſelues, but to him that dyed for them, and roſe againe. The rule of ſuch a life is Gods holy word, which in our language containeth Gods will concerning vsus. Wherefore it is to bee diligently attended, that wee may learne, what this life beſeeming the Goſpell, and a Chriſtian redeemed at ſo great a price may be: and vnderſtanding what the will of the Lord is, it is neceſſary that we order our conuerſation aright, an heart to which worke the Lord without doubt doth giuegive to as many as ſhall ſee his ſaluation.Pſal. 50. 23 Col. 1. 10. Pro. 10. 9. & 14 8 Gal 6. 16 Pſal. 84. 11.
If we ſhall thus doe, wee ſhall walke in all pleaſing, wee ſhall walke vprightly, and therefore ſurely, we ſhall vnderſtand our way; the wiſedome of a prudent man, m…rcy alſo ſhall bee vponupon vsus, and peace, neither will the Lord with-hold any thing that is good: for the Lord himſelfe is the ſunne and ſhield, hee will giuegive grace here, and glory hereafter, and no good … will he with-hold from t…em tha… walke vprightly. Vp then and be doing, and …e Lord will …e with th…e. But thou wi…ſ…y, what ſhould I doe… f…r…th direction, I preſ…nt th…e our of Gods word, an Abſtract of ſpeciall precepts, for the right ordering of thy conuerſation, wherein I deſire, not like an hand, to point it out to others, but as a fellow-traueller towards heauen, reſ…lue by Gods grace to be thy companion, to tread wit… a right foot, in the way of life. Come then, letEſa. 2. 3. vsus ioyntly walke in his pathes, and he will teach vsus of his waies.
The precepts of holy life, not reſtrained to a daily direction, are, firſt, general which concern, 1. The qualifying of our perſons, who would liue holily. 2. The helpes of an holy life. 3. The manner of wel-doing. ſecondly, particular, which order vsus towards God, other men, our ſelues. Firſt, the perſon ought to be rightly qualified, we being all by nature, a ſerpentine generation, that will bite by the heele, him that paſſeth on this way, and a ſwift Dromedary, trauerſing the waies that lead to the chambers of death; but not that broode of trauellers, the generationPſal. 24. 6. of them that ſeeke the face of the God of Iacob.
§. II Of the qualifying of the perſon that would lead a godly life.
1. VVHoſoeuer would1 The perſon qualified to walke in an holy life. liue, and that well, muſt be ſure that hee breake off his former ſinnes by vnſaigned repentance, and become a new man: and muſt looke to his faith, both to be aſſured of his reconciliatio …ith God through Ieſus Chriſt, and by beleeuing to draw forth vertue and grace from him to enable him to walke in the way of life: for the uncleane cannot walke in this way, Eſa 35. 8. 9it is called holy; but it is prepared for thoſe that beleeue and repent, and theſe way-faring men, Eph. 2. 2. Rom. 8. 8. 9. Gal 2 10. Ioh. 15 5.though fooles, ſhall not erre therein: till this alſo eueryevery man is dead in treſpaſſes and ſinnes, and walkes in the fleſh, and therefore cannot pleaſe God. It is faith by which we liue, or rather Chriſt liueth in vsus, now without him wee can doe nothing: but if wee abide in him, and he in vsus, we ſhall bring forth much fruit. We… are in our naturall eſtate, Lepers, ſhut without the Campe, and to ruſh into theſe walkes of new obedience, not cleanſed from this contagious leproſie, is to pollute and defile all wee touch, or hauehave to deale with. The true cauſe why many that hauehave entred on the profeſſion and practiſe of holy duties, hauehave made no happy progreſſe, and why ſome after long time hauehave fearefully fallen backe, is no other then this, they neuer laid a good foundation, or made a good entrance by ſound mortification. That it may not thus fare with vsus, l…t vsus know and practiſe what God requires of vsus, that wee might breake downe the power of our former ſinnes, and gaine ſome c…mfortable aſſurance of Gods louelove in Ieſus Chriſt, in the pardon of them, and ſo you muſt
1 Examine and try thy waies, and turne to the Lord; not contented that thou haſt heard ſay, we are all ſinners, n…r bearing thy ſelfe vponupon that knowle…ge of thy ſinnes, which thou canſt gaine by meaſuring thy ſelfe by thy ſelfe, leſt ſelfe-louelove and a deceitfull heart doe beguile thee. But the du…y required, is to ſearch and try thy ſ…lfe by the word of God, and thence to take a true ſurucy of thy naturall filthineſſe by ſinne; and, that thou maiſt lay it deepely to heart, take a rowle or bill of ſuch offences againſt each Commandement, as thou canſt directly accuſe thy ſelfe withall, and learne to gage thine owne heart by that perfect law: and becauſe wee are by nature ready to make a mocke Pro. 14. 9.of ſinne, (ſuch is our ſpirituall folly) therefore to know the heynous and odious nature of ſinne in Gods ſight, weigh what it is.
1 By the law, which ſheweth thee, it is the offence of an holy and infinite iuſtice and m…ieſty, and the breaking of a law which thine owne heart approueth, as ſpirituall, holy, iuſt, and good; it isRom 7. 12 ſuch an euill as ſeparates betwixt God and thee, it deſerues for its wages, death of body, of ſoule, of both for euer in hell.
2 By the Goſpell, which ſheweth thee plainely, that ſince Chriſt the Sonne of God, dyed for all, then were all dead; ſinne could neuer bee pardoned, and God reconciled with thee a ſinner in the leaſt offence, had not Chriſt his Sonne, as thy ſurety, become a curſe for thee, 2 Cor. 5. 14. 15.
3 By all other mercies of God to thee in ſoule and body, againſt which they hauehave beene committed, with many of which, by thee abuſed, they hauehave beene acted.
4 By the curſe it hath brought on the whole world, the earth, ſeas, viſible heauens, and all their hoſts, Rom. 8. 20. Gen. 3. 17. Deut. 28. 23. 24.
In taking thus the notice of thy ſinnes, bee aduiſed, with chiefeſt heed, to bring to light the ſinnes whereto by nature thou art more addicted; and hauehave ſtill in thine eye, ſome of thy notorious fals, with the circumſtances to aggrauate them. Thou ſhalt not faile to make a true diſcouery of thy ſin-guiltines, if thou proceed in this order.
Firſt withdrawing thy ſelfe in ſecret, ſet thy heart and wayes in Gods preſence and ſay, what Ier. 8. 6.hauehave I done? Aſke the Queſtion. What is it I hauehave done all my daies which if I lay on my death bed, and were ſummoned to the barre of Chriſts tribunall, would ſtrike me with terror if it were not forgiuen. Let conſcience now ſpeake, be ſtill and take the Anſwer, without hiding, diminiſhing, tranſlating, or excuſing (for haſt thou not to deale with God?) ſpare not one, no not the ſin of thy boſome, but in ſincerity as before the Lord deale truly: keepe them in memory, or rather note them if thou canſt; then ſecondly take the 10. Commandements and by the help of ſome that hauehave gathered the ſins againſt eueryevery commandement, marke out thine offences which the former way did not yet diſcouer: Thus ſhalt thou ſee thy tranſgreſſions, and this done, thou haſt ſtepped one good ſtep towards repentance, which ſtep is required of all that wil repent, as abſolutely neceſſary, and hath the promiſe. Lam. 3. 40. Ioh. 11. 13. Gal. 6. 3. Ier. 8. 6.
2. Confeſſe them before God with all openneſſe of heart, in the beſt words thou haſt, and beſeech him to giuegive thee words, who hath commanded thee to take vntounto thee words Hoſ. 14. 2. 1 Ioh. 1. 7 9 P…al. 32. 3. 4. 5.
3 This doe till thou attaine Godly ſorrow, and thy heart be broken and contrite, a ſacrifice which God will neuer deſpiſe. Pſal. 51. 17. the meaſure of thy ſorrow is right, i… it be ſuch as thou haſt or coldeſt vſe for worldly croſſes. Zech. 12. 10. 11. 12. but thy heart will neuer melt within thee, till thou …ring thy ſel…e to looke vponupon Chriſt the ſonne of God pierced on the Croſſe by thy ſinnes and wounded for thy tranſgreſſions, this ſight will pricke thee to the heart, and the beholding of ſuch matchleſſe louelove will not off without the teares of louelove.
Now this ſorrow is that which cauſeth repentance neuer to be repented of 2 Cor. 7. 11. and hath the promiſe Mat. 5. 5. Eſa. 61. 3. Zech. 13. 1. Ier. 31. 18. 19. 20.
4 Then apply the promiſes to thy ſelfe, both that in Ioh. 3. 16 and thoſe ſpeciall promiſes before mencioned, Happy is that man to whom any one word from God is a word of comfort: but by all the former promiſes thoſe that examine, confeſſe and mourne ouer their ſins are proued Bleſſed, for Chriſt dyed for them, all their ſins are f…rgiuen, and their vnrighteouſneſſe ſhall be clenſed
Pray you ouer theſe promiſes, that God would by his ſpirit giuegive thee a beleeuing heart and them a quickening vertue to put life into thee.
Let nothing ſhoulder out this worke. Doit, and that throughly that thou maieſt ſee the power of thy ſins abated and thy heart refreſhed in the aſſurance of Gods louelove before thou meddle with the following rules, elſe all thy labour wil beto no end. The ſame way let all thoſe take that hauehave loſt themſelues and their vprightneſſe, or God and his fauor by heedleſſe walking or preſumptuous ſinnes; the like be ſpoken to all that yet hauehave ſet no order in their liues though they hauehave of a long time beene offering and eſſaying in matters of religion, and to thoſe no leſſe, that yet hauehave not the aſſurance of the pardon of their ſinnes.
If thou haſt done it, or when thou haſt, then addreſſe thy ſelfe to the precepts following, which precepts concerne the helpes to an holy life.