A Guide to Godliness, Book 5 · Chapter 38
CAP. XXXVIII.
Of two other reaſons mouing vsus to a godly life: the one, taken from our effectuall Calling; the other, from our free Iuſtification by faith.
§. Sect. 1 That the benefit of our effectuall Calling ſhould moue vsus to ſerue God in the duties of a godly life.
THe ſixth benefit, is our effectual Calling, whereby the Lord vouchſafeth, by the preaching of the Goſpell, to make knowne vntounto vsus his good will and pleaſure, concerning the eternall ſaluation of our ſoules, in and for Ieſus Chriſt, and by the inward operation of his holy Spirit, working with the outward miniſtery, to beget in vsus a true and liuely faith, whereby wee apply vntounto our ſelues Chriſt Ieſus and all his benefits. For in the miniſtery of the Word, God not onelyonly offereth vntounto vsus Chriſt to be our Sauiour and Redeemer, but alſo prepareth and fitteth vsus to receiue him, giuing vntounto vsus a true ſight of our ſinne and miſery, by which our hearts are humbled and broken, and working in them an earneſt hungring and thirſting after Chriſt and his righteouſneſſe, that by him wee may be recouered out of our wretched eſtate, and attaine vntounto life and ſaluation by his merits and obedience. The which feruent deſires he graciouſly ſatisfieth, by working faith in vsus, grounded vponupon his infinite mercies, the all-ſufficient merits of Chriſt, and his free and indefinite promiſes, whereby we apply him vntounto vsus with all his benefits. So that in this benefit of our effectuall Calling, three things chiefly concurre: firſt, the ſauing hearing of the Word, whereby our eares and hearts are opened, and our minds inlightened with the knowledge of the great worke of Redemption wrought by Chriſt. Secondly, the donation of God the Father, whereby he offereth and giueth Chriſt vntounto vsus, to bee our Sauiour, and vsus vntounto Chriſt, to be ſaued and redeemed by him. Thirdly, inciſion into Chriſt, and vnion with him, he becomming our Head, and wee his members, the bond whereof, on his part, is his holy Spirit, and on our part, a true and liuely faith. All which affoord vntounto vsus ſtrong motiues to perſwade vsus vntounto all duties of a godly life. For firſt, what an incomparable benefit is this, that the Lord paſſing by innumerable others, who either neuer heard the ſound of the Goſpell, or hearing, hauehave made no benefit by it, wanting the inward aſſiſtance of his holy Spirit, hee ſhould both grant vntounto vsus this light, and alſo open our eyes that we ſhould behold it? and that he ſhould hereby chuſe and call vsus out of the corrupt maſſe of mankinde, which ſtil lyeth dead in ſinne, and make vsus true members of his Church, giuing Chriſt vntounto vsus, and vsus vntounto Chriſt, and vniting vsus vntounto him, as liuely members of his body, that we might be partakers of him and all his benefits? And how ſhould this affect our hearts, and prouoke vsus to make a right vſe of ſuch ineſtimable bleſſings, which is the end why God hath beſtowed them? For why hath he inlightened our eyes more then others, but that by the benefit of this light, we ſhould walke in the wayes of holineſſe Iob. 12. 35.and righteouſneſſe, and ſo glorifie him in our ſaluation? Wherefore hath he called and culled vsus out of the world, but that wee ſhould walke worthy of this high calling, and renouncing the world and worldly luſts, deuote our ſelues wholly to his ſeruice? Why hath hee giuen Chriſt vntounto vsus, and vsus vntounto Chriſt, but that hee might ſaue vsus from our ſinnes, not onelyonly in reſpect of their guilt and puniſhment, but alſo from their corruption, and that he raigning in vsus by his grace and holy Spirit, might depoſe ſinne and Satan from their regency, and ſuffer them no longer to rule and raigne in our mortall bodies? Why hath he vnited vsus vntounto Chriſt by his Spirit, but that wee ſhould bee led and ruled by it, and not by our owne luſts, and that we ſhould ſubmit our ſelues as becommeth members, to his gouernment, ſeeing it were a thing monſtrous in the body, for any inferiour part, to rebell againſt the Head, and to withdraw it it ſelfe from its regiment and iuriſdiction; and vtterly vnſutable, that ſo holy an Head ſhould hauehave any members delighting in wickedneſſe, and drawing it, as much as they are able, into the fellowſhip and communion 1. Cor. 6. 15.of the ſame ſinnes? And that this is the maine end of our calling, that we ſhould glorifie God by ſeruing him in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe, it is cleere and euident by the Scriptures. For the Apoſtle telleth vsus, that God hath not called vsus vntounto vncleanneſſe, but vntounto holineſſe, that the grace of 1. Theſ. 4. 7. Tit. 2. 11, 12.God which bringeth ſaluation, appearing or ſhining vntounto vsus, in the miniſtery of the Goſpell, teacheth vsus to deny vngodlineſſe and worldly luſts, and to liue ſoberly, righteouſly, and godly in this preſent world: which leſſon if we learne not, we had been better to hauehave ſate ſtill in darkneſſe, ſeeing our knowledge will but aggrauate our ſinne, and increaſe our condemnation, according to that of the Apoſtle, To him that knoweth to doe good, and doth it not, to him it is ſinne; and that of our Sauiour, The ſeruant that knoweth his Ioh. 9. 31. Jam. 4. 17. Luk. 12. 47.Maſters will, and doth it not, ſhall be beaten with many ſtripes. Finally, our Sauiour telleth vsus, that if we be grafted in him, we muſt bring forth fruit; ſeeing eueryevery branch that beareth not fruit, he taketh away, and caſteth forth as a branch that is dead and withered, and men gather them and caſt them into the Ioh. 15. 2, 6.fire, and they are burned. And therefore if wee would hauehave any aſſurance that we are effectually called, that Chriſt is ours, and we his, and that being vnited vntounto him, as liuely members of his body, we hauehave right vntounto him, and all his benefits, let vsus, as the Apoſtle exhorteth, walke worthy the vocation Epheſ. 4. 1. 2. Pet. 1. 10.wherewith we are called; and as the Apoſtle Peter perſwadeth, Let vsus make our Calling and Election ſure, by adding one vertue vntounto another, and bringing forth the fruits of them all in a godly and Chriſtian life.
§. Sect. 2 The ſecond reaſon taken from our Iuſtification, and the fruits which follow it.
Finally, the benefit of our Iuſtification, with all the fruits that doe follow it, are ſo many ſtrong motiues to incite vsus vntounto the duties of a godly life: for God, in our Iuſtification, of his free grace, imputing vntounto vsus the death and obedience of Ieſus Chriſt, hath forgiuen vsus all our ſinnes, and pronounced vsus iuſt and righteous, in his righteouſneſſe. By which ineſtimable benefit, he hath bound vsus to ſerue and glorifie him in all holy duties, who hath done ſo great things for vsus. For ſeeing there is no euill, like the euill of ſinne, no tyranny and bondage alike miſerable, therefore when God of his free grace hath freed vsus from it, wee muſt with all care flee ſinne, and take heed, that wee doe not againe come into this thraldome. And ſeeing he hath forgiuen vsus ſo great a debt, let this make vsus Luk. 7. 47.louelove him much, and expreſſe our louelove, by ſeruing and pleaſing him in the duties of holineſſe and righteouſneſſe. The which vſe the Apoſtle maketh of this benefit, namely, that being dead vntounto ſinne, that is, freed from Rom. 6. 10, 12, 18.the power and tyranny of it, and aliue vntounto God, we ſhould not let ſinne any longer raigne in our mortall bodies, that we ſhould obey it in the luſts thereof, but that we ſhould yeeld our ſelues vntounto God, as thoſe that are aliue from the dead, and our members as inſtruments of righteouſneſſe vntounto God; and that being made free from ſinne, we ſhould become the ſeruants of righteouſneſſe. Which if we doe not, we can hauehave no aſſurance that wee are redeemed by Chriſt and iuſtified; ſeeing the ſame vertue and power of Chriſts death and Reſurrection, which taketh away the guilt and puniſhment of our ſinnes in Epheſ. 5. 25, 26. 1. Pet. 2. 24.our Iuſtification, is as effectuall to ſanctifie vsus in the killing and crucifying of our corruptions, and our ſpirituall quickening to holineſſe and newneſſe of life in our ſanctification, and as well did there iſſue out of his pierced ſide the water of ablution, to cleanſe vsus from the pollution of ſinne, as the blood of Redemption to free vsus from the guilt and puniſhment. The fruits alſo which follow our Iuſtification, doe effectually perſwade vsus to ſerue God in all the duties of a godly life. For ſeeing wee are reconciled vntounto God by the death of Chriſt, our care muſt bee to walke in ſuch a courſe as may preſerue vsus in his louelove: for Chriſt hath, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh, reconciled vsus in the body of his fleſh through death, to preſent Col. 1. 21, 22.vsus, holy, vnblameable, and vnreprooueable in his ſight. We hauehave receiued the Spirit of Adoption crying in our hearts, Abba Father, that it may be alſo Rom. 8. 15.in vsus the Spirit of Sanctification, and inable vsus to pleaſe God in al things, as it beſeemeth his children. And in whomſoeuer this Spirit is, them it regenerateth, raiſing them from the death of ſinne, to the life of righteouſneſſe. Epheſ. 3. 12.So our free acceſſe to the Throne of grace, ſhould make vsus take heed of ſinne, which will be as a wall of ſeparation betweene God and vsus, and to liue in ſuch holineſſe of life, as may ſtill preſerue our confidence in making our ſuits knowne vntounto God. The louelove of God ſhed abroad in Rom. 5. 5.our hearts by the holy Ghoſt, will inflame them with louelove towards him, and make vsus carefull to approue it, by liuing according to his will. The peace of God following our Iuſtification by faith, and paſſing all vnderſtanding, Rom. 5. 1.muſt make vsus diligent in ſhunning thoſe things which might diſturbe it, and imbracing and practiſing ſuch vertues and holy duties as will preſerue it. Our ſpirituall ioy and reioycing in God, will make vsus auoyd all knowne ſinnes which would interrupt our ioy, and turne it into Rom. 5. 3.ſorrow, and to pleaſe the Lord in all things, that his face and fauour may make vsus ſtill glad. Our hope of heauenly happineſſe will alſo much incourage vsus in the worke of our ſanctification: for as many as hauehave this 1. Ioh. 3. 2, 3.hope, that they ſhall be like Chriſt in glory, purge themſelues, as he alſo is pure, as the Apoſtle teacheth vsus. In a word, there is no benefit accompanying grace and ſaluation, which may not ſerue as an effectuall reaſon to moue vsus to the practice of all holy duties, both out of thankefulneſſe towards God for ſuch ineſtimable gifts, and for the better aſſuring our ſelues, that we hauehave receiued them, ſeeing God hauing giuen them all vntounto vsus for this end, we hauehave no reaſon to perſwade our ſelues, that wee hauehave any intereſt in them, vnleſſe they further vsus to it, and ſtirre vsus vp in ſome meaſure to glorifie God in all the duties of an holy life. And therefore if wee hauehave any louelove towards God, wrought in vsus by ſo many rich mercies, or any true louelove towards our ſelues, which is chiefely ſhewed in ſeeking the aſſurance of ſuch ineſtimable benefits; let vsus aboue all things labour and indeuour to ſerue and pleaſed God, by bringing forth the fruits of holineſſe and righteouſneſſe, in the whole courſe of our liues and conuerſations.