A GODLY MAN STRIVES TO BE AN INSTRUMENT FOR MAKING OTHERS GODLY

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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. Spiders work only for themselves—but bees  work for others. 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" (Philem. 10). Though God is the  fountain of grace—yet the saints are the pipes which transmit the living streams to others.

This great effort for the conversion of souls proceeds:

From the nature of godliness

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. Paul would gladly have converted Agrippa—how he courted him with rhetoric! "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do" (Acts 26:27). His zeal and eloquence had almost captivated the king (v. 28). Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"

From a spirit of compassion

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 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 Cor. 5:11).

From a holy zeal he has for Christ's glory

The glory of Christ is as dear to him as his own salvation. Therefore, that this may be promoted--he strives with the greatest effort to bring souls to Christ.

It is a glory to Christ, when multitudes are born to him. Every star adds a luster to the sky; every convert is a member added to Christ's body, and a jewel adorning his crown. Though Christ's glory cannot be increased, as he is God—yet as he is Mediator, it may. The more that are saved, the more Christ is exalted. Why else should the angels rejoice at the conversion of a sinner—but because Christ's glory now shines the more? (Luke 15:10)  

Use 1: This excludes those who are  spiritual eunuchs from the number of the godly. They do not strive to promote the salvation of others. "The one through whom no one else is born--is himself born unworthily."

If men loved Christ, they would try to draw as many as they could to him. He who loves his captain will persuade others to come under his banner. This unmasks the hypocrite. Though a hypocrite may make a show of grace himself—yet he never bothers to procure grace in others. He is without compassion. I may allude to the verse: "Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another's flesh" (Zech. 11:9). Let souls go to the devil, he cares not.

How far from being godly are those who instead of striving for grace in others, work to destroy all hopeful beginnings of grace in them! Instead of drawing them to Christ, they draw them from Christ. Their work is to poison and harm souls. This harming of souls occurs in three ways:

(1) By bad edicts. So Jeroboam made Israel sin (1 Kings 16:26). He forced them to idolatry.

(2) By bad examples. Examples speak louder than precepts—but principally the examples of great men are influential. Men placed on high, are like the "pillar of cloud." When that went, Israel went. If great men live sinfully, others will follow them.

(3) By bad company. The breath of sinners is infectious. They are like the dragon which "cast a flood out of his mouth" (Rev. 12:15). They cast a flood of oaths out of their mouths. Wicked tongues are set on fire by hell (Jas. 3:6). The sinner brings match and gunpowder--and the devil brings the fire! The wicked are forever setting snares and temptations before others, as the prophet speaks in another sense: "I set pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them--Drink" (Jer . 35:5). So the wicked set pots of wine before others and make them drink, until reason is stupefied and lust inflamed. These who make men proselytes to the devil--are prodigiously wicked. How sad will be the doom of those who, besides their own sins, have the blood of others to answer for!

If it is the sign of a godly man to promote grace in others--then how much more ought he to promote it in his near relations. A godly man will be careful that his children should know God. He would be very sad if any of his family should burn in hell. He labors to see Christ formed in those who are himself in another edition. Augustine says that his mother Monica travailed with greater care and pain for his spiritual than for his natural birth.

The time of childhood is the fittest time to be sowing  seeds of piety in our children. "Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast" (Isaiah 28:9). The wax, while it is soft and tender, will take any impression. Children, while they are young, will fear a reproof; when they are old, they will hate it.

(1) It is pleasing to God that our children should know him early in life. When you come into a garden, you love to pluck the young bud and smell it. God loves a saint in the bud. Of all the trees which the Lord could have chosen in a prophetic vision (Jer. 1:11), he chose the almond tree, which is one of the first of the trees to blossom. Such an almond tree is an early convert.

(2) By endeavoring to bring up our children in the fear of the Lord, we shall provide for God's glory when we are dead. A godly man should not only honor God while he lives—but do something that may promote God's glory when he is dead. If our children are seasoned with gracious principles, they will stand up in our place when we have gone, and will glorify God in their generation. A good piece of ground bears not only a  fore-crop but an after-crop. He who is godly does not only bear God a good crop of obedience himself while he lives—but by training his child in the principles of piety, he bears God an after-crop when he is dead.  

Use 2: Let all who have God's name placed on them, do what in them lies to advance piety in others. A knife touched with a magnet, will attract the needle. He whose heart is divinely touched with the magnet of God's Spirit, will endeavor to attract those who are near him to Christ. The heathen could say, "We are not born for ourselves only." The more excellent anything is, the more diffusive it is. In the body every member is diffusive: the eye conveys light; the head, spirits; the heart, blood. A Christian must not move altogether within his own circle—but seek the welfare of others. To be diffusively good makes us resemble God, whose sacred influence is universal.

And surely it will be no grief of heart, when conscience can witness for us that we have brought glory to God in this matter by working to fill heaven.

Not that this is in any way meritorious, or has any causal influence on our salvation. Christ's blood is the sole cause—but our promoting God's glory in the conversion of others--is a signal evidence of our salvation. As the rainbow is not a cause why God will not drown the world—but is a sign that he will not drown it; or as Rahab's scarlet thread hung out of the window (Joshua 2:18) was not a cause why she was exempted from destruction—but was a sign of her being exempted; just so, our building up others in the faith is not a cause why we are saved--but it is a symbol of our piety and a presage of our eternal felicity!

And thus I have shown the marks and characteristics of a godly man. If a person thus described is reputed a fanatic, then Abraham and Moses and David and Paul were fanatics, which I think none but atheists will dare to affirm!