The Profit of Godliness, Dedication
Profit of Godliness, Set forth in five SERMONS, on 1 TIM. 4.8.
THE Unprofitableness of Worldly Gain. Set forth in four SERMONS, on MARK 8.36, 37.
The Parable of the Barren Fig-Tree, Opened and Applied, in seven SERMONS, on LUK. 13.6, 7, 8, 9.
VICTORIOUS VIOLENCE. Or Two SERMONS on MATTH. 11.12.
By that Eminent and Learned Divine Mr. Thomas Byrdall, M. A. late Minister of the Word, and Preacher at Walsall in the County of Stafford.
Terreni nihil putant utile, nisi quod manibus teneri potest▪ Lactant.
That is the best Reason which makes most for Religion; that is the best policy which makes most for Piety. Papinian, ad Politian
LONDON, Printed for Nevil Simmons Bookseller in Kederminster. 1666.
THE PROFIT OF GODLINESS.
Set forth in Five Sermons on 1 Tim. 4.8.
Wherein many weighty Questions touching the promises of Godliness are judiciously Resolved.
By that Eminent and Learned Divine, Mr. Thomas Byrdall, M. A. late Minister of the Word, and Preacher at Walsall, in the County of Stafford.
LONDON, Printed Anno Dom. 1666.
To the Right Worshipfull Sir Thomas Wilbraham of Woodhey, in the County of Chester, Baronet; And to the Vertuous Lady, the Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham his Wife.
HAtred and scorn is the portion of Godliness in this life; wicked men will bestow no better thing upon her. In all Ages, hatred, scoffs, persecutions have been the ill Genii of Godliness: it was Calvins speech to the King of France, Odium est Evangelii Genius; Malice and persecution stand by Godly men, as the Dragon stood by the Woman that was ready to be delivered of her Child as soon as it was born, Rev. 12. so Malice stands by Godly men, as soon as they are adopted and called the Sons of God. As Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew Midwives to destroy the male Children of the Hebrews, as soon as they came forth from the Womb, but the Hebrew daughters should live; so doth the World put men upon destroying the sons of God; but for the Hebrew daughters (such as fashion themselves according to this World) they let them live quietly.
Indeed this is not to be wondered at, because of the contrariety of the courses of Godly and wicked men, and contrariety of affections:Maxima causa diseord…arum est diversitas voluntatum. Salvian. that which makes a Godly man to weep and mourn, makes a wicked man to laugh and sing; and that which most of all rejoyceth the heart of the Godly, is that which grieveth and vexeth the hearts of the wicked; the discourses of Mammon do rejoyce the worldly man, and do not much affect a Godly man; the discourse of Christ, pleaseth a Godly man, but it is irksome to a wicked man; that which a wicked man most shunneth, a Godly man prosecuteth with the greatest love and desires: that which a Godly man most hateth and abhorreth, that a wicked man most loveth and desireth: And as there is a contrariety of affections, so of courses and conversations; the one walketh to Aegypt, the other to Canaan: the one hath communion with Belial, the other with Christ: the one hath fellowship with darkness, and walketh in darkness; the other hath fellowship with the light: it was the saying of one, In eadem urbe sunt Antipodes; there are Antipodes in the same City: so I may say, the feet and wayes of the Godly are opposite to the feet and wayes of wicked men. Our Saviour gives us the main reason of the worlds hatred of the Godly, viz. because they are not of the world, Joh. 15.19. If you were of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you: every word is remarkable: If you were of the world] if you (like the world) should lie in sin: if you (like the men of this world) should fashion your selves to the world, and run into all excess of riot with wicked men, then the world would love you; foreign. The world would love you as part of her own; the world would gather you under her wings▪ but Godly men are not of the world; here they live in the world, but are not of it. As St. Paul saith of wicked men in the Church, that they are in Israel, but are not of Israel; so the Godly are in the world, are not of the world: how cometh it to pass they are not of the world? Christ saith, I have chosen you out of the world; the Lord calls out those who belong to him, from among the wicked; he calls them from that state wherein they were born, to a state of Godliness: he hath set apart for himself the man that is Godly, Psal. 4.3. foreign signifies, he hath marvelously separated or selected them after a wonderful manner; he hath called them out from among men, as with some sign of excellency.
Now although the world hates them, yet the Lord loveth them: 1. He takes them into inward and special covenant with his Majesty, giving himself to them for their God, and taking them for his own people: others shall have the sure Plagues of Cain, when as the Godly shall have the sure mercies of David bestowed on them. 2. He redeems them out of the hand of all their Enemies: th s was the glorious mark of separation given to the type, Exod. 8.23. I will put a division b…tween my people and thy people, saith Moses to Pharaoh from the Lord: the word is [Redemption] the LXX.LXX. Interpret. Chald. Para…h. in Exod. 8.23. translate it [Distinction.] The Chaldee Paraphrast is excellent, I will put a marvellous redemption in my people, and upon thy people I will bring a Plague: by this is shadowed out our glorious redemption by Jesus Christ from our spiritual thraldom; God sends redemption to his people, and sends the Plague of damnation on the slaves of sin and Satan. 3. He sanctifies them, which is twofold, either by sanctifying their natures, and so fits and prepares them to every good work, to all spiritual duties and services; or secondly, by furnishing them with some choice abilities, and extraordinary gifts, enabling them to some more noble functions and employments in the Church, as David, Jeremiah, Paul, &c.
Moreover, the Godly are they on whom he confers his choicest blessings, Blessing them with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ, Eph. 1.3. Here is a mine of gold that we cannot digg to the bottom of: it is said, He blesseth us] this is a marvellous mercy: he blesseth us with spiritual blessings:] this is transcendently marvellous: the wicked shall not partake of so much as a drop of them: they may be fed with common favours more than his children; yet God is so chary, that not a crumb shall fall from the table of his spiritual blessings upon them: And then it is not said, he doth bless us with some, but with all spiritual blessings] with all kinds of blessings: and then it is said; In Heavenly places] because they come from Heaven, and in heaven the fulness of them is reserved for the godly: one drop of the dew of Heaven is more worth than Rivers of the fatness of the earth: spiritual, heavenly blessings are blessings truly and properly. It is observable from Gen. 27.39. that albeit Isaac gave to Esau the fatness of the earth, yet he did not call it a blessing, because Esau had no spiritual blessings with it: Heaven without earth makes a man blessed, but earth without Heaven cannot: in Abraham we are heirs of this world, Rom. 4.14. in Christ we are heirs of the world to come. The godly likewise are persons with whom God will converse, and in whose communion he will take special delight, 1 John 1.3. he will sup with them, and they with him, Rev. 3.20. the Lord will (as it were) fe…d on their graces, and they shall feed on his comforts: there are two notable words in the Greek, 2 Cor. 6.16. to set forth Gods delight in conversing with them. foreign, there are two Praepositions, I will in dwell in them: implying, what intimacy there is between them: the other word in the Greek, is, foreign,Shagnashugnai. I will walk round about them: In Prov. 8.31. it is said, his delights are with them, Isa. 62.4. they are called Chepzibah, for the Lord delighteth in them; as for the ungodly, he regardeth them not; he knoweth the proud afar off. The godly also are persons whose services shall please him: God will have some servants in the world; and they are the people whom he hath formed for himself, they shall shew forth his praise, Isa. 43.21. he calls their prayers his delights, whereas the sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to him: for indeed nothing but godliness fits men for serving God. Moreover, the godly are persons over whom God will have special care in the day of their distress: he is ready to hear them, when they cry to him in the time of their trouble, to comfort them in tribulation and sorrow, to protect them in danger, to deliver them out of trouble, to make them triumph over their insulting opposers:Tertul. Tertullian calls a Christian, curam divini ingenii, & candidatum Angelorum: Yea, it is the joy of God to do them all good, Ierem. 22.31. on the godly he will also magnifie the riches of his grace and glory, to the praise of his glorious grace: therefore they are called vessels of mercy, whom he will fill up to the brimm with glorious mercy, Rom. 9.23. he hath made them his heirs, even heirs of all his rich and pretious promises, heirs of his Kingdom, heirs of salvation, heirs of the riches of his glory, Eph. 1.18. they are persons who shall live with him, and enjoy him, and whom he will enjoy whiles eternity lasteth.
Godliness is profitable unto all things as the ensuing discourse of our reverend Author will largely shew you: there is an universal fruit, benefit and profit in Godliness; it turneth all it toucheth, not into gold, but into that which is far better; it is of that soveraign vertue, that it makes a profitable use of all that it is applyed unto; it alters the very nature of things, making things in their own nature hurtful, to become helpful and advantagious.
Godliness is profitable to a man in all parts of his life; I speak of Godliness in the truth and power of it. 1. Even in the first Age, even in Childhood, it will teach even Ch ldren to cry Hosanna to the Lord, Matth. 21.16, 17. it seasoneth the heart betimes with the dew of Heaven. 2. It makes a man to remember his Creator in the dayes of his youth, and to employ the strength of his life to the glory of his Creator, while yet the evil dayes come not: Youth and Childhood is the seed time of grace and goodness, and the whole lump of our lives is sanctified by the sanctification of these first-fruits.The word cleansig signifies the cleansing of glass, the young man is compared to glass, which though clean, yet will gather filth even in the Sun beams. As the younger sort of people is subject to much vanity and many temptations; so godliness is very profitable for that age, makeing the young man to * cleanse his way, by taking heed thereunto according to Gods word, Psal. 119.9. 3. Godliness is profitable for the riper years of man; it is profitable to establish the heart with grace at that age, and to keep it from being stollen away from God by the creature; it then makes a man more solicitous of remembring God himself, seeing he is hastening apace into ruinous old age. 4. Godliness is profitable for the last part of a mans life, viz. old age: it is for comfort to it; old age is subject to many grievances; there will evil dayes come, wherein they shall say they have no pleasure: there are many decayes and infirmities of nature in old men, which make their dayes evil and unpleasant, when the clouds return after the rain, and the end of one trouble is the beginning of another; when the Cross is a burden, and small matters are burdensome to them; now godliness is profitable in this regard, it yields ground of special comfort in old age, because a godly man knows when this earthly Tabernacle shall be dissolved, he hath a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens: When a soul hath been long acquainted with Christ, and desireth to be dissolved, to be with Christ, which is best of all, Oh what comfort is this to his soul, when he finds that the day of his redemption draweth nigh! Godliness is profitable also for strength in old age: for as their outward man decayeth, so their inner man grows stronger and stronger: then is the life of faith, and the power of grace more strong and vigorous in them, to put health in sickness, strength in weakness, ease in pain: we read of those worthies, Heb. 11. that out of weakness they were made strong by faith: they are fat and flourishing in grace, and bring forth more fruit in old age: Godliness is also for an honor to old age: the pride of youth is apt to cast scorn and contempt upon old age, which it ought to honour, but Gray hairs are a Crown of honour, when they are found in a way of righteousness and godliness Prov. 16 31. But 4. Most profitable is death to the godly, 1 Cor. 3.21. All things are yours, saith the Apostle; among these all things he reckoneth Death: to the ungodly it may be said, you are Death's, but death is not yours. As it may be said of souldiers taken in battel, they are not their own men, but are prisoners lying at the mercy of the enemy: so death takes the ungodly, they are deaths prisoners and captives: but to the godly I may say, death is yours, your friend, your servant, to let you into happiness; Death is the Porter of the presence chamber; it admits the godly in to see and know God as he is. When Jacob heard that his son Joseph was alive, his spirit revived; and Israel said, it is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive, I will go and see him before I die: and with what joy was Jacob affected when he saw his son, whom he had thought long before to have been a prey to some cruel beast? When death cometh, a godly man saith it is enough, it is enough; My godliness and Christ ever liveth: Oh let me die, that I may go and see the sweet and glorious face of my blessed Redeemer: and cryes out as a dying godly man once did, Come ye fiery Chariots and catch me up into Heaven where I may see God; Come ye blessed Angels and carry me upon your wings to the sight and presence of the Lord; or as St. Augustines Mother, Volemus in coelum, Volemus in coelum; Come, let us fly, let us fly to heaven: a godly man saith to the day of death, O Beata dies, O blessed day, when I shall enter into my Masters joy! Finally, Godliness is profitable to eternity, John 15.16. I have ordained you (saith Christ to his Disciples) that you should go, and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. The fruit of godliness is not like Summer fruit, that perisheth, but it remaineth, it is everlasting joy and glory; Oh how sweet shall the remembrance of godliness be to the Saints for ever and ever! These things being considered, I cannot but wonder with Chrysostome, that that man doth not digg a pit in the ground to hide his head in, that shall dare to open his mouth, and speak against Godliness.
Now much honoured Sir, to you and to your Worthy Lady, do I dedicate this Tract of the Profit of Godliness, together with the three other Discourses annexed; the first shewing the Unprofitableness of Worldly Gain; the second shewing the danger of being an Unfruitful Tree in Gods Vineyard; the last shewing that none but the violent Christian doth obtain the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let me exhort you to grow in grace, and to increase in godliness; it is observed, that in Scripture there are more exhortations to a good life than to faith: there is no Ornament doth so well become you as godliness; as the Gold Ring decketh the Pearl that is embossed in it; the Silver Coyn sets out the stamp that is engraven in it; the sweet face commends the amorous eye that rolleth in it; the Royal Robe gives a lustre to the Prince that is invested in it; the glorious Heaven beautifies the Sun that is enthroned in it; so doth godliness adorn and beautifie him that hath it. Beware of unlawful Gain, for that will make a mans Bread to be as gravel between his teeth, and his drink as wormwood to his taste. Labour I beseech you to abound in all the fruits of righteousness; it is better to be in your Countrey as Trees in a Garden bearing fruit, then as Trees in a Waste, to make a shew and shadow only. Oh how doth the Devil teach many Great Persons to sin now a little, and then a little, and to trifle away the greatest part of their time about unnecessary things, till at last they become rich in sin, and bankrupt in grace! Sin will thrive in your souls, if grace doth not. Offer ye Violence to the Kingdom of Heaven, since none but the violent do take the City of God: Appetitus summi boni est infinitus; Violencilo rapiscono.that which a man makes his chiefest good, his desire of it is unsatiable, and he laboureth with all his might to obtain it. The Lord hath enriched you with abundance of earthly comforts, and that (as the daughter of Caleb when Joshua had given them the dry land, went to Caleb for the upper springs, and for the nether Springs;) so you may go to the Fountain of life for the upper springs, and may be alwayes replenished with heavenly comforts, is and shall be the prayer of
Much Honoured Sir and Madam Your obliged and most affectionate servant in the Gospel, William Gearing. January 10. 1665/6.