A Christian Directory Volume I Part 30

_Direct._ II. Study G.o.d in his Son, in his word, in his saints, in his works: know him as described before, chap. iii. direct. iv. And see that your wicked corrupted hearts, or wilful forgetting him, blind not your understandings.

_Tempt._ III. To come to G.o.d in ourselves and out of Christ, and use his name but customarily, and not in faith and confidence.

_Direct._ III. Know well your sin, and vileness, and desert, and the justice and holiness of G.o.d; and then you will see that if Christ reconcile you not, and justify you not by his blood, and do not sanctify and help you by his Spirit, and make you sons of G.o.d, and intercede not for you, there is no access to G.o.d, nor standing in his sight.

_Tempt._ IV. The tempter would have you pray hypocritically, with the tongue only, without the heart: to put off G.o.d in a few customary words, with seeming to pray (as they do the poor, James ii. with a few empty words) either in a form of words not understood, or not considered, or not felt and much regarded; or in more gross hypocrisy, praying for the holiness which they will not have, and against the sin which they will not part with.

_Direct._ IV. O fear the holy, jealous, heart-searching G.o.d, that hateth hypocrisy, and will be wors.h.i.+pped seriously in spirit and truth, and will be sanctified of all that draw near him, Lev. x. 3; and saith, they "wors.h.i.+p him in vain, that draw nigh him with the lips, when the heart is far from him," Matt. xv. 8, 9. See G.o.d by faith, as present with thee, and know thyself, and it will awaken thee to seriousness. See Heb. iv. 13; Hos. viii. 12, 13.

_Tempt._ V. He would destroy faith and hope, and make you doubt whether you shall get any thing by duty.

_Direct._ V. But, 1. Why should G.o.d command it, and promise us his blessing if he meant not to perform it? 2. Remember G.o.d's infiniteness, and omnipresence, and all-sufficiency: he is as verily with thee, as thou art there: he upholdeth thee: he showeth by his mercies, that he regardeth thee; and by his regarding lower things: and if he regard thee, he doth regard thy duties. It is all one with him to hear thy prayers, as if he had never another creature to regard and hear. Believe then, and hope and wait upon him.

_Tempt._ VI. Sometimes the tempter will promise you more by holy duty, than G.o.d doth, and make you expect deliverance from every enemy, want, and sickness, and speedier deliverance of soul, than ever G.o.d promised; and all this is, to make you cast away all as vain, and think G.o.d faileth you, when you miss your expectations.

_Direct._ VI. But G.o.d will do all that he promiseth, but not all that the devil or yourselves promise. See what G.o.d promiseth in his word.

That is enough for you. Make that and no more the end of duties.

_Tempt._ VII. The tempter usually would draw you from the heart and life of duty, by too much ascribing to the outside: laying too much on the bare doing of the work, the giving of the alms, the hearing of the sermons, the saying the words, the handsome expression, order, manner; which in their places are all good, if animated with spirit, life, and seriousness.

_Direct._ VII. Look most and first to the soul in duty, and the soul of duty. The picture of meat feedeth not; the picture of fire warmeth not; fire and shadows will not nourish us: G.o.d loveth not dead carca.s.ses instead of spiritual wors.h.i.+p: we regard not words ourselves, further than they express the heart. Let the outer part have but its due.

_Tempt._ VIII. He tempteth you to rest in a forced, affected, counterfeit fervency, stirred up by a desire to take with others.

_Direct._ VIII. Look princ.i.p.ally at G.o.d and holy motives, and less at men, that all your fire be holy, fetched from heaven.

_Tempt._ IX. He would keep you in a lazy, sluggish coldness, to read, and hear, and pray as asleep, as if you did it not.

_Direct._ IX. Awake yourselves with the presence of G.o.d, and the great concernment of what you are about, and yield not to your sloth.

_Tempt._ X. He would make you bring a divided, distracted heart to duty, that is half about your worldly business.

_Direct._ X. Remember G.o.d is jealous, your business with him is great, much lieth on it; call off your hearts, and let them not stay behind: all the powers of your souls are little enough in such a work, Ezek.

x.x.xiii. 31.

_Tempt._ XI. Ignorance, unskilfulness, and unacquaintedness with duty, is a great impediment to most.

_Direct._ XI. Learn by study joined with practice. Be not weary, and difficulties will be overcome.

_Tempt._ XII. Putting duty out of its place, and neglecting the season that is fittest, makes it oft done slightly.

_Direct._ XII. Redeem time, and despatch other business, that idleness deprive you not of leisure; and do all in order.

_Tempt._ XIII. Neglecting one duty is the tempter's snare to spoil another. If he can keep you from reading, you will not understand well what you hear. If he keep you from meditating, you will not digest what you hear or read. If he keep you from hearing, you will want both matter and life for prayer, and meditation, and conference. If he keep you from G.o.dly company, you will be hindered in all, and in the practice: no one is omitted, but you are disadvantaged by it in all the rest.

_Direct._ XIII. Observe how one duty helpeth another, and take all together each one in its place.

_Tempt._ XIV. Sometimes the tempter doth call you off to other duty, and puts in unseasonable motions to that which in its time is good; he interrupts prayer by meditation, he sets seeming truth against love, and peace, and concord.

_Direct._ XIV. Still know which duties are greatest, and which is the due season for each, and do all in order.

_Tempt._ XV. He spoileth duty, by causing you to do it only as a duty, and not as a means for the good of your own souls; or only as a means, and not as a duty. If you do it only as duty, then you will not be quickened to it by the ends and benefits, nor carried by hope, nor fit all to the end, nor be so fervent or vigorous in it, as the sense of your own good would make you be. And if you do it only as a means, and not as a duty, then you will give over or faint, when you want or question the success: whereas, the sense of both would make you vigorous and constant.

_Direct._ XV. Keep under the sense of G.o.d's authority, that you may feel yourselves bound to obey him, whatever be the success; and may resolve to wait in an obedient way. And withal, admire his wisdom in fitting all duties to your benefit, and commanding you nothing but what is for your own or others' good, or to his honour: and mark the reason and tendency of all, and your own necessity.

_Tempt._ XVI. The tempter hindereth you in duty, as well as from duty, by setting you a quarrelling with the minister, the words, the company, the manner, the circ.u.mstances; that these things may divert your thoughts from the matter, or distract your mind with causeless scruples.

_Direct._ XVI. Pray and labour for a clear judgment, and an upright, self-judging, humble heart, which dwelleth most at home, and looketh most at the spiritual part, and affecteth not singularity.

_Tempt._ XVII. The tempter spoileth duty by your inconstancy; while you read or pray so seldom, that you have lost the benefit of one duty, before you come to another, and cool by intermissions.

_Direct._ XVII. Remember that it is not your divertis.e.m.e.nt, but your calling, and is to your soul as eating to your bodies.

_Tempt._ XVIII. Sometimes Satan corrupteth duty by men's private pa.s.sions, interest, and opinions, making men, in preaching and praying, to vent their own conceits and spleen, and inveigh against those that differ from them, or offend them, and profane the name and work of G.o.d; or proudly to seek the praise of men.

_Direct._ XVIII. Remember that G.o.d is most jealous in his wors.h.i.+p, and hateth hypocritical profaneness above all profaneness. Search your hearts, and mortify your pa.s.sions; and especially selfishness, remembering that it is a poisonous and insinuating sin, and will easily hide itself with a cloak of zeal.

_Tempt._ XIX. False-hearted reservedness is a most accursed corrupter of holy duty; when the soul is not wholly given up to G.o.d, but sets upon duty from some common motive; as, because it is in credit, or to please some friend, purposing to try it awhile, and leave it if they like it not.

_Direct._ XIX. Fear G.o.d, thou hypocrite, and halt not between two opinions. If the Lord be G.o.d, obey and serve him with all thy heart; but if the devil and the flesh be better masters, follow them, and let him go.

_Tempt._ XX. Lastly, The tempter hindereth holy duty much, by wandering thoughts, and melancholy perplexities, and a hurry of temptations, which torment and distract some christians, so that they cry out, I cannot pray, I cannot meditate; and are weary of duty, and even of their lives.

_Direct._ XX. This showeth the malice of the tempter, and thy weakness; but, if thou hadst rather be delivered from it, it hindereth not thy acceptance with G.o.d. Read for this, what I have said chap. v.

part 2. at large; especially in my Directions to the Melancholy.

I have been forced to put off many things briefly here, which deserved a larger handling; and I must now omit the discovery of those temptations, by which Satan keepeth men in sin, when he hath drawn them into it. 2. And those by which he causeth declining in grace, and apostasy. 3. And those by which he discomforteth true believers; because else this direction would swell to a treatise; and most will think it too long and tedious already, though the brevity which I use, to avoid prolixity, doth wrong the matter through the whole.

Acquaintance with temptations is needful to our overcoming them.

[Sidenote: For serving Christ our Master in good works.]

_Grand Direct._ X. Your lives must be laid out in doing G.o.d service, and doing all the good you can, in works of piety, justice, and charity, with prudence, fidelity, industry, zeal, and delight; remembering that you are engaged to G.o.d, as servants to their lord and master; and are intrusted with his talents, of the improvement whereof you must give account.

The next relation between Christ and us, which we are to speak of, (subordinate to that of King and subjects,) is this of Master and servants. Though Christ saith to the apostles, John xv. 15, "Henceforth I call you not servants, but friends;" the meaning is not that he calleth them not servants at all, but not mere servants, they being more than servants, having such acquaintance with his counsels as his friends. For he presently, verse 20, bids them "Remember that the servant is not greater than his lord." And John xiii. 13, "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am." And Matt. xxiii. 8, "One is your Master, Christ; and all ye are brethren:" so ver. 10. And the apostles called themselves the "servants of Jesus Christ," Rom. i.

1; and 1 Cor. iv. 1; Phil. i. 1: and "of G.o.d," t.i.t. i. 1, &c.

[Sidenote: What it is to be Christ's servants.]

He is called our Master, and we his servants, because he is our Rector, _ex pleno dominio_, with absolute propriety; and doth not give us laws to obey, while we do our own work, but giveth us his work to do, and laws for the right doing of it: and it is a service under his eye, and in dependence on him for our daily provisions, as servants on their lord. G.o.d hath work for us to do in the world; and the performance of it he will require. G.o.d biddeth his sons "Go work to day in my vineyard," Matt. xxi. 28; and expecteth that they do it, ver. 31. His "servants" are as "husbandmen," to whom "he intrusteth his vineyard, that he may receive the fruit," ver. 33, 34, 41, 43.

"Faithful servants shall be made rulers over his household," Matt.

xxiv. 45, 46. Christ delivereth to his servants his talents to improve, and will require an account of the improvement at his coming, Matt. xxv. 14. Good works, in the proper, comprehensive sense, are all actions internal and external, that are morally good; but in the narrower acceptation, they are works, not only formally good, as acts of obedience in general, but also materially good, such as a servant doth for his master, that tend to his advantage, or the profit of some other, whose welfare he regardeth. Because the doctrine of good works is controverted in these times, I shall first open it briefly, and then give you the directions.

1. Nothing is more certain, than that G.o.d doth not need the service of any creature; and that he receiveth no addition to his perfection or felicity from it; and, consequently, that on terms of commutative justice, (which giveth one thing for another, as in selling and buying,) no creature is capable of meriting at his hands.

2. It is certain, that on the terms of the law of works, (which required perfect obedience as the condition of life,) no sinner can do any work so good, as in point of distributive, governing justice, shall merit at his hands.

3. It is certain, that Christ hath so fulfilled the law of works, as to merit for us.