07 The Godly Man's Picture (choice excerpts)
The Godly Man’s Picture (choice excerpts) cont’d
Godliness is a REAL thing. It is not a fantasy, but a fact. Godliness is not the feverish fantasy of a sick brain; a Christian is no enthusiast, one whose religion is all made up of theory.
Godliness is an INTRINSIC thing. It lies chiefly in the heart. The dew lies on the leaf,
the sap is hidden in the root. The moralist’s religion is all in the leaf; it consists only in externals—but godliness is a holy sap which is rooted in the soul. "Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place" Psalms 51:6.
Godliness is a SUPERNATURAL thing. By nature we inherit nothing but evil. We sucked in sin as naturally as our mother’s milk. But godliness is breathed in from heaven. God must light up the lamp of grace in the heart. Weeds grow by themselves; flowers are planted. Godliness is a celestial plant. A man has no more power to make himself godly, than to create himself.
Godliness is an EXTENSIVE thing. It is a sacred leaven which spreads itself into the whole
soul. There is light in the understanding, order in the affections, pliableness in the will, exemplariness in the life. He who is good only in some part is not godly. Grace is called "the new man," Colossians 3:10, not a new eye, or tongue—but a new man. He who is godly is good all over; though he is regenerate only in part; yet it is in every part.
Godliness is a GLORIOUS thing. As the jewel to the ring, so is piety to the soul,
bespangling it in God’s eyes. Godliness is glory in the seed, and glory is godliness in the flower.
Godliness is a PERMANENT thing. There is a great deal of difference between a stake in the hedge—and a tree in the garden. A stake rots and molders—but a tree, having life in it, abides and flourishes. When godliness has taken root in the soul, it abides to eternity. Godliness being engraved in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as with the point of a diamond, can never be erased.
As gold is the most precious among the metals, so is faith among the graces. Faith cuts us off from the wild olive tree of nature—and grafts us into Christ. Faith is the vital artery of the soul: "The just shall live by his faith." Such as are destitute of faith may breathe—but they lack spiritual life.
Saving faith is
Faith excites repentance. When I believe God’s love to me—this makes me weep that I should sin against so good a God.
Faith is the mother of hope; first we believe the promise, then we hope for it. Faith is the oil which feeds the lamp of hope. Faith and hope are two turtledove graces; take away one, and the other languishes. If the sinews are cut, the body is lame; if this sinew of faith is cut, hope is lame.
Faith is the ground of patience; he who believes that God is his God, and that all providences work for his good, patiently yields himself to the will of God.
Faith is a panacea—a remedy against all troubles. It is a godly man’s anchor which he casts out into the sea of God’s mercy, and is kept from sinking in despair.
"He has given us His very great and precious promises." 2 Peter 1:4
The promises are comforting—for their being suitable for the Christian’s every condition. The promises are like an herb garden. There is no disease but some herb may be found there to cure it. The promises of themselves cannot comfort us—but only as the Spirit enables us to suck consolation from these honeycombs. The promises are like a still full of herbs—but this still will not drop unless the fire is put under it. So when the Spirit of God (who is compared to fire) is put to the still of the promises—then
The devil has entered into these swine!
"If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ" Romans 8:9
And if he does not belong to Christ—then whose is he? To what regiment does he belong? Do those who are malicious and unclean have God’s Spirit? It would be blasphemy to say these have the Holy Spirit. Will the blessed Spirit leave his celestial palace to come and
live in a foul prison? A sinner’s heart is a jail, both for darkness and obnoxiousness, and will God’s free Spirit be confined to a prison? (Psalms 51:12) A sinner’s heart is the emblem of hell. What would God’s Spirit do there? Wicked hearts are not a temple—but a pigsty, where
the unclean spirit makes his abode—"the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience" Ephesians 2:2.
We would be loath to live in a house haunted by evil spirits; a sinner’s heart is haunted! "After the sop Satan entered" John 13:27. Satan abuses the godly—but enters into the wicked. When the devils went into the herd of swine, "the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water" Matthew 8:32. Why is it that men rush so greedily to the commission of sin—but because the devil has entered into these swine!
"Let everyone who is godly pray to You." Psalms 32:6
A godly man is a praying man. As soon as grace is poured in—prayer is poured out!
"But I give myself unto prayer" Psalms 109:4. In the Hebrew it is, "but I prayer." Prayer and
I are all one.
Prayer is the soul’s communion with heaven. God comes down to us by His Spirit—and we
go up to Him by prayer.
Caligula placed his idols—as whispering in Jupiter’s ear;
Prayer is
A godly man cannot live without prayer. A man cannot live—unless he takes his breath; nor can the soul live—unless it breathes forth its desires to God. As soon as the babe of grace is born, it cries. No sooner was Paul converted than "behold, he prays!" Acts 9:11. No doubt he prayed before, being a Pharisee—but it was either superficially or superstitiously. But when the work of grace had been done in his soul, behold, now he prays!
A godly man is on the mount of prayer every day. He begins the day with prayer. Before he opens his shop—he opens his heart to God! We burn sweet incense in our houses; a godly man’s house is "a house of incense"; he airs it with the incense of prayer. He engages in no business without seeking God. A godly man consults God in everything; he asks God’s permission and his blessing. A true saint continually shoots up his heart to heaven, by sacred prayers.
"We hear that some among you are idle." 2 Thessalonians 3:11
Piety never did grant a patent for idleness.
An idle person is
Is it possible for anyone to walk according to the full breadth of God’s law, and to follow God fully?
There is a twofold obeying of God’s law.
The first is perfect, when all is done, which the law requires. This we cannot arrive at in this life.
Secondly, there is an incomplete obedience which is accepted in Christ. This consists in four things:
(1) An approving of all God’s commands: "the commandment is holy and just and good . . .
I consent unto the law that it is good" Romans 7:12, Romans 7:16.
(2) A sweet delight in God’s commands: "I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I have loved" Psalms 119:47.
(3) A cordial desire to walk in all God’s commands: "O that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes" Psalms 119:5.
(4) A real endeavor to tread in every path of the command: "I turned my feet unto Your testimonies" Psalms 119:59.
comes short, Christ puts His merits into the scales, and then there is full weight.
"Noah walked with God." Genesis 6:9
The age in which Noah lived was very corrupt: "the wickedness of man was great in the earth" (Genesis 6:5). But the iniquity of the times, could not put Noah off his walk.
What is it, to walk with God? Walking with God imports five things:
1. Walking as under God’s eye. Noah reverenced God. A godly man sets himself as in God’s presence, knowing that his Judge is looking on: "I have set the Lord always before me." Psalms 16:8
2. The familiarity and intimacy which the soul has with God. Friends walk together and console themselves with one another. The godly make known their requests to God—and He makes known His love to them. There is a sweet fellowship between God and His people: "Our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" 1 John 1:3.
3.
4. Visible piety. Walking is a visible posture. Grace must be conspicuous to the onlookers. He who reveals something of God in his behavior, walks with God. He shines forth in biblical conduct. He is a walking Bible.
5. Continued progress in grace. It is not only a step—but a walk. There is a going on towards maturity. A godly man does not sit down in the middle of the way—but continues on. He may through infirmity step aside (as Peter did)—but he recovers by repentance, and goes on in progressive holiness: "The righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger." Job 17:9.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone,
When the truth of grace is in the heart—the beauty of grace is seen in the walk!
A godly man strives to be an instrument for making others godly. He is not content to go to heaven alone, but wants to take others there.
A godly man is both a diamond and a magnet—a diamond for the sparkling luster of grace; and a magnet for his attractiveness. He is always drawing others to embrace piety. Living things have a propagating virtue. Where piety lives in the heart, there will be an endeavor to propagate the life of grace in those we converse with."My son, Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds" Philemon 1:10. Though God is the fountain of grace—yet the saints are the pipes which transmit the living streams to others!
Grace is like fire—which assimilates and turns everything into its own nature. Where there is the fire of grace in the heart—it will endeavor to inflame others.
Grace is a holy leaven, which will be seasoning and leavening others with divine principles.
Grace makes the heart tender. A godly man pities those who are in the gall of bitterness. He sees what a deadly cup is brewing for the wicked! They must, without repentance, be bound over to God’s wrath! The fire which rained on Sodom was but a painted fire—in comparison with hell fire! This is a fire with a vengeance: "Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" Jude 1:7.
Now when a godly man sees Satan’s captives ready to be damned—he strives to convert them from the error of their way: "Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men!"
2 Corinthians 5:11. A godly man will be careful that his children should know God. He would be very sad if any of his children should burn in hell.
A holy heart is the garden where God plants the flower of His love. God’s love to His people is an ancient love, it dates from eternity. (Ephesians 1:4) He loves them with a choice, distinguishing love; they are the "dearly beloved of His soul." Jeremiah 12:7.
The men of the world have bounty dropping from God’s fingers—but the godly have love dropping from God’s heart. He gives to one—a golden cup; to he other—a golden kiss.
God loves the godly, just as He loves Christ (John 17:26) It is the same love in kind, though not in degree. Here the saints merely sip God’s love; in heaven they shall drink of rivers of pleasure (Psalms 36:8). The love of God to His people is permanent. Death may take their life away from them—but not God’s love: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness!" Jeremiah 31:3.
The ungodly do not understand the iniquity of their own hearts. You will sometimes hear
them swear that their heart is good.
But a child of God sees much heart corruption. Though some flowers of grace grow there, he still sees how fast the weeds of sin grow—and is therefore
by repentance and mortification.
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything
in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." Psalms 139:23-24
"We are not ignorant of his devices" 2 Corinthians 2:11
The godly foresee a temptation, and will not come near. They see a snake under the beautiful flowers! They know that
The godly set their feet—where worldly men set their heart!
Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." Luke 13:23-24
There are only a few godly people.
If the number of the saints is so small, how we should strive to be found among these pearls! It is better to go to heaven with the few—than to hell in the crowd! Christ’s flock is a little one. "Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom!" Luke 12:32
Godliness is most rational. If, while he remains in nature’s soil, he is poisoned with sin—no more actually fit for communion with God, than a toad is fit to be made an angel—then it is the highest act of reason, to become a Christian.
It is rational because this change is for the better. Will not anyone be willing to exchange a dark prison—for a king’s palace? Will he not exchange his brass—for gold? You who become godly, change for the better: you change your pride—for humility; you change your uncleanness—for holiness. You change a lust which will damn you—for a Christ who will save you!
If men were not besotted,
Godliness does not destroy
"I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete." John 15:11
Kills with her golden darts!
"Love not the world." 1 John 2:15
Take heed of the world. Many would like to be godly—but the honors and profits of the world divert them. Where the world fills both head and heart—there is no room for Christ. The world eats the heart out of godliness, as the ivy eats the heart out of the oak. The world
kills with her golden darts!
It would produce a wonderful alteration
"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Your testimonies" Psalms 119:59
By holy thoughts, the head grows clearer and the heart better. Serious meditation represents
everything in its true color. It shows the evil of sin, and the luster of grace. If men would step aside a little out of the noise and hurry of life, and spend only half-an-hour every day thinking about their souls and eternity,
"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the
paradise of God" Revelation 2:7
This tree of life is the Lord Jesus. This tree infuses life—and prevents death. The day
we eat of this tree—our eyes shall indeed be opened—to see God!
You who are enriched with the treasures of godliness—bless God for it! This flower does
not grow in nature’s garden!
You had enlisted yourselves under the devil and taken pay on his side, fighting against your own happiness—and then God came with converting grace and put forth a loving and gentle violence, causing you to espouse His cause against Satan!
You had lain many years soaking in wickedness, as if you had been parboiled for hell—and then
Oh, what cause you have to write yourselves down—as eternal debtors to free grace! Oh, acknowledge the sovereign love of God! Admire distinguishing mercy! Set the crown of your praise—on the head of free grace! It is good that there is an eternity coming, when the saints shall make His praise glorious!
In hell there is nothing to be seen, but
that is hard hearts; a hammer—that is God’s power and justice, breaking them in pieces.
As fire may be hidden in the embers, so grace may be hidden under many disorders of soul.
Often in the godly, a little grace is mingled with much corruption. There are, in the best
saints,
No, in many of the regenerate there is more corruption than grace! So much passion that
you can hardly see any meekness. Jonah, a peevish prophet, quarrels with God, no—he justifies his anger: "I do well to be angry, even unto death!" Jonah 4:9. Here there was so much anger, that it was hard to see any grace.
A Christian in this life is like a glass which has more froth than wine, or like a diseased body that has more illness than vigor. It may humble the best Christian—to consider how much
corruption is mingled with his grace.
The trembling soul thinks it will be swallowed up by sin. But God preserves a little quantity of grace in the heart—no, no, He makes that spark prevail over corruption! God sees the sincerity—and overlooks many infirmities. He nourishes the least sparks of grace, and blows them gently with the breath of His Spirit until they break forth into a flame. A little grace is grace—though it is smothered under much corruption.
I confess it is a matter of astonishment, that grace should not be wholly annihilated, especially if we consider two things:
(1) The malice of Satan. He is a malignant spirit and lays barriers in our way to heaven. The devil, with the wind of temptation, tries to blow out the spark of grace in our hearts. If this will not do, he stirs up wicked men and raises the militia of hell against us. What a wonder it is that this bright star of grace, should not be swept down by the tail of the dragon!
(2) The world of corruption in our hearts. Sin makes up the major part in a Christian. There are more dregs than grace in the holiest heart. The heart swarms with sin. What a great deal of pride there is in the soul! Now is it not astonishing, that this lily of grace should be able
to grow among so many thorns? It is as great a wonder that a little grace should be preserved in the midst of so much corruption—as to see a candle burning in the sea and not extinguished!
But though grace lives with so much difficulty, like the infant that struggles for breath—yet being born of God, it is immortal. Grace conflicting with corruption is like a ship tossed and beaten by the waves—yet it weathers the storm and at last gets to the desired haven.
But how is it that grace, even the least degree of it, is not quenched? It is from the mighty operation of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God, who is the source, continually excites and
awakens grace in the heart. He is at work in a believer every day. He pours in oil, and keeps the lamp of grace burning. Grace is compared to a river of life, John 7:38. The river of grace can never be dried up, for the Spirit of God is the spring which feeds it.
Preserve a holy watchfulness over your hearts. The man who has gunpowder in his house, fears lest it should catch fire and explode. Sin in the heart is like
There are two things which may make us always watchful of our hearts: the deceits of our hearts, and the lusts of our hearts.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness" Matthew 23:23
This is one great difference between a child of God and a hypocrite.
"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears—many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." Php 3:18-19
To be godly and earthly, is a contradiction. Those who are eaten up with the world will be rejected, as ungodly, at the bar of judgment. We read that the earth swallowed up Korah alive, Numbers 16:32. This judgment is on many—the earth swallows up their time, thoughts and discourse. They are buried twice; their hearts are buried in the earth before their bodies. How sad it is that the soul, that princely thing, which is made for communion with God and angels, should be put to the mill to grind, and made a slave to the earth! How like the prodigal the soul has become, choosing rather to converse with swine and feed upon husks—than to aspire after communion with the blessed Deity! Thus does Satan befool men, and keep them from heaven by making them seek a heaven here on earth.
God himself sounds a retreat to us to call us off the world. "Love not the world" 1 John 2:15. "Be not conformed to this world" Romans 12:2. Do not hunt after its honors and profits.
Consider how much below a Christian it is to be earthly-minded. We sometimes laugh at children when we see them busying themselves with toys,
Consider what a poor, contemptible thing the world is. It is not worth setting the affections on; it cannot fill the heart. The creature will no more fill the soul than a drop will fill the bucket. That little sweet which we suck from the creature, is intermixed with bitterness. And this imperfectsweet will not last long: "the world passes away." The world constantly changes. It is never constant except in its disappointments. How quickly we may remove our lodgings and make our pillow in the dust! The world is but a great inn where we are to stay a night or two, and then be gone. What madness it is so to set our heart upon our inn—as to forget our eternal home!
This will be a matter of sublimest joy for all eternity. We shall sing hallelujahs to the Lamb who has redeemed us from sin and hell, and has translated us into that glorious paradise, where we shall see God forever and ever.
"Partakers of the divine nature" 2 Peter 1:4
A godly man is like God. He has the same judgment as God; he thinks of things as God does. He has
Where God sees His likeness, there He gives His love.
A godly man is like God in holiness. Holiness is the most brilliant pearl in the King of Heaven’s crown: "glorious in holiness" Exodus 15:11. God’s power makes Him mighty;
His mercy makes Him lovely; but His holiness makes Him glorious.
The holiness of God is the intrinsic purity of His nature and his abhorrence of sin. A godly man bears some kind of analogy with God in this.
Holiness is the badge and mark of Christ’s people: "The people of Your holiness" Isaiah 63:18. The godly are a holy, as well as a royal priesthood. They have written upon their heart, "Holiness to the Lord". The holiness of the saints consists in their conformity to God’s will, which is the rule and pattern of all holiness.
The godly set themselves against evil, both in purpose and in practice. They are fearful of that which looks like sin (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
"People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God." 2 Timothy 3:2, 2 Timothy 3:4
People are for the most part
profit, their lusts—but they do not have a drop of true love to God.
A soul devoid of divine love is a temper which best suits damned spirits.
The ungodly are vile people. Sin makes men base; it blots their name; it taints their blood. "They are all together become filthy" Psalms 14:3. In the Hebrew it is "they have become stinking." If you call wicked men ever so bad, you cannot call them worse than their name deserves: they are swine (Matthew 7:6); vipers (Matthew 3:7); devils (John 6:70). The wicked are dross and refuse (Psalms 119:119), and heaven is too pure to have any dross mingled with it.
The ungodly, while they live, are exposed to the wrath of God. "He who believes not, the wrath of God abides on him" John 3:36. Over his head hangs the sword of God’s justice; and under him hell-fire burns!
And oh, how dreadful is that place! It is called a fiery lake (Revelation 20:15). That is, a lake to denote the many torments in hell, a fiery lake to show the fierceness of the punishment. Fire is the most torturing element. Strabo in his "Geography" mentions a lake in Galilee of such a pestiferous nature that it scalds off the skin of whatever is thrown into it. But alas, that lake is cool, compared with this fiery lake into which the damned are thrown.
This fire is inextinguishable: the wicked shall be choked in the flames, though not consumed: "And they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever" Revelation 20:10. See the deplorable condition of all ungodly people! In the eternal world, they shall have a life which always dies, and a death which always lives. May this not frighten men off their sins and make them become godly, unless they are resolved to feel how hot hell-fire is?
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A godly man is heavenly in his speech. His words are sprinkled with salt to season others (Colossians 4:6). As soon as Christ had risen from the grave—He was "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" Acts 1:3. No sooner has a man risen from the grave of unregeneracy—than he is speaking of heaven. "The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious" Ecclesiastes 4:12. He speaks in such a heavenly manner—as if he were already in heaven. The love he has for God, will not allow him to be silent. The spouse being sick with love, her tongue was like the pen of a ready writer: "My beloved is white and ruddy, his head is as the most fine gold . . . " Song of Solomon 5:10-11. Where there is a principle of godliness in the heart—
How can they be termed godly—who are possessed with a dumb devil? They never have any good discourse. They are fluent and discursive enough in secular things: they can speak of their wares and shops, they can tell what a good crop they have—but in matters of religion they are as if their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth! There are many people in whose company you cannot tell what to make of them—whether they are Turks or atheists, for they never speak a word of Christ!
How can they be termed godly—whose tongues are set on fire by hell? Their lips do not drop honey—but poison, to the defiling of others! Plutarch says that speech ought to be like gold, which is of most value when it has least dross in it. Oh, the unclean, malicious words that some people utter! What an unsavory stench comes from these dunghills! Those lips which gallop so fast in sin, need David’s muzzle. "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth" Psalms 39:1. Can the body be healthy—when the tongue is black? Can the heart be holy—when the devil is in the lips? A godly man speaks "the language of Canaan". "Those who feared the Lord spoke often one to another" Malachi 3:16.
Godly ministers must be:
The Godly Man’s Picture (choice excerpts) cont’d(1) Painstaking. "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction" 2 Timothy 4:2. The minister must not be idle. Sloth is as inexcusable in a minister, as sleeping in a sentry. John the Baptist was a "voice crying" Matthew 3:3.
(2) Knowledgeable. "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty" Malachi 2:7. The prophets of old were called "seers" 1 Samuel 9:9. It is absurd to have blind seers. Christ said to Peter, "Feed my sheep" John 21:16. But how sad it is when the shepherd needs to be fed! Ignorance in a minister is like blindness in an optometrist. Under the law, he who had the plague in his head, was unclean, Leviticus 13:44.
(3) A plain preacher, suiting his matter and style to the capacity of his audience (1 Corinthians 14:19). Some ministers, like eagles, love to soar aloft in abstruse metaphysical notions, thinking they are most admired when they are least understood. Those who preach in the clouds, instead of hitting their people’s conscience, shoot over their heads.
(4) Zealous in reproving sin. "Rebuke them sharply" Titus 1:13. A man of God must suck the fire of zeal out of the breasts of Scripture! Zeal in a minister is as proper as fire on the altar. Some are afraid to reprove, like the swordfish which has a sword in his head, but is without a heart. So they carry the sword of the Spirit with them—but have no heart to draw it out in reproof against sin. How many have sown pillows under their people, Ezekiel 13:18, making them sleep so securely, that they never awoke until they were in hell!
(5) Holy in heart. How sad it is for a minister to preach that to others, which he never felt in his own soul; to exhort others to holiness and himself be a stranger to it. Oh, that this were not too often so! How many blow the Lord’s trumpet with foul breath!
(6) Holy in life. Under the law, before the priests served at the altar, they washed in the laver. Such as serve in the Lord’s house, must first be washed from gross sin in the laver of repentance. The life of a minister should be a walking Bible. A minister must imitate John the Baptist, who was not only "a voice crying"—but "a light shining" John 5:35. Those who live in contradiction to what they preach, disgrace this excellent calling. And though they are angels by office—yet they are devils in their lives! (Jeremiah 23:15).