Direct. VII. Take special heed that the common thief, your carnal self, either personal or in your relations, do not rob God of his expected due, and devour that which he requireth.—It is not for nothing that God calleth for the first-fruits. "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst forth with new wine," Prov. iii. 9, 10. So Exod. xxiii. 16, 19; xxxiv. 22, 26; Lev. ii. 12, 14; Nehem. x. 35; Ezek. xx. 40; xliv. 30; xlviii. 14. For if carnal self might first be served, its devouring greediness would leave God nothing. Though he that hath godliness with contentment hath enough, if he have but food and raiment, yet there will be but enough for themselves and children, where men have many hundreds or thousands a year, if once it fall into this gulf. And indeed, as he that begins with God hath the promise of his bountiful supplies, so he whose flesh must first be served, doth catch such an hydropic thirst for more, that all will but serve it: and the devil contriveth such necessities to these men, and such uses for all they have, that they have no more to spare than poorer men; and they can allow God no more but the leavings of the flesh, and what it can spare, which commonly is next to nothing.) Indeed though holy uses in particular were satisfied with first-fruits and limited parts, yet God must have all, and the flesh (inordinately or finally) have none. Every penny which is laid out upon yourselves, and children, and friends, must be done as by God's own appointment, and to serve and please him. Watch narrowly, or else this thievish carnal self will leave God nothing.
Direct. VIII. Prefer greater duties (cæteris paribus) before lesser; and labour to understand which is the greater, and to be preferred.—Not that any real duty is to be neglected: but we call that by the name of duty which is materially good, and a duty in its season; but formally, indeed, it is no duty at all, when it cannot be done without the omission of a greater. As for a minister to be praying with his family, or comforting one afflicted soul, when he should be preaching publicly, is to do that which is a duty in its season, but at that time is his sin. It is an unfaithful servant that is doing some little char, when he should be saving a beast from drowning, or the house from burning, or doing the greater part of his work.
Direct. IX. Prudence is exceeding necessary in doing good, that you may discern good from evil, discerning the season, and measure, and manner, and among divers duties, which must be preferred.—Therefore labour much for wisdom, and if you want it yourself, be sure to make use of theirs that have it, and ask their counsel in every great and difficult case. Zeal without judgment hath not only entangled souls in many heinous sins, but hath ruined churches and kingdoms, and under pretence of exceeding others in doing good, it makes men the greatest instruments of evil. There is scarce a sin so great and odious, but ignorant zeal will make men do it as a good work. Christ told his apostles, that those that killed them, should think they did God service. And Paul bare record to the murderous, persecuting Jews, "that they had a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge," Rom. x. 2. The papists' murders of christians under the name of heretics, hath recorded it to the world, in the blood of many hundred thousands, how ignorant, carnal zeal will do good, and what sacrifice it will offer up to God.[112]
Direct. X. In doing good, prefer the souls of men before the body, cæteris paribus. To convert a sinner from the error of his way is to save a soul from death, and to cover a multitude of sins, Jam. v. 20.—And this is greater than to give a man an alms. As cruelty to souls is the most heinous cruelty, (as persecutors and soul-betraying pastors will one day know to their remediless woe,) so mercy to souls is the greatest mercy. Yet sometimes mercy to the body is in that season to be preferred (for every thing is excellent in its season). As if a man be drowning or famishing, you must not delay the relief of his body, while you are preaching to him for his conversion; but first relieve him, and then you may in season afterwards instruct him. The greatest duty is not always to go first in time; sometimes some lesser work is a necessary preparatory to a greater; and sometimes a corporal benefit may tend more to the good of souls than some spiritual work may. Therefore I say still, that prudence and an honest heart are instead of many directions: they will not only look at the immediate benefit of a work, but to its utmost tendency and remote effects.
Direct. XI. In doing good, prefer the good of many, especially of the church or commonwealth, before the good of one or few.[113]—For many are more worth than one; and many will honour God and serve him more than one: and therefore both piety and charity require it. Yet this also must be understood with a cæteris paribus; for it is possible some cases of exception may be found. Paul's is a high instance, that "could have wished himself accursed from Christ" for the sake of the Jews, as judging God's honour more concerned in all them than in him alone.
Direct. XII. Prefer a durable good that will extend to posterity, before a short and transitory good.—As to build an alms-house is a greater work than to give an alms, and to erect a school than to teach a scholar; so to promote the settlement of the gospel and a faithful ministry is the greatest of all, as tending to the good of many, even to their everlasting good. This is the pre-eminence of good books before a transient speech, that they may be a more durable help and benefit. Look before you with a judicious foresight; and as you must not do that present good to a particular person, which bringeth greater hurt to many; so you must not do that present good to one or many, which is like to produce a greater and more lasting hurt. Such blind reformers have used the church, as ignorant physicians use their patients, who give them a little present ease, and cast them into a greater misery, and seem to cure them with a dose of opium or the Jesuit's powder, when they are bringing them into a worse disease than that which they pretend to cure. Oh when shall the poor church have wiser and foreseeing helpers!
Direct. XIII. Let all that you do for the church's good be sure to tend to holiness and peace; and do nothing under the name of a good work, which hath an enmity to either of these.—For these are to the church as life and health are to the body; and the increase of its welfare is nothing else but the increase of these. Whatever they pretend, believe none that say they seek the good and welfare of the church, if they seek not the promoting of holiness and peace: if they hinder the powerful preaching of the gospel, and the means that tendeth to the saving of souls, and the serious, spiritual worshipping of God, and the unity and peace of all the faithful; and if they either divide the faithful into sects and parties, or worry all that differ from them, and humour them not in their conceits;—take all these for such benefactors to the church, as the wolf is to the flock, and as the plague is to the city, or the fever to the body, or the fire in the thatch is to the house. "The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle," &c. "But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth: this wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish; for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work," Jam. iii. 14-18.
Direct. XIV. If you will do the good which God accepteth, do that which he requireth; and put not the name of good works upon your sins, nor upon unnecessary things of your own invention; nor think that any good must be accomplished by forbidden means.—None know what pleaseth God so well as himself. Our ways may be right in our own eyes, and carnal wisdom may think it hath devised the fittest means to honour God, when he may abominate it, and say, Who required this at your hand? And if we will do good by sinning, we must do it in despite of God, who is engaged against our sins and us, Rom. iii. 8. God needeth not our lie to his glory: if papists think to find at the last day their foppish ceremonies, and superstition, and will-worship, their "touch not, taste not, handle not," to be reckoned to them as good works; or if Jesuits or enthusiasts think to find their perjury, treasons, rebellions, or conspiracies numbered with good works; or the persecuting of the preachers and faithful professors of godliness to be good works; how lamentably will they find their expectations disappointed!
Direct. XV. Keep in the way of your place and calling, and take not other men's works upon you without a call, under any pretence of doing good.—Magistrates must do good in the place and work of magistrates; and ministers in the place and work of ministers; and private men in their private place and work; and not one man step into another's place, and take his work out of his hand, and say, I can do it better: for if you should do it better, the disorder will do more harm than you did good by bettering his work. One judge must not step into another's court and seat, and say I will pass more righteous judgment. You must not go into another man's school, and say, I can teach your scholars better; nor into another's charge or pulpit, and say, I can preach better. The servant may not rule the master, because he can do it best; no more than you may take another man's wife, or house, or lands, or goods, because you can use them better than he. Do the good that you are called to.
Direct. XVI. Where God hath prescribed you some particular good work or way of service, you must prefer that before another which is greater in itself.—This is explicatory or limiting of Direct. viii. The reason is, because God knoweth best what is pleasing to him, and "obedience is better than sacrifice." You must not neglect the necessary maintenance of wife and children, under pretence of doing a work of piety or greater good; because God hath prescribed you this order of your duty, that you begin at home (though not to stop there). Another minister may have a greater or more needy flock; but yet you must first do good in your own, and not step without a call into his charge. If God have called you to serve him in a low and mean employment, he will better accept you in that work, than if you undertook the work of another man's place, to do him greater service.