A Christian Directory Volume I Part 38

_Direct._ VII. The humility, and meekness, and patience of christians, much honour G.o.d and their holy faith; as pride, and pa.s.sion, and impatience dishonour him.--Let men see that the Spirit of G.o.d doth cast down the devilish sin of pride, and maketh you like your Master, that humbled himself to a.s.sume our flesh, and to the "death of the cross,"

and to the contradiction and reproach of foolish sinners, and "made himself of no reputation," but "endured the shame" of being derided, spit upon, and crucified, Phil. ii. 7-9; Heb. xii. 2; and stooped to wash the feet of his disciples. It is not stoutness, and lifting up the head, and standing upon your terms, and upon your honour in the world, that is the honouring of G.o.d. When you are as little children, and as nothing in your own eyes, and seek not the honour that is of men, but say, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name be the glory," Psal.

cxv. 1; and are content that your honour decrease and be trodden into the dirt, that his may increase, and his name be magnified; this is the glorifying of G.o.d. So when you show the world, that you are above the impotent pa.s.sions of men, not to be insensible, but to be "angry and sin not," and to "give place to wrath," and not to resist and "avenge yourselves," Rom. xii. 19; and to be "meek and lowly in heart," Matt.

xi. 29. It will appear that you have the wisdom which is "from above,"

if you be "first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and hypocrisy," James iii. 17. "But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth," as if this were the wisdom from above which glorifieth G.o.d; for this "wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish," ver. 14, 15. "A meek and quiet spirit is of great price in the sight of G.o.d," 1 Pet. iii. 4; an ornament commended to women by the Scripture, which is amiable in the eyes of all.

_Direct._ VIII. It honoureth G.o.d and our profession, when you abound in love and good works; loving the G.o.dly with a special love, but all men with so much love, as makes you earnestly desirous of their welfare, and to love your enemies, and put up wrongs, and to study to do good to all, and hurt to none.--To be abundant in love, is to be like to G.o.d, who is love itself, 1 John iv. 7, 11; and showeth that G.o.d dwelleth in us, ver.

12. "All men may know that we are Christ's disciples, if we love one another," John xiii. 35. This is the "new" and the "great commandment; the fulfilling of the law," Rom. xiii. 10; John xv. 12, 17; xiii. 34.

You will be known to be the "children of your heavenly Father, if you love your enemies, and bless them that curse you, and pray for them that hate and persecute you, and despitefully use you," Matt. v. 44. Do all the good that possibly you can, if you would be like him that doth good to the evil, and whose mercies are over all his works. Show the world that you "are his workmanship, created to good works in Christ Jesus, which he hath ordained for you to walk in," Eph. ii. 10. "Herein is your Father glorified, that ye bring forth much fruit," John xv. 8. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven," Matt. v. 16. "Honour G.o.d with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thy increase," Prov.

iii. 9. "And those that honour him he will honour," 1 Sam. ii. 30; when barren, worldly hypocrites, that honour G.o.d only with their lips, and flattering words, shall be used as those that really dishonour him.

_Direct._ IX. The unity, concord, and peace of christians, do glorify G.o.d and their profession; when their divisions, contentions, and malicious persecutions of one another, do heinously dishonour him.--Men reverence that faith and practice which they see us unanimously accord in. And the same men will despise both it and us, when they see us together by the ears about it, and hear us in a Babel of confusion, one saying, This is the way, and another, That is it; one saying, Lo here is the true church and worship, and another saying, Lo it is there. Not that one man or a few must make a shoe meet for his own foot, and then say, All that will not dishonour G.o.d by discord, must wear this shoe: think as I think, and say as I say, or else you are schismatics. But we must all agree in believing and obeying G.o.d, and "walking by the same rule so far as we have attained," Phil. iii. 15, 16. "The strong must bear the infirmities of the weak, and not please themselves; but every one of us please his neighbour for good to edification; and be like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Jesus, that we may with one mind and one mouth glorify G.o.d: receiving one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of G.o.d," Rom. xv. 1, 2, 5-7.

_Direct._ X. Justice commutative and distributive, private and public, in bargainings, and in government, and judgment, doth honour G.o.d and our profession in the eyes of all: when we do no wrong, but do to all men as we would they should do to us, Matt. vii. 12: that no man go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter; for the Lord is the avenger of all such, 1 Thess. iv. 6.--That a man's word be his master, and that we lie not one to another, nor equivocate or deal subtilly and deceitfully, but in plainness and singleness of heart, and in simplicity and G.o.dly sincerity, have our conversation in the world.

Perjured persons and covenant-breakers, that dissolve the bonds of human society, and take the name of G.o.d in vain, shall find by his vengeance that he holdeth them not guiltless.

_Direct._ XI. It much glorifieth G.o.d to worship him rationally and purely, in spirit and in truth, according to the glory of his wisdom and goodness; and it dishonoureth him to be worshipped ignorantly and carnally, with spells, and mimical, irrational actions, as if he were less wise than serious, grave, understanding men.--The worshippers of G.o.d have great cause to take heed how they behave themselves; lest they meet with the reward of Nadab and Abihu, and G.o.d tell them by his judgments, "that he will be sanctified in all them that come nigh him, and before all the people he will be glorified," Lev. x. 1-3. The second commandment is enforced by the jealousy of G.o.d about his worship. Ignorant, rude, unseemly words, or unhandsome gestures, which tend to raise contempt in the auditors; or levity of speech, which makes men laugh, is abominable in a preacher of the gospel. And so is it to pray irrationally, incoherently, confusedly, with vain repet.i.tions and tautologies, as if men thought to be heard for their babbling over so many words, while there is not so much as an appearance of a well composed, serious, rational, and reverent address of a fervent soul to G.o.d. To worship G.o.d as the papists do, with images, Agnus Dei's, crucifixes, crossings, spittle, oil, candles, holy water, kissing the pax, dropping beads, praying to the Virgin Mary, and to other saints, repeating over the name of Jesus nine times in a breath, and saying such and such sentences so oft, praying to G.o.d in an unknown tongue, and saying to him they know not what, adoring the consecrated bread as no bread, but the very flesh of Christ himself, choosing the t.i.tular saint whose name they will invocate, fasting by feasting upon fish instead of flesh, saying so many ma.s.ses a day, and offering sacrifice for the quick and the dead, praying for souls in purgatory, purchasing indulgences for their deliverance out of purgatory from the pope, carrying the pretended bones or other relics of their saints, the pope's canonizing now and then one for a saint, pretending miracles to delude the people, going on pilgrimages to images, shrines, or relics, offering before the images, with a mult.i.tude more of such parcels of devotion, do most heinously dishonour G.o.d, and, as the apostle truly saith, do make unbelievers say, "They are mad," 1 Cor. xiv. 23, and that they are "children in understanding," and not "men," ver. 20. Insomuch as it seemeth one of the greatest impediments to the conversion of the heathen and Mahometan world, and the chiefest means of confirming them in their infidelity, and making them hate and scorn christianity, that the Romish, and the eastern, and southern churches, within their view, do worship G.o.d so dishonourably as they do: as if our G.o.d were like a little child that must have pretty toys bought him in the fair, and brought home to please him. Whereas, if the unreformed churches in the east, west, and south were reformed, and had a learned, pious, able ministry, that clearly preached and seriously applied the word of G.o.d, and worshipped G.o.d with understanding, gravity, reverence, and serious spirituality, and lived a holy, heavenly, mortified, self-denying conversation, this would be the way to propagate christianity, and win the infidel world to Christ.

_Direct._ XII. If you will glorify G.o.d in your lives, you must be above a selfish, private, narrow mind, and must be chiefly intent upon the public good, and the spreading of the gospel through the world.--A selfish, private, narrow soul brings little honour to the cause of G.o.d: it is always taken up about itself, or imprisoned in a corner, in the dark, to the interest of some sect or party, and seeth not how things go in the world: its desires, and prayers, and endeavours go no further than they can see or travel. But a larger soul beholdeth all the earth, and is desirous to know how it goeth with the cause and servants of the Lord, and how the gospel gets ground upon the unbelieving nations; and such are affected with the state of the church a thousand miles off, almost as if it were at hand, as being members of the whole body of Christ, and not only of a sect. They pray for the "hallowing of G.o.d's name," and the "coming of his kingdom,"

and the "doing of his will throughout the earth, as it is in heaven,"

before they come to their own necessities, at least in order of esteem and desire. The prosperity of themselves, or their party or country, satisfieth them not, while the church abroad is in distress. They live as those that know the honour of G.o.d is more concerned in the welfare of the whole, than in the success of any party against the rest. They pray that the gospel may have free course and be glorified abroad, as it is with them, and the preachers of it be "delivered from unreasonable and wicked men," 2 Thess. iii. 1, 2. The silencing the ministers, and suppressing the interest of Christ and souls, are the most grievous tidings to them: therefore they "pray for kings, and all in authority," not for any carnal ends, but that "we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all G.o.dliness and honesty," 1 Tim. ii. 1-3. Thus G.o.d must be glorified by our lives.

_Grand Direct._ XVI. Let your life on earth be a conversation in heaven, by the constant work of faith and love; even such a faith as maketh things future as now present, and the unseen world as if it were continually open to your sight; and such a love as makes you long to see the glorious face of G.o.d, and the glory of your dear Redeemer, and to be taken up with blessed spirits in his perfect, endless love and praise.

My Treatise of "The Life of Faith," and the fourth part of "The Saints' Rest," being written wholly or mostly to this use, I must refer the reader to them, and say no more of it in this direction.

_Grand Direct._ XVII. As the soul must be carried up to G.o.d, and devoted to him, according to all the foregoing directions, so must it be delivered from carnal selfishness, or flesh-pleasing, which is the grand enemy to G.o.d and G.o.dliness in the world; and from the three great branches of this idolatry, viz. the love of sensual pleasures, the love of worldly wealth, and the proud desire and love of worldly honour and esteem: and the mortifying of these must be much of the labour of your lives.

Of this also I have written so much in a "Treatise of Self-denial," and in another called "The Crucifying of the World by the Cross of Christ,"

that I shall now pa.s.s by all, save what will be more seasonable anon under the more particular directions, in the fourth part, when I come to speak of selfishness, as opposed to the love of others.[133]

I have now given you the general grand directions, containing the very being and life of G.o.dliness and christianity; with those particular subdirections which are needful to the performance of them. And I must tell you, that as your life, and strength, and comfort princ.i.p.ally depend on these, so doth your success in resisting all your particular sins: and therefore, if you first obey not these general directions, the more particular ones that follow will be almost useless to you, even as branches cut off from the stock of the tree, which are deprived thereby of their support and life. But upon supposition that first you will maintain these vital parts of your religion, I shall proceed to direct you first in some particulars most nearly subordinate to the forementioned duties, and then to the remoter branches.

FOOTNOTES:

[80] Laert. saith of the magi, that they did Deorum vacare cultui: signa statuasque reprehendere: et eorum imprimis, qui mares esse deos et fminas dic.u.n.t, errores improbare. Signa et statuas ex disciplinae inst.i.tuto e medio tulisse: and that some thought that the Jews came from them, p. 4, 6. And Laertius himself saith to those that make Orpheus the first philosopher, Videant certe qui ita volunt, quo sit censendus nomine, qui Diis cuncta hominum vitia, et quae rar a turpibus quibusque et flagitiosis hominibus geruntur, ascribit, p. 4.

He saith also that the said magi held, and Theopompus with them, that men should live again, and become immortal. The like he saith of many other sects. It is a thing most irrational to doubt of the being of the unseen worlds, and the more excellent inhabitants thereof; when we consider that this low and little part of G.o.d's creation is so full of inhabitants: if a microscope will show your very eyes a thousand visible creatures which you could never see without it, nor know that they had any being, will you not allow the pure intellectual sight to go much further beyond your microscope?

[81] Thales' sayings in Laert. are, Animas esse immortales: Antiquissimum omnium entium Deus; ingenitu senim: Pulcherrimum mundus, a Deo enim factus: Maximum locus; capit enim omnia: Velocissimum mens; nam per universa discurrit: Fortissimum necessitas; cuncta enim superat.

Sapientissimum tempus: invenit namque omnia. _Q._ Utrum prius factum nox an dies? _R._ Nox, una prius die. _Q._ Latet ne Deos h.o.m.o male agens?

_R._ Ne cogitans quidem. _Q._ Quid difficile? _R._ Seipsum noscere. _Q._ Quid facile? _R._ Ab alio moveri. _Q._ Quid suavissimum? _R._ Frui. _Q._ Quid Deus? _R._ Quod initio et sine caret. p. 14, 20, 21.

[82] Conjungi vult nos inter nos, atque connecti per mutua beneficia charitatis: adeo ut tota just.i.tia et praeceptum hoc Dei, communis sit utilitas hominum. O miram clementiam Domini! O ineffabilem Dei benignitatem! Praemium n.o.bis pollicetur, si nos invicem diligamus; id est, si nos ea praestemus invicem, quorum vicissim indigemus: et nos superbo et ingrato animo, ejus remittimur voluntati, cujus etiam imperium beneficium est. Hieron. ad Celant. See my book of the "Reasons of the Christian Religion."

[83] Vel propter unionem inter creaturam et Creatorem necessaria fuit incarnatio. Sicut in Divinitate una est essentia et tres personae; ita in Christo una persona et tres essentiae, Deitas, anima, et caro.

Christus secundum naturam divinitatis est genitus; secundum animam creatus; et secundum carnem factus. Unio in Christo triplex est; Deitatis ad animam; Deitatis ad carnem; et animae ad carnem. Paul.

Scaliger Thes. p. 725. Christus solus, et quidem secundum utramque naturam dicitur caput ecclesiae. Id. p. 726.

[84] Ex apostolica et veteri traditione, nemo baptizatur in ecclesia Christi, nisi prius rogatus, an credat in Deum Patrem, et in Jesum Christum Dei Filium, et in Spiritum Sanctum, responderit, firmiter se credere: quantum vis ergo heres sit, si judicii aliquid habet, et ita rogatur, et ita respondet prorsusque ita expresse credere jubetur: namque implicite et involute non isthaec solum, sed quaecunque Divinae literae produnt, credit, de quibus tamen non omnibus interrogatur, quod ea expresse scire omnia, illi minime opus sit. Acosta, 1. 5. c. 6. p.

461. Christian religion beginneth not at the highest, but the lowest: with Christ incarnate, teaching, dying, &c. Dr. Boy's postil. p. 121.

out of Luther.

[85] Sane omnium virtutum radix et fundamentum fides est; quae certantes adjuvat, vincentes coronat, et clesti dono quosdam defectu signorum remunerat: nihil enim quod sincerae fidei denegetur, quia nec aliud a n.o.bis Deus, quam fidem exigit: hanc diligit, hanc requirit, huic cuncta promitt.i.t et tribuit. S. Eulogius Mart. Arch. Tolet.

Memorial. Sanct. p. 4. Notandum, quod c.u.m fides mortua sit praeter opera, jam neque fides est: nam neque h.o.m.o mortuus, h.o.m.o est.--Non enim sicut spiritum corpore meliorem, ita opera fidei praeponenda sunt, quando gratia salvatur h.o.m.o, non ex operibus sed ex fide: nisi forte et hoc in quaestione sit, quod salvet fides quae c.u.m operibus propriis vivit; tanquam aliud genus operum sit, praeter quae salus ex fide proveniat: nec autem sunt opera quae sub umbra legis observantur.

Didymus Alexand, in Jac. cap. 2.

[86] Dilectio Dei misit n.o.bis salvatorem: cujus gratia salvati sumus: ut possideamus hanc gratiam, communicatio facit spiritus. Ambros. in 2 Cor. xiii. 13.

[87] O Domine Jesu doles non tua sed mea vulnera! Ambros. de Fide ad Grat. l. 2. c. 3. Nos immortalitate male usi sumus ut moreremur: Christus mortalitate bene usus est ut viveremus. August. de Doct.

Christ. l. i. c. 14.

[88] Scrutari temeritas est, credere pietas, nosse vita. Bernard. de Consid. ad Eugen. 1. 5.

[89] Deus est principium effectivum in creatione refectivum in redemptione, perfectivum in sanctificatione. Joh. Combis comp. Theol.

1. 4. c. 1.

[90] Rejectis propheticis et apostolicis scriplis, Manichaei novum evangelium scripserunt: et ut antecellere communi hominum mult.i.tudini et semi-dei viderentur, simularunt enthusiasmos seu afflatus, subito in turba se in terram objicientes, et velut attoniti diu tacentes; deinde tanquam redeuntes ex specu Trophonio et plorantes, multa vaticinati sunt; prorsus ut Anabaptistae recens fecerunt in seditione monasteriensi. Etsi autem in quibusdam manifesta simulatio fuit, tamen aliquibus reipsa a diabolis furores immissos esse certum est. Carion.

Chron. 1. 3. p. 54.

[91] Nemo magnus sine aliquo afflatu divino unquam fuit. Cicero 2. de Nat. Deor.

[92] Laertius in Zenone, saith, Dic.u.n.t Stoici Deum esse animal immortale, rationale, perfectum ac beatum, a malo omni remotissimum, providentia sua mundum et quae sunt in mundo administrans omnia: non tamen inesse illi humanae formae lineamenta. Caeterum esse opificem immensi hujus operis, sicat et patrem omnium.--Eumque multis appellari nominibus juxta proprietates suas.--Quosdam item esse daemones dic.u.n.t quibus insit hominum miseratio, inspectores rerum humanarum; heroas quoque solutas corporibus, sapientum animas.--Bonos aiunt esse divinos, quod in seipsis quasi habeant Deum. Malum vero impium et sine Deo esse, quod duplici ratione accipitur, sive quod Deo contrarius dicatur, sive quod aspernetur Deum: id tamen malis omnibus non convenire. Pios autem et religiosos esse sapientes, peritos divini juris omnes. Pietatem esse scientiam divini cultus. Diis item eos sacrificia facturos, castosque futuros. Quippe ea quae in Deos admittuntur peccata detestari, Diisque charos ac gratos fore quo sancti justique in rebus divinis sint.

[93] De diis ita ut sunt loquere. Bias in Laert. Leg. Pauli Scaligeri Theses de Archetypo Mundo Ep. Cath. 1. 14. G.o.d never wrought miracle to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it. Lord Bacon, Essay 16. p. 87. Deus est mens soluta, libera et segregata ab omni concretione mortali, omnia sentiens, movens, &c. Cicero 1. Tuscul.

[94] Persuasum hoc sit a principio hominibus, dominos esse omnium rerum ac moderatores Deos: eaque quae gerantur eorum geri ditione atque numine--Et qualis quisque fit, quid agat, quid in se admittat, qua mente, qua pietate colat religionem, intueri, piorumque et impiorum habere rationem. Cicero 2. de Leg.

[95] Deorum providentia mundus administratur, iidemque consulunt rebus humanis neque solum universis, verum etiam singulis. Cicero 1. de Divin.

[96] Aristippus rogatus aliquando quid haberent eximium philosophi? Si omnes, inquit, leges intereant, aequabiliter vivemus. Laertius.

[97] If p??se??? in Luke vi. 12, do signify an oratory, it yet importeth that he continued for prayer in it.

[98] Maxime pars hominum morbo jactatur eodem.

[99] Animi labes nee diuturnitate evanescit, nec manibus ullis elui potest--Non incestum vel aspersione aquae vel dierum numero tollitur.

Cicero 2. de Legib.

[100] See Plutarch's Tract, ent.i.tled, "That vice is sufficient to make a man wretched." Si non ipso honesto movemur ut viri boni simus, sed utilitate aliqua, atque fructu, callidi sumus, non boni; si emolumentis, non suapte natura, virtus expet.i.tur, vana erit virtus, quae malitia recte dicitur. P. Scal. p. 744.

[101] Voluntarium est omne peccatum. Tolle excusationem: nemo peccat invitus. Martin. Dunilens. de Morib. Nihil interest quo animo facias, quod fecisse vitiosum est, quia acta cernuntur, animus non videtur.

Id. ibid.