and abillity he makes Gods will the rule of his and his word the rule of his life God puts every godly man into a general and particular calling and teacheth him how to behave himself in these callings this makes him a man after Gods own heart as David for this cause was so called Acts 13.22 4. Because every godly man is Gods factour he lies ligier for God as Merchants have their factors beyond sea to lie ligier for them to truck and barter for them so doth every godly man for God he trades for him all he can Rom. 14.8 For whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord Phillip 1.21 For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain that is the end and scope of my life is to honour and exalt Christ 5. Because a godly man is best fitted and prepared for Gods work and service he is one of Gods peculiar people zealous of good works Titus 2.14 Gods work is a pure and cleanly work and should be done with pure hearts and clean hands in the time of Moses Law the Priests onely might offer sacrifice and before they did it they might wash their bodies so a godly man is washt with the bloud of Christ and the grace of the holy Ghost by vertue whereof he is the fittest to do Gods work it is not for slovenly clowns to wait upon great men the work of the devil is filthy nasty and beastly wicked men delight in it and are the fittest for it 6. Because onely the heart of a godly man will bow and bend to Gods work it is a work requiring much labour and self-deniall one must stoop low to take up this burden he that loves God truly loves him with all his heart and strength onely the godly man doth this he that serves God truly is fervent in spirit serving the Lord onely the godly man doth this he that keeps Gods Commandements aright hath respect to all his Commandements and Gods Commandements are not grievous to him onely the godly man doth this The Jews say there be three hundred sixty five negative precepts in the Law according to the number of dayes in the year and two hundred forty eight affirmative commanding precepts according to the number of bones in a mans body whereby they would signifie that we must no day do those things which God hath forbidden and that with all the bones and members of our body we must do all those things which God hath commanded onely the godly man endeavours and desires to do this 7. Because God can trust none but the godly man for the godly man is the faithful man let an hypocrite have excellent parts of knowledge he will set up himself and seek his own ends as the Pharisees Mat. 6. gave almes prayed and fasted but did all to be seen of men like an idle unfaithful servant that works one hour for his master and two for himself but the godly man resolves to defend Gods cause to the utmost of his power and to bring all the glory he can to God Numb 12.7 Moses was said to be faithful in all Gods house the Martyrs would not for fear or favour of the world betray Gods cause but parted with their lives liberties and estates to glorifie Jesus Christ 8. Because none will doe Gods work so well as the godly man none have so much care to please God as he hypocrites slubber over the Lords work in prayer they draw near to God with their lips but their hearts are far from him when they hear his Word their hearts goe after their covetousness in receiving the Lords Supper they discern not the Lords body but receive onely the outward signs but a godly man prayes in prayer as Elias did James 5 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his heart is fixed with David trusting in the Lord in hearing the Word his heart burnes with holy zeal in him he will be careful and studious both to hear the Word and do it in receiving the Lords Supper he will examine himself before he eat of that bread and drink of that cup he will doe Gods work according to Gods will Vse The Uses I shall spin out of the Reasons the first reason is Because every godly man is a god-like man the first Use springing out of this Reason will be for consolation to all that be truly godly its ground of great comfort to thee that thou art like to God now thou mayest be assured of Gods dear love that he hath loved thee with an everlasting love which is better than life likeness is the cause of love this godliness is an infallible fruit of thine election and once elected alwayes beloved as earthly parents most affect those children which resemble them most so will thy heavenly Father exceedingly love thee for being so like to him the world derides and hates thee for godliness but be not dejected for godliness will be thine eternal honour and comfort 2. It may serve for admonition take heed of despising any man for being like to God for in despising him for godliness you despise God because godliness is his image Many excuse themselves and say they hate not a godly man for his godliness but for his hypocrisie I answer 1. Why doest thou not hate hypocrisie in thy self and in others who make no shew of godliness but live in hypocrisie and openly declare it 2. Godliness with some hypocrisie is better than hypocrisie without any godliness at all as corn with chaffe is better than chaffe without corn gold with dross is better than dross without gold you have more reason to love and honour them for their godliness than to hate them for hypocrisie because they hate hypocrisie and strive against it but they love godliness and labour to grow in it 3. It may serve to exhort you all to endeavour to be like to God in godliness both in heart and life Consider 1. what an honour it will be to you it will make your memories blessed when the names of the wicked shall rot very honourable and precious to this day are the names of Abraham for faith Moses for meekness Joseph for chastity Job for patience David for zeal Daniel for integrity of life Paul for love to Christ Peter and Magdalen for godly sorrow 2. Consider what a comfort it will be to your consciences when you follow God as dear children so that God is in you of a truth it was a greater comfort to blessed Hezekiah that he had walked before God in truth with a perfect heart than that he was honourable and wealthy none have so much cause to rejoyce and to be of good chear as the godly man for he is the friend of God his sins are pardoned Christ is his treasure the holy Ghost is his Comforter and heaven is his inheritance Psalm 32.11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in
an apple-tree however as apples are comfortable to the stomack so is Christ in his Ordinances to a sanctified soul most comfortable and sweet insomuch that such as enjoy him may say with more comfort than Esau said to Iacob I have enough Reas 2. Because this enduring meat is of infinite worth and excellency its worth all our labour pains and care we may repent our pains and care for worldly food but we shall never need to be sorry for our pains for Christ We may say of him as the Israelites did of David he is worth ten thousand of us and as the Church Cant. 5.10 He is the chiefest of ten thousand Prov. 8.11 Wisdom is better than Rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it in which place by wisdom Divines understand Christ and truly if we could view him with the eye of faith we should admire his transcendent lustre and excellency as Plato said if one could see the form of vertue it would wonderfully excite men to the love and study thereof Reas 3. Because this everlasting food is not easily obtained gold and silver will not purchase it Simon Magus could not buy the gifts of God with money Isai 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price in which words the Holy Ghost alludes to haven towns by the seaside where ships come in richly fraught and laden with excellent commodities where you may buy the best at the first hand and most cheap the Prophet saith buy come and buy in regard that we must take pains for Christ yet he saith buy without money and without price because nothing in this world no outward excellency is of equal worth and value to be given in exchange for Christ Reas 4. Because we have exceeding great need of this enduring food John 6.53 Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his bloud ye have no life in you If we feed not upon Christ we are dead in sin and are like to be undone for ever for without Christ we can have no true hope of life and peace our journey is long as far as from earth to heaven we have many dangerous enemies in the way whom we can never vanquish without the spiritual efficacy of this divine food Vse It serveth to inform us of one chief cause why true Christians do persevere and hold out in the way of grace to the end the main reason is because they are fed with this celestial meat which will renew their strength as the Prophet speaks Isai 40. last Elias walked forty dayes in the strength of the meat the Angel gave him but Christs true members feeding daily upon him do continue in his way to their lives end the same power that raised Christ from the dead the third day the same power raiseth all true Christians from death to life Ephes 1.19 20. and though we had the best food in the world yet sickness old age and death may take away our stomack that we cannot eat of it but by eating of this divine food we shall increase when nature decreaseth Psal 92.12 13 14. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God they shall bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing 1 Corinth 15.45 The first man Adam was made a living soul the last Adam was made a quickening spirit in which the Apostle intimates that Christ communicates life to his and confirmes them in it against final apostacy and supplies them with a continual renovation of this spiritual life unto eternal life which Adam would not do for his posterity Christ is so able faithful and careful over his members that none can pluck them out of his hands John 10.29 he nourisheth them so effectually with himself and his Ordinances and his blessed Spirit so that it is as impossible for true beleivers to perish as for Jesus Christ himself to perish for God hath loved them with the same love wherewith he loved Christ John 17.23 and hath ordained Christ to be the principal meanes for their redemption conversion justification adoption and glorification Ephes 1.2 to the 10. Galat. 3.26 Colos 1.27 therefore in Psal 40.7 In the volume of thy Book it is written of me by book there is meant Gods eternal dectee and according to the original it is properly in the head or top of thy book where the Holy Ghost imports thus much to us that the chiefest thing which God intended before the world was was that Christ should be the Saviour of his elect for his glory Vse Secondly It serves to inform us of the excellency and dignity of true Christians who onely eat of this everlasting meat Revel 2.17 Christ promiseth to such as overcome to give them to eat of hidden Manna which is himself he is hidden from others true Christians have such meat to eat as others know not of Psal 78.24 25. God is there said to have fed the Israelites with Angels food that was Manna a type of Christ but so called by way of eminency to denote with what excellent food he fed them but what 's the shadow to the substance the tipe to the truth No food in the world comparable to this bread of life an humble heart feeding daily upon Christ hath joy unspeakable and glorious when the voluptuous Epicures of this life have no solid comfort for they have no more than the creature can afford them though the righteous endure outward poverty and seem miserable by reason of many adversities yet they are better in their worst estate than ungodly men are in their best estate in regard they feed upon this divine Manna they like Daniel look better with pulse than others who feed onely upon earthly dainties Vse The next use is for reproof I shall spin the rest of the Uses out of those four heads in the first branch which will run like a thred through the web of the whole point 1. I told you in the first place that Christ is everlasting meat by the merit and efficacy of his person This serves to reprove such as labour not for Christs merits for their justification in Gods sight and these are the Papists who seek for and teach justification by works so by this meanes they derogate from Christs merits and put themselves into a miserable condition for upon this ground conceive that a Papist living and dying a Papist cannot be saved St. Paul Philip. 3.9 renounceth all confidence in his own merits in point of Justification And be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith The Papists
are as silly as little Infants such as these are penny wise and pound foolish and if they look not to it in time they will one day lament their folly in that they had no more care over their soules when they come to find this true by their own experience that it will be no profit to gain the world and to loose ones soul 7. I told you in the seventh place that a Christian walks with God by frequent and servent prayer expecting an answer to it This Use still serves to reprove all such as call not upon the Lord they performe some lip-labour uttering some cold wishes but they know not how to pour out their soules in zealous suites it seems their hearts were never broken with greif and sorrow for sin because they never had the Spirit of grace and supplication poured upon them if they draw neer God with their lips their heart is farre from him oh how weary are they of prayer and other holy duties Certainly they will never indure to be in heaven for there is everlasting singing of Hallelujah without ceasing if the Lords service here tire them out in two or three houres much more will they be weary of being in heaven so holy a place Consider this you ungodly wretches who have opened your mouths in swearing and cursing and ungodly talking against the way of holiness and blaspheming of God but could never to this day pour out a fervent prayer to God doubtless God will not hold you guiltless for these sins but in the day that he visits he will visit these sins upon you you hypocrites you generation of vipers how hard will it be for you to escape the damnation of hell you are quickly weary of the Lords service and cry what a weariness is it but you are not weary of your sins look to it betime and have a care to amend or else these great sinnes will burden your soules and lie very heavy upon them when you die 8. I told you in the eighth place that a Christian walks with God by the life of faith This Use still serves to reprove all such as walk not with God this way this life of faith is a riddle and a mystery to the most few understand and practise it the most men live by their wits shifts and policy but to live by faith in God they know not they say they beleived ever since they could remember but that was not in God for if God deprive them of his blessings and afflict them with miseries they presently distrust repine and run to unlawful meanes they can trust God no farther than they see him helping them with second meanes but if outward meanes be gone their faith is gone also so they trust not God but the meanes these do much offend God by distrust and unbeleif as the Israelites did in Psal 78. Vse The next Use is for comfort to all such as walk with God 1. I told you in the first place that a Christian walks with God by acquainting himself with God and being at peace with him This Use serves to comfort all such as walk thus with God happy are you in any condition God shall lead you into you may look upward with joy for though men frown at you yet the Lord from heaven smiles upon you you having peace with God shall have peace in your own consciences which will do you more good than millions of gold you shall have peace with the blessed Angels they shall pitch their Tents about you for your safety as when one is at peace with the Master of a family his servants are ready to do him good you shall have peace with other creatures Job 5.23 Thou shalt 〈◊〉 in league with the stones of the field and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee 〈◊〉 is the portion of all such as are at peace with God this honour have all the Saints 2. I told you in the second place that a Christian walkes with God by doing all his actions as in Gods sight and presence This Use still serves for consolation to all such as walk thus with God two priviledges belong to all such Psalm 16.9 11. The first is in verse 9. Therefore mine heart is glad and my glory that is my tongue rejoyceth This will be a matter of great joy unto thee to have God thy dearest freind ever in thine eye Jacob had enough when he saw Joseph thou hast enough in seeing thy heavenly father thou livest as do the glorious Angels for they continually behold the face of our Father in heaven God is ever within the sight of your faith and within the cry of your prayers Jacob having seen Christ and wrastled with him was filled with joy saying I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved he had special assurance of protection against Esau his fury by the clear sight of Christ which made him exceeding joyful The next priviledge is verse 11. Thou wilt shew me the path of life God is the good mans guide the closer you walk with him the surer he will guide you to glory as the Star led the wise men to Christ and as the Cloud conducted the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan so God will never leave thee untill he hath brought thee to heaven the wicked wander in the darkness and stumble but you that walk with God walk uprightly and surely you avoid many sins and punishments which others run into blessed are you dear souls that ever God inclined your hearts to walk with him 3. I told you in the third place that a Christian walks with God by doing all his actions to Gods glory This Use still serves to comfort all such as walk with him after this manner you blessed Christians who look at this noble end you may confidently expect a noble end of your lives even glory honour and immortal life in another world so did our blessed Saviour John 17.45 I have glorified thee on the earth and now O Father glorfie thou me with thine own self God will honour you that honour him both here but chiefly hereafter the men of this world will speak all manner of evill of you falsly but God with whom you walk will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgement as the noon day you are here defamed and reputed as the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things yet by advancing the glory of God your memory shall be blessed when the name of your enemies shall rot 4. I told you in the fourth place that a Christian walks with God by a strict imitation of God according to his word This Use still serves to comfort all such as walk with God this way herein lies your happiness in that you resemble God the most perfect example which will move him to love you most dearly for likeness is the cause of love this is the reason why the righteous is more excellent than