are moft endearing. Are we his Children, and do we not owe him our moft tender Affections, and dutiful Obedience? Are we the Spouse of Chrift, and fhould we not obey and love him? If he be a Father, where is his Honour? and if he be a Mafter, where is his Fear (c)? We call him Mafter, and Lord, and we fay well (d). But if our Industry be not answerable to our Relations, we condemn ourselves in saying, we are his Children, or his Servants. How will the hard Labour, and daily Toil, which Servants undergo to please their Mafters, judge and condemn thofe who will not labour fo hard for their Great Mafter? Surely there is no Mafter like him; nor can any Servants ex-, pect fuch Fruit of their Labours as his Servants.And if we wander out of God's Way, or loiter in it, how is every Creature ready to be his Rod, to reduce us," er put us on! Our sweetest Mercies will become our Sorrows. Rather than want a Rod, the Lord will make us a Scourge to ourselves: Our difeafed Bodies fhall make us groan; our perplexed Minds fhall make us reftlefs; our Confcience fhall be as a Scorpion in our Bofom. And is it not easier to endure the Labour than the Spur? Had we rather be still afflicted, than be up and doing? And though they that do moft, meet alfo with Afflictions; yet furely, according to their Peace of Confcience, and Faithfulness to Chrift, the Bitterness of their Cup is abated. § 12. To quicken our Diligence in our Work, we fhould alfo confider, what Aftances we have, what Principles we profefs, and our Certainty that we can never do too much. For our Affiftance in the Service of God," all the World are our Servants. The Sun, Moon, and Stars, attend us with their Light and Influence. The Earth, with all its Furniture of Plants and Flowers, Fruits, (c) Mal. i. 6. G 4 Fruits, Birds, and Beafts; the Sea, with its Inhabitants; the Air, the Wind, the Froft and Snow, the Heat and Fire, the Clouds and Rain, all wait upon us while we do our Work. Yea, the Angels are all our miniftring Spirits (e). Nay more, the Patience of God doth wait upon us; the Lord Jefus Chrift waiteth, in the Offers of his Blood; the Holy Spirit waiteth, by ftriving with our backward Hearts; befides the Minifters of the Gofpel, who ftudy and wait, preach and wait, pray and wait, upon careless Sinners. And is It not an intolerable Crime for us to trifle, while Angels and Men, yea, the Lord himfelf, itand by, and look on, and, as it were, hold us the Candle while we do nothing? I befeech you, Chriftians, whenever you are praying, or reproving Tranfgreffors, or upon any Duty, remember what Affiftances you have for your Work, and then judge how you ought to perform it.The Princi les te profefs, are, that God is the chief Good; that all our Happiness confifls in his Love, and therefore it fhould be valued and fought above all Things; that he is our only Lord, and therefore chiefly to be ferved; that we must love him with all our Heart, and Soul, and Strength; that our great Bufinefs in the World is to glorify God, and obtain Salvation. Are these Doctrine's feen in our Practice? Or rather do not our Works deny what our Words confefs?— -But however our Affiftances and Principles excite us to our Work, we are fure we can never do too much. Could we do all, we are unprofitable Servants (f); much more when we are fure to fail in all. No Man can obey, or ferve God too much. Though all Superftition, or Service of our own devifing, may be called a being righteous over much; yet as long as we keep to the Rule of the Word, we can never be righteous too much. The World is mad with Malice, when they think, that faithful Diligence in the Service of Chrift is foolish Singularity. The Time is near when they will eafily confefs, that God could not be loved, or ferved too much, and that no Man can be too busy to fave his Soul. We may eafily do too much for the World, but we cannot for God. $13. LET us further confider, that it is the Nature of every Grace to promote Diligence, that trifling in the Way to Heaven is loft Labour, that much precious Time is already mifpent, and that in Proportion to our Labour will be our Recompence. See the Nature and Tendency of every Grace. If you loved God, you would think nothing too much that you could poffibly do to ferve him, and pleafe him ftill more. Love is quick and impatient, active and obfervant. If you loved Chrift, you would keep his Commandments, nor accufe them of too much Strictnefs. If you had Faith, it would quicken and encourage you. If you had the Hope of Glory, it would, as the Spring in the Watch, fet all the Wheels of your Souls a going. If you had the Fear of God, it would rouze you out of your Slothfulnefs. If you had Zeal, it would inflame, and eat you up. In what Degree foever thou art fantified, in the fame Degree thou wilt be ferious and laborious in the Work of God.But they that trifle, life their Labour. Many, who like Agrippa, are but almost Chriftians, will find in the End they fhall be but almost faved. If two be running in a Race, he that runs floweft lofes both Prize and Labour. A Man that is lifting at a Weight, if he put not fufficient Strength to it, had as good put none at all. How many Duties have Chriftians loft, for Want of doing them thoroughly? Many will feek t: enter in, and shall not be able (g), G5 who, (g) Luke xiii. 24. who, if they had firiven, might have been able. Therefore, put to a little more Diligence and Strength, that all you have done already be not in vain. Bifides, is not much precious Time already loft? With fome of us Childhood and Youth are gone; with fome, their middle Age alfo; and the Time before us is very uncertain. What Time have we slept, talked, and played away, or spent in worldly Thoughts and Cares? How little of our Work is done? The Time we have loft cannot be recalled; fhould we not then redeem and improve the little which remains? If a Traveller fleep, or trifle most of the Day, he muft travel fo much fafter in the Evening, or fall fhort of his Journey's End. Dubt not but the Reconpence will be according to your Labour. The Seed which is buried and dead, will bring forth a plentiful Harveft. Whatever you do, or fuffer, everlasting Reft will pay for all. There is no repenting of Labours or Sufferings in Heaven. There not one fays, "Would I had fpared my Pains, and prayed lefs, or "been lefs ftrict, and done as the reft of my Neigh"bours did." On the contrary, it will be their Joy to look back upon their Labours and Tribulations, and to confider how the mighty Power of God brought them through all. We may all fay, as Paul, 1 reckon, that the Sufferings, and Labours, of this prefent Time, are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which fall be revealed in us (h). We labour but for a Moment, but we fhall reft for ever. Who would not put forth all his Strength for one Hour, when for that Hour's Work he may be a Prince while he lives? God is not unrighteous, to forget our Work and Labour of Love (i). Will not all our Tears be wiped away, and all the Sorrow of our Duties be then forgotten? (h) Rom. vii. 18. (i) Heb. vi. 1o. $14. § 14. NOR does it lefs deferve to be confidered, that friving is the divinely appointed Way of Salvation, that all Men either do or will approve it, that the beft Chriflians at Death lament their Negligence, and that Heaven itself is often loft for want of ftriving, but is never had on cafier Terms.The fovereign Wisdom of God has made friving necessary to Salvation. Who knows the Way to Heaven better than the God of Heaven? When Men tell us we are too ftrict, whom do they accufe, God, or us? If it were a Fault, it would lie in him that commands, and not in us who obey: Thefe are the Men that afk us, whether we are wifer than all the World befides? and yet they will pretend to be wiser than God. How can they reconcile their Language with the Laws of God? The Kingdom of Heaven fuffereth Violence, and the Violent take it by Force (k). Strive to enter in at the firait Gate; for many will feek to enter in, and fshall not be able (1). Whatfoever thy Hand findeth to do, do it with thy Might; for there is no Work, nor Device, nor Knowledge, nor Wisdom in the Grave whither thou goefl (m). Work cut your own Salvation with Fear and Trembling (n). Give Diligence to make your Calling and Election fure (o). If the Rigte us fcarcely be faved, where fhall the Ungodly and the Sinner appear (p)? Let them bring all the feeming Reafons they can, against the holy Violence of the Saints; this fufficeth me to confute them all, that God is of another Mind, and He hath commanded me to do much more than I do; and tho' I could fee no other Reason for it, his Will is Reafon enough. Who fhould make Laws for us, but He that made us r And who fhould point out the Way to Heaven, buc He that must bring us thither? And who fhould fix the Terms of Salvation, but He that beltows the Gift of (k) Matt. xi. 12. (n) Phil, i. 12. G6 |