-- Direct. XIII. What Godliness is.
which is in faith: now the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeignedb."
Yet I must here profess, that if any false-hearted, worldly hypocrite, that resolveth to be on the saving side, and to hold all to be lawful, that seemeth necessary to his safety or preferments, shall take any encouragement from what I have here said, to debauch his conscience, and sell his soul, and then call all those furious zealots that will not be as false to God as he; let that man know, that I have given him no cloak for so odious a sin, nor will he find a cover for it at the bar of God, though he may delude his conscience, and bear it out by his carnal advantages before the world.
Direct. XIII.
What Godliness is. The best life on earth. How Satan would make it seem troublesome and ungrateful.
Direct. XIII. 'Know that true godliness is the best life upon earth, and the only way to perfect happiness. Still apprehend it therefore, and use it as the best: and with great diligence resist those temptations which would make it seem to you a confounding, grievous, or unpleasant thing.'
There are all things concurrent in a holy life, to make it the most delectable life on earth, to a rational, purified mind, that is not captivated to the flesh, and liveth not on air or dung. The object of it is the eternal God himself; the infallible Truth, the only satisfactory good; and all these condescending and appearing to us, in the mysterious, but suitable glass of a Mediator; redeeming, reconciling, teaching, governing, sanctifying, justifying and glorifying all that are his own. The end of it is the pleasing and glorifying our Maker,
Redeemer and Sanctifier; and the everlasting happiness of ourselves
and others. The rule of it is the infallible Revelation of God, delivered to the church by his Prophets, and his Son, and his Apostles, and comprised in the Holy Scriptures, and sealed by the miracles and operations of the Holy Ghost that did indite them. The work of godliness is a living unto God, and preparing for everlasting life, by foreseeing, foretasting, seeking, and rejoicing in that endless happiness which we shall have with God; and by walking after the Spirit, and avoiding the filthiness, delusions and vexations of the world and the flesh. The nature of man is not capable of a more noble, profitable and delectable life, than this which God hath called us to by his Son. And if we did but rightly know it, we should follow it with continual alacrity and delight. Be sure, therefore, to conceive of godliness as it is, and not as it is misrepresented by the devil and the ungodly. Read what I have written of this in my "A Saint or a Brute."
As long as a man conceiveth of religion as it is, even the most sweet and delectable life, so long he will follow it willingly and with his heart, and despise the temptations and avocations of fleshly gain and pleasure. He will be sincere, as not being only drawn by other men, or outward advantages, nor frightened into it by a passion of fearfulness, but loving religion for itself, and for its excellent ends; and then he will be cheerful in all the duties of it; and he will be most likely to persevere unto the end. We cannot expect that the heart or will should be any more for God and godliness, than the understanding practically apprehendeth them as good. Nay, we must always perceive in them a transcendant goodness, above all that is to be found in a worldly life; or else the appearing goodness of the creature, will divert us, and carry away our minds. We may see in the very brutes, what a power apprehension hath upon their actions. If your horse be but going to his home or pasture, how freely will he go through thick and thin! But if he go unwillingly, his travel is
troublesome and slow, and you have much ado to get him on. It will be so with you in your way to heaven.
It is therefore the principal design of the devil, to hide the goodness and pleasantness of religion from you; and to make it appear to you as a terrible or tedious life. By this means it is that he keeps men from it: and by this means he is still endeavouring to draw you back again, and frustrate your good beginnings and your hopes. If he can thus misrepresent religion to your understandings, he will suddenly alienate your will and corrupt your lives, and make you turn to the world again, and seek for pleasure somewhere else, and only take up with some heartless lip-service, to keep up some deceitful hope of being saved. And the means which satan useth to these ends are such as these:
1. He will do his worst to overwhelm you with appearing doubts and difficulties, and bring you to a loss, and to make religion seem to you a confounding, and not a satisfying thing. This is one of his most dangerous assaults upon the weak and young beginners. Difficulties and passions are the things which he makes use of to confound you, and put you out of a regular, cheerful seeking of salvation. When you read the Scriptures, he will mind you of abundance of difficulties in all you read or hear. He will shew you seeming contradictions; and tell you that you will never be able to understand these things. He will cast in thoughts of unbelief and blasphemy, and cause you, if he can, to roll them in your mind. If you cast them not out with abhorrence, but dispute with the devil, he hopes to prove too hard, at least, for such children and unprovided soldiers as you: and if you do reject them, and refuse to dispute it with him, he will sometime tell you that your cause is naught, or else you need not be afraid to think of all that can be said against it; and this way he gets advantage of you to draw you to unbelief: and if you escape better than so, at least
he will molest and terrify you with the hideousness of his temptations; and make you think that you are forsaken of God, because such blasphemous thoughts have been so often in your minds: and thus he will one while tempt you to blasphemy, and another while affright and torment you with the thoughts of such temptations.
So, also, in the study of other good books, he will tempt you to fix upon all that seems difficult to you, and there to confound and perplex yourselves: and in your meditations, he will seek to make all to tend, but to confound and overwhelm you; keeping still either hard or fearful things before your eyes; or breaking and scattering your thoughts in pieces, that you cannot reduce them to any order, nor set them together, nor make any thing of them, nor drive them to any desirable end. So in your prayers he would fain confound you, either with fears, or with doubtful or distracting thoughts about God, or your sins, or the matter or manner of your duty, or questioning whether your prayers will be heard. And so in your self-examination, he will still seek to puzzle you, and leave you more in darkness than you began, and make you afraid of looking homeward, or conversing with yourselves: like a man that is afraid to lie in his own house when he thinks it haunted with some apparitions. And thus the devil would make all your religion to be but like the unwinding of the bottom of yarn, or a skein of silk that is ravelled; that you may cast it away in weariness and despair.
Your remedy against this dangerous temptation is, to remember that you are yet young in knowledge, and that ignorance is like darkness that will cause doubts, and difficulties, and fears; and that all these will vanish as your light increaseth: and therefore you must wait in patience, till your riper knowledge fit you for satisfaction. And in the mean time, be sure that you take up your hearts most with the great,
fundamental, necessary, plain and certain points, which your salvation is laid upon, and which are more suited to your state and strength. If you will be gnawing bones, when you should be sucking milk, and have not patience to stay till you are past your childhood, no marvel if you find them hard, and if they stick in your throats, or break your teeth. See that you live upon God in Christ, and love and practise what you know, and think of the excellency of so much as is already revealed to you. You know already what is the end that you must seek, and where your happiness consisteth; and what Christ hath done to prepare it for you, and how you must be justified, and sanctified, and walk with God. Have you God, and Christ, and heaven to think on, and all the mercies of the Gospel to delight in; and will you lay by these as common matters, or overlook them, and perplex yourselves about every difficulty in your way? Make clean work before you as you go, and live in the joyful acknowledgment of the mercies which you have received, and in the practice of the things you know, and then the difficulties will vanish as you go on.
2. Another of satan's wiles is, to confound you with the noise of sectaries, and divers opinions in religion; while the Popish sect tells you, that if you will be saved, you must be of their church; and others say, you must be of theirs: and when you find that the sects are many, and their reasonings such as you cannot answer, you will be in danger either to take up some of their deceits, or to be confounded among them all, not knowing which church and religion to choose.
But here consider, that there is but one universal church of Christians in the world, of which Christ is the only king and head, and every Christian is a member. You were sacramentally admitted into this catholic church by baptism, and spiritually by being "born of the Spirit." You have all the promises of the Gospel, that if you believe in Christ you shall be saved; and that all the living members
of this church are loved by Christ as members of his body, and shall be presented unspotted to the Father, by him who is the Saviour of his body; "and that by one Spirit we are all baptized or entered into this one bodyd." If then thou hast faith, and love, and the Spirit, thou art certainly a Christian, and a member of Christ, and of this universal church of Christians. And if there were any other church, but what are the parts of this one, then this were not universal, and Christ must have two bodies. Thou art not saved for being a member of the church of Rome, or Corinth, or Ephesus, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, or of any other such; but for being a member of the universal church or body of Christ; that is, a Christian. And as thou art a subject of the king, and a member of this kingdom, whatever corporation thou be a member of (perhaps sometime of one, and sometime of another); so thou art a subject of Christ, whatever particular church thou be of: for it is no church if they be not Christians, or subjects of Christ. For one sect then to say, Ours is the true church, and another to say, Nay, but ours is the true church, is as mad as to dispute whether your hall, or kitchen, or parlour, or coal-house is your house; and for one to say, This is the house, and another, Nay, but it is that: when a child can tell them, that the best is but a part, and the house containeth them all. And for the Papists that take on them to be the whole, and deny all others to be
Christians and saved, except the subjects of the Pope of Rome, it is so irrational, antichristian a fiction and usurpation, and odious, cruel, and groundless a damnation of the far greatest part of the body of Christ, that it is fitter for detestation than dispute. And if such a crack would frighten the world out of their wits, no doubt but other bishops also would make use of it, and say, All are damned that will not be subject to us. But if you would see the folly and mischief of Popery, both in this and other points, I refer you to my "Treatise of the Catholic Church;" my "Key for Catholics;" my "Safe Religion;" my
"Disputations against Johnson;" and my "Winding-Sheet for Popery."
3. Another temptation to confound you in your religion, is, by filling your heads with practical scrupulosity; so that you cannot go on for doubting every step whether you go right: and when you should cheerfully serve your Master, you will do nothing but disquiet your minds with scruples, whether this or that be right or wrong. Your remedy here is, not by casting away all care of pleasing God, or fear of sinning, or by debauching conscience; but by a cheerful and quiet obedience to God, so far as you know his will, and an upright willingness and endeavour to understand it better, and a thankful receiving the Gospel pardon for your failings and infirmities. Be faithful in your obedience; but live still upon Christ, and think not of reaching to any such obedience, as shall set you above the need of his merits, and a daily pardon of your sins. Do the best you can to know the will of God and do it. But when you know the essentials of religion, and obey sincerely, let no remaining wants deprive you of the comfort of so great a mercy, as proves your right to life eternal. In your seeking further for more knowledge and obedience, let your care be such as tendeth to your profiting, and furthering you to your end, and as doth not hinder your joy and thanks for what you have received: but that which destroyeth your joy and thankfulness, and doth but perplex you, and not further you in your way, is but hurtful scrupulosity, and to be laid by. When you are right in the main, thank God for that, and be further solicitous so far as to help you on, but not to hinder you. If you send your servant on your message, you had rather he went on his way as well as he can, than stand scrupling every step whether he should set the right or left foot forward? and whether he should step so far, or so far, at a time, &c. Hindering scruples please not God.
4. Another way to confound you in your religion, is, by setting you upon overdoing by inventions of your own: when a poor soul is most desirous to please God, the devil will be religious, and set him upon some task of voluntary humility or will-worship, as the apostle speaks of, Col. 2:18, 20–23., or set him upon some ensnaring, unnecessary vows or resolutions, or some Popish works of conceited supererogation, which is that which Solomon calleth being
"righteous over-much." Thus many have made duties to themselves, which God never made for them; and taken that for sin, which God never forbad them. The Popish religion is very much made up of such commandments of their own, and traditions of men. As if Christ had not made us work enough, men are forward to make much more for themselves. And some that should teach them the laws of Christ, do think that their office is in vain, unless they may also prescribe them laws of their own, and give them new principles of religion.
Yea, some that are the bitterest enemies to the strict observance of the laws of God, as if it were a tedious, needless thing, must yet needs load us with abundance of unnecessary precepts of their own. And thus religion is made both wearisome and uncertain, and a door set open for men to enlarge it, and increase the burden at their pleasure.
Indeed, Popery is fitted to delude and quiet sleepy consciences, and to torment with uncertainties the consciences that are awaked.
And there is something in the corrupted nature of man, that inclineth him to some additions and voluntary service of his own inventions, as an offering most acceptable unto God. Hence it is that many poor Christians do rashly entangle their consciences with vows, of circumstances and things unnecessary, as to give so much, to observe such days or hours, in fasting and prayer; not to do such or such a thing that in itself is lawful; with abundance of such things, which perhaps some change of providence may make accidentally their duty afterwards to do: or disable them to perform their vows:
and then these snares are fetters on their perplexed consciences, perhaps, as long as they live. Yea, some of the Autonomians teach the people, that these things indifferent are the fittest matter of a vow; as to live single, to possess nothing, to live in solitude, and the like: indeed all things lawful, when they are vowed, must be performed: but it is unfit to be vowed if it be not first profitable and best, for ourselves or others; and that which is best is not indifferent, it being every man's duty to choose what is best. Vows are to bind us to the performance of that which God had bound us to be by his laws before: they are our expression of consent and resolution by a selfobligation to obey his will: and not to make new duties of religion to ourselves, which else would never have been our duty.
To escape these snares, it is necessary that you take heed of corrupting your religion by burdens and mixtures of your own devising. You are called to obey God's laws, and not to make laws for yourselves. You may be sure that his laws are just and good, but your's may be bad and foolish. When you obey him, you may expect your reward and encouragement from him: but when you will obey yourselves, you must reward yourselves. You may find it enough for you to keep his laws, without devising more work for yourselves; or feigning duties which he commanded not, or sins which he forbad not. Be not rash in making vows: let them reach but unto necessary duties; and let them have their due exceptions when they are about alterable things. Or, if you are entangled by them already, consult with the most judicious, able, impartial men, that you may come clearly off without a wound. There is a great deal of judgment and sincerity necessary in your counsellors, and a great deal of submission and self-denial in yourselves, to bring you safely out of such a snare. Avoid sin whatever you do: for sinning is not the way to your deliverance. And, for the time to come, be wiser, and lay no more snares for yourselves; and clog not yourselves with your own
inventions, but cheerfully obey what God commandeth you, who hath wisdom and authority sufficient to make you perfect laws.
Christ's "yoke is easy," and his "burden light," and "his commandments are not grievousg." But if your mixtures and selfdevised snares are grievous to you, blame not God, but yourselves that made them.
Another of satan's ways to make religion burdensome and grievous to you is, by overwhelming you with fear and sorrow. Partly, by persuading that religion consisteth in excess of sorrow, and so causing you to spend your time in striving to trouble and grieve yourselves unprofitably, as if it were the course most acceptable to God: and partly, by taking the advantage of a timorous, passionate nature; and so making every thought of God, or serious exercise of religion, to be a torment to you, by raising some overwhelming fears: for "fear hath torment," In some feminine, weak and melancholy persons, this temptation hath so much advantage in the body, that the holiest soul can do but little in resisting it; so that though there be in such a sincere love to God, his ways and servants, yet fear so playeth the tyrant in them, that they perceive almost nothing else.
And it is no wonder if religion be grievous and unpleasant to such as these.
But, alas! it is you yourselves that are the causes of this, and bring the matter of your grievance with you. God hath commanded you a sweeter work. It is a life of love, and joy, and cheerful progress to eternal joy that he requireth of you; and no more fear or grief, than is necessary to separate you from sin, and teach you to value and use the remedy. The Gospel presenteth to you such abundant matter of joy and peace, as would make these the very complexion and temperature of your souls, if you received them as they are propounded. Religious fears when they are inordinate and hurtful,
are sinful, and indeed against religion; and must be resisted as other hurtful passions. Be better acquainted with Christ and his promises, and you will find enough in him to pacify the soul, and give you confidence and holy boldness in your access to God. The spirit which he giveth is not the spirit of bondage, but the spirit of adoption, of love, and confidencek.
6. Another thing that maketh religion seem grievous is, retaining unmortified, sensual desires. If you keep up your lusts, they will strive against the Gospel, and all the works of the Spirit will strive against them. And every duty will be so far unpleasant to you, as you are carnal, because it is against your carnal inclination and desire.
Away, therefore, with your beloved sickness, and then both your food and your physician will be less grievous to you. "Mortify the flesh, and you will less disrelish the things of the Spirit. For the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to his law, nor can be."
7. Another cause of confounding and wearying is, the mixture of your actual sins, dealing unfaithfully with God, and wounding your consciences by renewed guilt, especially of sins against knowledge and consideration. If you thus keep the bone out of joint, and the wound unhealed, no marvel if you are loath to work or travel. But it is your sin and folly that should be grievous to you, and not that which is contrary to it, and would remove the cause of all your troubles. Resolvedly forsake your wilful sinning, and come home by "repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," and then you will find, that when the thorn is out, your pain will cease; and that the cause of your trouble was not in God or religion, but in your sin.