Seuen treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holie Scriptures, leading and guiding to true happines, both in this life, and in the life to come: and may be called the practise of Christianitie. Profitable for all such as heartily desire the same: in the which, more particularly true Christians may learne how to leade a godly and comfortable life euery day. Penned by Richard Rogers, preacher of the word of God at Wethersfield in Essex.

CHAP. 4. Of the third priuiledge: How God giueth grace to his children to [ I] liue godly: and of the first branch.

BVt that it may better appeare how great this priuiledge is, (and so I may proceed vnto the rest) let vs further heare, what wor∣thy and singular fruits doe flow from this fatherly eare and most louing prouidence of God ouer his, and accompany the same thorowout their liues; which though they arise and pro∣ceed from the former, yet I will set them downe as particular priuiledges distinctly by themselues. And because it is not so easily seene and conceiued of many, much lesse beleeued, I will more particularly lay forth the same: and [ K] first this third; the summe whereof is this, that who so are thus cared for of God, he bestoweth this grace vpon them, that they learne of him that which none can learne elsewhere, nor any but his chosen ones can learne, that is how to liue, and goe through their whole pilgrimage according to his will; and how to die, and goe from this vale of misesy, that they may afterwards be taken vp into glory: euen this prerogatiue he granteth them. And it hath these

[ A] two branches: the one, that they may be fruitfull in good life; the other, that they may be kept from foule offences.* 1.1

Now concerning the first; namely, the holy life which God teacheth them to lead, this is not the least,* 1.2 I might rightly say there is no greater treasure here to be inioied: that they need not count the Christian life combersome, vnsa∣uory, and an heauy and tedious burden as the most doe, but an easie yoke, an estate wherein they need neither be idle nor vnprofitable, but readily prepared vnto euery good worke. Now that they may be able to doe this, to be setled constantly in a godly course, and wise to preuent and auoide the hinderances [ B] that lie in their way, and to aime at the commandements of God as at a marke, that they may keepe them: is not this a benefit,* 1.3 yea a singular priui∣ledge, when the prophet calleth him an happy man that is inabled of God thereto? and Christ himselfe teacheth, that it is the chiefe happinesse which can be inioied in this life, to keepe the word of God which we heare,* 1.4 that it may direct & guide vs? yea, that one day in his house,* 1.5 that is spent and passed in the militant church and as his seruants doe, is better then a thousand in any estate besides?

And although it be an estate full of happinesse, yet let no man maruel that I say Gods beloued ones may haue this liberty and prerogatiue to walke and [ C] liue in it:* 1.6 for the Lord inableth them thereunto by whose power they can doe all things; he giueth them an heart not defiled and vncleane,* 1.7 as it was some∣time, but purged and clensed in good sort, and therefore now it is able to like and loue his will which sometime it loathed: and they who beleeue and are perswaded, that God will bestow and doth daily offer this grace of sanctificati∣on vnto them, they receiue it, and thereby are strengthened to doe that good in their life, which they can loue with their heart, and which they approoue of and allow in their iudgement.

Now if this liberty of Gods seruants be not either knowen of some good Christians, or not beleeued,* 1.8 I deny not but euen they (as yet) may goe with∣out [ D] this priuiledge in great part, accordingly as we may see in many. But this need not be, if they knew and were perswaded of Gods liberality and bounty towards them, as some others are, who is so farre from denying grace hereto, that he hath pleasure to see them vse it well to whome he granteth it. And vn∣till this be, that they draw by faith daily strength from Iesus Christ to subdue their lusts, they cannot obtaine to finde the Christian life easie to them, as some others doe, but goe to worke by their owne strength in all their duties, and by the vertue of their praiers hoping to preuaile against their sinnes; which indeed are not conquered by any such meanes, but remaine in their old strength still: the which they seeing, that for all their labouring and striuing [ E] against them, yet they doe not finde that they are weakened or abated in them, but that although they toile themselues much, yet they profit little; they be∣gin to be discouraged and faint, euen in vsing the meanes which they did, be∣holding how they sticke fast still in the mire wherein before they lay: and so they being discouraged, fall into some great sorow, or which is little differing, breake out into security and loosenesse. And this slauery they are brought vnto, through the malice and subtilty of the diuil, who seeing their vnablenesse

to beleeue the promise of God, (which is, that he will strengthen them against [ F] their speciall infirmities) doth play the Lion, holding them vnder with vnbe∣liefe.

Against the which their remedy must be this, that they resist stedfast in faith:* 1.9 that is, that they yeeld not to this distrust, which long hath oppressed them, but by little and little suffer themselues to be perswaded that their case is farre better then they conceiue (which shall neuer be hard to perswade them:* 1.10 who found true deliuerance from the spirit of bondage) and that the Lord hath not taken them into his fauour to leaue them at six and seuen (as they say) in the world, and to make them shift for themselues as orphans, and [ G] to trust to their owne wisdome and strength to preserue them from sathan and sinne: but that he as a father caring for them, hath sufficient power in his hand to strengthen them, and requireth this of them, that they should beleeue it: which they cannot doe but thereby they are mightily staied and vpholden,* 1.11 and by the same faith shall more and more be vpholden daily; vntill they see themselues set at great liberty, and that it was the diuill who before held them in feare and bondage.

* 1.12The common obiection will heere be put foorth vnto me: that they would (if they durst be so bolde) beleeue with all their hearts, that God will subdue and slea their sinne and lead them forward to liue godly, if they could first o∣uercome [ H] some particular sinnes which doe most trouble them: but as long as they preuaile in them they dare not thinke (they say) that God will giue them that grace,* 1.13 which he doth vnto others. But to answere them, I haue said be∣fore, that they haue no power in them of their owne whereby they may wea∣ken any sinne in them, but this they must obtaine by faith, as well as grace to liue: and that commands them to doe, so that they may know, it pleaseth them that they should doe so.* 1.14 And till that: they are holden from their owne right through the deuils craft, who hideth from them (as their euidence) this confidence in God; euen as, if a subtile man should keepe backe from his neighbour, any part of his lande or liuing. I conclude therefore, that Gods [ I] children (who pardoneth their infirmities through Christ,* 1.15 and will not looke streightly vpon them) haue this prerogatiue, that they may lead their liues ac∣ceptable to him:* 1.16 and if they be carefull to know, what liberty he hath giuen them whereby they may obtaine ablenesse thereto, they may walke woorthy the Gospell indeauouring to please him in all things, and so to be vnrebuke∣able in the middest of a wicked and froward generation; although (as I haue said) through the deuils tirannie and the vnbeliefe of their owne hearts, many euen of them, are farre from inioying this priuiledge.

The which, as it is accompanied with happinesse it selfe, so that it may be seene to be a priuiledge indeed peculiar to them, know we, that as for other it [ K] shall not neither can be so with them; they haue no part in this treasure, no not euen they,* 1.17 which at sometimes will seeme more holy then the rest. The wicked (I say) haue no fitnesse nor aptnesse to receiue this grace [To liue godly] no more then a dead man is fit to rise againe and walke, or the blacke Moore by washing to change his blacke skin. And therfore although they like well enough of the name of it, yet that they are such as deny the power of it,

[ A] heereby it may appeere, that as the worst sort of them like dogges and swine tread it vnder feete and scoffe at it; the common sort count it and tearme it precisenesse, and loue to be conuersant with those that are of their owne mindes: so the best sort of them are such as finde in themselues and know, that they haue no pleasure in it. No better is the patched life of the best sort of pa∣pists, who liue not by faith, but please themselues in this, that their works are good if they doe the outward works which God and their church commend. All of them remaine and continue in the damnable estate they were in at the beginning.

[ B] Neither doe I maruell at this, which the Scripture affirmeth so plainly,* 1.18 that the vngodly are not obedient to the will of God, neither possibly can be.* 1.19 For I my selfe (saith Paule) when I was in darkenesse and liued after the lustes of mine ignorance, was greedily set to commit sin. Therefore if it be impossible for a man vnrenued to forsake some particular sinne, but by infinite degrees much more impossible to clense his heart, from whence onely good life can come; it is most certaine and cleare, that all wicked men, while they abide so, are far off from this priuiledge, To be able to lead a godly life: and therefore that is peculiar onely to Gods children to doe so.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The first branch of it.
• * 1.2

  They haue grac to liue well. Mat. 11.29. 2 Pet 1.8. 1. Tim. 5.10.
• * 1.3

  Ps. 119.1▪ 2. Ps. 1.2.
• * 1.4

  Luc. 11.28.
• * 1.5

  Ps. 84.2.
• * 1.6

  Phil. 4.13.
• * 1.7

  Ezek. 36.27. The reason.
• * 1.8

  Why some good people inioy not this. Ps. 77.7.
• * 1.9

  1. Pet. 5.7.
• * 1.10

  God hath not taken care of his, to leaue them in the midway. Ioh. 14.18.
• * 1.11

  The beleeuer shall be set at libertie from his speciallest sinnes.
• * 1.12

  Obiection.
• * 1.13

  Answer.
• * 1.14

  1. Ioh. 3.23.
• * 1.15

  Ps. 130.3.4.
• * 1.16

  What the liber∣tie of a Christi∣an is that he may and ought to attaine vnto.
• * 1.17

  No wicked man can liue godly.
• * 1.18

  Rom. 8.7.
• * 1.19

  Rom. 7.9.