Section 22
22. A godly man is thorough-paced in Religion, he obeys every Command of God, Acts 13:22. I have found David a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. In the Greek [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉]all my wills. A godly man labors to walk according to the full breadth and latitude of God's Law. Every Command has the same stamp of Divine Authority upon it, and he who is godly, will obey one Command as well as another, Psalm 119:6. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all thy Commandments. A godly man goes through all the Body of Religion, as the Sun through all the Signs of the Zodiac. He that is to play upon a ten-stringed Instrument, must strike upon every string, or he spoils all the Music. The ten Commandments may be compared to a ten-stringed Instrument, we must obey every Commandment, strike upon every string, or we can make no sweet Music in Religion: True obedience is filial; it is fit the Child should obey the Parent in all just and sober commands: God's Laws are like the Curtains of the Tabernacle, which were looped together; they are like a Chain of Gold, where all the links are coupled: A conscientious man will not willingly break one Link of this Chain; if one Command be violated, the whole Chain is broken, James 2:10. Whoever shall keep the whole Law, yet offend in one point, is guilty of all. A voluntary breach of one of God's Laws, involves a man in the guilt, and exposes him to the curse of the whole Law: True obedience is entire and uniform: A good heart, like the Needle, points that way which the Loadstone draws.
This is a grand difference between a Child of God and an hypocrite; the hypocrite does pick and choose in Religion; some duties he will perform which are more facile, and do gratify his pride or interest, but other duties he makes no reckoning of, Matthew 23:23. Ye pay tithe of Mint and Anise, and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law, Judgment, Mercy, and Faith. To sweat in some duties of Religion, and freeze in other, is the symptom of a distempered Christian. Jehu was zealous in destroying the Idolatry of Baal, but let the golden Calves of Jeroboam stand, 2 Kings 10:30. This shows men are not good in truth, when they are good by halves. If your servant should do some of your work you set him about, and leave the rest undone, how would you like that? The Lord says, Walk before me, and be perfect, Genesis 17:1. How are our hearts perfect with God, when we prevaricate with him? Some things we will do, and other things we leave undone; he is good, who is good universally. —Pater adsum, impera quid vis.—
There are ten duties God calls for, which a godly man will conscientiously perform; and indeed these Duties may serve as so many other Characters and Touchstones to try our godliness by.
1. A godly man will be often calling his heart to account; he takes the candle of the word, and searches his inward parts, Psalm 77:6. I commune with my own heart, and my spirit made diligent search: a gracious soul searches whether there be any duty omitted, any sin cherished; he examines his evidences for heaven; as he will not take his gold upon trust, so neither his grace; he is a spiritual Merchant, he casts up the estate of his soul, to see what he is worth; he sets his house in order; often reckonings keep God and conscience friends; a carnal person cannot abide this heart-work, he is ignorant how the affairs go in his soul; he is like a man, who is well acquainted in foreign parts, but a stranger in his own country. —ut nemo insese tentat descendere, nemo?
2. A godly man is much in closet-prayer, he keeps his hours for private devotion; Jacob when he was left alone, wrestled with God, Genesis 32:24. So when a gracious heart is alone, it wrestles in prayer, and will not leave God till it has a blessing; a devout Christian exercises eyes of faith, and knees of prayer.
Hypocrites, who have nothing of religion, besides the frontispiece, love to be seen. Christ has Characterized them, Matthew 6:5. They love to pray in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen: The hypocrite is devout in the Temple; there all will gaze on him; but he is a stranger to secret communion with God; he is in the Church a Saint, but in his closet an Atheist; a good Christian holds secret intelligence with heaven: —ille dolet verè, qui sine teste dolet.
Private prayer keeps up the trade of godliness; when closet-holiness is laid aside, there is a stab given to the heart of religion.
3. A godly man is diligent in his calling; he takes care to provide for his family: the Church must not exclude the shop. 'Tis a speech of Mr. Perkins, though a man be endued with excellent gifts, and hear the word with reverence, and receive the sacrament, yet if he practice not the duties of his calling, all is but hypocrisy; religion did never grant a patent for idleness, 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12. There are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all; them that are such, we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus, that with quietness, they work, and eat their own bread: That bread eats most sweet, which is got with most sweat; a godly man had rather fast, than eat the bread of idleness. Vain professors talk of living by faith, but do not live in a calling; they are like the Lilies of the field, they toil not, neither do they spin; an idle person is the Devil's Tennis-ball; which he bandies up and down with temptation, and at last the Ball falls into the Hazard.
4. A godly man sets bounds to himself in things lawful; he abates in matters of recreation and diet, he takes only so much for the recruits of nature, as may the better dispose him for God's service. Jerome lived abstemiously, his diet was a few dried Figs, and cold water. And Augustine in his Confessions says thus, Lord, thou hast taught me, to go to my meat as to a medicine: If the snaffle of reason, much more should the curbing-bit of grace check the appetite; the life of a Sinner is brutish; the glutton feeds without fear, Jude 2. and the drunkard drinks without reason: Too much oil chokes the Lamp, whereas a lesser quantity makes it burn brighter; a godly man holds the golden bridle of temperance, and will not suffer his Table to be a snare.
5. A godly man is careful about moral righteousness; he makes conscience of equity, as well as piety; the Scripture has linked both together, Luke 1:75. That we might serve him in righteousness and true holiness: Holiness, there, is the first Table, Righteousness, there, is the second Table: Though a man may be morally righteous, and not godly, yet no man can be godly, but he must be morally righteous: This moral righteousness is seen in our dealings with men; a good man observes that golden maxim, Matthew 7:12. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. There is a threefold injustice in matters of dealing.
1. Using of false weights, Hosea 12:7. The balances of deceit are in his hands: men by making their weights lighter, make their sin heavier, Amos 5:8. They make the Ephah small: the Ephah was a measure they used in selling; they made the Ephah small, they gave but scant measure; a godly man, who takes the Bible in one hand, dares not use false weights in the other.
2. Debasing a commodity, Amos 8:6. They sell the refuse of the wheat: they would pick out the best grains of the wheat, and sell the worst at the same price as they did the best, Isaiah 1:22. Thy wine is mixed with water: they did adulterate their wine, yet make their customers believe it came from the pure grape.
3. Taking a great deal more than the commodity is worth, Leviticus 25:14. If thou sell aught to thy neighbor, ye shall not oppress one another: a godly man deals exactly, but not exactingly, he will sell so as to help himself, but not damnify another. His motto is, A conscience void of offence, towards God, and towards men, Acts 23:16.
The Hypocrite separates these two, which God has joined together, Righteousness and Holiness, he pretends to be pure, but is not just: This brings religion into contempt, when men hang forth Christ's colors, yet will use fraudulent circumvention, and under a mask of piety, neglect morality; a godly man makes conscience of the second Table, as well as the first.
6. A godly man will forgive them that have wronged him, revenge is sweet to nature. [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉].
A gracious spirit passes by affronts, forgets injuries, and counts it a greater victory to conquer an enemy by patience, than by power: This is truly heroic, To overcome evil with good. Though I would not trust an Enemy, yet I would endeavor to love him; though I would exclude him out of my Creed, yet not out of my prayer, Matthew 5:4.
Question. But does every godly man arrive at this, to forgive, even love his Enemies?
Answer. He does it in a Gospel-sense; that is, 1. Quoad assensum, he subscribes to it in his judgment, as a thing which ought to be done, Romans 7:18. With my mind I serve the Law of God. 2. Quoad dolorem: A godly man mourns that he can love his Enemies no more, Romans 7:24. O wretched man that I am! O this base cankered heart of mine, that have received so much mercy, and can show so little! I have had Talents forgiven me, yet I can hardly forgive Pence. 3. Quoad votum: A godly man prays that God will give him an heart to love his Enemies; Lord pluck this root of bitterness out of me, perfume my soul with love, make me a Dove without gall. 4. Quoad conatum: A godly man does in the strength of Christ resolve and strive against all rancor, and virulency of spirit: This is in a Gospel-sense to love our Enemies; a wicked man cannot do this, his malice boils up to revenge.
7. A godly man lays to heart the miseries of the Church, Psalm 137:1. We wept when we remembered Zion. I have read of certain Trees, whose leaves if cut or touched, the other leaves begin to contract, and shrink up themselves, and for a space hang down their heads: Such a spiritual sympathy is there among Christians, when other parts of God's Church suffer, they feel themselves as it were touched in their own persons. Ambrose reports, that when Theodosius was sick unto death, he was more troubled about the Church of God, than about his own sickness. When Aeneas would have saved Anchises his life, says he, Absit ut excisa possim supervivere Troiâ. Far be it from me that I should desire to live when Troy is buried in its ruins; there are in Music two Unisons, if you strike one, you shall perceive the other to stir, as if it were affected: When the Lord strikes others, a godly heart is deeply affected, Isaiah 16:11. My bowels shall sound like an Harp. Though it be well with a Child of God in his own particular, he dwells in an house of Cedar, yet he grieves to see it go ill with the public. Queen Esther enjoyed the King's favor, and all the delights of the Court, yet when a bloody Warrant was signed for the death of the Jews, she mourns and fasts, and ventures her own life to save theirs.
8. A godly man is contented with his present condition; if provisions grow low, his heart is tempered to his condition: Many (says Cato) blame me because I want, and I blame them because they cannot want: A godly man puts a candid interpretation upon Providence; when God brews him a bitter Cup, this (says he) is my diet-drink; it is to purge me, and do my soul good, therefore he is well content.
9. A godly man is fruitful in good works, Titus 2:7. The Hebrew word for godly [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] signifies merciful; implying, that to be godly and charitable, are [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], one and the same. A good man feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, he is ever merciful, Psalm 37:6. The more devout sort of the Jews, at this day, distribute the tenth part of their Estate to the poor; and they have a Proverb among them, give the tenth, and you will grow rich. The hypocrite is all for Faith, nothing for Works; like the Laurel that makes a flourish, but bears no fruit.
10. A godly man will suffer persecution; he will be married to Christ, though he settle no other jointure upon him but the Cross; he suffers out of choice, and with a spirit of gallantry. Argerius wrote a letter to his friend, dated, From the pleasant garden of the Leonine prison. The blessed martyrs, who put on the whole armor of God, did by their courage blunt the edge of persecution. The Juniper tree makes the coolest shadow, and the hottest coal: So persecution makes the coal of love hotter, and the shadow of death cooler.
Thus a godly man goes round the whole circle of religious duties, and obeys God in whatever he commands [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉].
Objection. But it is impossible for anyone to walk according to the full breadth of God's law, and to follow God fully?
Answer. There is a twofold obeying God's law; the first is perfect; when all is done that the law requires, this we cannot arrive at in this life. Secondly, there is an incomplete obedience, which in Christ is accepted. This consists in four things.
1. An approving of all God's commandments, Romans 7:12. The commandment is just, and holy, and good; and verse 16. I consent unto the law that it is good. There is both assent, and consent.
2. A sweet complacency in God's commands, Psalm 119:47. I will delight myself in thy commandments which I have loved.
3. A cordial desire to walk in all God's commands, Psalm 119:5. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes.
4. A real endeavor to tread in every path of the command, Psalm 119:59. I turned my feet unto thy testimonies. This God esteems perfect obedience, and is pleased to take it in good part. Zacharias had his failings, he did hesitate through unbelief, for which he was struck dumb; yet it is said he did walk in all the commandments of the Lord blameless, Luke 1:6. Because he did cordially endeavor to obey God in all things. Evangelical obedience is true for the essence, though not perfect for the degree; and wherein it comes short, Christ puts his merits into the scales, and then there is full weight.
22. A godly man is thorough and complete in his religion — he obeys every command of God. Acts 13:22: I have found in David a man after My heart, who will do all My will. In the Greek the phrase means all My wills — plural. A godly man labors to walk according to the full width of God's law. Every command carries the same stamp of divine authority, and one who is godly will obey one command as willingly as another. Psalm 119:6: Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all Your commandments. A godly man works through the whole body of religion the way the sun moves through all the signs of the zodiac. A musician who plays on a ten-stringed instrument must strike every string, or he ruins all the music. The Ten Commandments are like a ten-stringed instrument — we must obey every one and strike every string, or there is no sweet music in our religion. True obedience is the obedience of a child — a child should obey a parent in all reasonable commands. God's laws are like the curtains of the tabernacle, which were looped together, or like a chain of gold where every link is connected. A person of conscience will not willingly break a single link of that chain. If one command is violated, the whole chain is broken. James 2:10: Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. A deliberate breach of one of God's laws brings a person under the guilt and curse of the whole law. True obedience is whole and consistent. A godly heart, like a compass needle, always points in the direction the lodestone draws it.
This is a fundamental difference between a child of God and a hypocrite. The hypocrite picks and chooses in religion. He will perform duties that are easy and that serve his pride or self-interest, but he disregards others. Matthew 23:23: You tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. To be fervent in some duties and cold in others is a symptom of a disordered heart. Jehu was zealous in destroying the worship of Baal but let Jeroboam's golden calves stand, as 2 Kings 10:29-31 records. This shows that men are not truly good when they are only good in part. If your servant did some of the work you assigned and left the rest undone, how would you regard that? The Lord says: Walk before Me, and be blameless, as Genesis 17:1 says. How can our hearts be right with God when we deal with Him selectively — doing some things and leaving others undone? The person who is godly is godly completely.
There are ten duties God calls for, which a godly man will conscientiously perform. These duties can also serve as marks and tests of genuine godliness.
1. A godly man frequently examines his own heart. He takes the lamp of God's Word and searches his inner life. Psalm 77:6: I communed with my heart; and my spirit searched carefully. A gracious soul searches for any duty neglected, any sin harbored. He examines his evidence of title to heaven. Just as he would not take gold on trust without verifying it, he does not take his own grace for granted. He is a spiritual merchant who regularly audits the state of his soul to see what he is worth before God. He sets his house in order. Regular accounting keeps God and conscience in good standing. A worldly person cannot tolerate this kind of self-examination — he is ignorant of what is happening in his own soul. He is like someone well-traveled abroad but a complete stranger in his own home country.
2. A godly man is much devoted to private prayer — he keeps his hours for personal worship. When Jacob was left alone, he wrestled with God, as Genesis 32:24 records. In the same way, when a gracious heart is alone, it wrestles in prayer and will not leave God without a blessing. A devout Christian exercises eyes of faith and knees of prayer.
Hypocrites, who have nothing of religion beyond the outward appearance, love to be seen. Christ described them clearly. Matthew 6:5: They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. The hypocrite is devout in the temple, where everyone can watch him. But he is a stranger to private communion with God. In church he is a saint; in his private room he is an atheist. A good Christian keeps a quiet, secret communication with heaven. As one has said: only the person who weeps without a witness truly weeps.
Private prayer sustains the life of godliness. When personal holiness is abandoned, religion receives a wound to the heart.
3. A godly man is diligent in his work and calling. He takes responsibility for providing for his family. Church must not crowd out work. Mr. Perkins said: Though a man be gifted in excellent ways, and hear the Word with reverence, and receive the sacraments — yet if he does not practice the duties of his calling, all of it is hypocrisy. Religion never issued a license for idleness. 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12: We hear that some among you walk in idleness — we command and encourage such people to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Bread tastes sweetest when earned by real effort. A godly man would rather fast than eat the bread of idleness. Empty professors talk about living by faith but do not live by working. They are like the lilies of the field — they neither toil nor spin. An idle person is the devil's tennis ball, batted about by one temptation after another, until at last the ball falls into the hazard.
4. A godly man sets boundaries for himself even in lawful things. He is moderate in recreation and in eating, taking only what is necessary to restore his strength — so that he is better fitted for God's service. Jerome lived very simply — his food was a few dried figs and cold water. Augustine wrote in his Confessions: Lord, You have taught me to go to my food as to a medicine. If the gentle rein of reason should curb the appetite, how much more should the stronger bit of grace restrain it. The life of a sinner is animal-like. The glutton feeds without reverence, as Jude 12 says, and the drunkard drinks without reason. Too much oil chokes the lamp, while a smaller amount makes it burn more brightly. A godly man holds the golden bridle of self-control and refuses to let his table become a snare.
5. A godly man is careful to be morally upright. He makes conscience of justice in dealings with others as well as of his personal piety. Scripture links these two together. Luke 1:75: In righteousness and holiness before Him all our days. In that verse, holiness refers to our duty to God, and righteousness refers to our duty to our neighbor. A person may be morally upright without being godly, but no one can be truly godly without also being morally upright. This moral uprightness shows up in how we deal with other people. A godly man lives by the golden rule. Matthew 7:12: Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. There are three forms of dishonesty in business dealings.
First, using false weights. Hosea 12:7: The merchant uses dishonest scales. When men make their weights lighter, they make their sin heavier. Amos 8:5: Making the ephah small. The ephah was the measure used in selling grain — they reduced it so buyers received less than they paid for. A godly man who holds the Bible in one hand will not use dishonest weights in the other.
Second, passing off inferior goods. Amos 8:6: They sell the chaff of the wheat. They would sort out the best grain and sell the poorest at the same price as the best. Isaiah 1:22: Your wine is mixed with water. They adulterated their wine but led customers to believe it came from the pure grape.
Third, charging far more than something is worth. Leviticus 25:14: When you sell to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. A godly man deals fairly without being demanding. He will sell at a price that helps himself without damaging others. His motto is: a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men, as Acts 24:16 says.
The hypocrite separates what God has joined together — righteousness and holiness. He pretends to be devout but is not honest in his dealings. This brings religion into contempt — when men display the colors of Christ but practice fraud, using a mask of piety to hide a disregard for basic decency. A godly man makes conscience of the second table of the law as well as the first.
6. A godly man will forgive those who have wronged him. Revenge is naturally sweet to the heart.
A gracious spirit overlooks insults, forgets injuries, and counts it a greater victory to conquer an enemy by patience than by power. This is truly noble — to overcome evil with good. Though I would not entrust myself to an enemy, I would strive to love him. Though I might not count him among my trusted circle, I would not exclude him from my prayers. Matthew 5:44.
Question: But does every godly man actually reach this point — to forgive and even love his enemies?
Answer: He does so in a gospel sense. First, in his understanding he fully agrees with it — he affirms in his judgment that this is right. Romans 7:18: With my mind I serve the law of God. Second, in his grief — a godly man mourns that he cannot love his enemies more. Romans 7:24: Wretched man that I am! He thinks: My heart is so corrupt — I have received such great mercy, and can show so little. I have had enormous debts forgiven, and yet I struggle to forgive small ones. Third, in his desire — a godly man prays that God will give him the heart to love his enemies. He prays: Lord, pull this root of bitterness out of me; fill my soul with love; make me a dove without gall. Fourth, in his effort — a godly man, in the strength of Christ, resolves and strives against all bitterness and ill will. This is what it means in a gospel sense to love our enemies. A wicked man cannot do this — his malice burns until it boils over into revenge.
7. A godly man feels the suffering of the church deeply. Psalm 137:1: By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. I have read of certain trees whose leaves, if one is cut or touched, cause the other leaves to shrink and droop — as if they feel the wound. There is a spiritual sympathy among Christians like this. When one part of God's church suffers, they feel it as though they themselves have been touched. Ambrose records that when the Emperor Theodosius lay near death, he was more troubled about the condition of the church of God than about his own illness. When Aeneas was offered escape while Troy burned, he cried: Far be it from me to desire to live when Troy lies in ruins. In music there are two strings tuned in unison — strike one, and the other vibrates in response. When the Lord strikes others, a godly heart is moved in sympathy. Isaiah 16:11: My heart cries out for Moab like a lyre. Even though a child of God is doing well personally — living in comfort — he grieves when things go badly for the body of believers. Queen Esther enjoyed the king's favor and all the pleasures of the court, but when a death warrant was signed against the Jewish people, she mourned and fasted and risked her own life to save theirs.
8. A godly man is content with his present circumstances. If provisions run low, his heart adjusts to match his situation. As Cato said: Many blame me for my want, and I blame them because they cannot endure want. A godly man puts a charitable interpretation on God's providence. When God brews a bitter cup for him, he says: This is my medicine — it is meant to purge me and do my soul good. And so he is content.
9. A godly man is fruitful in good works. Titus 2:7. The Hebrew word for godly — hasid — means merciful, implying that to be godly and to be charitable are the same thing. A godly man feeds the hungry, clothes the naked. Psalm 37:26: He is always lending generously. Among devout Jews even today, many give a tenth of their income to the poor, and they have a proverb: Give the tenth and you will grow rich. The hypocrite is all for faith and nothing for works — like the laurel tree that makes a fine show but bears no fruit.
10. A godly man will endure persecution. He will be wed to Christ even if the only dowry Christ settles on him is the cross. He suffers by choice and with a spirit of courage. Argerius wrote a letter to a friend dated: From the pleasant garden of the Leonine prison. The blessed martyrs, clothed in the full armor of God, by their courage blunted the edge of persecution. The juniper tree makes the coolest shade and yet also the hottest coals. In the same way, persecution makes the coal of love burn hotter, and the shadow of death feel cooler.
So a godly man walks the full circle of religious duties and obeys God in all that He commands.
Objection: But is it not impossible for anyone to walk according to the full width of God's law and follow Him completely?
Answer: There are two ways of obeying God's law. The first is perfect obedience — doing everything the law requires without falling short. This we cannot reach in this life. The second is incomplete obedience, which God accepts for Christ's sake. This consists of four things.
1. An approving of all God's commandments. Romans 7:12: The commandment is holy and righteous and good. Verse 16: I agree with the law, that it is good. There is both intellectual assent and genuine agreement.
2. A genuine delight in God's commands. Psalm 119:47: I will delight in Your commandments, which I love.
3. A heartfelt desire to walk in all God's commands. Psalm 119:5: Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping Your statutes.
4. A genuine effort to walk in every path of the commandment. Psalm 119:59: I turned my feet to Your testimonies. This God counts as perfect obedience, and He is pleased to accept it. Zechariah had real weaknesses — he hesitated in unbelief and was struck dumb for it. Yet it is said of him that he walked in all the commandments of the Lord blamelessly, as Luke 1:6 says. This is because he sincerely strove to obey God in all things. Gospel obedience is true in its nature, even if not complete in its degree. And where it falls short, Christ places His merits on the scale — and then there is full weight.
