The Godly Man's Picture

Quest. What is it to perform spiritual duties spiritually?

Answ. It consists in three things.

1. To do duties from a spiritual principle, viz. a renewed principle of grace: let a man have gifts to admiration, let him have the most melting ravishing expressions, let him speak like an Angel dropped out of heaven, yet his duties may not be spiritual, because he wants the grace of the spirit; whatever a moral unregenerate person doth, is but nature refined, though he may do duties better than a godly man, yet not so well; better as to the matter and elegance, yet not so well, as wanting a renewed principle; a Crab-tree may bear as well as a Pippin, the fruit may be bigger and fairer to the eye, yet it is not so good fruit as the other, because it doth not come from so good a stock; so an unregenerate person may perform as many duties as a child of God, and these may seem to be ⟨p. 231⟩more glorious to the outward view, but they are harsh and sower, because they do not come from the sweet and pleasant root of grace: a true Saint gives God that wine, which comes from the pure grape of the spirit.

1. To do duties from a spiritual principle, viz. a renewed principle of grace: let a man have gifts to admiration, let him have the most melting ravishing expressions, let him speak like an Angel dropped out of heaven, yet his duties may not be spiritual, because he wants the grace of the spirit; whatever a moral unregenerate person doth, is but nature refined, though he may do duties better than a godly man, yet not so well; better as to the matter and elegancy, yet not so well, as wanting a renewed principle; a Crab-tree may bear as well as a Pippin, the fruit may be bigger and fairer to the eye, yet it is not so good fruit as the other, because it doth not come from so good a stock; so an unregenerate person may perform as many duties as a childe of God, and these may seem to be