The Whole Duty of a Christian, Chapter 25 – Chapter 26
CHAP. XXV.
§. 1. BUt least any weak Christian should think himself unsound, and so none of Christs, because he falls short of this description of a true Believer, and finds wanting in himself, perhaps many of the former signs or evidences herein set forth; or should be discouraged by reason of his many and great failings, together with the weaknesse of his faith and love, as for the most part the true Christian is as …earful to entertain a good opinion of himself, as the false is unwilling to be driven from it; let such an one take special notice in the first place, that there are three sorts of true and sound Christians, as the Apostle Saint Iohn makes the distinction, 1 Ioh. 2. 12, 13. the first sort are babes in Christ, viz. such as are new born, or but weakly qualified with the graces of Gods Spirit. A second are strong men, as having the gifts of the Spirit lively, and in power: The third are Fathers, such as have had long experience in the powerful practice of Christianity, and been long exercised in all kinds of well doing. This done:
§. 2. Secondly, let him know, That as God requires no other obedience in the best then Evangelical, so he looks not for the same measure and degree of grace from Bubes, and strong men, or from strong men and Fathers, for God accepteth of every man according to the grace he hath received, be it more or lesse, 2 Cor. 8. 12. as is manifest by that Parable of the Talents, Matth. 25. 20. …o 24. yea, what Father or Master will not from his young and newly weaned Child, or sick and weak servant, accept of the will for the deed? and shall not God much mor…, who is both the Father of mercies, and the Authour of mercy and compassion in others? Yes undoubtedly; as let it be granted, that thy knowledge is still small, thy faith weak, thy charity cold, thy heart dull and hard, thy good works few and imperfect, and all thy zealous resolutions easily hindered and quite overthrown with every small temptation, yet God that worketh in us both the will and the work will accept the will for the work; and that which is wanting in us, Christ will supply with his own righteousnesse; he respecteth not what we can do so much as what we would do, and that which we would perform and cannot, he esteemeth it as though it were performed; thus he taketh an heart desirous to repent and believe for a penitent and believing heart, whereas take away the will and all acts in Gods sight are equal. Well might I doubt of my salvation, sayes Bradford, feeling the weaknesse of my faith, love, hope, &c. if these were the cause… of my salvation, but there is no other cause of it, or of Gods mercy, but his mercy. Again,
§. 3. Thirdly, you are to observe that as Nature so Grace rises by many degrees to perfection, we grow in grace and saving knowledge, as a child does in statu…e and understanding, untill we attain to glory, which is grace perfected; yea, grace in its growth is but like the change of a mans hair from black to grey, or the growth of a Tree, which is not accomplisht in a monethmonth, or a year, but in many yeares we not perceiving how.
§. 4. Fourthly, consider also that the best have their fail…ngs, as had Abraham, Iacoh, David, Peter, &c. you have heard of the patience of Ioh, saith Saint Iames, and have we not heard also of his fits of impatiency? Yes, but it pleased God mercifully to over-look that; and so of Asah, who had divers, and those no small faults, yet with one breath doth God report both these; the high places were not removed, and neverthelesse Asahs heart was perfect; so our failings be not wilful, though they be many and great, yet they cannot hinder our interest in the promises of God; an honest and sincere heart bears out many errours in the eye of mercy, God will not see weaknesses where he sees truth; yea, if we hate our corruptions, and strive against them, they shall not be counted ours: It is not I, saith Paul, but the sin that dwelleth in me, Rom. 7. 20. And indeed were it not so, what would become of us? for the work of grace though it doth not suffer Christians to live as they list, yet it doth not inable them to live as they would; it is not so broad as to allow of corruption, nor so narrow but it will permit of corruption.
§. 5. But fifthly, least the former considerations should not serve, answer me ingeniously to these questions:
Dost thou not find that the Word and Spirit hath wrought an apparant change in thy judgment, affections, and actions to what they were formerly? Is not Christ thy greatest joy, sin thy greatest sorrow, and grace the prime object of thy desires? Art thou not careful in the use of the means, to attain faith in the promise of Gods mercy made in Christ? Dost thou not love God, and the people of God; yea, art thou not prone to speak in their defence when thou hearest them reviled, and contemned by wicked and ungodly men? Dost thou not rejoyce when the righteous are exalted, and grieve when the wicked bear rule? Dost thou not desire and pr…y for the salvation of others? Is it not grievous to thee to hear God blasphemed, and dishonoured? Dost thou not make conscience of sanctifying his Sabbaths? Art thou not as conscientious alone, and in private where God onelyonly sees thee, as if thy greatest enemy, or all the world did behold thee? Dost thou not make conscience of evil thoughts▪ grieve for thy unprofitablenesse under the means of grace, for the evill which cleaves to thy best actions, and for sins of omission? When thou dost any thing amisse dost thou not accuse thy self? if any thing well, dost thou not give all the praise to God? Whatever thou enjoyest on this side Hell, dost thou not think thy self unworthy of it? Dost thou not more fear the want of grace then con…ide in what thou hast? Art thou not evil spoken of for well doing? Dost thou not love zeal and devotion in others? Thou art not of a reprobate judgement, touching things, actions, and persons, accounting good evill, and evill good, nor dost thou think the worse of a man for having of a tender conscience: Thou art not so offended when offences come as to think the worse of the way of truth, yea, when strange things happen dost thou not make a wholesome construction thereof? If so, my soul for thine thou art a true Believer, and not an hypocrite, whatever thy failings be; yea, if thou shouldest finde but a few of these signes in thy self, thou needest not much fear thine estate, for a few Grapes will shew that the plant is a Vine, and not a Thorne; yea, where there is any one grace in truth, there is every one in their measure: if thou art sure thou hast love, I am sure thou hast faith; for they a…e as inseparable as fire and heat, life and motion; and so of other graces.
6. §. But sixthly, for I will go yet further with thee; suppose nothing that I have hitherto said will satisfie thee, and that thou wilt not acknowledge any of these graces to be in thee, yet still thy case may be good enough: for a Christian in times of spirituall distemper and desertion, is as one in a swound, in which case the soul doth not exercise her functions, he neither hears, nor sees, nor feels, yet she is still in the body: Christ is as the Sun to our souls, and we are like Elementary bodies; which lighten and darken, cool and warm, die and revive; as the Sun presents or absents it self from them. Whence it comes to passe that we have so much crying out in horrour of conscience, I am damned, I am damned; yea, it is a wonder to see how many truly humbled sinners, who have so tender consciences, that they dare not yield to the leaste vill for the worlds goods, and refuse no means of being made better; turn every probation into reprobation, every dejection into rejection; and if they be cast down they cry out, they are cast away; but in such distempers a man is not a competent Judge in his own case, as in humane Laws there is a nullity held of words and actions extorted, and wrong from men by fear; because in such cases a man is held not to have power, or command in some sort of himselfe. A troubled soul is like troubled water, we can discern nothing cleerly in it; wherefore in such cases a man must call to remembrance the times past, and how it hath been with him formerly, as David did, Psal. 77. 2, to 12. and likewise Iob, chap. 31. Thus must thou do, and then if ever thou hadst true faith wrought in thy heart it can never be clean extinguished; and so of love and godly sorrow, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, as it is, Rom. 11. 29. I the Lord change not. Mal. 3. 6. And the weakest …aith, if true, though it be not the like strong, yet it is the like preciou faith to that of Abrahams, whereby to lay hold and put on the perfect righteousnesse of Christ; yea, the truth of grace, be the measure never so small, is alwayes blest with perseverance; and if grace but conquer us first, we by it shall conquer all things else, whether it be corruptions within us, or temptations without us; yea, to speak rightly, thou art the better to be thought of, and the lesse to be feared for this thy …ear, for no man so truly loves, as he that feares to offend: and good is that fear which keeps us from evill acts, yea, as a bleeding wound is better then that which bleeds not, so thy very complaint of sin springing from a displeasure against it shewes, that there is something in thee opposite to sin, viz. that thou art penitent in affection, though not in action; even as a Childe is rationall in power, though not in act; neither was the Centurion ever so worthy as when he thought himselfe most unworthy; for all our worthinesse is in a capabl… misery.
7. §. But here by the way observe one caution, as the Pl…ister must not be lesse then the s…re, so the tent must not be bigger then the wound. Though the grievousnesse of our sins should increase our repentance, yet they should not diminish our faith, and assurance of pardon and forgivenesse. Because the Law is not more a Glasse to shew us our …ins, then the Gospel is a Fountain to wash them away; wherefore cast not both thine eyes upon thy sin, but reserve one to behold the remedy; look upon the Law to keep thee from presumption and upon the Gospel to keep thee from despair; this is both a sweet and an even course. But as an empty Vessel close luted, though you throw it into the midst of the Sea, will receive no water, so all pleas are in vain to them that are deafned with their own feares; for as Mary would not be comforted with the sight and speech of Angels, no not with the sight and speech of Iesus himselfe, till he made her know that it was Iesu…; so untill the Spirit of God sprinkleth the conscience with the blood of Christ, and sheds his love into the heart; nothing will do, no Creature can take off wrath from the conscience, but he that set it on; wherefore the God of peace give you the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, yea, O Lord, speak thou musick to the wounded conscience, thunder to the seared; that thy Justice may reclaim the one, thy mercy relieve the other, and thy favour comfort us all with peace and salvation in Iesus Christ.
CHAP. 26.
1. §. The comfort of what hath been said in these seven last Sections, is intended and belongs to weak Christians, troubled consciences, and those that would fain do better; but let no unbeliever, impenitent, or prophane person meddle with it, for all such are to know that their very best services, as praying, and fasting, and receiving, and giving of Almes, &c. (because they are not done in faith, and obedience to the Word, and that God may be glorified thereby) are no better in Gods account then if they had slain a Man, or cut off a Dogs neck, or offered Swines blood, or blessed an Idol, as himself affirmes, Isa. 66. 3. Nor will God accept of any action, unlesse it flowes from a pious and good heart, sanctified by the Holy Ghost; yea, civill honesty severed from true piety, humility, saving knowledge, sincere love to God, true obedience to his Word, justifying faith▪ a zeal of Gods glory, and a desire to edifie and win others, God will neither accept nor reward, but account of their morall vertues as of shining or glistering sins; because they spring from pride, ignorance infidelity, self-love, and other such carnall respects, as many examples prove, namely, Cains sacrificing, 1 Iohn 3. 12. the Iews fasting, I…a. 58. those reprobates preaching in Christs name, and casting ont Devils, Matth. 7. 22, 23. and the like, whose outward works were the same which the godly perform; and what saith Austine most excellently, There is no true vertue where there is no true Religion; and that conscience which is not directed by the Word, even when it does best does ill, because it doth it not in faith, obedience, and love.
2. §. Secondly, let them know, that being out of Christ, they are bound to keep the whole Law, Gal. 5. 2, 3. or stand liable to suffer the penalty thereof for not keeping it; for though this be the condition of the New Covenant, Believe and thou shalt be saved; yet all that they have to trust unto is, Do this and live, Rom. 10. 5. and cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them, Gal. 3. 10. And I wish that they would seriously think of it, and what need they have of Christ, whom they rather persecute then obey his Gospel in love.
3. §. Indeed let them get a true lively and justifying faith; Put ye off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupted through the deceivable lusts, and be renued in the spirit of your mindes; and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousnesse and true …olinesse, Ephes. 4. 22, 23, 24. and then Christ, and all his benefits and promises wil belong unto you, but not before; in the mean time you are in your blood, Ezek. 16. 6. and have to answer not onelyonly for your originall guilt, but for every thought, word, and action of yours from your infancy, Matth. 9. 12, 13. Luke 1. 53. Gal. 5. 1, to 7. enough to starde you, if you be not stark dead.