Works
Answ. 1. Seeing the Rule by which we must walk, is to serve God i • holiness and righteousness all our days, we have no liberty to part the week between God and us. Neither must we put on holiness as an holy-day garment, to put it off at night; neither may we be less holy on other days than on the Sabbath, howsoever we must exercise our holiness in the public worship of God on that day, and in the private worship, and in the p • rsonal Callings on the other days. 2 He is a good Christian that keeps a perpetual Sabbath, and is not only one on the Sabbath day. The trial of soundness is at home, in the midst of a man's house, and not at Church, where the Phariseee is often above the Publican. 3 Thou hast a Calling on the weekday, in which thou must sweat and abide whoever thou art; but thou must not so play the good husband, as to become a worldling. Use the world as not using it, as not affecting it; and acknowledge thy special and personal Calling to be subordinate to the general; for in the whole exercise of thy special Calling, thou must show forth thy knowledge, and religious keeping of a good conscience; once divorce these two, and never look for success on thy labors.
Object. 5. But this is fitter for Ministers and cloystered persons, who have given themselves to continual devotion, than for ordinary and common men, who are not acquainted with such novelties.
Answ. 1. If all Christians be alike subject to sin, all have need to be continually alike fenced against it. If all have the same enemies, all had need stand upon their ground. If one man's heart be as wicked as another's, every man had need set a watch round about himself. And if any have more need than other, it is unlearned and simple persons, who want such means of helping themselves, as learned Preachers have. 2 As for the novelty of this Circumspect course, we must needs say it is so to such as are of Festus his suit, who thinks Paul learned even to madness, to call him to such strictness; or Gallio his Disciples, Act. 18. who being of no Religion, cannot be at leisure to give it hearing. But we have seen it to be no novelty to the Spirit of God, everywhere charging it upon us, nor to the godly guided by his Spirit, who can neither be idle, nor unfruitful in the work of the Lord.
Object. 6. I like such as can be so strict, and I could wish so to be; but then I must part from the pleasure and joy of my life: For this continual watch and circumspection is full of melancholy and uncomfortable; it hinders neighbors from sports and merriments, breaks off good company, and makes the husband and wife often look heavily one upon another; and besides, I should lose some profits and customers, and wrong my estate by neglecting it.
Answ. 1. This is a clean contrary judgment to God's Spirit, Prov. 3.17. Her ways are the ways of pleasures. God's wisdom ordering the ways of man, brings true joy and pleasure. For, is there no joy in God, in his word, which was wont to be as sweet as the honey-comb, nor in the Spirit of God, which is called the Comforter? Is it such a thing of heaviness to live with God? Alas! What is such an heart made of? 2 What delights do we call men from, but such as are carnal, foolish, perishing, and unlawful; is stolen waters so sweet and savoury to corrupt flesh, the forbidden fruit which a Christian should neither touch, nor taste, and happy he were if he never saw it? 3 There is no sorrow in godly life; but all the sorrow of God's servants, is, that they cannot be more godly. Lay this for a ground that God is thy chief delight, and no man may be so moderately joyful as thou. 4 For pleasant companionship, thou losest no good company, but exchangest for better; thou hast now fellowship with God, union with Jesus Christ, the inseparable presence of God's blessed Spirit, the attendance of the Angels, the communion of the Saints, the benefit of their prayers, comfort, and example. This is a pleasant thing for brethren in the faith to live together in unity. And what true joy is therein the company of Gamesters, Drinkers, Swearers, riotous, or idle persons, who are never merry, unless they be mad, and never glad, but when they have driven away the remembrance of God? 5 As for the loss of any part of thy estate, trust God on his word, Prov. 3.16. In her right hand is length of days, and in her left hand, riches and glory. Never did true piety weaken any man's estate; but godliness hath been the true and constant gain; this makes a small portion sweet and precious, and intails a blessing upon it, when it passeth into the hands of our posterity after us.
CHAP. XXXV. Marks of a man walking Circumspectly.
AND seeing most men beguile themselves with the goodness of their present course, and esteem a civil life, and external honesty, not only unblameable enough, but justifiable, and sufficiently commendable: Be it known to them, that if they examine not the goodness of their course by this Doctrine, they are far from God's approbation, whatsoever they may conceive of themselves. In which examination I will help them with a few notes and signs of a Circumspect person, by whose ways, as by a right line, they may both see the crookedness, and at length begin to straighten the obliquity of their own.
1 A circumspect man watcheth all occasions for his own good and advantage, and if they be offered, slips them no: So a circumspect Christian looks round about him, and thinks it not sufficient to take occasions of grace and well-doing, being offered, but will seek them. How might every moment of our lives make us more stored with grace than other, if we would seek occasions of good to ourselves? What a rich stock of grace might we have attained? How rich in good works? How should we have furthered our reckoning?
2 A circumspect man looks round about him, and so ordereth his many businesses, as one hinder not the other, but all may go forward, and so saveth one commodity, as another be not lost, or lie in hazard: So a circumspect Christian casteth his occasions; as, seeing every Christian duty is enjoined him, he hath respect to all God's Commandments. Duties of piety shall not justle out civil duties, nor civil duties eat out duties of piety; but as • ne hand helps another, so one table shall further the other, one calling forward another; yea, he looks to the thriving of all his graces. He will walk very humbly before God, but so as he maintain his joy in God. His moderation shall not damp his zeal, his zeal shall not out-run his knowledge. His providence shall not lessen his faith, nor his faith destroy his providence. His love with men's persons brings him not into love with their sins, and his hatred of their sins, impeacheth not his love of their persons. His righteousness to men hindereth not his mercy, neither doth cruel mercy withstand or thrust down needful justice. Thus he is busy in maintaining all his graces, all of them being of great use, and all of them flowing from the same Spirit.
3 A circumspect man will be sure not to disadvantage himself by his words, but will speak to his own profit: So a circumspect Christians words make for his own best advantage: He will speak for God's glory, for good men, and good causes. He will be sure to profit himself, and others with gracious and Religious speeches, and be silent where fruitful speech will not be heard. Exercise to good speeches, brings a dexterity and readiness of well-speaking, to which every Christian is exhorted, Col. 4.6. Let your speeches be gracious always, and powdered with salt, that ye may know how to answer every man.
4 As a wary and circumspect man proves a good husband for the world, so circumspect Christians are the best husbands for their souls: Such a one hath wisdom and will, to increase his estate of grace by everything, and thinks himself then truly rich, when he thrives in the best Commodities. He conceives himself rich, not when he hath things about him to leave to his heirs, but when he hath his Wealth personally in himself, and for himself, such Wealth as he carries to Heaven with him. A circumspect Christian will not win the whole world with the loss of his own soul, which is nothing but to make his heirs happy in his own eternal misery. A circumspect Christian is not so careful to heap up gold, as good works in abundance, and by works of Mercy and Love, he makes himself Bags that wax not old, a Treasure in Heaven that can never fail, where the Theef cometh not, not the moth corrupteth, Luke 12.33. A circumspect Christian is not so careful for the soyling, tilling, and sowing of his ground, the mounding of his Pasture, the weeding of his Field, the pruning of his Trees, the feeding of his Cattle; as in fencing the heart against Temptation, in sowing the Seed of God's Word, in weeding of Sin by the roots out of his Soul, in feeding and fostering of Grace. Here is a good Husband for himself: He hath that within himself that is better than all without him, and requires more tendance than they all.
How improvident then are we in our general Calling, whiles we take not opportunities of good in public or private, but slip many Lessons, Sermons and comforts on the Sabbath, and on Week days? And whiles we will not offer a sacrifice of Alms, when God sets up an Altar before us? How do our special Callings eat out out care of the general, and are all in civilities, whiles for the thrist of Grace, we are altogether idle and unprofitable? How many vain and vile speeches, unfruitful, unsavory, and hurtful, do our corrupt hearts send out, according to their own fullness, by swearing, slandering, lying, cursing, and the like? How bad husbands are men for their souls, whiles they have not a Horse, a Pig, Sheep, yea, scarce a Dog about their house, but is more tended, and better provided for than their souls? whiles they will scarce let any Dunghil lie about their house, so nasty as their souls? nor any patch of ground so neglected as their own hearts, that they grow like Neules and Brambles, to be cut up, and cast into the fire?
THE TABLE.
- CHapter 1. The ground of the ensuing Treatise. Page 439
- 2 What Circumspect Walking is, and wherein it consisteth. ibid.
- 3 Of the next words of the Apostle, further explaining Circumspect Walking. Page 441
- 4 Proving strict walking, to be the wisest walking. ibid.
- 5 Describing some means to attain this Wisdom. Page 442
- 6 • eading into the particular Rules of Christian Wisdom, with the general distribution of them. Page 444
- 7 Rules of Wisdom concerning God, and the things of God, are four. Page 445
- 8 Containing Rules of Wisdom concerning the inner man; and first of the Mind, Thoughts, and Will. Page 446
- 9 Rules for the Conscience. Page 447
- 10 Rules of Wisdom concerning the Affections. Page 449
- 11 Rules of Wisdom for the outward man, and first concerning his Calling. Page 450
- 12 Rules of Wisdom concerning a man's Estate; and first for Adversity. Page 451
- 13 Rules of Wisdom for Prosperity. Page 452
- 14 Rules to carry our speeches wisely, as those that aim at the Apostolical Rule of Christian Circumspection. Page 453
- 15 Motives to look to our Tongue. Page 455
- 16 Rules of Wisdom concerning our actions that in all of them we may show forth Christian prudence and circumspection, and first in general. ibid.
- 17 Rules to carry works of mercy wisely Page 457
- 18 Rules for works and actions of Justice: In first, The Gr • und; Secondly, Moderation. Page 458
- 19 Rules of Wisdom for Justice. First, Communicative. Secondly▪ Distributive. Thirdly, Promissive. Fourthly, Retributive. Page 459
- 20 Rules of Wisdom for our own necessary actions, in respect of their first, Order. Secondly, Subject. Page 461
- 21 Rules for necessary actions, i • respect of the means, and the order of the two Tables. Page 462
- 22 Rules of Wisdom for necessary actions in respect of the scope and binding of them. Page 463
- 23 Rules for actions indifferent; first, In general. Page 464
- 24 Special Rules for Meat and Drink. Page 467
- 25 Rules for the right ordering of ourselves in our sports. Page 469
- 26 Rules of Wisdom concerning our Apparel. Page 473
- 27 Concerning ornament in Apparel, wherein three questions are resolved. Page 474
- 28 Rules for our carriage towards all men in general. Page 476
- 29 Rules of walking wisely towards good men. Page 478
- 30 Rules how to walk wisely towards evil men; first, In general. Page 481
- 31 Rules how to walk wisely towards evil men in special; and first for scorners. Page 483
- 32 Rules to carry ourselves wisely towards evil men, evilly affected to us. ibid.
- 33 Concerning motives for Circumspect walking. Page 485
- 34 Answering Objections against Circumspect walking. Page 487
- 35 Marks of a man's walking Circumspectly. Page 489