The Way of Life, Title page – To the reader
The way of Life. OR, GODS VVAY AND COURSE, IN BRINGING THE SOULE INTO, keeping it in, and carrying it on, in the wayes of life and peace.
Laid downe in foure severall Treatises on foure Texts of Scripture.
viz.
The pouring out of the Spirit, on Zach. 12.10, 11, &c.
Sins deadly wound, on Acts 2.37.
The Christians Charge, on Prov. 4.23.
The life of Faith, on Gal. 2.19, 20.
By that learned and judicious Divine, and faithfull Minister of Iesus Christ, JOHN COTTON.
COLOS. 3.3, 4.
For yee are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God; when Christ who is our Life shall appeare, then shall yee also appeare with him in glory.
LONDON, Printed by M.F. for L. Fawne, and S. Gellibrand, at the Brasen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard. 1641.
To the Reader.
HEE resolved well that said, Books and friends would I have few and choice; He advised well that wisht, Be courteous to all, familiar with few: Many there are both books and men that meet us in our journey to heaven, whom, a man that knowes what he hath to doe, would not once deigne to salute; others, whom he would grudge any more then a courteous salutation at most: Amid all that almost infinite riety of Bookes that offer themselves to our view, (wherein it is both an easie and an ordinary thing for a man, while he travels after knowledge, to wander and lose himselfe) it is not the least part of a mans wisdome to cull out such, as he may most familiarly converse withall; Next to the Book of books, such most deservedly challenge an interest in our thoughts, as conduce most to that which is the end of man, for which the Book of God it selfe was writ, that is, to bring man unto a conformity to God, into a Communion with God, which end they are like to attaine according as they more or lesse discover those deep and hidden things, which are laid up in that sacred Treasury; That is the scope, this the way of this worke, that wee may live unto God, that we may live with God.
Nothing but sin parts God and us, stands betwixt us and our happinesse, puts us at a distance from God, sets us at difference with God; what a deale of heartbreaking! what bitternesse of soule doth it cost to get sin removed out of the way! every sin is a seed of sorrow, brings forth some thirty, some sixty, some an hundred fold. Of all sins, such as reflect upon Christ, cut the deepest, wound the sorest, such as are committed against the clearest light, the dearest love, the tendrest mercy, the richest grace, the greatest goodnesse; what ever it cost, that the soule may live, sin must die, yet live it will in the soule, while the soule lives here in the body; live it wil, though but as a disarmed, wounded enemy; yet what security to that man that lodges a firebrand, a Traitor in his house, in his bosome! that hath troups of enemies without to besiege him, within to betray him! A Christian never wants work, his work lies mainly within doores; He that knowes his heart, knowes how hardly it is brought into a good frame, and how soone it is out againe; he has that in him that is ever working his ruine, that undoes as fast as he can doe, nay that oft undoes that in an houre, that was not done nor can be repaired in a day, in a month, in a yeare.
We need continually watch that fountaine whence we fetch all our water, if enemies watch to poyson it; the heart is both the best and the worst piece in a man, there is the greatest good and the greatest evill; if any thing of price in a man, it is in the heart, wee need keep that, least we be spoiled of our treasure; if any evill in a man, it is most in the heart, where it does most mischiefe, as fire in the bed straw, in the bosome; we need watch that, lest the whole course of nature be set on fire.
What small power have we over our owne spirits! how little are we able either to turne them, or to keep them so when they are well; but let the heart bee brought into never so gracious and sweet a frame, let grace be accompanied with peace, and peace with joy; yet how little can we doe with our grace, if God leave us to work in the strength of it! nay how soone will our graces die, and our comforts wither? such a smoak ascends out of that bottomlesse pit within us, the clouds will soone grow so thick and black, as will soon damp our spirits, darken our joy; such assaults from within and without as will soone disturb our peace, such workings and rageings of corruption as will soon eate up our graces; unlesse faith comes in both to feed and to fence both graces and comforts, to subdue those corruptions, to scatter those clouds, to dispell that smoak, to beat back those oppositions, and so secure the soule from all invasions and incursions of the enemy. What is the reason we are ever and anon at a losse both in our comforts and duties? that our joy is so soone blasted, our peace disturbed, our graces deaded, but because we have not continuall recourse by faith to the fountaine of life, to our Sun to revive us, to refresh us, to our shield to protect us, to defend us? What is the reason our colour comes and goes; our courage, comfort, hearts, hopes rise and fall, live and die so oft in a day? why we live by sense, by reason; we feed upon, live upon, look upon creatures, creature-comforts, props, armes of flesh, parts, gifts, duties; our eyes, hearts, hopes are fixed, staied, hang upon vaine, empty, mutable, deceitfull things, persons, lying; dying vanities; Could we but look beyond all these things, all created beeings, and eie Him that it invisible, rest upon the Rock of Ages, keep to the Fountain of living waters, we might live above the world, above all the crosses and comforts under heaven; live like our selves, above our selves, live in heaven while we walk on the earth: Let the world run round, turn upside down,Psal. 25.13. our soules might dwell at ease, we should not see when heat comes,Jer. 17.8. nor be carefull in the yeare of drought, we might live in the mouth of death, goe conquering through the world, despising all that it can doe, either for us or against us; contemning the good, slighting the evill of it; triumphing over all the powers of darknesse: This the Saints have reached even in this life, Rom. 8.31. to the end. Heb. 11.
That we are such strangers to these things is both a dishonour to Christ our head that does so fully and freely offer himselfe unto us; a disparagement to that glorious grace of faith that can work such wonders, if it be put to it; an unspeakable disadvantage to our selves, who might if we were not wanting to our selves, live as much in one day as some of us doe in seven: This is the drift of the last of these Treatises, to acquaint us with this heavenly art, this glorious mystery: It is true, others have to good purpose travelled in this point; the more we owe to God that we have contributions from the light and experience of so many, the more shame to us that are so wanting in that, wherein wee have so much advantage, though it so much concerne Gods glory and our owne comfort. It were no disparagement to any that hath gone before, if I should say, I never yet met with the point handled more methodically, fully, briefly, clearly, sweetly.
The whole work is such as will commend it selfe to every judicious head and gracious heart; full of precious, sweet, experimentall truths, all bottomed upon the word of truth; the points naturall, the proofes pregnant, the method plain and easie, the expressions not such as mans wisdome teacheth, but such as the holy Ghost teacheth. Neither the Author nor the work need my poore testimony or letters of Commendation, to gaine authoritie to the one or respect to the other, where either of them are knowne, they will beare witnesse to each other.
Ever since I have had any knowledge of the Reverend judicious Author, I have lookt upon him as one intrusted with as great a part of the Churches treasure (let no man be offended if I speak my owne thoughts) as any other whatsoever; his Ministery spirituall and powerfull, full of majesty, authority; a learned Scribe, a dexterous workman, abundant in labours: What matter of lamentation is it, that the Church of God in this Kingdome should among many others, lose such a burning and shining light!
How gratefull it may be to this Reverend Author, that this work of his should come abroad into the publike view and censure, I know not, but that it will be very welcome to the Church of God (whose he himselfe is) I doubt not.
I could have wished (if it might have been) that it had passed under his own censure, and then it needed not feare the censure of any other; but seeing it was designed for the Presse, that desire I had of the publike good, & that respect I have ever owed the Author, inclined me to lend it best furtherance I could, that others might receive as much benefit, he himselfe sustain as little prejudice as might be.
The Lord teach us thankfully to accept and enjoy all his mercies, faithfully to employ all our Talents, fruitfully to improve all the meanes, opportunities, helps and furtherances he is pleased to vouchsafe unto us for our soules advantage.
Thine in the service of the Gospel; WILLIAM MORTON.