The Young Mans Guide, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Of the well-ordering our Actions.
III. AS thy Thoughts and Words must be well ordered, so likewise thy Actions, and that in the whole course of thy life. This the Apostle intendeth, Phil. 1. 27. Let your conversation be such as becometh the Gospel of Iesus Christ; that is, as you have imbraced the Gospel of Christ, and made a Profession of Religion; so see that your Conversation be suitable and answerable thereunto: thereby manifesting the power of the Gospel in you. Oh how sad a sight is it to see men making a Profession of Religion, instead of adorning the same with a godly life, disgracing it, and denying the power thereof in their loose and carnal conversation! Let such talk what they will of their Faith, that they do believe in Jesus Christ; and therefore doubt not their condition is as good as the best; yet let them know, that that Faith will not save them, which brings not forth a godly life. Though Faith alone justifies, yet Faith which is alone, not accompanied with good works, doth not justifie, nor save. It is a dead Faith, Jam. 2. 20. Wilt thou hope to live by that Faith which is dead?
Young men, let it not content you to be only believing, but be doing Christians: be not professing only, but be living Believers. Hast thou Grace? prove that thy Grace is true by this, that thou hast not received the Grace of God in vain. Let thy love prove thy Faith, and thy labours of love prove thy love, and the fruit of thy labours prove that thou hast not either believed, or laboured in vain. Be a Christian for action; let Religion be not only thy Profession, but thy business. Let it not be the business of thy Sabbaths, or of thy praying times, but let it be the ordinary business of thy life; let thy whole course evidence, that Godliness is not an Airy, or empty notion, an insignificant and useless form or shew; but that there is a spirit of life and power in it, which worketh in thee mightily.
That thy actions, and the way of thy life may be according to Godliness; I shall give thee,
1. Some general.
2. Some particular Directions.
General Directions are these.
1. Ingage thy self deeply in a design for Eternity. Resolve for Heaven, and the way that leads to it. Be not longer a man for this world, but for the Everlasting Kingdom; and study out with plainness of heart, what is the surest way to the blessedness to come; and what ever thou findest it to be, what ever Objections thou meetest with against it, let that be thy way. Studiously consider how thou mayst get into that way, and contrive and cast about how thou mayst effectually make progress in it.
Godliness is the way to blessedness; and therefore let that be thy great study, how thou mayst live godly. Till thou hast in good earnest taken up a godly design, thou wilt never do any thing to purpose in it. The most of men are so far from living a godly life, that they have not yet designed any such thing. Some good may be done at times by them, but it is only as it falls in their way, by accident, rather than upon any serious good intent. This God regards not at all, nothing is acceptable to him, no nor like to be profitable to us, but what is done upon design, upon this godly design. When the series or course of our actions do, as the several Links in a Chain, all hang together, and draw all one way, then there's like to be something done to purpose. When there is only some little good scattered up and down, here a Link of the Chain, and there another, but not joyned in a Chain together, they will not help us on our way. Let that therefore be your first care, take up an heavenly design, and therein let all your particular acts of Religion hang together.
2. Let thy whole life be a prosecuting and serving thy godly design. And that thou mayst the more effectually prosecute it, and prosper in it,
1. Let Faith and Love be the Root of thy life, and the several actions of it.
2. Let the Word and Will of God be the rule of thy actions.
3. Let the glorifying and injoying God be the end of them.
1. Let Faith and Love be the root of thy actions.
1. Let Faith be the root of them, 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the Commandment is Charity out of a pure heart, and a good Conscience, and [Faith unfeigned.] Heb. 11. 6. without Faith it is impossible to please God. Our persons must be accepted first, before our actions, and neither the one nor the other will be accepted without Faith in Christ, Heb. 11. 4.
A godly life, and a life of Faith, are the same. A life of Faith hath its Original from above, is fetch'd down from Christ, and is maintained and carried on by a continual supply of fresh influences from him, without whom we can do nothing. If thou wilt live godly, thou must look to Christ, and lean on Christ, and go to Christ for all thy strength and motion. A Christian is beholding to Christ for every good motion he moves, for every Grace he hath, and for every good duty he doth.
Carnal Professors are beholding only to their Books, or their Teachers, or their Acquaintance, or their Parts, their Understanding, their Memories, &c. Nay, it may be to their Flesh, and their Lusts, for all their Religion: they would not pray as they do, nor take such pains to hear as they do, nor profess as they do, did not their pride, or their covetousness, or their company prompt and press them to it. But the Religion of a sincere Christian, whatever advantage it may have from Books, or Teachers, or good Society, yet it springs and rises all from Christ. That Faith, which is their Root, uniting them to Christ, doth also, as their root, suck such spirits, and sap, and strength from Christ, and convey it to their Souls, that they are thereby furnished for, and quickned to every good …. Let it be thus with thee, O Soul; let thy Faith i… Christ be the root from whence all thy actions, and … strength for action comes.
2. Let Love be the root of thy life. Let thy duties be the works of Faith, and labours of Love. The love of Christ constraineth us, 2 Cor. 5. 14. Christians love Christ, both his Person, and holy ways; and thence 'tis they follow him so fast. They love to be holy, and therefore follow Holiness; they love to pray, and love to hear, and love to labour for Christ, and to watch with Christ, and walk with him; and therefore 'tis they live a Praying, Hearing, Labouring, Watchful life. Love quickens them to duty, and love sweetens every duty. Young Man, thou wilt never bear through the hard services, and great severities of a godly life, thou wilt never …old out in that constant care, labour, watchfulness, self-denial, which Religion will put thee upon, unless thy love to Christ do quicken thee on, and sweeten all to thee.
Carnal Professors, whatever they do, they do all for fear, or from force or fashion; they would be bad enough, or do little enough, if they did dare, if they were not afraid, or ashamed, or were it not from the influence of some things external upon them. Though thou also must make use of fear, and all manner of Arguments and helps to lead and press on thy backward heart, yet see to it, that thy love to Christ be the main Spring that sets all thy Wheels a going: this will both give vigour, and a sweet relish to all thou dost: and according to this, according to what love there is in thy duties, so will thy acceptance be with God.
2. Let the Word and Will of God be the Rule of thy life, Psal. 119. 9. Wherewithal shall a Young Man cleanse his way? The question may be inlarged, wherew…thal shall a Young, or Old Man, cleanse and order his way? And the Answer will be the same, By taking heed thereto, according to thy Word. This Word is a Light to the feet, and a Lanthorn to the steps: it sheweth thee what is good, and that good must be done: it sheweth thee what is evil, and what evil is to be avoided: it sheweth thee what good is to be done, and how; what evils are to be eschewed, and how thou mayst avoid them.
Young Man, do not (as the most of thine Age use to do) be unruly, live not according to thy unruly head or heart, according to thy unruly lusts and passions, but live by rule; live not by the rule of Custom, or by the rule of example, after the course of this World; but let God be thy Ruler▪ and his Law be thy Rule. As many as walk according to this rule, peace shall be on them, and mercy, Gal. 6. 16. Enquire diligently, what would God have me do? How would God have me live? Would God have me live an idle life? Would God have me to swear, or to lye, or to covet? Is not this it, that the Lord would have me do, to deny all ungodliness, and worldly lusts, and to live righteously, and soberly, and godly in this present world? Tit. 2. 12. And if this be it, that the Lord would have, go and live accordingly.
3. Let the glorifying and enjoying of God be the end of thy life, and of all the duties and actions of it. Let this be the scope of thy life, the mark at which thou aimest, that thou mayst honour God, and be happy in him. And that thou mayst eye and pursue both these in one, let this be the aim and intent of thine heart in thy whole course, To work out thine own Salvation, Phil. 2. 12. In this one work is included all that thou hast to do or mind. In this thou wilt best glorifie God, and secure his everlasting love to thine own Soul.
Therefore upon this set thine eye, and thine heart in all thy ways: So that if the question be put, wherefore livest thou? wherefore livest thou thus? thus holily, thus humbly, thus watchfully, thus self-denyingly? that thou mayst be able to answer, Why, I live thus, that herein I may work out my Salvation. Resolve to set thy self about nothing, nor to allow thy self in any thing concerning which thou art not able to say, I am herein working out my Salvation, I am herein serving the Lord, and endeavouring the saving mine own Soul.
Young Man, dost thou live to this end? what goest thou so often to the Alehouse, or the Tavern for? Is that to serve God, and save thy Soul? what is the intent of thy greediness upon the world, of thy sensual, licentious life, of thy scoffing at the strictness of Religion, dost thou all this also for the pleasing of God, and working out thine own Salvation? Canst thou say when thou art Drinking and Revelling, when thou art swearing and Lying, or when thou art loytering and playing away thy time, canst thou then say, Now I am serving of God, herein I am working out my Salvation? Or when thou art playing the Hypocrite, and Formalist, professing, and praying, and hearing, and talking of God, and the matters of Religion deceitfully, out of pride, or for ostentation, or so coldly and negligently as thou ordinarily dost, canst thou then say, I am now praying for my life, bearing for my life? Will thy pride and thy hypocrisie bring thee to Heaven? Are these false Duties, that have nothing but a Lye at the bottom, that are the Covert of a rotten heart, are these they on which thou meanest to adventure thy Salvation?
Young Man, if thou wouldst in earnest make this thine aim indeed, the serving of God, and saving thy Soul, and have thine eye and thine heart much upon it, this would both discover to thee, whether thy way were right or wrong, and also fetch thee off from all thy vain and wicked ways, and quicken thee on in, and hold thee close to that righteousness, sobriety, and godliness of life, which is indeed the way to blessedness. Thus much for General Directions.