as God that is with all the heart and all the soul anâ— all the might according to the tenour of the finâ— and great Commandement This kind of love is that which constitutes and distinguisheth thâ— true filial fear of God And that constant respect or regard to the glory of God which this Texâ— requires is not onely an inseparable concomitaâ—â— of such a Love but also an essential property thereof For as all vertuous love which the Philosopheâ— calls love of Friendship consists in affecting anâ— seeking the good of the beloved for his own sake So the true love of God must needs consist iâ— the secking of his honour and glory which is thâ— only good which is competible to him Anâ— therefore there is no way for us to testifie our low to God but this at least none wherein this is noâ— contained Therefore what ever pretences meâ— may make of love to God who have no sinceâ— affection for his glory can be no better than hypocritical And must needs appear so to the coâ—science of the pretender if he will consider thâ— the glory of God is the only Interest wherein 〈◊〉 is capable of being served For as we cannot profit God any way so neither can we please him any other way than by this of aiming at hi Glory or which is all one desiring to expres our respect to him That saying of the Apostle Love is the fulfilling of the Commandments is verified as well of the Commandments of the first table as of the second and doth truly import no less than that love to God as well as men doth confist in the keeping of his Commandements according to the words of Saint John This is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and the like of our Saviour's Joh. 4.3 Joh. 1â— 21 If ye love me keep my Commandments But this is not the entire meaning of the words but also that the right keeping of the Commandments is only that which proceeds from love to God so that were it possible for a man to keep all the Commandments without any other love than that which men have for themselves which must needs be impossible because to love God is not only one but the chief of the Commandments he could not truly pretend to have kept any of them at least not in the Gospel-sense that is in Spirit and truth To serve God in spirit and truth according to the Law of the Gospel and which I understand to be a main part of that Reformation under the Gospel which the Author to the Hebrews mentions is not only to serve him in the doing of such things as are good in themselves and as such distinguishable from the Ceremonial precepts of the Law but also to serve him in love for his own sake that is for his honour and glory This is it which distinguisheth the good actions of carnal and unregenerate men from those of the truly faithfull It is manifest by experience that not only carnal Christians but the most barbarous Infidels do many actions agreeable to the Law of God but in as much as no such person makes God the end of his actions those actions are not sincerely good nor so much as acts of Obedience to God who requires to be obeyed in Love Now as these two common Duties which expresse the whole service of God cannot be truly performed without the observation of this general precept in the Text so much less can that which is nothing else but the perfection of these that is the duty of holy Zeal for God For godly zeal can have no other proper design than the glory of God But I forbear to insist upon this or to add any other reasons for the confirming of the point because I shall have occasion by way of motive to mention the same again with others in the practical Application whereto I am now to proceed THe first general use which is to be made of all Pradical Doctrines such as this is is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that of Examination As oft as we read or hear of any duty required from God and generally incombent upon all Christians iâ— is the proper part of every mans Conscience to reflect upon it self by way of Examination whether that duty be or hath been observed anâ— performed by him This therefore is now to be don by us in reference to this general rule 〈◊〉 Christian practice Let every one of us consider and examine whether we have observed this rule or no in all our doings And for the assistance of any Conscience that may be perswaded to such a faithful Application I shall from the premisses already laid down draw up the Interrogatories which each man should charge upon himself to Answer 1. Whether hast thou had any such regard to the glory of God as to take heed of any doing thing which thou knowest to be contrary thereunto Hast thou been careful to act nothing disagreeable to his known Will Hast thou been so jealous and tender of his honour as not willingly or needlesly to do any thing which had any appearance of evil to thy self or to others who were like to be scandalized thereby Hast thou consecrated and devoted thy whole self and all the Interests of thy life in the desire and designe of thy heart to God and his glory Hast thou by a general proposition set God for the end of all thy doings Hast thou frequently minded considered and thought of the glory of God in thy doings and made it the rule by which thou hast ordered the matter and manner of them These Interrogatories being all drawn out of the main parts of that Explication of this Rule which hath been premised are necessary to be put upon the Examination by every Conscience that acknowledging this duty would rightly censure it self in reference to the practice thereof the Issue of such an Examination sincerely made may be of good effect to the foul whatever the answer of the Conscience should prove to be For either it will tend to the Comfort of the Conscience which shall be able before God to testifie its own performance of these things though with weakness and imperfection or it will be useful towards a profitable effect of Humiliation and Repentance upon the Conviction of the neglect of so main a duty There can be no greater Comfort to the soul of a Christian than that which duly ariseth from the practice of those premises because there can be no greater evidence of Sincerity in the heart than that of such a practice For this if any thing is to be really and truly godly upright and faithful before God Such a one is the man after God's own heart Who is or can be a more faithful servant than he that aimes at his masters honour and service in all that he doth I may therefore with greatest confidence say to such a soul Well done good and faithful servant enter thou into thy Master's joy The utmost
reward the practice of it and because he hath promised so to do it can be no part of our duty to set aside all respect to the benefit of our duty because so to doe would be to frustrate one end of his promises and to sleight his bounty which would be a plain opposition to his Glory which we pretend to seek They are therefore no such friends to God's glory as they pretend that say Men ought not to respect their own benefit in any service that they do to God Besides the present comfort of a mans own Conscience bearing witness of his integrity and uprightness of heart to God-ward whereof this constant seeking of his glory is the most infallible evidence 1 Sam. 2.30 the Lord hath promised that he will honour them that honour him and hath provided a Crown of glory for them that glorifie him And certainly the degrees of glory hereafter will be answerable to the degrees of zeal and Industry that men had here to glorifie God the more a man seeks God's glory the greater shall be his own glory whereas he that acts not for God cannot in reason expect any reward from him for any thing that he doth how good or how much soever it be The want of this end or preferring any other before it frustrates a man of the heavenly reward I say the heavenly because some temporal reward may be received for well doing by him that hath no such sincere respect to Gods glory He that hath other ends which he respects either only orchiefly shall have other proportionable rewards 2 King 10.30 as Jehu had But if thou dost all for the glory of God especially though not only all thy doings and all Gods dealings and mens doings or dealings by thee shall be turned to thy good Rom. 8.28 We know that all things work together for good to them that love God Before I conclude my discourse upon this point which I have already declared to be the most fundamental Canon of Christian Religion I shall add to what hath been hitherto spoken concerning it 1. Some special Notes or Characters whereby it may be discerned whether a man walks according to this rule or no. 2. Some particular Directions useful to be observed in order to the general practice thereof First I shall propound some proper signes whereby a man may be able to judg whether he hath any such religious affection to the glory of God as this duty requireth 1. He that hath an intire loyall heart to God and his glory will value Gods interest above hiâ— own in every thing that he hath or doth This is a generall note of integrity to God-ward If the heart be truly faithfull there will be no interest of his own so precious to him as the interest of God Men in the flesh have many interests ends and projects which they seek in order to the contentment of their various appetites as bodily life ease safety liberty wealth health honour and pleasure Now it is the part and property of a godly man to consider that as God hath a general interest in every thing that is or is done in the world so he hath a more special interest in him and all that belongs to him in respect of the propriety which he hath in him and his special and peculiar ingagement to him above other men The interest that God hath in the world and all things that belong to it is universal and transcendent infinitely above any interest that a creature can have in any thing whereto he may pretend the most absolute propriety The Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof Ezek. 16.17 c. Thou hast taken thy fair Jewels of my Gold and of my Silver which I had given thee and madest to thy self images of men and did'st commit whoredom with them And took ' thy broydered garments and coverd'st them and thou hast set mine oyle and mine incense before them my meat also which I gave thee fine flower and oyle and hony wherewith I fed thee thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters whom thou hast born unto me and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured No mans money meat garments children are so much his own as they are God's God's gifts they are all and t is he that gives us an interest in them but doth not destroy or evacuate his own For God's deed of gift to the creature doth not alienate the propriety as man's doth he doth never give away any thing from himself and therefore may still command what ever he hath given and take it away again with as much justice as he gave it with mercy What ever we have we hold by title of frank Almoign as the Lawyers speak and as usu-fructuaries rather than proprietors But besides this common interest of God's as the true and soveraign proprietor of all things he hath a special interest in his own people and in all that is theirs as his peculiar servants And this is not only to be acknowledg'd by them but preferred before any interest of their own and so will be by every faithful servant And therefore he will be content at any time to resign and depart from neglect and disregard his own interest to promote salve or secure the interest of God's glory Agodly man looks upon all that he owns as God's more than his and therefore will be ready to use it or leave it lay it down or lay it out according to the will of God and as may make most for his glory Agreeable to this first general Note of observing this rule is the practice of Self-denial and Mortification of carnal lusts Look how much of self-denial is found in any man so it be sincere and not partial denying himself in one thing to serve himself in an other so much of Religion towards God For the greatest Let that men have from seeking God's glory is self-love Carnal self-love I mean or inordinate love of the carnal Self For there is an innocent kind of self-love founded in the law of nature and supposed in all the promises of reward to the obedience of God's Commandments as they are propounded for motives thereunto Whiles God doth invite or incourage us to seek and serve him with promises of advantage to our selves by so doing he must needs allow us some measures of love for our selves else such arguments would be no just motives to obedience but temptations to sin if all self-seeking were so Such motives could have no effect at all upon our wills if we did not love our selves nor any good effect if we might not Indeed this natural self love is so far from being a sin or breach of any Commandment that it is the rule and measure of the great Commandment of Charity expressed in those two general and equivalent precepts Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And What soever you would
necessarily be the ground and reason of it self which is so great an absurdity as hath forced most of our English Divines to reject that definition not only as improper but also as dangerous and uncomfortable Dangerous because it is apt to tempt a man to the pernicious self-deceit of presuming or assuming a strong conndence of his own salvation without any just ground upon this supposition that such a a confidence is not only necessary to salvation but gives him an assured right thereunto as being the condition of the promise And a most Uncomfortable notion it is too not to him that pretends to have such an assurance but to the generality of good Christians For if it were true that the only saving faith consisted in an assurance of salvation and that a full one as it is defined whosoever finds himself to want that assurance which very few of the best Christians will pretend to must needs conclude himself to have no true Faith whereas in truth this Assurance is purely accidental to the â—eality of a true Faith which is alwaies before it and most commonly without it But the two forementioned acts of Assent to the truth of the Gospel together with a direct Affiance upon Christ for salvation doe indeed truly and properly belong to the nature of Faith but do noâ— make it compleat perfect or sufficient to salvation For without controversie a true saving Faith doth import such a practical habit of assent to the Gospel of Christ as hath an effectual influence upon the Will and Affections and all the acts of the inward and outward man And thus much is distinctâ— taught not only by that large discourse of St. Jaâ— chap. 2. where he purposely disputes this point and positively declares that Faith is made perfect by works v. 22. And that without them it is dead that is null and void v. 17.26 But also by thâ— Expresse words of St. Paul Gal. 5.6 For in Josâ— Christ neither circumcision availeth anything nor us circumcision * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Faith which wâ—â—â—eth by love In which Text as conceive it matters not much whether the original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 common to both senses be render'd actively or passively i.e. acting or working by love 〈◊〉 we translate or actuated and made effectuall as thâ— Syriack understand it and as the same word 〈◊〉 most commonly used in Scripture which way â—eever the word be rendered the sense is the samâ— And it is evident that the meaning of the Apost by the addition of those words is to give 〈◊〉 distinct character or discription of that Faith which justifieth a Christian by way of cauâ— on against any other notion of the word the abstracts from this Energy or efficacy For thâ— words are Exegetical and Limitative As if he haâ— said Not every kind of Faith but the living Eneâ—getical effectual faith which acteth or is actuated 〈◊〉 love is the only thing that availeth for the hope of righteousness that is the Justification and Salvation of a Christian That this is the true meaning of the Apostle appears evidently from two parallel Texts wherein the same sense is thus varied by himself The first is in the next chapter of the same Epistle Gal. 6.15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature The second is in 1 Cor. 7.19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the Commandments of God Where it cannot be denied but that Faith working by love is all one with the new creature which is created in Christ Jesus i.e. in the Faith of Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them And with the keeping of the commandements of God love being the fulfilling of the commandements 1 Joh. 5.3 Rom. 13.10 Faith that worketh by love is such a Faith as purifies the heart Act. 15.9 â— Joh. 5.4 and overcomes the world which is therefore by St. Paul called the obedience of Faith Rom. 1.5 16 26. The same thing is signified by that Apostle in his answer to the Goalers questiâ—n before alledged requiring him to believe on â—â—e Lord Jesus Christ Acts 16.31 Which can mean nothing less than that he should acknowledg him for his Lord and Christ as well as his Saâ—our And therefore should hold himself obliged â—y his Faith to obey him as a Lord and to be â—ubject to him as the Christ the Messiah the anâ—ointed King and Prophet of his Church For Faith as it relates to the Person of Christ doth not respect him only as a Saviour but receive him as he is sent by God and offered in the Gospel with all his authority as Lord and King and Prophet Joh. 1.12 This notion of Faith is confirmable from that common rule in Divinity that * Verba scientiae connotant affectus Words of knowledg iâ— Scripture-phrase doe connotate both affections and actions agreeable to the knowledge whereof in this place one special Instance shall suffice Joh. 17 3. This is life eternal thâ— they may know thee the only true God and Jesuâ— Christ whom thou hast sent Where to know God and Christ signifies to believe in him For knowledg of Divine things is Faith and Faith is oft-time called knowledg in Scripture 1. Tim. 2.4 2 Pâ— 1 2 3. 1 Joh. 2.3 Isa 53.11 By his knowâ— shall my righteous servant meaning Christ jusiâ—â— many As to know the true God imports 〈◊〉 the duty which is due to him as such so to know Jesus Christ whom the Father hath sent is to imbrace him in the quality wherein he was sent thaâ— is with full acknowledgment of his commission froâ— the Father and with submission thereunto by receiving and observing all that he hath commaâ—â—ed in his name So runs the Commission that oâ— Saviour gave to his Apostles when he sent theâ— to make Disciples and to baptize all Nations teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 〈◊〉 commanded Matth. 28.20 This must needs 〈◊〉 the true meaning of those words This is life eternal that they may know thee Because no knowledge that means any thing less than this can 〈◊〉 the sole condition of Eternall life And so certain it is that the knowledg of God in Scripture-phrase doth import obedience to his Commandments that S. John saith Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him 1 Joh. 2 3 4. And if that be so what truth can be in him that saith he believes in God and keeps not his Commandments For either our knowledg of God is the same thing with our beliefe and then what is true of the one must be equally true of the other Or if Faith be distinguished from knowledg as in a philosophical notion it is then our beliefe supposeth our knowledge that is that we
have a true notion of his nature and essence whereto the right of universal dominion doth necessarily belong and addes thereunto a firm assent of the mind Heb. 11.6 to the verity of his existence i.e. that he is the only true God and thereby obligeth our obedience to him This Notion of Faith is notably declared and exemplified by S. Paul in Heb. 11.2 4 7 8 17. By Faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain by which he obtained witnesse that he was righteous By Faith Noah being warn'd of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an Arke to the saving of his house by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteouness which is by Faith By Faith Abraham when he was called to go into a place which he should afterwards receive for an inheritance obeyed c. By Faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaak and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten Son And this was the Faith which was imputed to him for Righteousness that is by which he was justified before God Rom. 4.3 Gal. 5.6 But for a final confirmation of this notion of saving Faith as the only complete one I mean this practick Notion I shall add no more Arguments than what may be inferr'd from those Texts of Scripture wherein there is the least appearance of expressing it that is those Texts wherein this saving Faith is described by no other Act than that by which we believe the verity of these Propositions That Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that he was raised from the dead c. John 20.39 These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ and that believing ye might have life through his Name Rom. 10.9 10. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness and with the mouth Confession is made unto Salvation 1 John 5.1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12.3 This was the Eunuch's Faith whereupon he was admitted to Baptism by Saint Philip I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Acts 8.37 This was the Faith for which our Saviour pronounceth Simon Peter blessed Matth. 16.16 17. Thou art Christ the Son of the living God The same was the Faith of Martha whereupon she expected the Promise of Life declared by Christ John 11.26 27 I demand now What kind of Faith it is that is to be understood in these Texts Is it no other than a certain real and unfained assent to the truth of these Propositions and shall every such Believer be saved or is he born of God Surely no man that reads the Scriptures can think so If then this speculative dogmatical Faith though never so true in a philosophical sense that is not only in respect of the Object but also in respect of the Act of Assent be not the true saving Faith What can â—t be but the practical Faith which answers to the foremention'd Notion of a practical knowledge of God that is such a Faith as effectually produceth all such affections and obedience to Christ with dependence upon him as the belief of these Propositions obligeth a man to I conclude therefore that these Texts and all others wherein Faith is named as the sole condition of Salvation are to be interpreted by that single one of S. Paul above mention'd Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing but Faith which worketh by Love So much for that first Resolution to the Question in hand given by our Saviour himself and S. Paul viz. That he that will work out his own Salvation must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Not as Jesus only or a Saviour but as the Lord and Christ And to work out this Condition 1 Thess 1.3 is that which he calls the Work of Faith being the Work of Obedience to the Lord Jesus who is the Author of Eternal Salvation to them that obey him Heb. 5.9 that is to them that so believe in him as to obey him TO this agrees an other Answer which our blessed Saviour made to one that put the question to him in express terms Matth. 19.17 and Mark 10.17 And behold one came and said unto him Good Master what good thing shall I do that I may have Eternal Life And he said unto him If thou wilt enter into Life keep the Commandments Which words being the Answer of him who is the Author of Salvation and who best knew the Condition whereupon it was to be had and had least reason to utter any thing to the prejudice of his own merits do plainly shew that the keeping of the Commandments in some sense or other is necessary for him that will be saved as well under the Gospel as under the Law I am not ignorant that this speech of our Saviour hath received such an interpretation from divers modern Interpreters as seems to imply the quite contrary to this inference viz. That these words were not designed for a direct Answer to the young man's question as serving to instruct him what he was to do to enter into Life but intended rather to discover unto him his inability to attain Salvation by any thing that he could do and thereby to draw him to seek it out of himself and dispose him to imbrace the Evangelical way of Salvation by Faith in him the Saviour without Works But this Interpretation with due reverence to the Authors and Abetters thereof seems to me improbable upon diverse Accounts 1. Because it makes our Saviour's Answer to be indirect and insufficient at least if not untrue For whereas the man 's Inquiry was What he was to do that he might be saved this Answer by this interpretation gives him either no direction at all or such a one as was either not true or not sufficient and by this Hypothesis impossible to be performed The keeping of the Commandments was either necessary to Salvation or it was not If it were necessary Why should our Saviour whiles he seems so plainly to affirm it be supposed not to intend it If it were How could this be a true Answer to the Question 2. Because I neither find any Circumstance in or about this Text nor any necessity from any other to incline me to preferr such an indirect obscure interpretation of our Saviour's words before that which is direct and plain 3. Because this sense is disagreeable to a second Answer that our Saviour made to the reply of this Questionist alledging himself how truly is not to the purpose to have kept those Commandments Jesus said unto him If thou wilt be perfect go and sell that thou hast and give to the Poor and
Faith as hath been declared doth not exclude other works but necessarily require them as it's effects and consequents By the work of the Lord therefore must certainly be understood all manner of good works that is all such as are agreeable to the known Will of the Lord. For albeit no man may expect to be saved by or for any merit of his works yet the Scripture frequently declareth that every man shall be judged by and according to his works And though Faith be the prime condition of justification and gives a man a title to Salvation yet is this title to be held under the Condition of good works without which this Right cannot be maintained Because such a Faith as gives this right cannot be maintained without them Jam. 2.14.22 For Faith without works is dead that is ineffectual and vain What will it profit a man to say he hath Faith and have not works Can Faith save him No for Faith is made perfect that is effectual and saving by works To work out a mans Salvation then is to do all manner of good works that are in his power and to abstain from evil upon a principle of Faith in the Lord Jesus working by love And this must needs be all that can be done by a Christian in order to this end Provided that this work be persued in such manner as is directed by the Apostle's Exhortation in the first words Be ye stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord wherein two things are prescribed concerning the performance of this duty the first is Constancy expressed in three words stedfast unmoveable always The second is Diligence and Zeal signified by the word abounding First to be stedfast and unmoveable is to stand fast in the Faith and to be constant in the work of Faith And so much is implied in the word work out your own Salvation which as before was observed supposeth the work already begun and yet remaining to be perfected by a continued perseverance whereunto only the promise of Salvation is made He that endureth to the end shall be saved Mat. 10.22 And when the Apostle saith God will render to every man according to his works he interprets himselfs in the next words To them that by patient continuing in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality God will render eternallife Ro. 2.6 7. Secondly He that will work out this end is advised by the Apostle to labour to abound in the work of the Lord which is the same thing that S. Peter teacheth us when he exhorts to give disigence by good works to make our calling and election sure And though the abounding in good works be not absolutely necessary to the attaining of Salvation as it is to the qualifying a man for the Degrees of the reward yet it is without doubt the safest course to secure the Title it self which a few good works with the neglect of others will not do If these things be in you and abound saith S. Peter they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful A field or tree is judged barren and unfruitfull though it doth bear some fruit as suppose there and there an ear of Corn or an Apple if there be no proportion between the ground or the tree with the respective cost bestowed upon them and the crop that they yield So certainly will men be judged by the proportion of the ablities that God affords them to their good works else almost every man would be saved because there is scarce any man so bad but he doth or hath done some good works at least materially good Thus I have shewn at large from Holy Scripture only what that work is by which our Salvation is to be wrought out and shall finish my Answer to that Question with the addition of one Advertisement more which is that none of this work can be done without the assistance of Divine Grace as we are taught by the words immediately following my Text For it is God that worketh in you to will and to doe of his good pleasure of which something more afterward At present I only observe this consequence from them agreeable to the question in hand viz. That seeing there is such an absolute necessity of Gods Grace to the performance of this work it follows that Whatsoever is necessary to obtain this Grace must be equally necessary to work out our own Salvation Seeing therefore that Prayer Hearing Reuding and Meditating on Gods word and the frequent participation of the Holy Eucharist or Supper of the Lord are the ordinary means instituted by God for the obtaining of his grace it is necessary that a Christian should diligently apply himself to the practice of these duties not only as good works but as the means of grace to inable him to do what ever else is required of him to work out his Salvation But of these things more hereafter in the Application Come we now to the third Question viz. What is meant by those words with * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fear and trembling We have spoken of the matter of this work wherein that consists These words are added to expresse the manner of the performance of this duty And it is not to be imagined that there is any material difference in the sense of these two words though the latter of them doth properly signifie the effect the former 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chryst For Trembling is the effect of fear But here they are no other than Synonymous expressions the general use whereof is only to fortifie and urge the same sense The meaning of the words will best be understood partly from the opposites of such a disposition as is thereby signified and partly from the use of the same words in other Texts of Scripture Now the direct Opposites of fear and trembling are presumption and self-confidence or vain confidence together with * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in Ioc. negligence and spiritual sloth Fear and Trembling is first opposed to presumption and self-confidence and so signisies humility modestie and reverence From an humble sense of our own weakness aptness to neglect and inability to perform this work without the special assistance of divine grace Rom. 11.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be not high-minded but fear This agrees with the subsequent words declaring the reason of this disposition For it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure And with this sense of these words agrees the use of them in Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling i. e. with all humble reverence and dread of his Divine Majesty as Heb. 12.28 Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear And without doubt a second thing signified by this fear and trembling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost is diligence care and sollicitude upon the due apprehension and consideration of
that men should do unto you do you unto them likewise And though this self-Self-love be no where commanded in express terms because it needed not yet the immediate effects and instances of it are As when we are commanded to lay up for our selves treasures in Heaven to seek those things which are above to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling to use all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure c. But to return from this Digression Though it be manifest by the premised discourse and without it by the direct light and law of nature That there is a kind of self-love which is more than innocent and consequently which can be no impediment to that love of God which is to be exercised in the seeking of his glory but may be subordinate and subservient thereunto Yet that which is commonly understood by the name of self-love is indeed the greatest Enemie to the love of God And the seeking our Selves inordinately is in truth the only thing that diverts us from the seeking of God and his Glory For though a man may be turn'd aside from his duty of obedience to God by an irregular love or fear of men And though the pleasing of men be an ordinary temptation to that which is displeasing to God yet both that love and fear of men is reducible to self-love as its principle and end And this vitious Self-love though it be not the only thing which is understood by the name of Original sin yet may it fitly enough be so called in as much as upon strict examination it may be found to b◠the root and original of all actual sin both of omission and commission So that in what degree 〈◊〉 man is able to overcome this Lett in such degre◠he is free and prepared to seek and serve the glor◠of God And he that is throughly willing and able to deny himself shall find nothing to lett him from serving of God And yet so true it is that whiles God wills us 〈◊〉 have such an universal respect to his glory as 〈◊〉 expressed in this Rule he doth not inhibit us the love of our selvs that upon a right understanding 〈◊〉 the matter it will be evident to a true believer That he loves himself best that loves God better And this is most manifest upon the account of that finall happiness which is promised in the life to come to them that love God And because this is the chief and highest interest of a believer it is certain that the best way to secure and promote a man◠own interest is to secure the Interest of Gods glory with the utmost of fide lity and holy zeal Secondly He that hath such a true respect to Gods glory as this Text requires will be grieved at and for the dishonour of God whether it be done by himself or by others 1. As oft as his conscience shall charge him with the doing of any thing contrary to the glory of God he will be heartily grieved for it And this is that which the Apostle calls Godly sorrow or sorrow according to God namely that only whereby a man is sorry for the displeasing or dishonouring of God Godly Sorrow is the Scripture-name for that which the Schools call Contrition and is the proper effect and therefore an infallible signe of love to God A carnal man and he that is worse a reprobate and a devil may be grieved for sin as it is the cause of Mischief or misery to himself but not at all as it is dishonourable and offensive to God The carnall man's sorrow which he pretends for his sin is not so much nay not at all indeed for the sin as such but for the events and consequences thereof which he either feels or fears And yet this is the only sorrow which the School Doctors understand by the term of Attrition which some of them maintain to be sufficient to Salvation if it be joyned with Absolution or but the Vote of it By which Doctrine all necessity of love to God or respect to his glory is perfectly excluded 2. But whosoever hath a true respect to the glory of God will not only be grieved for his own sinnes but also for the sins of others upon the same account because thereby God is dishonoured Psal 119. 136. Rivers of tears run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law and v. 158. I beheld the transgressors and was grieved because they kept not thy word Other mens sins were his sorrows He was more grieved for other mens sins than they were for their own Lot in Sodom was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked 2 Pet. 2.7 8. A faithfull servant or well disposed Son cannot indure to see and hear his Master or Father dishonoured Nor will any true friend be unconcern'd in the reproach of his friend He therefore that hath the patience to stand by and hear or see the Name of God blasphemed or his holy Will violated without any sentiments of displeasure can neither be the servant child nor friend of God And he that hath any intire affection to the glory of God will desire and indeavour as much as in him lies to prevent the impeachment thereof by others as well as by himself and that not only by removing of scandal as in the case of the Corinthians which Saint Paul here speaks of but by all the offices of spiritual charity viz. by admonishing reproving exhorting counselling c. and by performing all the duties of his place towards such as relate unto him He that truly loves God will desire as many rivals and make as many friends for God as he is able 3. He that is truly desirous of and solicitous for the promoting and maintaining God's glory will rejoyce in it more than in any thing else If God be glorified in any thing that is his he will rejoyce in it more than at the improvement thereof to any advantage of his own He will not be contented only but glad God is glorified though no other end of his be served nor benefit ariseth to himself yea though it be with the crossing of his own interest though he suffers much by a good action yet his heart is comforted and abundantly satisfied in the Glory of God And not only when God is glorified by his own doings or sufferings will a godly man rejoice but likewise to see the same event procured by others whosoever they be He that is truly good would have other men better than himself And he is no Saint indeed that envies an other should deservedly obtain that name Phil. 1.18 Moses out of his zeal for Gods glory Num. 11.29 wished that all the Lords people were Prophets Hezekiah rejoyced to see the liberality and forwardness of the people for the service of God 2 Chron. 29.36 and 31.8 David was glad when they said unto him Come let us go into the house of the Lord Psal 122.1 4.