A Guide to Godliness, Book 4 · Chapter 5
CAP. V.
Of the properties of Chriſtian and holy duties, which reſpect their cauſes efficient and finall.
§. Sect. 1 That all duties ſhould ſpring from the louelove of God.
AND theſe are the properties which reſpect the duties themſelues. The properties which concerne the manner of doing them, are diuers, and reſpect either the cauſes that mooue vsus to performe them, or our diſpoſition in doing them. The cauſes are either efficient, or finall. The efficient cauſe mouing vsus to performe all the duties of a godly life, ought to be the louelove of God, which is the fountaine of true obedience, and ſhould bee ſo powerfull in vsus, that we ſhould thereby be moued to ſerue, like children, our heauenly Father, though there were no reward promiſed to our ſeruice, which is the motiue that induceth mercenaries and ſeruants, rather then children, to doe their duty. For howſoeuer we may in our obedience hauehave an eye with Moſes, to the recompence of reward; yet the chiefe argument Heb. 11. 25.that preuaileth with vsus, ought to be, not the louelove of our ſelues, and out of it, the deſire of our owne ſaluation; but the louelove of God, who is the chiefe Goodneſſe, whoſe glory is much to bee preferred before our owne good. Neither is it enough that the louelove of God accompany our actions, and that they be done in and with it, as running together (as it were) in the ſame ſtreame, but alſo that it be the fountaine from which all our obedience doth ſpring and flow. Conſider we therefore when wee vndertake the performance of any Chriſtian duty, what is the cauſe that moueth vsus vntounto it; and if we finde, that it is louelove of the world, or louelove of our ſelues, either to obtaine a reward, or to auoyd puniſhment, temporall or eternall, let vsus put it backe as comming out of due place, and labour that the louelove of God, which is much more worthy, may hauehave the precedency, as the firſt and chiefe motiue that perſwadeth vsus to well-doing.
§. Sect. 2 That we muſt propound Gods will, and our obedience thereunto in all duties.
Secondly, we muſt propound vntounto our ſelues, in all the duties of a godly life, the will of God, and his glory, in yeelding obedience vntounto it, as the maine ſcope and end of all our actions; deſiring chiefly and in the firſt place (as our Sauiour hath taught vsus to pray) that wee may hallow and glorifie Gods Name, by doing his will. And if wee will performe vntounto God acceptable ſeruice, wee muſt therein deny our ſelues and our owne wills, and yeeld our ſelues in abſolute obedience to the will of God; praying, becauſe he will hauehave vsus pray, hearing and reading his Word, becauſe it is his will that we ſhould do ſo, giuing almes, and doing works of mercy, that we may pleaſe him by doing his will; yea ſeeking the ſaluation of our owne ſoules, not chiefly becauſe we deſire it for our owne good; but becauſe his will is to glorifie himſelfe in our ſaluation and happineſſe. Ioh. 6. 39, 40.For Gods will is the cauſe of cauſes; and as all things came from it, ſo muſt all things tend vntounto it as their maine ſcope and end. It is that which gaue firſt being to our wills, and preſerueth them in it; and therefore they muſt not be abſolute in themſelues, but in all things yeeld to the will of their Creator, willing whatſoeuer they will, becauſe God firſt willeth it. It is the rule of righteouſneſſe and all perfection, and all things are iuſt and vniuſt, perfect or imperfect, ſtraight or crooked, as they agree or differ from it; and therefore there is no goodneſſe in our wills, no not in the chuſing and imbracing of the beſt actions and duties that can be named, but onelyonly ſo farre forth as we conforme them to the will of God, and doe all we doe in obedience vntounto it. And if firſt and chiefly we performe vntounto God any ſeruice, becauſe our will and deſire leadeth vsus vntounto it, and not principally in this reſpect, becauſe God willeth it, and would hauehave vsus alſo to will and doe it, it doth hereby loſe all grace and beauty, and ſo alſo all reward at Gods hand, ſeeing we ſerue not him, but our ſelues, when wee aime not chiefly at the doing of his will, that wee may pleaſe and glorifie him, but of our owne. Neither are our actions chiefly to bee eſteemed good or euill according to the matter, but according to the maine ſcope and end of them which giueth them their denomination; nor is any act, ſeeme it neuer ſo glorious, to be eſteemed Gods ſeruice, which is not done in obedience vntounto him, nor any obedience which hath not conformity with his will. In which regard it may be truly ſaid, that the baſeſt workes of the moſt ſeruile calling, done by a faithfull Chriſtian, in ſimple obedience to the will of God to glorifie him, are more pleaſing vntounto him, and eſteemed for better ſeruice then the praier and faſting, hearing the Word, and giuing almes of Phariſaical hypocrites, which are done either for the praiſe of men, or as workes ſatisfactory to Gods iuſtice, and to merit by them their owne ſaluation. Finally, if wee performe all good duties not as our owne will, but as the will of God, and labour in all things that his will may chiefly ſway and rule in ours, wee ſhall heereby adde much excellency vntounto all our good actions. For ſeeing the action receiueth worth and dignity from the agent, in which regard the ſame thing done by a mighty Prince, is eſteemed highly, which in an ordinary and meane perſon is little regarded; therefore muſt needs all good duties bee much more excellent, when the will of God is the chiefe motiue that ſetteth vsus on worke, and not our owne will, ſeeing they proceed from a much more excellent cauſe.
§. Sect. 3 That all true ſeruice is done in obedience to Gods will.
Wee muſt therefore, in all Chriſtian duties, propound this vntounto our ſelues, as our principall and maine ſcope, that the will of God, and Ioh. 5. 30. and 6. 38.not our owne, may bee done in them; according to the example of our Sauiour Chriſt, who did not his owne will, but the will of him that ſent him. We muſt labour after Regeneration, not as the act of our owne will, but of Gods. For we are borne againe, not of blood, nor of the will of the fleſh, nor Ioh. 1. 13.of the will of man, but of God. We muſt labour to be ſanctified, becauſe this is the will of God, euen our ſanctification; that we may liue no longer the reſt of 1. Theſ. 4. 3. 1. Pet. 4. 2.our time in the fleſh, to the luſts of men, but to the will of God. Wee muſt pray, and in all things giuegive thanks, becauſe this is the will of God in Ieſus Chriſt. Yea, 1. Theſ. 5. 18.whatſoeuer we doe, we muſt doe it, not as our owne will, but as the will of God. The which is not onelyonly to be obſerued in the high and excellent duties of Gods immediate ſeruice, but euen in the baſeſt and moſt ſeruile actions, euen in the duties of the pooreſt and meaneſt ſeruants, who muſt, in performing ſeruice to their Maſters, propound vntounto themſelues as their mayne ſcope, not their owne profit, nor the doing of their owne or their Maſters will, but the will of God which requireth it at their hands. For ſo the Apoſtle exhorteth ſeruants to be obedient vntounto their Maſters, and to Eph. 6. 6.ſerue them with feare and ſingleneſſe of heart, as vntounto Chriſt; not with eye-ſeruice, as men-pleaſers, but as the ſeruants of Chriſt, doing the will of God from the heart. And as in our doings, ſo likewiſe in our ſufferings, we muſt with the Apoſtle, and our Sauiour Chriſt himſelfe, chiefly aime at this, that the Act. 21. 14. Mat. 26. 39, 42.will of the Lord may be done in them. For thoſe only that ſuffer according to Gods will, receiue the promiſe; and ſuch alone can with confidence commit Heb. 10. 36.the keeping of their ſoules to him in well-doing, as vntounto a faithfull Creatour, 1. Pet. 4. 19.as the Apoſtle Peter ſpeaketh. Now that we may be mooued thus to ſeeke, that Gods will may be done in all our actions, let vsus conſider, that there is no true obedience which hath not this as the maine ſcope of it; that if we thus doe, we ſhall be accepted of God, and with Dauid bee approoued, as men according to Gods owne heart. That we ſhall heereby be aduanced to Act. 13. 22. Ioh. 7. 17. Mat. 12. 50.great honour, and be made of Gods owne Priuy Councell, by the illumination of his Spirit; yea, next a kinne to our Sauiour Chriſt. That God will heare all our prayers; for the blinde man could ſee this, that if any Ioh. 9. 31.man be a worſhipper of God, and doe his will, him he heareth. And if in our Petitions we deſire that Gods will may be done in ours, we are ſure to hauehave 1. Ioh. 5. 14.them granted, as the Apoſtle Iohn telleth vsus. Finally, that thoſe onelyonly ſhall attaine vntounto euerlaſting life, who indeuour in all things to doe Gods will, for he that doth the will of God, abideth for euer, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh; 1. Ioh. 2. 17.and not hee that ſaith, Lord, Lord, ſhall enter into the Kingdome of Heauen, Mat. 7. 21.but he that doth the will of our Father which is in heauen, as our Sauiour teacheth vsus.