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A Godly Man Is Good in His Relations

166614 min read

  1. A godly man is good in his Relations:1To be good in general is not enough, but we must show forth Piety in our Relations.

  2. He is godly who is good as a Magistrate: The Magistrate is Gods Representative; a godly Magistrate holds the ballance of Justice, and gives to every one his2 right, Deut. 16. 19. Thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes. A Magistrate must judge the Cause, not the person: He who suffers himself to be corrupted with bribes, is not a Iudge, but a Party: A Magistrate must do that which is […], according to Law, Act. 23. 3. And that he may do Justice, he must examine the Cause: The Archer that will shoot right, must first see the mark.

  3. He is godly who is good as a Minister. A Minister must be

  4. Painful, 2 Tim. 4. 1, 2. Preach the Word, be instant in season, out of season. The Minister must not be idle; sloath is as inexcusable in a Minister, as sleep in a Centinel: Iohn Baptist was a voice crying, Mat. 3. 3. A dumb Minister is of no more use than a dead Physitian: A man of God must work in the Lords3 Vineyard: It was Austins wish, that Christ might find him at his coming, either praying or preaching.

  5. A Minister must be knowing, Mal. 2. 7. The Priests lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the Law at his mouth. It was said in the honour of Nazianzene, that he was […], an Ocean of Divinity. The Prophets of old were called Seers, 1 Sam. 9. 9. ‘Tis absurd to have our Seers blind: Christ said to Peter, Feed my sheep, Ioh. 21. 16. But how sad is it when the Shepherds need to be fed? Ignorance in a Minister, is like blindness in an Oculist. Under the Law, he who had the plague in his head was unclean, Levit. 13. 44.

  6. A Minister must preach plain, suiting his matter and stile to the capacity of his Auditory, 1 Cor. 14. 19. Some Ministers, like Eagles, love to soar aloft in abstruse Metaphysical notions; thinking they are most admired, when they are least understood; they who preach in the Clouds, instead of hitting their peoples Conscience, shoot over their heads.

4 A Minister must be zealous in reprooving sin, Tit. 1. 13. Rebuke them sharply. Epiphanius saith of Eliah, he sucked fire out of his Mother breasts; a man of God must suck the fire of zeal, out of the breasts of Scripture. Zeal in a Minister, is as proper as fire on the Altar; some are afraid to reprove; like the Sword-fish, which hath a sword in his head, but is without an heart; so they carry the sword of the spirit about them, but have no heart to draw it out in a reproof against sin; (Eze. 13. 18) how many have sown pillows under their people, making them sleep so securely, that they have never waked, till they have been in hell.

5 A Minister must bee holy in heart and life.

1 In heart. How sad is it for a Minister, to preach that to others, which he never felt in his own soul; to exhort others to holiness, and himself a stranger to it: O that it were not thus too often! how many blow the Lords Trumpet with a foul breath.

2 In Life. The Priests under the Law, before they served at the Altar, washed in the Lavor; such as serve in the Lords house, must first bee washed from gross sin, in the Lavor of repentance: The life of a Minister should be a walking Bible. Basil said of Nazianzene, he did thunder in his doctrine, and lighten in his conversation: A Minister must imitate Iohn Baptist, who was not only a voice crying, Isa· […]. 3. but a light shining, Ioh. 5. 35. they disgrace this excellent calling, who live in a contradiction to what they preach; they turn their codices into calices,4their books into cups, and though they are Angels by office, yet are Devils in their lives, Ier. 23. 15.

  1. Hee is godly, who is good as an Husband, he fills up that relation with love, Eph. 5. 25. Husbands love your Wives: The Vine twisting its branches about the Elm, and embracing it, may be an emblem of that intire love, which should be in the conjugal relation; a married condition would be sad, if it hath cares to imbitter it, and not love to sweeten it: Love is the best diamond in the marriage Ring: Isaac loved Rebeckah, Gen. 24. 57. Unkindnesses in this near relation, are very unhappy. Wee read in Heathen Authors, that Clitemnestra the wife of Agamemnon, to revenge an injury received from her Husband, first rent the Vail of her chastity, and afterwards consented to his death: The Husband should shew his love to his Wife, by covering infirmities, by avoiding occasions of strife, by sweet endearing expressions, by pious counsel, by love-tokens, by incouraging what he sees amiable and vertuous in her, by mutual prayer, by associating with her, unless detained by urgency of business: The Pilot that goes from his ship, and quite leaves it to the merciless waves, declares that he doth not esteem it, or reckon any treasure to be in it.

The Apostle gives a good reason, why there should be mutual love between Husband and Wife, 1 Pet. 3. 7. That your prayers bee not hindred: where passions prevail, there prayer is either intermitted, or interrupted.

4 He is godly who is good, as a Father.

1 A Father must drop holy instructions into his Children, Eph. 6 4. Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord: Thus did Abraham, Gen. 18. 19. I know Abraham, that hee will command his children, and his houshold, and they shall keep the way of the Lord. Children are young plants, which must be watered with good education, that they may with Obadiah, fear the Lord from their youth up, 1 Kings 18. 12. Plato saith, in vain doth he expect an harvest, who hath been negligent in sowing; nor can a parent look to reap any good from a childe, where he hath not sown the seed of wholesome instruction; and though notwithstanding all counsel and admonition, the childe should dye in sin, yet it is a comfort to a godly Parent, to think that before his childe dyed, he gave it spiritual physick.

  1. A parent must pray for his Children: Monica the Mother of Austin, prayed for his Conversion, and one said, It was impossible a Son of so many Prayers and Tears should miscarry: The soul of thy Childe is in a snare, and wilt not thou pray that it may bee recovered out of the snare of the Devil, 2 Tim. 2. 26. many Parents are careful to lay up portions for their children, but they do not lay up prayers for them.

3 A Parent must give his children discipline, Prov. 23. 13. Withhold not correction from the childe, for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not dye: The rod beats out the dust and moth of sin; a childe indulg’d and humoured in wickedness, will prove a burden instead of a blessing: David cockered Adonijah, 1 King. 1. 6. His Father had not displeased him at any time, saying, why hast thou done so? and hee afterwards was a grief of heart to his Father, and would have put him besides his throne; correction is a hedge of thorns, to stop Children in their full Car[…]eir to hell.

5 He is godly who is good, as a Master; a godly man promotes religion in his family; he sets up piety in his house, as well as in his heart, Psalm 101. 2. I will walk within my house with a perfect heart, Ioshua 24. 15. I, and my houshold will serve the Lord. I find it written in the honor of Cranmer, his Family was Palaestra Pietatis, a Nursery of Piety: A godly mans house is a little Church, Col. 4. 15. The Church which is in his house.

  1. A good man makes known the Oracles of God to them, who are under his roof; he reads the Word, perfumes his house with prayer: It is recorded of the Iews, that they had sacrifices in their Family, as well as in the Tabernacle, Exod. 12. 3.

  2. A godly man provides necessaries; he relives his servants in health and Sickness; he is not like that Amalakite, who shook off his servant when he was sick, 1 Sam. 30. 13. But rather like the good Centurion, who sought to Christ for the healing of his sick servant, Mat. 8. 5.

  3. A godly man sets his servants a good example, he is sober and heavenly in his deportment, his virtuous life is a fair glass for the servants in the family to dress themselves by.

  4. He is godly who is good in the Relation of a Childe, He honours his parents. Philo the Jew, placed the fifth Commandment in the first Table; as if Children had not performed their whole devotion to God, till they had given honour to their Parents. This honouring of Parents consists in two things.

  5. In reverencing their persons; which reverence is shown both by humility of speech and gesture: The contrary to this is, when a Childe doth behave himself unseemly and proudly. Among the Lacedemonians, if a Childe had carried himself imperiously towards his parent, it was published by Authority, that it was lawful for the Father to appoint whom he would to be his Heir, and to dis-inherit that Childe.

  6. Honoring of Parents lies in obeying their Commands, Eph. 6. 1. Children obey your Parents in the Lord. Duty is the Interest money which children pay their Parents, for the Principal they have had from (Isocr) them. Christ hath set all Children a pattern of obedience to their Parents, Luke 2. 51. He was subject unto them. The Rechabites were eminent for this, Ierem. 35. 5. 1 set before the Rechabites pots full of wine, and said to them drink ye wine, but they said we will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab our Father commanded us saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever. Solon among the many Laws he made, one asked him, Why he made no Law against disobedient Children; he answered, because he thought none would be so wicked. God hath punished Children, who have refused to pay the tribute of obedience. Absalom, a disobedient son, was hanged in an Oak betwixt Heaven and Earth, as being worthy of neither. Manlius, an old man, being reduced to much poverty, and having a rich son, he entreated him only for an alms, but could not obtain it; the son disowned him as his Father, and gave him reproachful language; the poor old man let tears fall (as witnesses of his grief) and went away; God to revenge this disobedience of the son, soon after struck him with5 phrensie; he in whose heart godliness lives, makes as well Conscience of the fifth Commandment as the first.

  7. He is godly who is good as a servant, Col. 3. 22. Eph. 6. 5. Servants be subject to them who are your Masters, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling. The goodness of servants lies

  8. In6 diligence: Abrahams servant made haste to dispatch the business his Master intrusted him with, Gen. 24. 33.

  9. Chearfulness: Servants must be Free-willers: Thus the Centurions servants, Luke 7. 8. If I say to one go, he goes.

  10. Faithfulness; which consists in two things: 1. In not defrauding, Titus 2. 10. Not purloyning. 2. In keeping counsel; it argues the badness of a stomack, when it cannot retain what is put into it; and the badness of a servant, when he cannot retain those secrets which his Master hath committed to him.

  11. Silentness, Titus 2. 9. Not answering regain. ‘Tis better to mend a fault, than to mince it; and that which may quicken a servant in his work, is that encouraging Scripture, Col. 3. 24, Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the Inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ. If Christ should bid you do a piece of work for him, would ye not do it? While you serve your Master, you serve the Lord Christ: If you ask what Salary you shall have, Ye shall receive the reward of the Inberitance.

Use 1. Is this the Grand Sign of a godly man,7 to be relatively holy […] hen the Lord be merciful to us, (Inform) how few godly ones are to be found? Many put on the Coat of Profession, they will pray, and discourse of points of Religion, but what means the bleating of the sheep? They are not good in their Relations: How ill doth it sound when Christians are defective in Relative Piety: Can we call him godly who is a bad Magistrate? He perverts equity, Psalm 58. 1. Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. Can we call him godly, who is a bad Parent? He never teacheth his Childe the way to heaven: He is like the Ostrich, which is cruel to her young, Iob 39. 19. Can we call him godly who is a bad Master? Many Masters leave their Religion at Church, (as the Clerk doth his book) they have nothing of God at home, their houses are not Bethels, but Bethavens; not little Temples, but little Hells. How many Masters at the last day must hold up their hand at the Bar, though they have fed their servants bellies, they have starved their souls: Can we call him godly, who is a bad Childe? He stops his ear to his Parents counsel; you may as well call him a good subject who is disloyal: Can we call him godly, who is a bad servant? He is slothful and wilful; he is more ready to spy a fault in another, than to mend it in himself. To call one godly, who is bad in his Relations, is a contradiction, it is to call evil good, Isa. 5. 20.

Use 2. As we desire to have God approve us,8 let us show forth godliness in our Relations: (Exhort) Not to be good in our relations, spoils all our other good things; Naaman was an honourable man, but hee was a Leaper, 2 King. 5. 1. That But, spoiled all; so such an one is a great hearer, but he neglects relative duties, this stains the beauty of all his other actions; as in Printing, though the Letter be never so well carved, yet if it be not set in the right place, it spoils the sense; so let a man have many things commendable in him, yet if he be not good in his right place, making conscience how he walks in his relations, he doth hurt to religion. There are many, to whom Christ will say at last, as to the young man, Luk. 18. 22. Unum deest, yet lackest thou one thing, thou hast miscarried in thy relative capacity; as therefore we tender our salvation, and the honour of religion, let us shine forth in that Orb of relation, where God hath fixed us.

Footnotes

  1. 20 Character. ↩

  2. Ius suum cuique tribuit. ↩

  3. Oportet Episcopum concionantem mori. B. Jewell. ↩

  4. Pet. Blessens. ep. 7. ↩

  5. Beards Theat. ↩

  6. […]. Ig at. Ep. ad Tarsens. ↩

  7. Vse 1. ↩

  8. Vse 2. ↩

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