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An Exhortation to Persevere in Godliness

166612 min read

Use 2. MY next Use is to exhort those who wear the Mantle,1 and in the judgement of others are looked upon as godly, that they would2 persevere, Heb. 10. 23. Let us hold fast the profession of our Faith. This is a seasonable Exhortation in these times, when the Devils Factors are abroad, whose whole work is to unsettle people, and make them fall off from that former strictness in Religion which they have professed: ‘Tis much to be lamented to see Christians

  1. Wavering in Religion: How many do we see desultorii ingenii, unresolved and unsteady: Like Reuben, unstable as water, Gen. 49. 4. These the Apostle fitly compares to waves of the Sea, and wandring Stars, Iude 13. They are not fixed in the principles of godliness. Beza writes of one Bolsechus, his Religion changed like the3 Moon: Such were the Ebionites, who kept the Jewish Sabbath and the Christian: Many Professors are like the River Euripus, ebbing and flowing in matters of Religion; they are like reeds, bending every way, either to the Mass or the4 Alchoran: They are like the Planet Mercury, which doth vary, and is seldome constant in its motion: When men think of heaven, and the recompence of reward, then they will be godly; but when they think of Persecution, then they are like the Jews, who deserted Christ, and walked no more with him, Iohn 6. 66. Did mens faces alter as fast as their Opinions, we should not know them: to be thus vacillant and wavering in Religion, argues lightness: Feathers are blown any way, so are feathery Christians.

  2. ‘Tis to be lamented to see men fall from that godliness which once they seemed to have; they are turned to worldliness and wantonness, the very mantle of their Profession is fallen off; and indeed if they were not fixed stars, it is no wonder to see them falling stars. This spiritual Epilepsie, or falling-sickness, was never more rife; this is a dreadful sin, for men to fall from that godliness they-seemed once to have. Chrysostom saith, Apostates are worse than they who are openly flagitious, they bring an evil report upon godliness: The Apostate (saith Tertullian) seems to put God and Satan in the ballance, and having weighed both their services, prefers the Devils service, and proclaims him to be the best Master, in which respect the Apostate is said to put Christ to open shame, He. 6. 6

This will be bitter in the end, Heb. 10. 38. What a worm did Spira feel in his Conscience? How did Stephen Gardiner cry out in horror of mind upon his Death-bed, that he had denied his Master with Peter, but he had not repented with Peter.

That we may be […]5 […], stedfast in godliness, and persevere, let us do two things.

  1. Let us take heed of those things which will make us by degrees fall off from our profession.

  2. Let us beware of covetousness, 2 Tim. 3. 2. Men shall be covetous, ver. 5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power. One of Christs own Apostles was caught with a silver bait: Covetousness will make a man betray a good cause, and make shipwrack of a good Conscience. I have read of some in the time of the Emperour Valens, who denied the Christian Faith, to prevent the confiscation of their goods.

  3. Beware of unbelief, Heb. 3. 12. Take heed least there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. No evil like an evil heart, no evil heart like an unbelieving heart; why so? It makes men depart from the blessed God; he that believes nor Gods mercy, will not dread his Justice; Infidelity is the Nurse of Apostasie; therefore unbelieving and unstable go together, Psal. 78. 22. They believed not in God, ver. 41. They turned back and tempted God.

  4. Take heed of cowardliness; he must needs be evil, who is afraid to be good, Pro. 29. 25. The fear of man bringeth a snare. They who fear danger more than sin, to avoid danger will commit sin. Origen out of a spirit of fear, offered Incense to the Idol. Aristotle saith, the reason why the Camelion turns into so many colours, is through excessive fear: Fear will make men change their Religion, as often as the Camelion doth her colour. Christian, thou who hast made a profession of godliness so long, and others have noted thee for a Saint in their Kalendar, why dost thou fear, and begin to shrink back? The Cause is good which thou art imbarqued in; thou fightest against sin; thou hast a good Captain which marcheth before thee; Christ the Captain of thy Salvation, Heb. 2. 10. What is it thou fearest? Is it loss of liberty? What is liberty worth, when Conscience is in bonds? Better lose thy liberty and keep thy peace, than lose thy peace and keep thy liberty: Is it loss of Estate? Dost thou say as Amaziah, 2 Chron. 25. 9. What shall we do for the hundred Talents? I would answer with the Prophet, The Lord can give thee much more than this: He hath promised thee in this life an hundred-fold, and if that be not enough, he will give thee life everlasting, Mat. 19. 29.

  5. If you would hold fast the profession of godliness, use all means for perseverance, 1. Labour for a real work of Grace in your soul; Grace is the best fortification, Heb. 13. 9. It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace.

Quest. What is this real work of Grace?

Answ. It consists in two things.

  1. It lies in an heart-humbling work: The thorn of sin pricked Pauls Conscience, Rom. 7. 9. Sin revived, and I died. Though some are less humbled than others, as some bring forth Children with less pangs, yet all have pangs.

2 Grace lies in an heart-changing work, 1 Cor. 6. 11. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified; A man is so changed, as if another soul did live in the same body; if ever you would hold out in the waies of God, get this vital principle of grace; why do men change their religion, but because their hearts were never changed? they do not fall away from grace, but for want of grace.

2 If you would hold on in godliness, be deliberate and judicious, weigh things well in the ballance, Luke 14. 28. Which of you intending to build a Tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost: Think with your selves, what it will cost you to be godly, you must expect the hatred of the world, Ioh. 15. 19. the wicked hate the godly for their piety· ‘tis strange they should do so; do we hate a flower because it is sweet? the godly are hated for the perfume of their graces; is a Virgin hated for her beauty? the wicked hate the godly for the beauty of holiness, which shines in them; and secret hatred will break forth into open violence, 2 Tim. 3. 12. Christians must count the cost before they build; why are people so hasty in laying down Religion, but because they were so hasty in taking it up?

3 If you would hold fast your profession, get a clear distinct knowledge of God, know the love of the Father, the merit of the Son, the efficacy of the Holy Ghost: Such as know not God aright, will by degrees renounce their profession: The Samaritans sometimes sided with the Iews, when they were in favour, afterwards they disclaimed all kindred with the Iews, when they were persecuted by (Josephus) Antiochus; and no wonder they did shuffle so in their religion, if you consider what Christ saith of the Samaritans, Ioh. 4. 22. Ye worship ye know not what; they were inveloped with ignorance; blinde men are apt to fall, so are they who are blinded in their mindes.

4 If you would persist in godliness, enter upon it purely, out of choice, Psa. 119. 30. I have chosen the way of truth: espouse godliness for its own worth; he that would persevere, must rather choose godliness with reproach, than sin with all its worldly pomp; he who takes up religion for fear, will lay it down again for fear; he who imbraceth godliness for gain, will desert it when the jewels of preferment are pulled off; be not godly out of a wordly design, but a religious choice.

5 If you would persevere in godliness, labour after integrity; this will be a golden pillar to support you; a tree that is hollow, must needs be blown down; the hypocrite sets up in the trade of religion, but he will soon break, Psa. 78. 37. Their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast: Iudas was first a sly hypocrite, and then a Traitor; if a peece of copper be guilded, the guilding will wash off, nothing will hold out but sincerity, Psa. 25. 21. Let integrity preserve me: How many storms was Iob in? not only Satan, but God himself set against him, Iob 7. 20. which was enough to have made him desist from being godly, yet Iob stood fast, because he stood upright, Iob 27. 6. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go, my heart shall not reproach me, so long as I live: those colours hold best, which are laid in oyle; if we would have our profession hold its colour, it must be laid in the oyl of sincerity.

6 If you would hold out in godliness, hold up the life and fervour of duty, Rom. 12. 1. 1. Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord: We put coals to the fire to keep it from going out, when Christians grow into a dull formality, they begin to be dis-spirited, and by degrees abate in their godliness; none so fit to make an Apostate, as a lukewarm professour.

7 If you would persevere in godliness, be much in the exercise of self-denial, Mat. 16. 24. let him deny himself, self-ease,6 self-ends; whatever comes in competition with, or stands in opposition to Christs glory and interest, must be denied; Self is the great snare, self-love undermines the power of godliness. The young man in the Gospel, might have followed Christ, but that something of self7hindered, Mat. 19. 20, 22. Self-love, is self hatred, he will never get to heaven, that cannot get beyond himself.

8 If you would hold on in godliness, preserve an holy jealousie over your hearts, Rom. 11. 20. Be not high-minded, but fear: he that hath Gun powder in his house, fears lest it should catch fire; sin in the heart is like Gun-powder, it may make us fear, lest a sparkle of temptation falling upon us, should blow us up: There are two things may make us alwaies jealous of our hearts; the deceits of our hearts, and the lusts of our hearts: When Peter was afraid hee should sink, and cried to Christ, Lord save me, then Christ took him by the hand and helped him, Mat. 14. 31. but when Peter grew confident, and thought he could stand alone, then Christ suffered him to fall. Oh let us be suspitious of our selves, and in an holy sense, cloathe our selves with trembling, Eze. 26. 16.

9 If you would continue your progress in godliness, labour for assurance, 2 Pet. 1. 10. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure: He who is sure God is his God, is like a Castle built upon a rock, all the powers of Hell cannot shake him: How can he be constant in religion, who is at a loss about his spiritual estate, and knows not whether he hath grace or no? it will be a difficult matter for him to dye for Christ, who doth not know that Christ hath died for him; assurance establisheth a Christian in shaking times; he is the likeliest to bear witness to the truth, who hath the spirit of God bearing witness to his heart, Rom. 8. 16. Oh give diligence! be much in prayer, reading, holy conference; these are the oyle, without which the lamp of assurance will not shine.

10 If you would hold out in godliness, lay hold of Gods strength; God is called the strength of Israel, 1 Sam. 15. 29. It is in his strength we stand, more than our own; the childe is safest in the Nurses hands; it is not our holding God, but his holding us, preserves us; a little pinnace tyed fast to a rock, is safe, so are we, when we are tyed to the rock of ages.

Footnotes

  1. Vse 2. ↩

  2. Non cepisse sed perfecisse virtutis est ↩

  3. Religionem Ephemeram habuit. ↩

  4. Hos cum hyaena meritò comparaveris, de quâ Plinius lib. 7. cap. 2. Hyaena sicut & ichneumon, nunc mas est nunc faemina, it a quidem sui dissimiles, nunc Deo serviunt, nunc carni, ab uno ad aliud transferuntur, tipula leviores. ↩

  5. Ignat. ↩

  6. Nemo do displicet nisi qui sibi placet. Bernard ↩

  7. Nemo laeditur nisi a se ipso. ↩

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