Pleasantness of a Religious Life: Life as Good as It Can Be by Matthew Henry

7/31/2019 Pleasantness of a Religious Life: Life as Good as It Can Be by Matthew Henry

1/24

The

Pleasantnessof a

Religious Life

Life as good as it can be

M AT T H E W H E N RY

9781845506513- The Pleasantness of a religious life - Matthew Henry.indd 3 20/03/2012 14:39:58


2/24

Introduction by J.I. Packer .............................................7

To the Reader .............................................................. 17

Introduction ................................................................19

1. e Explication of the Doctrine .............................29

2. e Pleasure of being religious,proved from the nature of true religion,and many particular instances of it ..........................45

3. e Pleasantness of religion proved,from the provision that is made for

the comfort of those that are religious,and the privileges they are entitled to........................69

4. e Doctrine further proved by experience .............91

5. e Doctrine illustrated by the similitudeused in the text, of apleasant way or journey .........105

6. e Doctrine vindicated from what mayobjected against it .................................................117

7. e Application of the doctrine ............................133

CONTENTS



3/24

7

INTRODUCTION

I

is write-up of aset of six sermons was Matthew Henrysnal literary labour. It was in the press when he died, aged52, in 1714, and came out shortly after as e Pleasantnessof aReligious Life opened, and proved, and recommendedto the consideration of all, particularly of Young People. J.B.Williams, Henry s biographer, called this an attractivetitle, but Idoubt whether many today will nd it attractive.at however is not Henrys fault.e reason this title

strikes us as leaden-footed is that during the almost threecenturies separating him from us pleasantness has becomeaweak word, stating only that something is not too bad;religious has become avague word, covering all faiths andattitudes that involve God or gods (or, nowadays, god-desses) at some point; consideration has become acoolword, suggesting thought that is consciously detached

rather than committed; and young people has becomeapatronizing phrase that creates expectations of beingtalked down to and so turns real young people o. If, how-ever, the latter-day associations of Henry s title discourageus from digging into his book, it will be apity; for what



4/24

8

THE PLEASANTNESSOFA RELIGIOUS LIFE

he is actually writing about, in his smooth, fulsome, andturn-of-the-17th-century style is, the joy of Christian life,and as Iusher his book back from obscurity into aworldthat has welcomed volumes on the joy of cooking and ofsex and such like, Icannot help wishing that he had givenit that kind of title.

Henry is quite up-front about what he is doing. Work-ing from Proverbs 3:17, which the NIV renders (wisdoms)ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace, he rstobserves that nothing draws more forcibly than pleasure,and then lays it down that true piety has true pleasure init. More fully:

Pleasure is atempting thing. What yields delight cannotbut attract desire... religion has pleasure on its side... Hereis abait that has no hook under it... apleasure which Godhimself invites you to, and which will make you happy,truly and eternally happy... it is certain that there is true

pleasure in true religion (p. 49f.).

Henrys aim is to make us see that real Christianity is ajour-ney into joy, always moving us on from one joy to another,and that this is one of many good and strong reasons forbeing excited and wholehearted in our discipleship. Hemakes his point well, and this is how:

First, he lists twelve pleasures that Christians as suchenjoy: (1) knowing God and the Lord Jesus Christ; (2)resting in God; (3) being Gods child; (4) tasting Godsgracious goodness in all creature comforts; (5) relying onGods care; (6) delighting in God; (7) praising God; (8)escaping slavery to our appetites and (9) passions; (10) lov-ing and doing good to others; (11) communing with Godconstantly; (12) looking forward to heavens glory.



5/24

9

Introduction

en he reviews what God has done to bring sinnersjoy: made peace for them through the cross; promised thempeace plus pleasure; and given them the Holy Spirit, theScriptures, the ordinances of worship in prayer and song,and the gospel ministry, to bring home to them the bless-ings prepared for them. He lists those blessings as pardon,assurance, access to God, contentment, the calmness andcondence of agood conscience, and actual foretastes ofglory.en he conrms what he has said so far by appealing

to the facts of Christian experience, which fully verify hisargument, and by picturing the Christian life as ajourneymade pleasant by its worth-whileness, by the gift of strengthfor travel, by the presence of the Holy Spirit to guard andguide, by good company, delightful terrain, good weather,and ample provisions en route, and by knowing that weshall experience journeys end as home.

Finally, having dismissed the scepticism of the irreli-gious and the misrepresentations of the morose regardingthe delights of devotion, and having countered the ideathat the pains of repenting, the demands of self-disciplineand self-denial, and the constant experience of opposition,destroy the joy of discipleship, he urges his readers directly,starting from where they are, to enter into the fulness ofthe spiritual life that he has been describing.

Some things do not change. What Henry wrote nearlythree centuries ago, wrapping it up in language that must

strike us as old-fashioned, is as true and wise today as everit was. We too get told, sometimes by our secular friends,sometimes by our own morbid thoughts, that beingaChristian is ableak and burdensome business, and notbeing aChristian would be more fun; we too, like Henrys



6/24

10


rst hearers and readers, need to be reminded that it isabsolutely not so. Henrys reminder comes from his heart:herein, Iconfess, he writes, I indulge an inclination ofmy own; for this doctrine of the pleasantness of religion iswhat Ihave long had aparticular kindness for, and takenall occasions to mention (p. 20). Christian life, though notajoy ride, is ajoy road! As aconnoisseur and veteran ofspiritual pleasures, Henry will help us verify that today.

II

Who was Matthew Henry, who wrote this precious littlebook? He was aSilver Age Puritan. Let me explain.

In the world of literary study and history of ideas, adis-tinction is often drawn between the Golden and SilverAges of creative movements.e Golden Age is the periodin which the pioneers do the creative work, establishingthemselves as the masters by the classical, landmark quality

of their achievements.e Silver Age follows: it is aperiodin which those who lead seekrst and foremost to followin the footsteps of the forerunners, laying out, polishing up,and faithfully passing on the tradition of wisdom they haveinherited.ey dot its is and cross its ts and develop itsdetails as they go along, and, standing on their predecessorsshoulders, they sometimes top them in clarity and preci-sion of statement; yet they remain conservers rather thancreators, and settlers rather than explorers.eir goal is tomaintain aheritage, and it is to this end that they dedicate

their powers and devote their eorts.In Christianity, the Golden-Silver distinction appliesin dierent ways, according to ones angle of vision.us,from one standpoint you can label Luthers volcanicallycreative career as the Golden Age of the Reformation, and



7/24

11

Introduction

see the systematizing skill of Calvin and Melanchthon asits Silver counterpart. From another standpoint, the era ofLuther, Calvin, Bucer, Martyr, Cranmer, Knox and theircolleagues is the Golden Age of reformational theology,and the Puritan theological century from Perkins to Owen,with its continental counterpart from Beza to Turretin, isthe Silver Age that succeeded it. From athird standpoint,master teachers of the Christian life like John Newton,Murray McCheyne, C.H. Spurgeon, J.C. Ryle, and ArthurPink are the Silver Age in relation to the Golden Age ofPuritan pioneers such as Perkins, Sibbes, Baxter, Bunyan,Owen, Gurnall,omas Goodwin andomas Hooker,for mapping the inner realities of the Christian life offaith, hope, and love. And from afourth standpoint threemen whose best work adorns the early eighteenth centuryshould be seen as Silver Age gures in relation to the entiretheological and practical output of the Puritan Golden Age

that preceded them: namely, Cotton Mather, Isaac Watts,and Matthew Henry. All three are under-appreciated andneed to be revalued, but here our focus is on Henry alone.

He was born in 1662, the year in which his godly Puritanfather, Philip Henry, was one of two thousand ejected frompastoral ministry in the restored Church of England. Hisparents grounded him in Puritan beliefs and behaviourpatterns (daily prayer, Bible reading, self-watch and self-examination; journal-keeping, and practice of the presenceof God; scrupulous morality and generous philanthropy;

thorough-going Sabbatarianism, and hard work for theother six days of the week). Precocious, bright, lively andBible-loving, he never wanted to do anything else withhis life other than serve his Lord in pastoral ministry; andin 1687, having passed through anonconformist academy



8/24

12


and read some law in Grays Inn, he received Presbyterianordination and began pastoring acongregation in Chester.It grew to over 350 during the 25 years he served it. In1712, two years before his death, he relocated in Hackney,just outside London.

As agood preacher of the Puritan type, he was muchin demand. As amatter of conscience he never refusedan invitation to preach if he could possibly accept it, andthroughout his ministry he was constantly in some pulpitor other, sometimes three times aday in dierent places.

Both Sunday services in his own church lasted up tothree hours, since he not only preached for an hour fromatext but also spent an hour expounding achapter of theBible. Out of this practice grew his famous Commentary,which he began to publish in 1704, and of which he com-pleted ve volumes, taking him to the end of Acts, beforehis death. (Friends later composed volume six on the basis

of his surviving notes.)Simple and practical in style while thoroughly scholarly

and well-informed for substance, the Commentary remainsan all-time classic, standing head and shoulders above anyother popular exposition produced either before or since.

III

How should modern readers tune in to e Pleasantness ofaReligious Life, in order to get the best out of it?is isanecessary question, for Henry assumes much that cannot

be taken for granted today, and unless we adjust to this atthe outset we may well be left feeling that his material isbland and facile, and does not really speak to our condition or, putting it more bluntly, that you need to be a prettyold-fashioned person to appreciate such old-fashioned



9/24

13

Introduction

stu!e following points are made in hope of pre-emptingany such reaction.

First, we must get clear on the Puritan understand-ing of Christianity: which is aconnected view of God, ofthe Bible, of the world, of ourselves, of salvation, of thechurch, of history, and of the future. Few, it seems, evenin Bible-believing churches, grasp this whole picture, andin liberal churches, where attention to scholars fads andfancies replaces the teaching of the Bible, there is virtuallyno grasp of it at all. Once, churches taught it to all theirchildren, using catechisms, but not any more. Istate it here,therefore, in summary form.

God, who within the unity of his being is intrinsicallyasociety, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together,and who is infinite, unchanging, and almighty in hiswisdom, goodness, and justice, created the universe, andourselves within it, so that he might love and bless us, and

we might love and praise him. But things have gone wrong.Original sin is the radical distortion of every human

beings moral nature, making love and honour to God fromour hearts impossible and self-centredness at deepest levelinevitable. We sin because we are sinners, and human his-tory, from one standpoint, is original sin writ large.

Jesus Christ the Saviour, the Jew who died, rose, reigns, andwill return for retribution to everyone, past, present, and future,is God the Son incarnate, whose death atoned for our sins,whom we trust for forgiveness and acceptance and serve as our

living Lord, and who unites us to himself for the renewal ofhis image in us, dethroning original sin and giving us resourcesagainst its down-drag in the process.is is present salvation.e Holy Spirit, the third divine person, acts for the

Father and the Son by convincing us of our sin and need of



10/24


11/24

15

Introduction

undermine, and from the battleeld where modernists andpost-modernists slug it out the fumes of relativism, scepti-cism, and despair drift everywhere, producing amind-setin which nothing seems certain, nothing feels quite worth-while, and grabbing such pleasures as each moment oersseems the only thing to do. So human nature is devalued,human life is cheapened, human thought is blocked, andwe live aimlessly, prompted only by instinct, appetite, andvarious forms of greed in the manner of what we used to callthe lower animals. Our idea of life is of drifting along, andour idea of pleasure stops short at the momentary satisfyingof instinctual, sensual, body-based, self-absorbed cravings,urges, and itches. (I grade these according to their strength:an urge is astrong itch, and acraving is astrong urge).isis where our secularism has brought us, and it is asad story.

In direct antithesis to all aspects of this secular trend standsHenrys forceful recall to the eternal truth true truth, as

Francis Schaeer would have said about human nature.

e soul is the man.... (soul here means personal, con-scious, thinking, continuing self ). Ihope it will be readilygranted me, that man is principally to be considered as anintellectual, immortal being, endued with spiritual powersand capacities, allied to the world of spirits; that there isaspirit in man, which has sensations and dispositions ofits own, active and receptive faculties, distinct from thoseof the body: and that this is the part of us, which we are,and ought to be most concerned about; because it is re-ally well or ill with us, according as it is well or ill withour souls. Believe, that in our present state, the soul andthe body have separate and contesting interests; the bodythinks it is its interest to have its appetites gratied, andto be indulged in its pleasures; while the soul knows it



12/24

16


is its interest to have the appetites of the body subduedand mortied, that spiritual pleasures may be the betterrelished.... Be wise, therefore; be resolute, and shew your-selves men who are actuated and governed by reason, andare aected by things as reason represents them to you:not reason as it is in the mere natural man, clouded, andplunged, and lost in sense; but reason elevated and guided

by divine revelation to us, and divine grace in us. Walk byfaith, and not by sense (p. 50f.).

Only as we grasp the antithesis between the historicChristian and modern secular approaches to the businessof living, and programme ourselves to shake oculturalprejudice and take the Christian, biblical, Puritan view ofhuman nature and human welfare seriously, shall we be ableto prot from the ood of wisdom that Henry here poursout as he gets into his stride.

The popular idea of aPuritan has always been of

apharisaical sourpuss who spreads gloom wherever hegoes. In fact, however, as the real-life Puritan practised thedisciplines of serious Christianity, praying, fasting, keep-ing his heart, warring against the world, the esh, and thedevil, maintaining an ordered life and doing all the goodhe could, he found mental pleasure and joy at every turnof the road in quiet, in tumult, in peace and prosperity, insorrow and strain and this is the experience that Henrywants to share and deepen.ought-control, in realising thereality of God present each moment to bless, is the secret,

and Henrys discourse, read and re-read, can lead us directlyinto it. Ihope that very many will prove this to be so.

J.I. Packer



13/24

17

TO THE READER

e distinction which the learned Dr. Henry More insistsso much upon, in his explanation of the grand mystery ofgodliness, between the animal life and the divine life, is

certainly of great use to lead us into the understanding ofthat mystery. What was the fall and apostasy of man, andwhat is still his sin and misery, but the souls revolt from thedivine life, and giving up itself wholly to the animal life?And what was the design of our Redeemer, but to recoverus to the divine and spiritual life again, by the inuences ofhis grace? And to this his gospel has adirect tendency: hisreligion is all spiritual and divine, while all other religionssavour of the animal life. Christianity, saith he, is thatperiod of the wisdom and providence of God, wherein the

animal life is remarkably insulted, and triumphed over bythe divine (Book ii, chap 7) and so far, and no farther, arewe Christians indeed, than as this revolution is broughtabout in our souls.e conict is between these two. Noth-ing draws more forcibly than pleasure. In order therefore



14/24

18


to the advancing of the interests of the divine life in myselfand others, Ihave here endeavoured, as God has enabledme, to make it evident, that the pleasures of the divine lifeare unspeakably better, and more deserving, than those ofthe animal life: were people convinced of this, we shouldgain our point.e substance of this treatise was preached last year in

six sermons, in the ordinary course of my ministry, in whichwere stated many other reasons why we should be religious;Iwas then solicited to make it public, and now take thisopportunity to prepare it for the press, when, through thegood hand of my God upon me, Ihave nished myfthvolume of expositions, before Igo about the sixth. Andherein, Iconfess, Iindulge an inclination of my own; forthis doctrine of the pleasantness of religion is what Ihavelong had aparticular kindness for, and taken all occasionsto mention. Yet Iwould not thus far have gratied either

my friends request, or my own inclination, if Ihad notthought that, by the blessing of God, it might be of someservice to the common interest of Christs kingdom, andthe common salvation of precious souls.

Matthew Henry31 May 1714



15/24

19

INTRODUCTION

Her ways are ways of pleasantness,and all her paths are peace (Prov. 3:17).

True religion and godliness is often in scripture, and par-ticularly in this book of the Proverbs, represented, andso recommended to us, under the name and character of

wisdom (Prov. 1:2, 7, 20; 2:2, 10; 3: 13; Ps. 111:10), becauseit is the highest improvement of the human nature, andthe best and surest guide of human life. It was one of therst and most ancient discoveries of Gods mind to thechildren of men, to the inquisitive part of them, that arein search for wisdom, and would have it at any rate; then,when God made aweight for the winds, and adecree forthe rain when he brought all the other creatures under theestablished rule and law of their creation, according to theirrespective capacities then he declared this to man, area-

sonable creature, as the law of his creation ( Job

28:25-28)Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to departfrom evil, the evil of sin, is understanding.e great men of the world, that engross its wealth and

honours, are pretenders to wisdom, and think none do so



16/24

20


well for themselves as they do; but though their neighboursapplaud them, and their posterity, that reap the fruit of theirworldly wisdom, approve their sayings yet this their wayis their folly (Ps. 49:13, 18); and so it will appear, whenGod himself shall call those fools, who said to their souls,take your ease, in barns full of corn, and bags full of money(Luke 12:20; Jer. 17:11).e learned men of the world were wellwishers to

wisdom, and modestly called themselves lovers of wisdom;and many wise principles we have from them, and wiseprecepts; and yet their philosophy failed them in thatwhich mans great duty and interest lies, viz, acquaintinghimself with his Maker, and keeping up communion withhim: herein they that professed themselves to be wisebecame fools (Rom.1:22), and the world by wisdom knewnot God (1Cor. 1:21). But true Christians are, withoutdoubt, the truly wise men, to whom Christ is made of God

wisdom (1Cor. 1:30) in whom are hid, not from them,but for them, all the treasurers of wisdom and knowledge(Col.2:3).ey understand themselves best, and on whichside their interest lies, that give up themselves to theconduct of Christ, and his word and Spirit; that consult hisoracles, and govern themselves by them, which are indeedthe truest oracles of reason (Prov. 9:10). Men never begin tobe wise, till they begin to be religious; and they then leaveoto be wise, when they leave oto do good (Ps. 36:3).

Now, to recommend to us the study and practice of this

true wisdom, to bring us into awilling subjection to herauthority, and keep us to aconscientious observance of herdictates, the great God is here by Solomon reasoning withus, from those topics which, in other cases, use to be cogentand commanding enough. It is wonderful condescension,



17/24

21

Introduction

that he who has an indisputable authority over us, thusvouchsafes to reason with us; to draw with the cords ofaman, and the bands of love (Hosea 11:4), when he mightmake use only of the cords of aGod, and the bands ofthe law (Ps. 2:3); to invite us to that by precious promises,which he enjoins upon us by his precepts, and those notgrievous (1 John 5:3).

Interest is the great governess of the world; which, whenmen are once convinced of, they will be swayed by morethan by any thing else. Every one is for what he can get,and therefore applies himself to that which he thinks hecan get by.e common inquiry is, who will show us anygood? We would all be happy, we would all be easy. Nowit is here demonstrated by eternal truth itself, that it is ourinterest to be religious; and therefore religion deserves tobe called wisdom, because it teaches us to do well for our-selves: and it is certain, that the way to be happy, that is,

perfectly holy, hereafter, is to be holy, that is, truly happy,now. It is laid down for aprinciple here, Happy is the manthat ndeth wisdom (Prov. 3:13) that nds the principlesand habits of it planted in his own soul by divine grace;that having diligently sought, has at length found that pearlof great price: and the man that getteth understanding,reckons himself therein atrue gainer.e man that drawsout understanding, so the original word signies; thatproduceth it, and brings it forth, Qui profert intelligentiam;and so the Chaldee reads it. Happy is the man, that having

agood principle in him, makes use of it, both for his ownand others benet; that having laid up, lays out.It is necessary to our being happy, that we have right

notions of happiness; the nature of it, wherein it consists,what are the ingredients of it, and what the ways that lead



18/24

22


to it: for many keep themselves miserable by thinkingthemselves happy, when really they are not; and we havereason to suspect their mistake concerning themselves,because they mistake so grossly concerning others: theycall the proud happy (Mal. 3:15), they bless the covetous,whom the Lord abhors (Ps. 10:4). It concerns us thereforeto consider, whence we take our measures of happiness, andwhat rules we go by in judging of it; that we may not covetour lot with those, with whom we should dread to have ourlot; that we may not say as the Psalmist was tempted to say,when he looked upon the outward prosperity of worldlypeople, happy is the people that is in such acase; but ashe was determined to say, when he looked upon the truefelicity of godly people, Happy, thrice happy, for ever happy,is that people whose God is the Lord (Ps. 144:15). And asGod here saith, whose judgment, we are sure, is accordingto truth, happy is the man that nds wisdom.

e happiness of those that are religious, is here proved,1. From the true prot that is to be got by religion. God-

liness is protable to all things (1 Tim. 4:8), it is of universaladvantage.ough we may be losers for our religion, yet weshall not only be losers by it, but we shall be unspeakablegainers in the end.ey that trade with wisdoms talents,will nd the merchandise of it better than the merchandiseof silver, and the gain thereof than ne gold, and that it ismore precious than rubies. As long since as Jobs time itwas agreed, that the advantages of religion were such, that

as they could not be purchased, so they could not be valuedwith the gold of Ophir, the precious onyx, or the sapphire;the topaz of Ethiopia could not equal them ( Job 28:16,19).Length of days is in Wisdoms right hand, even life forevermore; length of days, and no shortening of them; and



19/24

23

Introduction

in her left hand riches and honour (Prov. 3:16), yea, theunsearchable riches of Christ , and the honour that comesfrom God, which are true riches, and true honours, becausedurable, because eternal, and for ever out of the danger ofpoverty and disgrace.

In all labour there is prot, more or less, of one kind orother, but no prot like that in the labour of religion: theywho make abusiness of it, willnd great advantage by it; itspresent incomes are valuable, and acomfortable honourablemaintenance for asoul, but its future recompenses innitelymore so, above what we are able either to speak or think.

2. From the transcendent pleasure that is to be found init. Here is prot and pleasure combined, which completesthe happiness. Omne tulit punctum, qui miscuit utile dulci.ose that pursue the gains of the world in wealth andriches, must be willing to deny themselves in their pleasures;and they that will indulge themselves in their pleasures,

must be content not to get money, but to spend it. As theythat are covetous know they must not be voluptuous, sothey that are voluptuous leave no room to be covetous;but it is not so in the prots and pleasures of religion: hereaman may both get and save the spiritual riches of divinegrace, and yet at the same time bathe in afull stream ofdivine consolations, and be, nevertheless, aholy epicurein spiritual delights, in his laying up treasure in heaven.e soul may even then dwell at ease, when it is labouringmost diligently for the meat that endures to external life.

is is that which the text speaks of; and both the protand pleasure of religion are put together in the next wordsshe is atree of life (v. 18) both enriching and delightingto them that lay hold upon her: what gain or comfort likethat of life?



20/24

24


First, We are here assured, that her ways are ways ofpleasantness; not only pleasant ways, but in the abstract,ways of pleasantness, as if pleasantness were conned tothose ways, and not to be found any where else: and thepleasantness ariseth not from any foreign circumstance,but from the innate goodness of the ways themselves. Orit denotes the exceeding superlative pleasantness of reli-gion; it is as pleasant as pleasantness itself; ey are waysof pleasantness; it is the word from which Naomi had hername in the day of her prosperity, which afterwards shedisclaimed (Ruth 1:20). Call me not Naomi, pleasant;but Marah, bitter.ink that you hear Wisdom saying,on the contrary, Call me not Marah, bitter, as some havemiscalled me, but call me Naomi, pleasant.e vulgarLatin reads it Viae pulchrae; her ways are beautiful ways,ways of sweetness, so the Chaldee. Wisdoms ways are so;that is, the ways which she has directed us to walk in, the

ways of her commandments, those are such, as if we keepclose to, and go on in, we shall certainlynd true pleasureand satisfaction. Wisdom saith, is is the way, walk in it ;and you shall not onlynd life at the end, but pleasure inthe way.at which is the only right way to happiness, wemust resolve to travel, and to proceed and persevere in it,whether it be fair or foul, pleasant or unpleasant: but it isagreat encouragement to atraveller, to know that his wayis not only the right way, but apleasant way: and such theway to heaven is.

God has told us by Solomon, chapter 2:3, 4, that we mustcry after knowledge, and lift up our voice for understand-ing; that we must seek it, and search for it, must spare nocost or pains to get it: he had told us, that this wisdom wouldrestrain us, both from the way of the evil man, and of the



21/24

25

Introduction

strange woman (ch. 2:12, 16) that it would keep us from allthe forbidden pleasures of sense. Now, lest these restraintsfrom pleasure, and constraints to piety and labour, shoulddiscourage any from the ways of religion, he here assuresus, not only that our pains will be abundantly recompensedwith the prots of religion, but the pleasures we forego willbe abundantly balanced by the pleasures we shall enjoy.

Secondly, it is added, that all her paths are peace. Peaceis sometimes put for all good; here some take it for thegood of safety and protection. Many ways are pleasant, theyare clean, and look smooth, but they are dangerous, eithernot sound at bottom, or beset with thieves: but the waysof wisdom have in them aholy security, as well as aholyserenity; and they that walk in them, have God himself fortheir shield as well as their sun, and are not only joyful inthe hope of good, but are, or may be, quiet also from thefear of evil.

But we may take it for the good of pleasure and delight,and so it speaks the same with the former part of the verse:as there is pleasantness in wisdoms ways, so there is peacein all her paths.

1.ere is not only peace in the end of religion, butpeace in the way.ere is not only peace provided as abed,for good men to lie down in at night, when their work isdone, and their warfare is accomplished; they shall thenenter into peace, rest in their beds (Isa. 57:2). Mark theperfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that

man is peace. (Ps. 37:37) It is everlasting peace; but thereis also peace provided as ashade, for good men to workin all day, that they may not only do their work, but do itwith delight; for even the work of righteousness, as well asits reward, shall be peace (Isa. 32:17) and the immediate



22/24

26


eect of righteousness, as well as its issue at last, quietnessand assurance for ever.

It is possible, that war may be the way to peace; Sicquaerimus pacem, thus we pursue peace, is the best motto tobe engraven on weapons of war; but it is the glory of thosewho are truly religious, that they not only seek peace, butenjoy it: the peace of God rules their hearts, and by thatmeans keeps them: and even while they are travellers, theyhave peace, though they are not yet at home.

It is the misery of the carnal, irreligious world, that theway of peace they have not known (Rom. 3:17) for theyare like the troubled sea; there is no peace, saith my God,to the wicked (Isa. 57:20, 21). How can peace be spokento them that are not the sons of peace (Luke 10:4, 5) tothem that have not grace for the word of peace to fastenupon?ey may cry peace to themselves, but there is notrue peace either in their way, or in their end: to such Isay,

as in 2 Kings 9:18, What hast thou to do with peace? turnthee behind me; but in Gods name Ispeak peace to all thatare in covenant with the God of peace, to all the faithfulsubjects of the prince of peace: they have experimentallyknown the way of peace; and to them Isay, Go on, andprosper: go on in peace, for the God of love and peace is,and will be with you.

2.ere is not only this peace in the way of religion ingeneral, but in the particular paths of that way: view it inthe several acts and instances of it, in the exercise of every

grace, in the performance of every duty, and you will nd,that what is said of the body of Christianity, is true of everypart of it; it is peace.

The ways of religion are tracked as pathways are(Cant.1:8), we go forth by the footsteps of the ock. It is



23/24

27

Introduction

the good old way, that all have walked in that are gone toheaven before us; and this contributes something to thepeace of it: walk in the old way, and you shall nd rest toyour souls ( Jer. 6:16). We go on in our way with so muchthe more assurance, when we see those going before us, whothrough faith and patience, are now inheriting the promise;let us but keep the path, and we shall not miss our way.e Chaldee reads itItinera ejus pacica; her journeys are

peace.e paths of wisdom are not like walks in agarden,which we make use of for diversion only, and an amusement;but like tracks in agreat road, which we press forward inwith care and pains, as atraveller in his journey,plus ultrastill, till we come to our journeys end. We must remember,that in the ways of religion we are upon our journey, andit is ajourney of business business of life and death; andtherefore we must not trie, or lose time, but must lift upour feet as Jacob did (Gen. 29:1), then Jacob went on his

way (in the margin it is, he lift up his feet) and lift upour hearts as Jehoshaphat did, in the ways of the Lord(2 Chron. 17:6) and not take up short of the end of ourfaith and hope, not take up short of home: and though thejourney is long, and requires all this care and application,yet it is pleasant, it is peace notwithstanding.

In the way of religion and godliness taken generally,there are dierent paths, according to the dierent senti-ments of wise and good men, in the less weighty mattersof the law; but blessed be God, every dierent path is not

aby-path: and if it be not, but keep within the same hedgesof divine truths and laws as to the essentials of religion, itmay be, it shall be away of peace; for both he that eateth,and he that eateth not, giveth God thanks (Rom. 14:6) andhas comfort in it. If we rightly understand the kingdom



24/24

28


of God, the way of wisdom is not meat and drink; and weshall nd it to be, which indeed it is righteousness andpeace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom. 14:17).

3.ere is this peace in all the paths of wisdom, in allthe instances of pure and undeled religion; look into themall, make trial of them all, and you will nd there is none tobe excepted against, none to be quarrelled with; they are alluniform and of apiece: the same golden thread of peace andpleasure runs through the whole web of serious godliness.

We cannot say so of this world, that all its paths arepeace; however some of them may pretend to give the mindalittle satisfaction, its pleasures have their alloys; that whichone thing sweetens, another comes presently and imbit-ters. But as there is auniversal rectitude in the principlesof religion (Ps. 119:128), I have esteemed all thy preceptsconcerning all things to be right ; and Proverbs8:8: All thewords of my mouth are in righteousness, saith Wisdom,

and there is nothing froward or perverse in them; so thereis auniversal peace and pleasure in the practice of religion;all our paths, if such as they should be, will be such as wecould wish.e doctrine, therefore, contained in these words, is:

at true piety hath true pleasure in it . Or thus:e ways of religion are pleasant and peaceful ways.


Pleasantness of a Religious Life: Life as Good as It Can Be by Matthew Henry

Documents

Transcript of Pleasantness of a Religious Life: Life as Good as It Can Be by Matthew Henry