The farm of godliness is very common in these days of ours; but the power of it is very rare. How few persons shall we find in Christendom who live and act in the strength of God! Generally, men do whatever they do in their own strength; and that not only in human things, but in divine. How seldom do we see in Christians, in the discharge of their several duties, more than the power of men; the greatest part by far, not only of those who are called Christians, but also of forward professors, being ignorant of what it is to be strengthened with might in the inner man. How little is there, among all our plenty, of that preaching which is not in the plausible words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power! How few congregations among the many that are in this kingdom are gathered together in the spirit and power of our Lord Jesus Christ! How few of those Christians are there, in whom is the exceeding greatness of God’s power, together with the effectual working of it! But the form of godliness is now become almost the covering of all flesh; and in these days of light and knowledge, it is accounted by all that are not downright Atheists, a great shame not “to seem to be religious.” And when men, and families, and congregations, are gotten into this form, they think themselves both safe and happy, as being near the suburbs of the kingdom of God, and close neighbors to the saints. And this form of godliness, as it is of very easy compliance with flesh and blood in this particular, in that according to this men only make their actions new, retaining still their old natures, so it is also of great credit and esteem with carnal preachers. “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man;” and he, being partaker of the power of God himself, can in some measure discern both the presence and the want of it in others, both which he knows in his own experience.
Now this form of godliness is, when men appear godly without God, and anointed without Christ, and regenerate, not having the Spirit; that is, when they have a semblance of holiness, but not the thing itself—a semblance of grace, retaining their old natures.
And such Christians as these perform spiritual duties with natural strength; heavenly duties with earthly strength; the works of God with the power of men. In the religion of these men there is the outward duty done, arid it may be very speciously and plausibly; but there is none of Christ nor the Spirit in the duty. There is their own working towards God, which is faint and faithless; but not God’s own working in them towards himself, which is lively and mighty. And all the religious acts they do are only their own operations, and not the operations of God in them. (John 3:66That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6); Romans 8.)
This form of godliness, how pleasing whosoever it be to a man’s self, and of what reckoning whosoever with others who are like himself, yet is indeed of very evil and woeful consequence, whether we regard the doings or the sufferings unto which this form necessarily engages.
For first when men, by occasion of this form, are called forth to do the great works of God, and yet are destitute of the power of God, their duties are above their strength, and their strength bears no proportion to their duties. And so, sooner or later, meeting with difficulties, they faint and languish as a snail, their work being too high for their faculties; for nature, being strained above its power, by degrees grows weary, and returns to its old temper again, and he who sought that glory which was not his own, at last lies down in his own shame.
Again, the form, of godliness exposes a man to those evils that are incident to the faithful because of godliness. Now, when a man hath the same evils with the faithful, and not the same power to support him under those evils; when men have the same evils in the flesh, but not the same power in the spirit; the same burdens on their shoulders, but not the same Everlasting Arms underneath them, they fall sadly and desperately, to the great scandal of the ways of God. (Matthew 13:20,2120But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. (Matthew 13:20‑21).)
However, if men be not called forth to such eminent doings and sufferings, and so escape such manifest discoveries and downfalls, yet the form of godliness hath this evil in it, that it brings a man only to the troublesome part of religion, but not to the comfortable; it engages a man with the same duties with the godly, but supplies him not with the same strength; it involves him in the same bitterness of flesh, but doth not furnish him with the same joy of spirit. For as such a man’s religion doth not reach above flesh and blood, no more doth his strength and comforts. And so he performs duties at a low rate; yea, and his bare and empty form casts a black vail upon religion, and utterly obscures its beauty and glory, and makes the world judge meanly of it, and to think it a matter only of singularity and humor, and not of “ power;” whereas, when a Christian walks in the strength of the Spirit, doing and suffering the will of God beyond all strength and abilities of flesh and blood, the world oftentimes gazes at him, and many are provoked to “ glorify God, who hath, given such power to men.”
W. DELL, A.D. 1645.