The Power of Godliness, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. The eighth and ninth Directions for the attaining the power of godlineſs, viz. We ought not without juſt cauſe to leave off any duty, before that effect be wrought for which wee uſe it; as alſo concerning frequent examination.
IT is an excellent practice not to leave any Duty without juſt cauſe, untill wee have attained to that for which end wee did beginne the Duty, as for example, if wee go to confeſſe our ſinnes before God, wee ſhould not leave off until wee finde our hearts affected with the ſinfulneſs of ſin, with an hatred and deteſtation of it, and an abhorring of our ſelves for it; ſo if wee ſet our ſelves to praiſe God, wee ſhould not leave off meditating of the excellency, mercy, loving kindneſſe of God, and ſpeaking good of his Name, untill our hearts are wrought up to an holy admiring of him.
For in this caſe, it fares as it doth with one that is rowling a ſtone up to the top of an hill, if hee leaves off before he hath brought it to the top, and let it goe, his labour is utterly loſt, and the ſtone rowls back again as at the firſt, but if he brings it to the top, there it reſts, and returns not whence it came: ſo if when thou prayeſt, thou doeſt not bring thy ſelf to that frame of ſpirit, to which thou ſhouldeſt bee wrought, thou wilt fall back to the ſame frame and temper of ſpirit, as thou hadſt when thou didſt begin to Pray.
It was reported of Mr. Bradford as I remember, that this was his practice. And indeed I have heard of one, who at his firſt Converſion, had aſſurance, called, and ſealed the ſame day, and it was thus.
One being at a Sermon where the excellency, ſweetneſs, and everlaſting profit of the love, and favour of God was ſet forth, and the Miniſter did very much preſſe every one to get aſſurance of his intereſt in Gods love; This Saint was converted by that Sermon, and being wonderfully affected and enflamed with a deſire of knowing God to be his God, reſolved to ſet upon the duty of prayer, and reſolved not to riſe from his knees, untill hee obtained; and through his importunity and wreſtling with God, did prevail, and lived holily, and comfortably ever after.
This ſtory I commend not to others as a Preſident, nor dare I abſolutely condemn it in him neither, though I am much enclined ſo to do, and to judge it a raſh reſolution; but ſince the extraordinary motions of Gods ſpirit are not to be judged or limited as well as not to bee made a rule for others, I dare not cenſure it in that particular; onelyonly I wiſh that every one of us were more reſolute, and importunate in and for the things of God; and that we would not bee ſo eaſily denyed, when wee beg ſpiritual mercies from the Lord, for if wee will be denied, God will deny us, and if we will not be denyed, God will not deny us: that which makes us generally not to be importunate, and give God no reſt, is, either our undervaluing of the ſpirituall mercy we beg, or our hard thoughts of God, judging him not to be willing to beſtow them, both which (conſidering the abundance of mercy and love which God hath ſhewn us) do wonderfully provoke him, and indeed would do ſo with us, for any one deſiring ſome Jewel of ineſtimable price, if we ſhould plainly perceive he had a low and baſe eſteem of it, we ſhould upon that very account deny him, ſo alſo if a friend, one upon whom we have beſtowed abundance of favours, yet when he comes to us for ſome curteſy, we ſhould fully underſtand that he thought all our expreſſions of love to him to be but counterfeit, and that notwithſtanding all our proteſtations of love, we did not mean what we profeſſed, would not this wonderfully exaſperate us? yet notwithſtanding there are ſome caſes wherein we muſt leave off our duty before we find our Hearts wrought to that frame, wherein they are ſuitable to the matter of that duty: if you ſhall ask what thoſe juſt cauſes are,
Firſt, Miniſters praying in the congregation, ſince the main of their buſineſſe, reſpects others at that time, and not themſelves, and every thing they do ought to be done as may be moſt for the edification of thoſe to whom they are ſent, therefore though as for the fervency of their prayers, they ought to act to the utmoſt, that their hearts may be brought to that ſpiritual frame which is ſuitable to the duty they perform, yet as for their continuing the duty, it ought not to be ſuch as might juſtle out other Ordinances, or hinder others edification: as for example, if a Miniſter ſhould in his prayer before Sermon, and in that paſſage wherein hee makes confeſſion of ſin (becauſe his heart is not wrought to an humble frame) ſhould continue ſo long that it ſhould take up all or moſt of the time allotted for his Sermon, that were juſtling out one ordinance with another, and minding himſelf more than the Congregation: this alſo holds in Family duties, and in all others wherein one is a publick Miniſter, wherein we are to ſuite our ſelves for the remedying of their wants rather than our own.
Secondly, As for ſecret and cloſet Duty, yet even there alſo we are not to continue ſo long, as to neglect neceſſary Family duties, which concern either their temporal or ſpiritual good, or any other imployment that is incumbent upon us.
Thirdly, And leaſt this ſhould bee a ſnare to any, I do not mean that one ſinnes, if one leaves off a duty before wee have a ſenſe of that frame of heart wrought in us, that is ſuitable to the duty, for wee may have ſuch a frame of heart, and not bee ſenſible of it: So that if you deſire and endeavour to get that frame, and mourn under the ſenſe of the want of it, when after much fervency and wreſtling with God, you prevail not, God will not lay it to your charge as a ſin; nay, further, it argues, that you have that grace that you ſo earneſtly deſire, and mourn for the want of, for fervent deſires after any grace, are either actings, or ſignes of that grace, or both.
4. Nor do I mean, that as ſoon as ones heart is in ſuch a frame, one ſhould leave off; nay, but rather should continue for a while, if juſt occaſions hinder not; nay… indeed wee ſhould have a ſuitable frame of heart, before wee begin the duty; and that which is moſt to bee wiſht, is, that all our duties should come from our hearts, or if that bee not, that they should go to our hearts; as thus, that wee should have a broken frame of heart, before wee begin our confeſſion, and that if it might bee, that all our praiſes should be flames aſcending from a heart already kindled with the love of God.
The next great help to a godly life, is frequent examination. This frequent examination may bee made ſeveral wayes.
1. Wee are to examine our ſtate and condition, as to the work of grace in us, as the Apoſtle bids us, try our ſelves, &c. 2 Cor. 1.5. yet though this kinde of examination bee of ſingular uſe to awaken us, and ſtir us up to ſincerity and repentance, in caſe wee finde our ſelves not to bee in the Faith; as alſo of more holineſs, by way of joy and thankfulneſs, in caſe we finde that wee have an intereſt in God; yet this is not that which is to bee ſo frequent as other kindes of examination; but having had aſſurance from Scripture grounds, upon due and ſtrict examination, wee ought not eaſily to queſtion our condition, for Chriſt doth not take it well for us alwayes to bee queſtioning his love; for as when our Saviour asked Peter three times, Simon, ſon of Jonas, loveſt thou mee? Peter was grieved; ſo wee do but grieve the Spirit of Chriſt, when the Spirit hath witneſſed with our ſpirits, that wee are the ſons of God, and Chriſt hath manifeſted his love to us; and yet upon every ſlight occaſion wee ſay, Lord Jeſus, loveſt thou mee?
2. The ſecond kinde of examination, as to our inward frame of heart, is, to examine the growth of our graces, which is profitably, at leaſt, to bee done once every year; as tradeſmen caſt up their accounts, and make up their books yearly, that they may ſee what looſers, or gainers they are at the years end; and to this purpoſe, it is profitable to keep a Diary, that thereby thou mayeſt bee able to caſt up thy account, for it is impoſſible otherwiſe to remember the paſſages of a whole year. But indeed it is convenient, that the examination of the growth of our grace, ſhould bee as often as we go to the Lords Supper; for to do it daily, is very inconvenient, nor indeed can we perceive whether wee are grown or no: As when wee look upon the ſhad…w, on a Sun Dial, except we ſtay ſome conſiderable while, though it hath moved, the diſtance is ſo ſmall, it cannot be perceived; but if wee ſtay a quarter of an hour, wee may eaſily perceive that it hath moved: So from Sacrament to Sacrament, is a conſiderable diſtance, but yearly examination, concerning this matter, is as long a diſtance as may bee allowed, if it bee not too much.
3. But the main thing here intended, is, to examine our actions; and there are three particulars in that.
1. Wee muſt conſider in the morning what wee have to do that day, and what temptations are incident to our ſeveral actions and imployments, and how wee may mannage all our buſineſſes and affairs, moſt for the glory of God, the edification of our brethren, and the ſalvation of our own ſouls: As for the conſidering how to mannage our imployments moſt prudently for our temporal lawful advantage, is a duty in its ſeaſon, being rightly qualified: but it is a ſin, when thoughts of that nature ſteal away any portion of that time, which wee ſet apart for the immediate ſervice of God. By this daily morning pre-examination, wee may bee in a competent meaſure fore-armed, and provided for all ordinary fore-known buſineſs.
2. But there are many actions and buſineſſes that are occaſional, that one could not foreſee at any conſiderable diſtance, yet even thoſe wee ſhould pre-examine, and fore-think what wee are to do, before wee do it: And as Polititians do nothing, without conſidering how far it may bee for their intereſt, and how far not; ſo we ſhould think, when any one comes to ſpeak with us, &c. what advantages Satan may get, and how far that action may bee improved to the glory of God, and then do as Nehemiah did, make thy prayers to the God of heaven to direct thee to do what thou haſt to do; for if thou doeſt any thing without this examination, four great inconveniences come of it.
1. You will fall into many ſins, which you might have eaſily ſeen, and avoided.
2. Though thou doeſt that which is right, or doeſt not fall into thoſe ſinnes that are incident to ſuch actions, yet it is little thanks to thee, no more than it is to a ſleeping Watchman, that the City is not taken.
3. Many opportunities of doing good, pals by thee unobſerved.
4. For want of this watchfulneſſe and conſideration, (which is all one) or at leaſt includes examination, wee do not what wee do in the ſervice of God, with an actual intention of honouring of him, and an actual intention of honouring God, doth much add to the holineſs of the action, and Gods acceptance of it.
3. Another kinde of examination, ſhould bee poſt-examination, that is, to conſider and examine our actions, diſcourſes, duties, &c. after they are ended; for many paſſages will not ſeem to bee ſinful, or not ſo ſinful, when we look upon them before our doing of them, as they will do after; for the temptations of pleaſure, profit, &c. which intice us to the committing of a ſin, do either altogether ceaſe, or very much abate of their vigour, when the ſin is committed; ſo that thou wilt by poſt-examination diſcover many ſinnes, which by pre-examination thou couldſt not.
What was one of the great cauſes of the wickedneſs of the Jewes, but that no man conſidered with himſelf, and ſaid, what have I done, Jer. 8.6. So that there bee three queſtions, What have I to do? that's pre-examination: What do I? that's co-examination; and what have I done? that's poſt-examination. The firſt is to bee performed in the morning: The ſecond, when any unforeſeen imployment, or buſineſs comes upon us, and the laſt to bee done at night, when wee take a review of all the paſſages of the day.