Chapter One
That we may acceptably perform the duties of holiness and righteousness required in the law n order to perform the duties of holiness and righteousness as required by the law, our first task is to learn the powerful and effective means by which we can achieve such a great goal.
This instruction can serve as a preface, preparing the reader's understanding and attention for what follows.
Firstly, it informs you about the ultimate goal for which all those means are intended, which will be the main subject discussed here. The aim of all this is to teach you how to attain the practice and way of life that we refer to as holiness, righteousness, or godliness, obedience, and true religion. These are the qualities that God expects from us according to the law, especially the moral law summarized in the Ten Commandments, and more concisely in the two great commandments of loving God and our neighbor (Matthew
22:37, 39). They are further explained in detail throughout the Holy
Scriptures. My task is to demonstrate how to fulfill the duties of this law once you know them. Therefore, do not expect me to delay my intention of helping you understand them by providing an extensive explanation, as that has already been done in various catechisms and commentaries. However, to ensure that you do not miss the target due to a lack of understanding, I will briefly highlight that the holiness I aim to guide you towards is spiritual (Romans 7:14). It encompasses not only external acts of piety and charity, but also the pure thoughts, imaginations, and emotions of the soul. Its essence lies primarily in love, from which all other good works must flow, otherwise they will not be pleasing to God. Holiness also involves restraining oneself from giving in to sinful desires, as well as desiring and delighting in doing the will of God, and willingly obeying Him without complaining, being annoyed, or begrudging any duty, as if it were a burdensome yoke to bear.
Take note that the law, which is your target, is extremely broad (Psalm
119:96), yet not easier to hit, because you must aim to hit it in every duty, with an equally broad performance. Otherwise, you will not hit it at all (James 2:10). The Lord is not truly loved with the love that is owed to Him as the Lord of all, unless He is loved with all our heart, spirit, and strength.
We are meant to love everything about Him: His justice, holiness, supreme authority, all-seeing eye, as well as His decrees, commands, judgments, and all His actions. We are to love Him not only more than other things, but solely, as the only source of goodness, the fountain of all goodness. We should reject all earthly and worldly pleasures, even our own lives, as if we despise them, when they compete with our enjoyment of Him or our obligation towards Him. We must love Him to the extent that we surrender ourselves completely to His constant service in all matters, and to His control over us as our absolute Lord, whether it is for success or adversity, life or death. And for His sake, we are to love our neighbor - every single person, whether they are our friends or enemies - and treat them in all matters concerning their dignity, life, purity, material wealth, reputation, and satisfaction, just as we would want them to treat us in a similar situation (Matthew 7:12). This spiritual and all-encompassing obedience is the ultimate goal that I am guiding you towards. And so that you do not dismiss my endeavor as impossible, understand that the most I promise is no more than an acceptable performance of these duties of the law, which our gracious and merciful God will undoubtedly take delight in and be pleased with, considering our imperfect state in this world. Such performance will ultimately lead to perfection in holiness and complete happiness in the world to come.
Before I proceed further, take a moment to contemplate the great importance and excellence of these duties of the law, so that you may strive to perform them with such high esteem that it brings a pleasing radiance to the forthcoming revelation of the means. The primary duties of love towards God above all else, and love towards one another for His sake, from which all other duties stem, are so exceptional that I cannot envision a more noble task even for the holy angels in their glorious realm. These are the primary works for which we were originally fashioned in the image of God, imprinted upon humanity during the initial creation, and for which this beautiful image is renewed within us through our new creation and sanctification in Jesus Christ, and will be perfected in our glorification.
These works are not merely subject to the sovereignty of God's will, to be commanded or forbidden, left indifferent, altered, or abolished at His pleasure, as other works pertaining to the judicial or ceremonial law, or the means of salvation prescribed by the gospel. Instead, they possess inherent holiness, righteousness, and goodness (Romans 7:12), and are suitable for us to perform due to our natural relationship with our Creator and fellow creatures. Thus, they have an inseparable reliance on the holiness of God's will, and are indispensably established by it. These works alone are sufficient to make the doers holy in every aspect of their conduct, through the fruits they bear, even if no other duties had ever been commanded. They establish the performance of all other duties as soon as they are commanded, and without them, we cannot fathom any notion of holiness in heart and life. They are also the honored means through which the Mosaic ordinances were fulfilled, and now serve evangelical purposes, until their end—this unwavering charity—is perfectly attained (1 Corinthians 13).
These duties are obligations imposed on us by nature, by virtue of the reason and understanding that God bestowed upon humanity at the time of creation, enabling us to discern what is just and appropriate for us to do.
Even pagans remain bound to these duties by the light of nature alone, without any written law or supernatural revelation (Romans 2:14, 15).
Therefore, they are referred to as natural religion, and the law that commands them is known as the natural law or moral law. All individuals, believers and non-believers alike, should conform their behavior to it, and if they were to fully adhere, they would not fall short of eternal happiness (Matthew 5:19; Luke 10:27, 28), under the penalty of God's wrath for its violation. This is the true morality that God approves, consisting of aligning all our actions with the moral law. And if those who currently emphasize morality understand it in no other way than this, I confidently affirm that the most morally upright individual is the greatest saint. Morality is the primary component of true religion and the criterion by which all other aspects are evaluated. Without it, faith is lifeless, and all other religious practices are a hollow display and mere hypocrisy. For the faithful and truthful Witness has testified regarding the two great moral commandments of love for God and love for our neighbor, declaring that there is no greater commandment than these, and that "all the law and the prophets hang on these" (Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:31).
The second aspect covered in this introductory guidance is the necessity of learning the powerful and effective means by which this great and admirable goal can be achieved. It must be the foremost task to be undertaken before expecting any success in endeavors to attain it.
This is an important notice, as many are prone to overlook the lesson regarding the means (which will be thoroughly discussed in this entire treatise) as redundant and futile. Once they grasp the nature and excellence of the duties prescribed by the law, they believe that nothing is lacking except for diligent performance. They recklessly rush into immediate practice, hastening more than making progress. They readily promise, "All that the Lord has spoken, we will do" (Exodus 19:8), without taking the time to assess the cost. They view holiness merely as a means to an end, namely eternal salvation, rather than an end in itself that requires substantial means for its attainment. The inquiry of most individuals when they begin to sense the importance of religion is, "What good deed should I do to obtain eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16), rather than, "How can I be enabled to do anything that is good?" Furthermore, many who are regarded as powerful preachers expend all their zeal in earnestly urging immediate adherence to the law, without providing any insight into the effective means of accomplishment, as if righteous acts were akin to menial tasks that require no skill or artistry, but only diligence and activity.
To prevent you from stumbling at the threshold of a religious life due to this common oversight, I will strive to make you aware that it is insufficient for you to merely comprehend the substance and rationale of your duty. You must also learn the powerful and effective means of performance before you can genuinely engage in immediate practice. For this purpose, I will present the following considerations to you.
1. By nature, we are all devoid of the strength and ability to perform the holiness and righteousness that the law demands. We are spiritually dead, immersed in transgressions and sins, and by the sin of our first father, Adam, we are children of wrath, as the Scripture testifies (Romans 5:12, 15, 18, 19; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 8:7, 8).
This doctrine of original sin, which is generally professed by Protestants, serves as a strong foundation for the assertion that is to be proven now, as well as for various other assertions in this entire discourse. If we believe this truth, it is not reasonable to encourage ourselves to pursue a life of holiness until we become acquainted with powerful and effective means that enable us to do so. While humanity remained upright in the image of God, as they were created initially (Ecclesiastes 7:29; Genesis 1:27), they could sincerely obey God's will as soon as they knew it. However, once they fell, they were quickly filled with fear due to their vulnerability.
Yet, they were unable to remedy the situation until God revealed the means of restoration to them (Genesis 3:10, 15). Instruct a strong and healthy servant to "Go," and they go; "Come," and they come; "Do this," and they do it. However, a bedridden servant must first learn how they can be enabled. Undoubtedly, the fallen angels recognized the necessity of holiness and trembled at the guilt of their sin, but they had no knowledge of any means to effectively attain holiness and thus continue in their wickedness. It was futile for Samson to say, "I will go out as I have done before and shake myself," after he had forfeited his strength through sin (Judges
16:20). People display a strange forgetfulness or hypocrisy when they profess belief in original sin in their prayers, catechisms, and confessions of faith, yet urge themselves and others to practice the law without considering any empowering or invigorating means—as if there were no lack of ability, but only of activity.
2. Those who doubt or deny the doctrine of original sin may all come to know, if their consciences are not blinded, that the perfect justice of God stands against them. They are under God's curse and the sentence of death for their actual sins, if God were to judge them (Romans 1:32; 2:2; 3:9; Galatians 3:10). Is it possible for a person who knows that this is their condition and has not learned any means of escape to immediately practice the law, to love God and everything about Him—His justice, holiness, power, and mercy— and willingly submit themselves to God's will, even if God were to suddenly bring about their death? Is there no skill or strategy required in this situation to encourage the discouraged soul to engage in universal obedience?
3. Although heathens may possess some knowledge of the requirements of the law through the common light of natural reason and understanding (Romans 2:14), the effective means of fulfilling those requirements cannot be discovered through that light alone.
Therefore, they must be entirely learned through the teachings of supernatural revelation. For what is our natural understanding but a few sparks and faint glimpses of what Adam possessed before the Fall? Even then, at its brightest, it was not sufficient to guide Adam on how to regain the ability to walk in holiness if he were to lose it through sin, nor could it assure him beforehand that God would provide any means of restoration. God had only set death as the consequence of transgression before his eyes (Genesis 2:17), and so Adam hid himself from God when the shame of his nakedness was revealed, not expecting any favor from Him. We are like lost sheep, unaware of the way to return until we hear the voice of the Shepherd. Can these dry bones live to God in holiness? O Lord, You know, and we can only know it if we learn it from You.
4. Sanctification, by which our hearts and lives are transformed in accordance with the law, is a grace of God that is imparted to us through means, just like justification. It involves the process of teaching and learning something that we cannot perceive without the Word (Acts 26:17, 18). There are various things pertaining to life and godliness that are bestowed through knowledge (2 Peter 1:2, 3).
A form of doctrine is employed by God to set people free from sin and make them servants of righteousness (Romans 6:17, 18).
Additionally, there are different pieces of the whole armor of God that need to be known and put on so that we can stand against sin and Satan in times of evil (Ephesians 6:13). Shall we disregard and neglect the path of sanctification when the learning of justification has been deemed worthy of numerous elaborate treatises?
5. God, through His inspiration in the Holy Scriptures, has provided abundant instruction in righteousness "so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16, 17), particularly since "the dawn from on high has broken upon us" with the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came "to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:78, 79). If God condescends to such a great extent to teach us this way through the Scriptures and through Christ, it must be of utmost importance for us to humbly sit at His feet and learn it.
6. The path to attaining godliness is far from being understood without learning from the Holy Scriptures. Even when it is clearly revealed to us, we cannot grasp it as easily as the duties of the law, which were partly known through natural light and therefore more readily accepted. It is the path through which the spiritually dead are brought to life in God. Undoubtedly, it surpasses all human wisdom and speculations. It is the path of salvation in which God will "destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent," by unveiling things through His Spirit that "the natural person does not accept, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 1:19, 21; 2:14). "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness" (1 Timothy 3:16).
Learning it requires double effort, as we must unlearn many deeply rooted notions and become fools in order to become truly wise. We must earnestly pray to the Lord to teach us and diligently search the Scriptures to acquire this knowledge. "Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!" "Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end" (Psalm 119:5, 33).
"Teach me to do your will" (Psalm 143:10). "May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God" (2 Thessalonians 3:5). Surely, these saints did not merely lack instruction and guidance regarding the duties of the law to be performed, but they also sought direction and means by which they could accomplish them.
7. The certain knowledge of these powerful and effective means is of utmost importance and necessity for our firm establishment in true faith and to avoid errors that contradict them. We cannot reasonably doubt that the moral duties of love towards God and our neighbour are absolutely essential to genuine religion, as it cannot exist without them. From this principle, we can firmly conclude that anything contradictory to the practice of these holy duties should not be accepted as a point of faith delivered by the most holy God.
Conversely, whatever is truly necessary, powerful, and effective in leading us to practice these duties should be believed as coming from God, as it bears the imprint of His holiness and righteousness.
This serves as a reliable test and touchstone which those who are sincerely devoted will use to examine their own spirits and doctrines, determining whether they are from God or not. They cannot reasonably endorse any doctrine as religious if it does not align with godliness (1 Timothy 6:3). Christ Himself proves the divine origin of His teachings through this touchstone, as He seeks the glory of God in all things (John 7:17, 18). He teaches us to recognize false prophets by their fruits (Matthew 7:15, 16), paying particular attention to the outcomes their doctrines produce. Thus, it becomes evident that without knowing the effective means of holiness and distinguishing them from ineffective ones, we lack a necessary touchstone of divine truth and may easily fall prey to false doctrines or live in a state of uncertainty regarding the truth of any religion, resembling the seekers. If you make the mistake of considering ineffective means to be effective, or perceiving effective means as weak or having an opposite effect, your error in this will serve as a false touchstone to assess other doctrines, causing you to readily embrace errors and reject the truth. This has been a perilous source of numerous religious errors in recent times. Obtain a true touchstone by learning this lesson, and you will be able to evaluate the various doctrines of Protestants, Catholics, Arminians, Socinians, Antinomians, Quakers, and discern the truth, confidently adhering to it amidst the disputes and controversies of our era. In this way, you can determine whether the established Protestant religion among us harbours any elements of Antinomianism, whether it suffers from any unacceptable deficiencies in practical principles, and whether it warrants alteration and upheaval with new doctrines and methods, as some learned individuals have concluded using their touchstones.
8. It is also of significant importance and necessity for our commitment to holy practice, as we cannot engage in the pursuit of holiness with hope of success unless we have faith in divine assistance. Such assistance cannot be expected if we do not utilize the means that God has appointed for His work. "God meets those who remember Him in His ways" (Isaiah 64:5), and He "breaks out against those who do not seek Him according to the proper order" (1
Chronicles 15:13). He has chosen and ordained specific means of sanctification and salvation that are for His own glory, and only those means are blessed to us. He does not crown anyone who competes unlawfully (2 Timothy 2:5).
Experience abundantly shows, both among heathens and Christians, how detrimental ignorance or misunderstanding of these effective means is to the practice of holiness. (i) Heathens, in general, fell short of acceptable performance in the duties of the law they knew because of their ignorance in this matter. (ii) Many Christians are satisfied with mere external actions because they never learned how to engage in spiritual worship. (iii)
Numerous individuals reject the path of holiness, perceiving it as strict and unpleasant, simply because they did not know how to make necessary sacrifices without experiencing unbearable pain. If they knew the ways of wisdom, they would discover that they are pleasant and lead to peace (Proverbs 3:17). This leads to the continual postponement of repentance, as it appears unfamiliar. (iv) Many others approach the pursuit of holiness with fervent zeal and great speed, yet they fail to follow the right path.
Disappointed and overcome by their own desires, they eventually give up the work and return to their former sinful ways. This has prompted numerous treatises on how far a reprobate can progress in religious pursuits, which discourages many weak saints who believe these reprobates have gone further than themselves. However, most of these reprobates never knew the right path or walked in it correctly, for "few find it" (Matthew
7:14). (v) Some zealous individuals, lacking in knowledge, harshly afflict their bodies through excessive fasting and other severe practices in an attempt to suppress their desires. When they realize that their desires remain unconquered, they fall into despair and, driven by a troubled conscience, wickedly contemplate taking their own lives, thus causing a scandal to religion.
Perhaps, by God's grace, my exposition of the powerful means of holiness may save someone from self-destruction. Such a result would justify my efforts, although I also hope that God will use it to inspire many to joyfully and gratefully embrace His commandments with enthusiasm and dedication.