The Godly Man's Picture

GODLINESS IS AN INTRINSIC THING. It lies chiefly in the heart: "circumcision is that of the heart" (Romans 2:29). The dew lies on the leaf, the sap is hidden in the root. The moralist's religion is all in the leaf; it consists only in externals-but godliness is a holy sap which is rooted in the soul: "Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place" (Psalm 51:6). GODLINESS IS A SUPERNATURAL THING. By nature we inherit nothing but evil. "When we were in the flesh, the motions of sins did work in our members" (Romans 7:5). We sucked in sin as naturally as our mother's milk; but godliness is the "wisdom from above" (Jas. 3:17). It is breathed in from heaven. God must light up the lamp of grace in the heart. Weeds grow by themselves; flowers are planted. Godliness is a celestial plant which comes from the New Jerusalem. Therefore it is called a "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22). A man has no more power to make himself godly, than to create himself.