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
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