CCXII. ted to all the circumstances of meanness, to all the de-SERM. grees of contempt, to all kind of hardship and fufferings, for the benefit and falvation of men, sweat drops of blood, and at last poured it all forth in full ftreams, to fave us from eternal misery and ruin; and is any of us better than "the Son of GOD, the heir of all "things, and the elder brother of us all?" Shall any of us, after this, think ourselves too good to be em-ploy'd in that work which God himself disdained not to do, when he appeared in the likeness and nature of man? 4 If we would efteem things rightly, and according to reason, the true privilege and advantage of greatness is, to be able to do more good than others; and in this the majesty and felicity of God himself doth chiefly confift, in his ready and forward inclination, and in his infinite power and ability to do good. The creation of the world was a great and glorious design; but this God only calls his work; but to preserve and fupport the creatures which he hath made, to bless them and do them good, to govern them by wise laws, and to conduct them to that happiness which he defigned for them, this is his reft, his perpetual fabbath, his great delight and fatisfaction to all eternity: to do good is our duty and our business, but it is likewife the greatest pleafure and recreation, that which refresheth the heart of GOD and man. I have infifted the longer upon this, that those who are thought to be above any calling, and to have no obligation upon them, but to please themselves, may be made sensible, that according to their ability and opportunity, they have a great work upon their hands, and more business to do than other men: which if they would but ferioufly mind, they would not only please God, but, I dare say, fatisfy and please themselves much better than they do in any other course. I know E 2 SERM. know it is a duty particularly incumbent upon the CCXII. lower part of mankind, to be diligent in their parti cular calling, that so they may provide for themselves and their families; but this is not so proper for this place, and if it were, the necessity of human life will probably prompt and urge men more powerfully to this, than any argument and perfuafion that I can ufe. I proceed therefore, in the Second place, to offer some considerations to excite our care and diligence in this great work, which GOD hath given us to do in this world, I mean chiefly the business of religion, in order to the eternal happiness and falvation of our souls. And to this purpose I shall offer five or fix arguments, reserving the great motive and confideration in the text to the last, "Because " there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor " wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest." I. Let us consider the nature of our work, which is such, as may both excite and encourage our diligence and care about it. It is indeed a service, but such as is our " perfect freedom;" it is the service of GOD, whom to serve is the greatest honour that man or any other creature is capable of; it is obedience, but even obedience, confidering our ignorance and frailty, is much wiser and fafer for us, than a total exemption from all law and rule; for the laws which God hath given us, are not imposed upon us merely for his will and pleasure, but chiefly for our benefit and advantage. So that to obey and please GOD, is in truth nothing else but to do those things which are really best for ourselves. Besides that this work of religion will abundantly recompense all the labour and pains it can cost, if we consider the fruit and end of it, which is the "falva" tion of our fouls;" so St. Paul assures us, Rom. vi. 22. that if we have " our fruit unto holiness, our end SERM. " shall be everlasting life." Nay, this work doth not want it's present encouragement and reward, if we confider the peace and pleasure which attends it; "Great peace," faith David, " have they which love "thy law, and nothing shall offend them." Religion doth not design to rob men of the true delights of life, of any lawful pleasure and enjoyment, it only appoints them their due place, and season, and meafure, without which they cannot be truly tastful and pleafant: If we make pleasure and recreation our business, it will become a burden, and leave a sting behind it, but if we make it our great business to be good, and to do good, we shall then take true pleafure in our recreations and refreshments, we shall " eat our bread with joy, and drink our wine with a " merry heart," as Solomon expresseth it, a little before the text. Religion doth not ordinarily debar men of any contentment, which they can wifely and safely take, in any of the enjoyments of this life, but directs us to do those things which will yield the truest and most refined pleasure, and so governs us in the use and enjoyment of worldly comforts, that there shall be no bitterness in them, or after them; and in truth, after all our search and enquiry after pleasure and happiness, we shall find that there is no solid and lasting pleasure, but in living righteously and religiously; and the pleasure of this is so great, that a heathen philosopher, speaking of a virtuous life according to the true precepts of philosophy, breaks out into this rapture and transport concerning the wonderful pleasure of it, Vel unus dies vere & ex præceptis tuis attus peccandi immortalitati est anteferendus, "even one " day truly spent according to thy precepts, is to be " valued above an immortality of finning" There SER M. is no life so pleasant as that of the pious and good man, CCXII. who being contented with himself, every thing about him contributes to his chearfulness, Gratior it dies, & foles melius nitent, "the day passeth more plea"fantly, and the fun shines brighter to him;" and every object which he beholds is more delightful, because the man is at peace and ease within himself. II. Let us confider how great our work is, and then we shall eafily be convinced what care it requires, what diligence it calls for from us. Very few persons, I doubt, are fufficiently sensible, how much thought and confideration, how much care and vigilancy, how firm a refolution and earnest contention of mind is neceffary to the business of religion, to the due cultivating and improving of our minds, to the mortifying and fubduing of our lufts, to the mastering and governing of our paffions, to the reforming of our tempers, to the correcting of all the irregularities of our appetites and affections, and to the reducing of our crooked wills, which have been long obstinately bent the wrong way, to the streightness of that rule which God hath given us to walk by. Few, I fear, confider how much pains is neceffary to the storing of our minds with good principles, and to the fixing and riveting in our fouls all the proper motives and confiderations to engage us to virtue, that in all the occafions of our lives they may have their due force and influence upon us. Few of us take pains to understand the just bounds and limits of our duty, and fo to attend thereto, as to be always upon our guard against the infinite temptations of human life, and the many malicious enemies of our fouls, that we may not be circumvented by the wiles of the devil, nor caught in those snares which he lays before us in our ways, that we may not be wrought upon by the infinuations infinuations, nor over-reached by the deceitfulness ofs ER M.. fin. How few consider what care and watchfulness of ourselves, what conftancy and fervency of prayer to God is necessary to the due difcharge of every part of our duty; or to the right exercise of every grace and virtue! besides an earnest imploring of the divine assistance, there is required likewife a particular care and application of mind, that we may fail in no point; and that, as St. James expresseth it, " we may be en"tire, wanting nothing;" that our faith and our hope, our devotion and our charity, our humility and our patience, and every other grace may be exercised in the best manner, and "have it's proper work." III. Confider, what incredible pains men will take, what diligence they will use for bad purposes, and for ends infinitely less confiderable, ut jugulent homines, furgunt de nocte latrones, ut teipsum serves, non expergifcere, " thieves will rise and travel by night to rob " and kill, and shall we use no care, no vigilance to " save ourselves?" What drudges and flaves are many men to their sensual pleasures and lufts? How hot and fierce upon revenge? And what hazards will they run to fatisfy this unreasonable and devilish paffion; and thereby to make way for a speedy and bitter repentance, which always treads upon the heels of revenge? For no sooner hath any man executed his rage upon another, but his confcience presently turns it upon himself. How industrious do we fee men at their recreations and sports, taking really more pains for the fake of pleasure, than the poor man does that works for his living? What a violent thrift, and infatiable covetousness poffefseth fome men after learning and knowledge? CCXII. |