Advice to an Only Child, Chapter 5 – Chapter 8
CHAP. V. Of Living in Love to God and Chriſt.
1. LIve in love to God and Jeſus Chriſt, do all things out of a principle of Love to God your Father, and Jeſus Chriſt the only Saviour. God muſt be loved as your ultimate end, the enjoyment of whom is the Souls everlaſting bleſſedneſs, and Chriſt as Mediator muſt be loved, as the only way whereby we are reconciled to God, and come to obtain that bleſſedneſs. If you live not in the love of God, how can you ever expect to live in his favour, or that he will either accept you, or your Services? for it is this Love that perfumes all our actions, and makes them a ſweet Odour unto God. Love to God is the very Life and Soul of all Natural Religion, and Love to Chriſt is the Spirit and Vital principle, that animates all Evangelical Duties, which are required by the New Covenant, and therefore no duty will be acceptible without it.
2. Look well to it, that your love to God and Chriſt be a ſingular, ſuperlative, tranſcendent Love, a Love that out-ballanceth all other Love whatſoever. It muſt be the higheſt degree, the very Cream, Flower and Top of your Affection. I do not mean in reſpect of the paſſionateneſs of it (for your love to Creatures may be more paſſionate) but in reſpect of the high eſtimation of him, adhering to him, and readineſs to forego all for him, you muſt value the Intereſt of God in Chriſt above your own, nothing muſt have more of your heart. Chriſt muſt be above ſelf, and above every thing elſe in the heart; nothing elſe muſt be ſuffered to creep into the Bed of Love.
3. If there be any thing elſe that lies nearer the heart than Chriſt, the Fountain of your ſpiritual life, it will hinder your Union with him, and living in him. The leaſt Chip that falls betwixt the graft and the joynt hinders its knitting to the ſtock, and maketh the graft to die. Let nothing then lie in the joynt betwixt Chriſt and your Heart, to prevent and hinder your happy and bleſſed Union, and keep you from cloſing with him, embracing of him and living in him.
4. There may be in an Unregenerate Perſon a true love to God and Chriſt. I mean ſuch a true love, as is not diſſembling love, but yet it fails in the degree; there's other love to ſelf that pirks above it and over-tops it, and ſo damps this affection that it never flames out to God and Chriſt.
4. Now that you may get this ſuperlative love to God and Chriſt wrought in you, you muſt take pains with your own heart, otherwiſe you will not bring it up to this high pitch. Strike the flint hard to bring out Fire, and pray to Chriſt to take his Bellows and his Fan to blow up the ſmall ſparks in the dead aſhes, that they may grow into a flame of Love.
5. Take alſo a proſpect of thoſe Treaſures of Tranſcendent goodneſs, thoſe heaps of Infinite Perfections, that are ſtored up in God, the immenſe Ocean of love and ſweetneſs, that fills every creek of Being; and look not upon a naked Chriſt, but as Inveſted with Perſonal Excellencies beyond compare, and ſo you will ſee how infinitely amiable he is in himſelf.
6. But further take a ſweet view of the love of God in Chriſt, offering Pardon and Salvation to you with others, upon condition of believing, that ſo you may find your heart move reciprocally in love to God and Chriſt, and when once you find this in the heart, then you may conclude his ſpeciall Love to you, which will further increaſe your love to him. I do not ſay that your firſt Love to God muſt be kindled by the flames of his ſpecial Love to you, no, it is the proſpect of his goodneſs in himſelf, and of his common love and mercy to Sinners in tendring a Saviour, and not of his ſpecial ſaving Love to you, as actually enjoyed by you, that is the Incentive of your firſt love to him; for though you be bound to love God with a ſpecial Love, yet you are not bound to love him as one that ſpecially loveth you, untill you be indeed ſo beloved by him; otherwiſe you were bound to believe a falſity, and to love God for that which is not. But if you once find the ſpecial ſaving Love of God ſhining in your heart, working h…i Grace in you, this will fire up your love to him, then you will be ready to ſay to your ſelf, what ſhall there be a Noon-day Sun-ſhine of Love and Grace upon me, a poor clod of Earth, and no reflexion of a Sun-beam? ſhall there be hot flamings forth from his Breaſt towards me, a worthleſs Worm, and not a ſpark in mine towards him? ſhall I not be moſt ingrateful if I do not offer up to him a flaming Sacrifice.
CHAP. VI. Of Ʋniverſal Obedience.
1. LIve in Univerſal Obedience to the Laws of God. This will follow upon that Love to God now Commended to you, as being the Daughter of it. Hence that ſpeech of our Saviour. If ye love me, keep my Commandments; John 14.15. Imitate that good Woman before mentioned (whoſe Name you bear) of whom it is ſaid, that ſhe walk'd in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameleſs, Luk. 1.6. It's required of poor weak Women, that they diligently follow every good Work, 1 Tim. 5.10. The ſound and healthy Chriſtian refuſeth no kind of Work that God enjoyns, be it never ſo hard and difficult, whereas the unſound crazy Hypocriſie, like a Man that hath ſome ſore Diſeaſe about him, will only ſet upon ſome eaſie Work, ſome ſlight duties of Religion, but as for the more hard and difficult ones, as Wreſtling with the Old Man, running the Chriſtian Race, Mortification, Self-denial and ſtrict Holineſs, he paſſeth them over, here he makes a baulk in his Obedience, like a Husbandman that pulls aſide his Plough when he comes to a hard or ſtiff piece of Ground. How many are there that will comply with thoſe duties that are ſuitable to their own mind, and their own ends, who in others are very backward and take their liberty? Theſe are crooked Sticks, that will not touch with Gods meaſure, they will pick and chuſe, it may be they will not be Wanton, but yet they will be Proud, they will not be unjuſt dealers, but yet they will be hard-hearted towards the Poor; it may be they will be Zealous in Worſhip, but yet Cenſorious and Uncharitable. Such give to God Bankrupt payment, a Noble in the Pound, part of his due.
2. Thoſe that are thus ſcant and partial in their Obedience, are guilty of the breach of the whole Law: For whoſoever ſhall keep the whole Law and offend in one Point, is guilty of all. Jam 2 10. Becauſe there is the ſame Authority in every Command, in one as well as another. One Condition not obſerved forfeiteth the whole Leaſe. O that this Principle may be Engraven in your Heart, that unleſs you be throughout Religious, your Religion is Vain!
3. In your Obedience therefore take in the whole Compaſs and Latitude of Religion, both Firſt and Second Table, and as Holy David, Have reſpect to all God's Commandments, Pſal. 119.6. A gracious Heart anſwers the Law of God, as a Copy doth the Original, line for line, ſyllable for ſyllable, letter for letter, and would not willingly receive or admit any Errata's; it's univerſally conformable to every Word of God. If you have a Gracious Spirit, you will not make any exception, you will not defalcate, or cut off any known Duty, you will not deſignedly clip off any part of Gods Coin, any piece of that Service which hath Gods Stamp, and Superſcription on it.
CHAP. VII. Of Circumſpect Walking.
1. SEE that you walk circumſpectly, Eph. 5.15. It's not enough to walk in a good way, in an Univerſal courſe of duties, as to the matter of them, but you muſt do it accurately and exactly in a right manner. It's neceſſary that there be an Accurateneſs and Circumſpection obſerved in your Walking in the way to Heaven. Mind then your way very well, make it your work and buſineſs to go on in the Way, ſo as that you neither ſtumble in it, nor ſtep awry into by-paths. Obſerve exactly the ſteps of our fore-runner the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and tread therein. Walk by this Clue alone in this dark World, if you would neither go aſide, nor go crookedly in the way. The Mariner muſt know every Point of his Compaſs, otherwiſe he may endanger all. In your paſſage through the Sea of this World, you muſt mind the Word of God, and ſteer the Ship of your Soul by this Compaſs exactly: you muſt mind this Rule in all things that you do, you muſt Pray by Rule, Read, Hear, Meditate, give Alms, and examine your ſelf by Rule, Yea you muſt Eat, Drink, Sleep, Dreſs and Recreate your ſelf, and do every thing in every part of your converſation exactly by Rule.
2. Thoſe that are for their Latitude, for their vagaries and extravagancies, they will cry out againſt all this ſtrictneſs and preciſeneſs, as a being Righteous over-much, and againſt all Zeal, as too feaveriſh, and will tell you that to be thus ſtrait-lac'd cannot be good for the ſpiritual birth: but alas, theſe never knew what this Scripture meant, Walk Circumſpectly, i. e. Strictly or Preciſely. Does not God who hath preſcribed you this ſtrictneſs, know what is beſt and moſt neceſſary for you? Let People think what they will, certainly without ſtrictneſs they can never be ſaved. The way to Heaven is a ſtrait gate, and there muſt be a ſtriving to enter into it, Luke 13.24. Salvation is not to be got with a wet finger, you cannot climb to Heaven with a little lazy and yawning Devotion. It's very dangerous trifling in Religion, and doing the Work of God to halves. Curſed is he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully, or negligently, Jer. 48.10. If you may have too much godlineſs, then you may have too much of Heaven and Bleſſedneſs.
3. It requires a great deal of circumſpection and care to walk aright in the way to Heaven: You muſt be ſo exact here, as to avoid all occaſions and appearance of evil, 1 Theſ. 5.22. and to keep your ſelf unſpotted from the World; Jam. 1.27. You muſt be ſo careful, as not to contract any ſtain, or ſpot upon your Soul. A neat Lady in the dirty Streets, goes very cautiouſly and circumſpectly, obſerves her feet, picks out the cleaneſt way, takes accurate care to avoid every foul ſtep, holds up her Garment, that it may not be ſoil'd, or get the leaſt ſpot of dirt. Thus a neat Soul makes ſtrait paths for its feet; it makes ſtrait ſteps, and goes by a ſtrait Rule; conſiders its ways, and deſires God to order them; looks to its Garments, ſo as not to defile them, or get the leaſt ſpot thereon. Are we not all under the exact and curious Eye of Omniſcience, which marks all our ſteps, and ponders all our goings? had we not need therefore to walk circumſpectly, and to abſtain from all appearance of evil?
CHAP. VIII. Of Dying daily.
1. DIE daily unto ſin. This is an excellent way to live well. Mortifie your corruptions; crucifie ſin within you. That your Soul may be in health, you muſt be in a continued courſe of Phyſick all your life: for ſo long as you have this body of ſin, this corrupt nature about you, you will ſtill have matter to purge out.
2. Now that you may do this work of Mortification thoroughly, you muſt ſtrike at the whole body of ſin, the whole corrupt frame of heart, commonly called Original Sin, which moſt perſons ſo little look at, and ſo little confeſs to God, as if they had no cauſe to be humbled for it. The ſharp Knife of mortifying Grace doth not only cut off ſome members or acts of ſin, but endeavours to cut off the very body of ſin, to take out the Core, ſo that the Ulcer may not break out again. You may reſtrain actual ſins, but you never mortifie them till corrupt nature within be ſubdued. Reſtraining actual ſins alone, is but violently to keep the Bladder under water, which will be mounting up again; but let corrupt Nature be wounded, and then you prick the bladder of ſin, and ſo it will ſink. Mortifying Grace makes ſuch a wound within, that the very life of corrupt Nature runs out by degrees. If an Impoſthume breaks, there's an endeavour not only to bring up all the matter in it, but to get hold of the very Bag alſo, otherwiſe the Patient may die of it preſently, or it may gather again. When you become ſenſible of ſin, and ſeriouſly convinced of it, the Impoſthume begins to break; oh labour then to pluck up Original Sin, or Corrupt Nature, which is the very Bag of the Impoſthume, that if poſſible it may not gather again. This is the very heart and root of ſin. If the heart be wounded and die, all the members die with it. If the root be grubb'd up, all the branches wither.
3. Think not that your Soul is in a healthy condition, till you find every ſin dying in you. In true Mortification every ſin conſumes and pines away: As in a Hectick, there is a Conſumption not only of one member, but of all. The Phyſick that Chriſt gives to make ſin die in us, is not an Elective, that purgeth out one humour only, but it's an Univerſal Medicine, that works on all. If you leave one ſin, and have a heart hankering after another, you are but in Benhadad's condition, who recovered of one Diſeaſe, but fell into another that proved mortal. It's the Cuſtom of ſome Indians to value themſelves by the number of heads which they have cut off. If you would judge aright of your ſelf, ſee how many heads of ſin you have cut off, whether you have ſo cut off the head of every ſin, that it reign no more in you.
4. In your endeavour after the death of every ſin, you muſt eſpecially labour after the death and mortification of ſpiritual ſins, which like a Hectick, are moſt dangerous, becauſe moſt difficultly diſcovered; theſe lie cloſe in the heart unſeen. Pride of heart, and Self-love, (which is the very heart and quinteſſence of Unregeneracy) as are an Impoſthume more dangerous, becauſe ſo inward and indiſcernible. When the Impoſthume is within the breaſt, you cannot think to cure it by laying a Plaiſter to the skin; your application muſt here be made to the heart. Ignorant Patients complain more of that Diſeaſe which is moſt apparent, than they do of that which is moſt malignant.