that is but little they may take away my life but I make no account of it saith he if other men made as little account of these things as I do they would be as bold as I. Therefore I say now it is a time for a man to stir up his strength to be willing to part with these things when actions come that have hazzard accompanying them and opposition and persecution and resistance from this temptation and from that Now be strong in the Lord Ephes. 6. When there comes temptations if any thing be to be suffered be strong to endure it If any thing be to be done be strong to go through with it if be any special duty be strong wrestle with the Lord as Iacob did in distresse there was his course stir up thy strength at that time and wrestle with all thy strength So if â—he businesse be to contend for the common truth and faith a man must be strong what though it be accompanied with hazzard this is a time for a man to stir up his strength that is one case A second is in all great changes of estate for that is a time when a man should stir up his strength because then a man is most apt to be weak That is if a man â—alâ— into great crosses and afflictions and adversities and again if he be raised to prosperity more then ordinary now 〈◊〉 him be strong that is let him look to himself and take heed now that his heart be not broken by the one nor puffed up with the other now is the time for a man to be strong upon these great changes As the body of a man when he comes into a strange Countrey to change of diet and air he is affected with it it works upon him so the soul of a man in all great changes of estate that it falls into cannot but be affected with them Therefore the Scripture calls it drunkennesse A man may be drunk with prosperity and adversity and a man is apt to be so that is when a man is drunk his brain is weak and the beer or wine is strong so when the heart of a man is weak and the operation is strong the estate that falls on him is strong it makes him drunk both wayes A man is drunk with prosperity one while another while with adversities this is a time to be strong As the Apostle expresseth it Phil. 4. I am able to want and to abound to pass through good report and evil report That is now in this great change if you talk of strength I am able to do all things through strength from Christ. A man in an even condition it is nothing for him to keep his minde in an even temper but in the unevenness of a mans condition now to keep his minde equally disposed that is the difficulty And it is not onely difficult in that which riseth from the unevenness of a mans estate but the suddenness of the change When a sudden change comes look to thy self be strong As we say of the body it is a rule of Physicians it indures not sudden changes no more can the minde but it is apt to be disquieted and put out of temper As when a man hath had a great heat and sudden cold comes when a man is in one condition and suddenly comes into another now is the time to stir up strength That is the second Thirdly and lastly there are certain seasons and opportunities wherein a man is called to exercise such and such a grace now is the time when we must be strong to put that grace in practice Sometimes there is a season of using the grace of patience sometimes of love sometimes of temperance sometimes one grace sometimes another whensoever these seasons and opportunities come now put forth these graces and let them have their perfect work every grace in his season That is the time now when a man is to stir up his strength in those opportunities and turnings of a mans life Such things fall out every day now one grace is to be used and then another now be careful to stir them up as we see 2 Pet. 1. 5. when a man hath one grace saith the Apostle let him add one to another Therefore give all diligence thereto join vertue with faith and with faith knowledge and with knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godliness with godliness brotherly kindness with brotherly kindness love That is suppose saith the Apostle thou hast faith perhaps there iâ— need of more then that there comes seasons when thou art to do good works to add works to thy faith therefore remember in such a case to join vertue to it for vertue is taken here for action a readiness in a man to perform to bring that faith into use But when you are set on work perhaps it may be a difficult case to know what a man in discretion should do in this ambiguous case therefore add knowledge and prudence to guide and direct you in that you do but when you have gotten prudence and know what is to be done then add to knowledge temperance It may be a man may know well enough what to do but he is drawn aside with some pleasure and lust for it is usual for a man to know but because he is byassed the wrong way with some inordinate affection he performs not that 〈◊〉 knows therefore saith the Apostle now is the season to add temperance to knowledge to abstain from those things And besides as pleasures are a means on the one side to keep him from the practise of what he knows so there are likewise some dangers and difficulties somewhat that a man is to suffer When a good action is to be done a men shall find many crosses and oppositions somewhat he must part with therefore add not temperance onely but patience that is a time for patience or else he cannot do any thing to purpose When both these are done joyn with patience godliness A man may do much and join temperance and patience but these are moral vertues a man may do them for other ends he may be a good servant but he may serve a wrong Master therefore saith he eye God in all you do join to these godliness do it out of sincerity advance him and his glory and do it not for your own ends and with godliness brotherly kindness that is that the work and business you do though it must be done to the Lord for his sake and so you must do it in a godly manner yet your business is with men for the most part therefore you must join with godliness brotherly kindness that you do it out of love to men as well as out of sincere respect to God I but there are other men in the world besides godly men and we have to do with them and there are many businesses to do for their sake and advantage therefore saith the Apostle
of any interest in Christ if thou think him not worthy of this he that hates not son and daughter that neglects not that natural love to them for me is not worthy of me GODLINESS OUR GLORY 2 Tim. 3. 5. Having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away THis duty which is commended to us in these words will well fall in with our general scope which we have told you was to shew you First What we are out of Christ. Secondly What we have by him and how we are ingrafted into him And thirdly What we are to do for him Now we have told you that you are to labor for faith and love and good works which we have already finished But men are apt to have a form a shew and appearance of all this whenas they have not the life and power Therefore that you may not be deceived we have thought good to add this to all the rest take heed how you content your selves in having a form of godlinesse onely without the power of it The Apostle in this place as you may see intends to describe the diseases of the latter times which are the times into which we are fallen And you may see in the former part of the Chapter how many the diseases of the soul are so that the diseases of the body as many as they are do hardly exceed the diseases of the inward man He tells them that in the latter times there should be men that should be lovers of themselves coveteous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truce breakers false accusars incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good Traytors heady high minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God And then he puts this as the last of all having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof There is something in that why he puts it down last for when men hear themselves accused of all those things formerly named by the Apostle perhaps they will be ready to answer We hope we are not so bad I hope we serve God I hope we are worshippers of God as well as others I hope we are not Athiests Saith the Apostle deceive not your selves in that I deny not saith he but that notwithstanding all these diseases which are all mortal diseases you may yet have a form of godlinesse but it is such a form as is disjoyned from the power of it therefore even that he puts among the rest having a form of godlinesse but denying the power thereof It is true this form is good his meaning is not to reject that for wheresoever there is the power of godliness there is also the form that you must take for granted it is impossible that they should be disjoyned Wheresoever there is true gold there will be a yellownesse there will be all the qualities of gold though many times you have counterfeit pieces that carry the colour having not the true qualities of the mettal So here the Apostles intent is not to reject the form but all the scope of the Apostle and the main matter which he drives at is that men should not have the form without the power and life having a form of godliness but have denyed the power thereof The first point that we will commend to you out of these words for you see they need not much explication they are very plain it is this before we come to that which is the main that It is Godliness which is required by God and that is onely acceptable to him You see that lieth in the front of the text and first offereth it self to our view For when the question is about the form and the power of godliness it must needs be taken for granted that godliness is a thing required by God of every man The very light of nature will teach a man so much that there must be godliness Now when we come to consider what this godliness is then there comes in a second consideration not a form of it but the power So we will begin with that first that godliness is here required of every man It is godliness which is not in the form but in the power So then here first of all we must consider that nature is not enough but there must be godliness Nature is not enough that is natural vertues for God hath caused nature to bring forth many excellent vertues which are the common gifts of the holy Ghost as they are called For there is a natural patience a natural weakness a natural temperance Some men by nature are more sober more temperate more abstenious from inordinate and loose courses but it is not this that will be accepted with God It is true indeed these are very beautiful and aimable in their kind considered in their own sphear As you know the flower that the grass beareth hath a beauty in it and all natural vertues are like the flower of the grass that is nature is but flesh and this flesh hath a flower growing upon it and that flower hath a beauty and excellency in it yea it is a flower of Gods own making but yet God doth not accept this as a thing wherein he delighteth because these natural vertues they neither come from him that is not from his sanctifying spirit neither do they look to him and therefore it must be godliness and not nature Secondly It must be godliness and not moral vertues for that goeth a step beyond nature natural vertues are bred and born with us but moral vertues are something more for they are begotten or acquired in us by practise and education and the engraving of the moral Law concurring together And these have an excellency much beyond natural vertues and they are very fair in the eyes of men but abhominable in the sight of God because these moral vertues have no respect to him therefore the Lord hath no respect to them Wherefore I say as it must be godliness and not nature so it must be godliness and not moral vertues But yet you must go one step further it must be godliness and not onely the actions of Religion and worship which may be exhibited and offered to God and yet may proceed from self-love and may tend to a mans self as making himself the utmost end of it For you must know that a man may go far in the duties of godliness and in the outward actions of Religion and yet I say all that he doth may proceed from self-love and he may make himself the utmost end of all That is when a man considers that God is the governor of the world that he alone hath the keyes of hell and of death the power of salvation and damnation and of all good and evil in this life which are but degrees and stairs which lead to those two ends hereafter A man when he considers this may out of the strength of natural
wisdom do much for God and to God and yet for all this not have this true godliness here required For even as a man may be very obsequious to another and very observant of him upon whom he depends from whom he looks for some good thing or in whose power it is to do him mischief and hurt So when a man looks upon God as the great governour of the world who is able to do him good or hurt he may do many duties of his service and worship he may be exact in the performance of many things and yet for all this not make God his utmost end but useth him onely as a bridge to carry him over to his own end which I say a man may naturally do Therefore godliness is none of these three not natural vertues not moral vertues no nor a great degree of the actions of Religion which a man may perform and yet not be truly godly I say it is none of these for in all these the creature may be turned upon his own hinges it may be moved out of its own principle it may look to it self in all these and see an excellencie and happiness in it self within its own compass within its own circle Whereas true godliness empties a man of himself and teacheth him to seek God and to magnifie him in all things to look at him in all things For you must know that godliness is a grace not begotten by nature nor acquired by practise but infused by God which doth habituate the soul and all the faculties of it to turn to and fro as the will of God shall direct it and that for his sake And it doth it after this manner First it takes a man off from his own bottom and makes a man see that there is nothing in himself Again it pitcheth a man upon a higher end then nature can reach unto And when it hath done these two the third will easily follow it makes a man follow God and seek God in all things for you must know that so long as a man depends upon himself so long as he is bottomed upon himself so long as he seeks his happiness within himself so long he will look to himself and no further Therefore for a man to look to God altogether he must first be taken off from himself and he must be pitched upon God So that godlinesse hath another Alpha and Omega then either nature or moral vertues have It hath a higher well-head then nature and consequently it looks higher and runs higher then nature with all its strength After this manner doth godliness teach a man to look to God and to follow God in all things It is the nature of every man living to look to himself and that constantly till he find something better then himself to rest upon Now godliness enlighteneth a man and teacheth him to know that his good is contained in God more then in himself therefore he is willing no longer to depend upon himself and to seek himself and to place his happiness upon himself but in God And then he is resolved to follow God in all things This is the property of godliness this is a godly man As we use to say in our common speech that such a man is a Lutheran because he followes Luther in all things so such a man is an Aristotilian because he followes Aristotle such a man followes his Prince or such a great man and therefore so we term him by such a name so I say he is a godly man that looks to God in all things that resolves to follow him to set him up to magnifie him that goes by the rule that he hath appointed he is properly a godly man Therefore the word here used will help in us the describing of godliness The word translated godliness in the Original signifieth to honor or to worship or to prize or to esteem much So that a godly man is he that prizeth God much or esteemeth him much that extols him and magnifieth him in his apprehension This therefore in a word is to be a godly man to exalt God as God in his heart There are two things in that You must do it in your hearts otherwise the Lord regards it not It is true men give him generally an outward worship onely but doth he look to that doth he regard your presenting your selves before him in the congregation It is good that it should be so but is it that which he chiefly regards No it is the inward reverence of the heart that he looks unto And again you must Exalt him as God in your hearts You will say What is that It consists in these Two things First He that will do that must be utterly emptied of himself that is he must see no beauty nor excellency nor goodness in himself he must make nothing of himself think of himself as a man not worth the looking after And not so onely but he must see also an emptinesse of all power and ability to help himself And this doth not bring the creature upon his knees onely but it layes him flat upon the ground with his face in the dust and viles him in his own eyes When a man shall see that he is not able to sustain himself together with the sight of the worthlessness that is in him not having any thing to move another to do it I say this is one thing wherein this exalting of God consisteth When a man seeth neither any beauty or excellency in himself nor any power or ability to help himself nothing to deserve help nor ability to afford himself any help But this is for the first thing wherein the exalting of God as God doth consist There is a second thing and that is to see on the other side all fulnesse in God to see in him all excellency and beauty and all goodnesse and all power and strength and out of that to magnifie him to extoll him in your hearts to set him high as he is God to love him above all In a word to look upon him as being all in all things to answer our being nothing in every thing These two must concur together to make up godlinesse to enable us to exalt God as God in our hearts to be fully convinced that there is nothing but emptinesse in our selves and withall to see all fulness in God for so long as a man sees any thing in himself so long as he thinks that there is either excellency in himself or strength and power in him so long he will lean upon himself and trust himself and proportionably he will draw his heart from the Lord. And again on the other side in what measure a man sees an emptiness in himself and a fulnesse in God in that measure he will withdraw his heart from himself and every creature and pitch it upon the Lord. By this time then you see what this godliness is which is here commended to us And now
I have declared to you what it is to win your hearts to a more full assent to this that nothing but godliness is accepted we will shew you some reasons for it For a man will ask this What is the reason that God delights not in nature or natural vertues or in moral habits Why doth he not delight in these Why will he accept of nothing but godliness First there is this reason for it because the Lord loves nothing but that which is like himself as indeed no man doth nor no creature No man loves any thing but that which hath a likeness a consimilitude with something within himself For all love you know comes from similitude all delight comes from likeness Therefore the things that have no similitude with us we neither love nor delight in them Now therefore when God looks upon man and sees his own Image upon him when he sees that stamp upon a man he loves it and delights in it for it is like himself But now whatsoever is from nature whatsoever is but moral vertues it is but from the earth and is earthly it is but from the flesh and it is fleshly But that which is supernatural that which is infused into us from God that Image of his which is stamped upon us is from Heaven and is heavenly it is from the Spirit and it is spiritual Now God that is a Spirit and is holy he loves that which is spiritual and holy he loves his own Image wheresoever he finds it Now godliness is onely heavenly for all other beauties that seem so gaudy to us are but from the earth and are the beauty of the flesh therefore the Lord delights not in them the Lord loves it not with the love of complacency so as to be well pleased with it That is one reason Secondly the reason why the Lord doth love nothing but godliness that he loveth none of the rest so as to delight in them for there is a kind of love that he gives them as you know our Saviour Christ looked on the young man in the Gospel and loved him but I say he doth not delight in them he loves them not with that special and peculiar love because all these ornaments they do but beautifie the creature in it self Now no creature may rejoyce in it self or boast in it self no creature may magnifie it self which it would do if it might find an excellency in it self Therefore the Lord will have the creature to find no excellency in it self and therefore he doth not magnifie these things he sets no price upon them And the Lord would have the creature to know so much he onely magnifies and esteems that which draws the creature from it self makes the creature his therefore he prizeth and esteemeth onely the emptying graces You shall see the Scripture doth not magnifie those moral vertues that Aristotle and Plutarch and Seneca and the rest of those Heathens magnified For the scope of the Scripture looks another way and magnifieth those emptying graces most As faith for instance which emptyeth the creature of it self and makes a man to see nothing in himself not to trust in himself but teacheth a man to look for all from God therefore the Scripture magnifieth faith O woman great is thy faith that is this is the thing that onely makes thee amiable this is it that makes me set a high price upon thee And so in that speech to the Centurion I have not found so great faith no not in Israel It was that which set Iacob in that high esteem with God that which got him that title of honour to be called Israel it was his faith And why is it but because the Lord regards that onely in the creature which makes a man his which draws a man nearer to him and more out of himself Now this godliness doth for it makes a man to see nothing in himself but all in God and therefore to follow God altogether to seek God altogether Now all other ornaments all natural and moral vertues do beautifie and adorn the creature within himself they make a man to see something within himself now no creature is to do this no not the creature when it was in the flower of all its bravery When Adam and the Angels would begin to look on something in themselves and forget God and to think that they were some body and would stand upon their own bottom then they fell For the creature of it self is as a glass without a bottom if you set it down it breaks for it hath nothing to sustain it but as long as a man holds it in his hand so long it is safe Such a thing is every creature in it self Angels and men they are without a bottom when the Lord doth not hold them in his own hand when they will go about to stand of themselves they fall and break and that was the cause of the fall of the Angels and the fall of Adam and of all of us in him viz. self-dependance Our repairing again the restoring of the creature must be by learning to be altogether Gods to magnifie God to look to God and to look to him altogether for that is indeed onely prized and magnified by him And this is the second reason wherefore godliness is only accepted by God because it teacheth a man onely to mind him to look to him to draw near to him it makes a man altogether his and not his own We will add one more the Lord regards onely godliness and nothing else because it gives him all the glory Now onely the Lord may seek his own glory because he hath no other end beyond himself Every creature you know is made for a further end and therefore is bound to seek something above it self even as it stands subordinate to that Every man is subordinate a man in the Common-wealth must seek the good of that Every man is subordinate to God therefore he must seek the glory of God for the subordination will so carry it But now the Lord he hath none above himself therefore he may and doth seek his own glory now nothing gives glory to God but godliness In 1 Cor. 11. The man is the glory of God and the woman is the glory of the man The meaning of it is this look how the woman is the glory of the man so is the man the glory of God that is a man must have nothing in himself for then he would have some glory to himself but he must be wholly the Lords he must be wholly fashioned and accommodated to him as the woman to the Husband for then he is the Lords glory Even as a picture you know it hath nothing of it self but all from the Painter therefore the picture is the glory of the Painter we use to phrase it so because it hath all from him we call it the glory of the Painter because it shews his glory And so a
woman hath all from the man and she should seek to imitate him because she is the glory of the man she is to have no power of her own Therefore that is to be observed which is said ver 3. that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man That is Christ is the head of every man as the man is the head of the woman Now because the man is the head of the woman the woman is to have no power upon her head that is no ensign of power this is to be subject to the man After the same manner Christ is every mans head that is no man is to have any power of his own he is to do nothing of himself or for himself but to do all for Christ to be perfectly subject to him even as the creature to the creature even as the clay to the Potter for Christ is the head of the man and God saith he is Christs head That is Christ as he was the Son of God and the Mediator he looked to God and was altogether subject to him Therefore I say it is that the Lord looks at nothing but godliness because godliness giveth him glory all the rest giveth glory to the creature but not to the Lord. So much shall serve for the reasons We will come to make some use of it You see now what godliness is and the reasons why the Lord accepts nothing but godliness why nothing is pleasing to him but godliness First Then let us make this use of it let us not content our selves then with any thing that nature hath wrought in us let us not content our selves with moral vertues let us not content our selves with common care of worshiping of God nor with all the outward actions and shewes of Religion onely for all this is not acceptable to God as you see but let us labour for this which is called true Godliness this is all in all Therefore you shall find that the Apostle Saint Peter 2 Pet. 1. he exhorts you to this that we are now about Saith he add to your faith vertue to your vertue knowledge to your knowledge temperance to your temperance patience and to your patience godliness Mark what is his meaning in this surely this As if he should say when you here me speak to you of patience and temperance c. and that all these are goodly vertues you must add godliness to all or else they are nothing worth the Lord will not regard them that is you must look to God in them all there must be more then nature in you you must reach at an higher end then nature can and therefore content not your selves with any of these But you will say what do you cast away nature and civility are these nothing worth these moral vertues No my brethren this is not my meaning they are of very much worth as we said before Jesus Christ looked upon the young man and loved him There was that in him which was truly aimable within its compass and sphear But it is one thing to be lovely to salvation and another thing to be aimable in its own degree and kind Therefore we do not say we cast away these they are very necessary God hath placed them there himself but as we have said heretofore Godliness doth make use of all these these are like the stream and the wind that must carry along the ship If it were not for these natural powers and vertues we should not be able to do the duties of godliness Onely this we say there must be some what superadded to it that godliness must sit at the stern and turn the rudder and rule the compass and guide the scope of the ship to the right haven So that I say godliness doth not take away nature but addeth to it As you know your riders of horses when a rider comes to a horse full of mettle he doth not take away that mettle he doth not extinguish it but he endeavours to improve it in a right way he fashons it and brings it under and makes it of use for the rider Even so Godliness when it cometh to a man if it find much mettle in a man many excellent vertues which nature hath planted in him many moral vertues which customs and education hath edded to it Godliness it casts not away these but orders them and breakes them and subdues them and makes them serviceable to God and man So doth the Physician when he comes to his patient he doth not overthrow all the humours in the body and extinguish them but onely he corrects them onely he adds to those that are defective and takes down those that are excessive and composeth and helps them into a right frame Even so doth godliness with nature it composeth and ordereth and addeth to nature it elevates nature it puts a higher end upon it it adds a spiritualness to it As for example nature hath made a man to love himself to love his Children It is natural affection that hath taught a man to grieve for that which is evil and obnoxious to himself when it is upon a man Godliness now doth but make a right use of this When nature hath digged a fountain of tears godliness doth but turn the stream the right way When nature hath put such a principle in us as love godlinesse comes and teacheth us to love this and that for God and from God Therefore our exhortation is that you would but add godliness to all these You will say what is that That is learn to be emptied of your selves to cast away all these as St. Paul did to reckon them as dross and dung that you may be found in Christ. As you must do this for justification so you must do it in matter of sanctification for you must know this that when Christ comes to dwell in a man that man must no longer live to himself and for himself but to the Lord and for the Lord. Now every man the less he lives to himself and in himself the more he will live to Christ and in Christ. Therefore I say the thing we would exhort you to is this that you would contend with your selves and reason the matter seriously why a man should no more look to himself but to God altogether For a man is a reasonable creature and it is certain that till a man see reason why he should not look to himself he will do it but let him be perswaded it is best for me to look no more to my self to stand no more upon my own bottom but it is safest for me to seek the Lord. I say this reasoning with our selves so as to be convinced of it will bring us to serve God altogether For when you are come to this once to see that it is onely God in whom all your happiness is you will no longer look to your selves Therefore you must learn to
your hearts are estranged from God how much you have forgotten God He is your Lord your Master you must be his servants therefore renew it now and bring your hearts back again This is indeed the very renewing of the Covenant and a drawing near to God and it giveth strength unto you and makes the union more firm that is the more that we are perswaded that he is our Husband and that we have married our selves to him the greater is the strength of affection And you shall find it by experience every grace is strengthened and enlarged by this and every sin is abated and mortified and subdued This is done in the eating of his flesh and the drinking of his blood So that every Sacrament day a man renews his assurance he reneweth his union with God in Christ this is properly feeding upon Christ you are strengthened by it your hearts are more established in well doing there is more joy and more peace your faith is increased which encreaseth every grace you are more weaned from the world As when the heart of the wife draweth near to the Husband it is more weaned and alienated from strangers This I say is to eat the flesh of Christ and to drink his blood when withal you add a right application of all that Christ hath done for the enabling of you to the duties of godliness A FORM of GODLINESS NO GODLINESS VVithout the POWER 2 Tim. 3. 5. Having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away YOu know the point that we delivered to you in the morning out of these words That It is Godliness that is required of every man that is only acceptable to the Lord. We gave you the reasons of it and made some Use of it And before we come to the other point or to some further Use that we should make of this we will add a word or two to that which we prest in the morning that we should not content our selves with any thing but godliness For we are apt to be deceived in this case to mistake and to think that our common care of serving God and that moral vertues and civility are godliness But it is enough for you to know that the Lord accepts nothing but that which is more then nature that which himself hath wrought in us by his holy Spirit Aristotle himself though a Heathen man was able to say that natural vertues are very like the true they come so near it that there is nothing more like As natural meekness will do as much as the best moral meekness nay as much as any spiritual meekness stupidity will do as much as Christian courage and natural temperance and ability in a man to rule and govern himself There are many of these natural vertues which for the outside for I speak of that and for the shew for some kind of performance may go as far as those that are spiritual But there is a great difference between them because the one sort proceed but from nature and they look but to a mans self And you shall find they alway have this property they are done without difficulty without resistance without any reluctancy therefore they are not praise-worthy there is no thanks for any man to do such an action Indeed they are beautiful things as I told you then the flowers of the grasse the flower of the flesh is beautiful they are the works of Gods own hand for he hath wrought them in us but he himself must have the glory and not we That which we must look for is spiritual vertues spiritual graces which the Apostle exhorts us unto Add to your patience vertue to vertue temperance and brotherly kindness and then to all add godliness Godliness which makes a man look to God it hath alway the flesh to resist it it doth what it doth with some difficulty and reluctancy For the stream of nature is still running a contrary way This is that you must labour for therefore remember this rule that godliness is something alwayes above nature If therefore there be no more in you then what you have by nature or by education or practice be assured it is not right As you see it in the earth the earth is able to bring forth grass and some kind of flowers of it self but if you will have it bear corn and wine things of a more pretious nature there must be plowing and sowing and planting there must be some other seed cast into it then is found in the earth there must be some work of man upon it So it is with our hearts by reason of those engravings of the moral Law and the work of nature in us we are able to do much we are able to bring forth many excellent flowers we are able to do many things that are very good and beautiful though they be not spiritually so But that which is godliness that is it which must be wrought by a supernatural power there must to follow the metaphor be plowing and sowing that is no man living hath this thing which we call godliness in him but it must be wrought after this manner First there must be a plowing of the heart he must be humbled he must be taught to know that he is a child of wrath a man that never hath had any of this plowing that hath never been thus humbled in the sence of sin and the apprehension of Gods wrath he may be assured that he hath nothing in him but nature he hath nothing in him that is of a supernatural work that is the work of the sanctifying Spirit he hath nothing of that yet wrought in him for that is never done without plowing Again this is not all for a man may be plowed he may have quick and sharp terrors of conscience and yet have no feed sown there may be harrowing you know where there is no fowing It was the case of Iudas and Achitophel and so it is the case of divers others and therefore we must go further there must be seed thown into the heart by the hand of God by the sanctifying spirit that is after a manâ— heart hath been thus hurried he must come home to God by Christ and have his heart calmed by the assurance of Gods love When he is thus united to Christ by faith after he hath been humbled then the Lord soweth seed what seed The immortal seed of his Word which by the operation of the sanctifying Spirit of God works that in the heart which is above all natural principles Now when this is done there is a crop which God is delighted in a crop pleasing and acceptable to him For we shall never bring forth fruit to the spirit till the same spirit hath sown our hearts with these spiritual and supernatural graces This onely I add that when I have exhorted you not to content your selves with moral vertues that you may know in a word what this
spirit That when any man doth a business of the Lords the word discernes it because it is the word that cometh from the spirit So here when we do any business the Lord seeth how far the spirit hath a hand in it and how far the flâ—sh and he discerneth exactly between them though it be as near as the bone and the marrow As if he should say even as the bones and the marrow even as the joynts and the sinnews the eye of man cannot see into them yet the Lord searcheth the reins to the bottom he discerneth what of the flesh and what of the spirit is in every action And my brethren you should learn to do thus to your selves to judge your selves after this manner to consider in all the actions you do whether you do them in sincerity to the Lord for it is godliness no further it is something it may be which is good some moral vertues it may be or else an act of Religion and publick worship but it is not godliness except it be done for the Lord. Therefore you must do thâ—se two things 〈◊〉 him for God in your hearts look for all from him care for no comfort but what comes from him it is no matter what you loose so you have him you reckon him the main you reckon him essential to your happiness Other things if they be better or worse so it is it is no no great matter And again to do it in sincerity as to God Last of all if this be the thing that the Lord looks for from you then labour to excel in it because it is the best excellency you have for that in a man which is onely acceptable to God is certainly the best thing in him and the more he excels in such a thing the more acceptable Every man seeks after excellency why should we not labor to excel in this that is labour to be very godly to do very much for the Lord. Every man is ready to do something for some body he will do something for his friend for his Wife for his Children for his Prince for his countrey and it is well you should do all this but now look upon the Lord and see in how many respects you are bound to him more then to all these And think if I ought to do for all these how much more ought I to do for the Lord And therefore consider what you have to do and how much you are bound to him and labour to excel in godliness that is to do much for God A man will do much for himself he will devise what is for his own good he will project it and study it with solicitousness now a man is bound to love God above himself and therefore to do more for God then for himself This is a thing that is much forgotten among us and by those whom we call godly men they forget it they think not what they have to do for the Lord. You have many opportunities afforded to you remember that to be a godly man is as you have opportunities as to do much for God so to do much to him God observes what talents every man hath what occasions what hints every man hath to do him service what advantages what power he hath in his hand and he looks that all these should be improved for his advantage It is no better then thievery and robbery to take these from God and to bestow them upon your selves As you reckon it in a steward to be the greatest theft to turn his masters good and benefit to his own profit so when a man shall have an eye to himself in all these things it is an extream robbery of God for you knew you should use them all for God And the more you do for him for he sees it and observes it will recompence every man a hundred fold No man payes wages so as he doth but we will not stand to urge this because I would not be kept from handling that which is the main scope of this text Having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof The second point that we would deliver to you it lies so plain that there needs no further opening of the text for the gathering of it it is this that Most men have but a form of Godliness though the Lord require the power of it We will even deliver it plainly as it lies It is a point that needs no proof and I wish it did I wish that it were not written in Capital letters in the fore-heads of most men that he that runs may read it For if we look about us we shall see a form of Godliness every where but the power and life of it is exceeding rare Our business will be rather to consider the cause of this disease What the reason is that the form of godliness is to be found frequently enough and the power and life of godliness is so rare and so seldom to be seen And we shall find these reasons of it First Men will have a form of godliness because there must be something to satisfie that conscience which every man hath For there is a natural conscience which the Apostle speaketh of Rom. 2. 16. speaking of the Gentiles he saith this of them their thoughts accusing or excusing one another So that there is a natural conscience even in men that yet know not God aright Now that natural conscience must have something to satisfie it it will not be at rest else Now because men are unable to judge and discern aright therefore a form of godliness is enough for them they are quieted and satisfied and contented with that although they have not the power thereof it self Even as children you know are contented with counters because they do not know their worth Satan deals with us in this case as we do with them when they cry and are unquiet such flight things of no moment contents us though they be as empty and as beggarly as counters and rattles because men are not able to judge what the conscience will have something it must have to satisfie it he gives us that which is but a form which is but counterfeit that hath not the power and life of godliness and hence it is that men are contented with it Secondly Another cause why the form is found every where but not the power it is because the form of godliness is very easie but the power and life of it is very hard and difficult It is an easie thing to do the things wherein the shew and the form consists It is an easie thing to come to Church to hear the word to here prayers it is an easie thing to read a prayer every day in private it is an easie thing to have such a formality in serving of God these are things that are done with facility But come now to the power and life of godliness that mortifieth thy lusts that subdueth
4. 6. 1 Cor. 3. Use 1. Rev. 3. Simile Simile Quest. Answ. what holiness of Spirit is Isay 57. Ia I◠〈◊〉 3. Use. 2. Exod. 33. 1. 2. 3. 4â— 1 Reason 2. Reason 3 Reason 4 Reason Use 1. Quest. Answ. Use 2. Object Answs Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Use. 3. 2. 3. 4. 2. 2. 3 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 1. 2. 3. 4 5. Psal 119. Luke 10. 23. Mat. 3. Luke 9. 1. 1. 2. Vide Joh. 14. Joh. 1. 3 23. 3. 〈◊〉 5. 〈◊〉 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 2. 3. Object Answ. 4. 5. 6. 7. Object Answ. 8. 9. Doct. 1. It is the property of grace to make us strong Grace What A quality Rom. 6. 14. Rom. 3. Heb. 12. â—2 Supernatural 3. Peculiar 4. Wrought by the holy ghost 5. Whereby we are enabled to please God 6. In all things Grace maketh strong Reas. 1. Grace changeth mans nature Reas. 2. Grace is the efficacy of the spirit Isa. 21. 3. Object Answ. Grace an emptying quality We must use meanes of strength Use. To examine if we have grace Heb. 9. 14. Heb. 12. 1 Cor. 11. Object Answ. Strength of grace in three things 1. It cures corrupt nature Quest. Answ. Rom. 1. Simile Jam. 1. Grace raiseth common nature 2. Grace enables to 〈◊〉 of nâ—w obedience and to be constant in them 2 Pet. 3. ult Jer. 32. 40. Doct. All grace is received from Christ. Joh. 1. Quest. Answ. How to draw near to Christ. 1. To see Christs willingnâ—… to match wâ—… uâ— 2. To be divorced from all other Husbands Quest. Answ. When love to outward things is inordinate 3. See our need of Christ and his excellency Object Answ. 2 Cor. 3. ult John 6. Doct. We must not onely get strength but use it Quest. Answ. Upon what â—…ons especially to stir up our strength In times of speciall employment Jos. 1. 6. Jer. 26. Luther Ephes. 6. 2. In change of a mans estate Phil. 4. 3. In the seasons of using several graces 2 Pet. 1. 5. Use. To put forth the strength we have Actions of men of two sorts Jude 20. Helps to exercise spiritual strength 1. Exercise 2 Tim. 2 21. 2. Removing of impediments Psal. 51. 3. To beg the Holy Ghost to help us Simile 4. Prayer and communion of Saints 5. To seek the things that are Jesus Christs Phillip 2. Quest. Answ. 1. There is a necessity so to do 3. Christ hath deserved it 1 Cor. 1. 2. Cor. 8. Gal. 2. 20 Rev. 2. Mat. 10. 33. Doct. Godliness only required and accepted of God 1. Nature is not enough 2. Nor moral vertues 3. Not actions of outward worship Godliness what To exalt God what Reas. 1. Godliness only is like to God Simile Reas. 3. It gives God glory 1 Cor. 11. Ver. 3. Use. To content your selves with nothing but godliness 2. Pet. 1. Object Answ. Simile Application to the Sacrament Mark 16. Natural vertues like true vertues Simile Godliness how wrought Use 2. To excel God for God Quest. Answ. Rom. 3. 10. 1. To look for all from God Collos. 3. Heb. 4 Use. To exalt in godliness Doct. 2. Most men have but a form of godlinesse Reas. 1. To satisfie conscience Rom. 2. 16 Reas. 2. A form is easie Reas. 3. Satan and the World resist not a form Reas. 4. It agrees with the common light of nature Use. To examine whether we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Two things hinder this examination Fire differences between the power form of godliness 1. It is true Quest. Answ. 2. It is powerful 1 Thes. 1. 5. Acts 10. 38. Quest. Answ. 3. It is substantial Quest. Answ. 4. It goes through with the work 5. It is universal Dan. 3. 19. Math. 5. 13. Object Answ. Reas. 1. Iohn 21. 16. Quest. Answ. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Object Answ. Reas. 4. Object Answ. Use. 1. 2. Pet. 3. 16. Quest. Answ. 〈◊〉 2. 3 Obj. 3. Answ. 〈◊〉 3. 4. Obj. Answ. Use. 2. Luke 2 51 Iohn 14 25. 2. 3. 〈◊〉 Use. 3. 2. 3 4. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Use 4. The fourth Corollarie Quest. Answ. Advert Tim. 2. 15. Object Answ. Adver 2. Adver 3. 2 Cor. 2. 16. Object Answ. Advert 4. Adver 5. 1. 1. Ground 2. Ground 3 Ground 1. 2. 4. Ground 1. 2. 5. Ground 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 6. Ground Obj. Answ. Obj. Answ. 4. 5 8. 9. Object Answ 2. Object Answ. Object Answ. 2. 3. Object 2. Object Answ. Object Answ. 1. 2. 3. 1. 2 1. 2. 3. 3. 4. 〈◊〉 1. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doct. Our hearts should be stablished in the day of fear Means to keep the heart from fear 1. To divert the thoughts another way Heb. 10. 2. Get a clear light by us Mark 6. 49. 3. Not to promise our selves much from the world 4. Get a humble heart Isay 49. 5. To be strong in Gods strength Ephes. 6. 10. Two helps to it 〈◊〉 To consider what God hath done for others Psalm 22. Psalm 119. 53. â—2 What he hath done for us Luke 9. 44. Isay 50. 9. Simile Psalm 9. 6. Means To consider all shall work together for the best Rom 8. 28. Ephes 5. 25. Iohn 16. Iohn 2. Psalm 30. 11. Iudges 14. Object Answ. To wait Gods time Object Answ. Heb. 11 35. Simile Inward comforts supply outward 2 Cor. 5. 16. 2 Cor. 1. 3 4. 2 Cor. 11 Psal. 94. 14. Gen. 18. 6. Dan. 3. Luke 23. 43. Iohn 16. Means 7. Prayer Phil. 4. 6. Quest. Answ. Iohn 14. 27. Object Answ. Iudg. 16. Object 〈◊〉 Answ. 1. Gen. 12. Gen 22. 2. Great afflictions may be born with more patience then less Simile ‖ Novem. 5. Doct. There is a law of sin in everymans nature enclining him to that which is evil What this inclination is 〈◊〉 It is a Law 2. A law in the members Simile Simile 3 It is a warring Law Simile How it warreth 1. They stop the passages 2 Provokes to ill 3. It is watchful Simile 4. It useth stratagems 4. It leads us captive 1 Tim. 6. Doct. The Law of the 〈◊〉 in the regenerate carrieth them to â—hat which is good 2. Why called the Law of the mind Ier. 32. 40. 3. It makes resistance Object Rom. 2. 15. Answ. Differences between natural conscience and the Law of the mind in the regenerate 1. In the combatants Eccles. 9. 2. In the manner of the fight Simile 3. 3. In the object of this fight 4. In the success Obiect Answ. 5. In the continuance Use. Bewail our condition under this law in our members Corruption of nature hateful to God Simile Simile Quest. Answ. Object Answ. How to know the law of natural conscience from the law of the mind in the regenerate God judgeth men by their constant course Simile Simile Simile Simile Doct. Doct. It is the duty of every man to seek the things of Jesus Christ. Reas. 1. From our selves Deut. 10. 13. 2. In respect of Christ. Use. 1 Chron 29. Gen. 27. 1. Quest. Answ. Things of Jesus Christ what Heb. 10. 34. Psalm 31. 13 1 Cor. 9. To seek what 2 Cor. 8. 10. Tit. 2. vlt. Rom. 12. 11. 2 Cor. 11. 18. Judges 6. Rom. 15. 12. 1 Chron. 29. 14 2 Diligence Rom. 12. 11. Quest. Answ. Simile Constancy Heb. 3. 3. Faithfully Simile Quest. Answ. How to know we do the things of Christ faithfully Simile Object Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. To give our selves to Christ what â—2 It must be done with all in ention 1 Chron. 29. Simile 3. It must be done by faith 1. In Gods promises Math. 6. 2. In Gods providence 2 Tim. 〈◊〉 4. By love 〈◊〉 Cor. 13. 2 Cor. 5. 〈◊〉 Use. To esteem our prayers Object Answ. God is not changed by our prayers but our selves Simile Object Answ. Mercies bestowed without prayer are not blessings Simile What prayer obtaines blessings Hypocrisie what Obser We ought to observe Gods answer to our prayers Simile Jam. 4. Simile * After the great plague 1625. Doct. When we pray to God he is ready to hear 2 Cor. 12. A sign asked on a double ground Obser. The Lord tenders a weak faith Doct. The Lord looks for thankfulness answerable to his mercies Thankfulness a free duty Psal. 33. 1. 4 Conditions in thankfulness 1. It must be done of necessity 2. Proportionable to mercies received 3. According to the greatness of mercies 4. Presently 〈◊〉 4. In what cases God expects extraordinary thanks Levit. 26. Ier. 34. 2 Chron. 7 14. Quest. Wherein true thankfulness consists Answ. Psal. 107. Exaltation of the mind double 2 Chron. 26. 16. Deut. 26. 11. 12. Psal. 33. Psal. 107. Reas. 1. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Object Answ. Object 2. Answ. Objection 2. Answ. Objection 4. Answ. Object 5. Answer Object 6. Answ. Ier. 31. 33. Ezekiel 36. Object 7. Answ. Use 1. 1 Pet. 1. 19. Vse 〈◊〉 Question
godliness is That it is first a thing that is alway exercised with reluctancy alway with difficulty you shall alway find a contrary stream of corrupt nature running against it you shall alway find the flesh rebelling against it And secondly it is alway wrought with plowing and sowing And if you find not these two in your selves be assured that that which is in you is not godliness So much for this first Consectary or Use that we draw from this doctrine Secondly we must exhort you from hence now to do the thing and exalt God for God in your hearts to be godly men to use the phrase of Scripture to make him your God and to have no other gods before his face You will say What other gods Not to make your riches your god as covetousness is called Idolatry not to make your belly your god Now that is but a part for the whole that is to make no kind of creature your god nothing in the world not to make the praise of men your god c. Now what is it to make these things a mans god It is to exalt these things for God in a mans heart when you place your summum bonum in any of these that if they be taken from you you think your selves undone and if you enjoy them you think your selves well and in a happy condition In a word it is to do the same to these that you should do to God When a man shall think well I live in credit among men I have a good estate I am at liberty and all things go well with me I am now well and if I be put off from this condition if my estate be taken away if my credit with men be taken away then I am undone when a mans heart is thus affected with these things he makes them his God for he gives them that which is proper to God to think that these things can make him happy or miserable Therefore you shall observe that the phrase of Scripture Ro. 3. 10. is that they have not the fear of God before their eyes That is a man that doth exalt God in his heart he looks upon God altogether he is alwayes before his eyes That is he thinks himself happy so long as he hath his favour he fears nothing but the loss of that therefore whatsoever he doth he hath still his eye upon God As when a man fears any thing he will be sure to have his eye upon that because that is the thing which he thinketh can do him good or hurt So I say when a man hath God before his eyes when he feareth him altogether when he dares do nothing without his warrant this is to exalt him for God Contrary to this was Davids miscarriage 2 Sam. 12. Thou hast saith God by Nathan to him cast my commandments behinde thy back Indeed David did it out of infirmity upon a special temptation but when a man shall do it in his general course that he shall alwayes cast God behind his back this is not to exalt God for God in his heart but to cast him away And a man is said to cast him away when he is not still observing of him when he is not alway seeing what his will is and what his commandments are Therfore we should labor to do what the Psalmist prayeth for that the Lord would turn away our eyes and our hearts and affections from regarding vanity that is from receiving any thing into our hearts which is vanity that so our hearts may be placed upon God altogether to fear him to delight in him and nothing besides This is the thing we ought to do to the Lord and this is Godliness this is to exalt him Now to do this we must do two things First To look for all from God And then the second will easily follow we shall be ready to do all for God I say to do this effectually First We must learn to know God aright to have our hearts so filled as it were so satisfied and contented with him that we need to look for nothing else When a mans heart looks upon God as an adaequate object as the main principle of his happinesse that the having of him is essential and substantial to his happiness and he looks upon all other things but as accessories onely he cares not how other things go he hath learned so far to know God that his heart is fully satisfied with him he is content to have communion with him though he have him alone So that he looks upon riches and poverty upon honour and disgrace upon good report and evil report as upon things of smaller moment that if the worst befal it is no great matter because he hath the Lord. He that hath the sun-shine what cares he for a candle A man that seeth God and enjoyes him and is satisfied with him he regards not other things And then when a man sees God is this manner the second will follow he will be ready to do all for him for those two will follow one another As the yvie though it have no root of it self it cleaves fast to the tree and depends upon it Let a man be brought once to this to see that he hath nothing of his own and that God is all in all to him he will easily depend upon God and cleave to him but still remember that God be all in all That as it is said Col. 3. of Christ there is in him neither Iew nor Gentile but Christ is all in all to us That is we must make God all and he must be so in all things And in this we fail for the most part we can be content to have God for part but to make him our all to seek all our comfort from him all our happiness and to do it not onely in some things but in all things herein we come short But when we are able to do this to look upon God as all in all to us then we shall be ready to do all to him and that is the other thing that we must do to refer all to him to care for nothing but to please him to do all in sincerity to do it to the Lord. For otherwise it is not godliness you may do much but you may do it for by-ends for vain glory for self-respects but that which we exhort you now unto is to do it for the Lord in sincerity For the Lord hath a quick eye he observes narrowly whatsoever you do what ends you have in all your actions It may be you do much but if it be not done for him you have a reward indeed but this is not that which is acceptable to God For as it is said of the word of God Heb. 4. that it divides between the flesh and the spirit between the marrow and the bones What is the meaning of that that is it divides between the actions of the flesh and of the