that is made to warme a man, if it doe burne the houfe,we put it out,a veffell made to keepe wine or beere, if it doe corrupt it, wee lay it aside, and put the liquor into one more wholefome:fo doth God appoint every man his feverall end, and ther fore gives them feverall gifts, and feverall cal lings: himfelfe, indeed, is the generall end but befides the generall,he appoints to every calling a particular end, as to a Minifter he faith, Goe, and feed my theep,if he goes and feeds himselfe, and not the people; if he feed them with ftubble and not with hay, hee doth not attaine his end: and fo may I fay of every thing elfe; ofa Schol ler, a Magiftrate, a Husband; they have feverall places, and divers gifts given them, and all for their feverall end, which if they aime not at, but worke for themfelves, they are worthy to be deftroyed: as a man,if he hath an inftrument that is crooked,and unfit for ufe, then be cafts it away and taketh another; but if it be fit, he will lay it up for ufe, and will fay, let it not be loft: fo doth the Lordwith men, if they be pliable to him, if they will worke for the end that he hath appoin ted them,then he faves and preferves them; but if they will doe things for their own end, it is the next way to deftruction.

For obferve this; every man that doth any thing for his owne end, arrogates that to him-ta felfe which is the LORDS; which is an high kinde of idolatry; and therefore worthy to bee well confidered of all fuch as labour that they may be rich, that they might have outward exL2

cellency,

Objett. Answ. Signes whereby a man may know whether

lencie,and to be fomething in the flesh,fuch as labour only for outward honour, for places of imployment and credit in all things: Confider it, I fay,fuch as be negligent Schollers,and ufe to fay Ifhal make a fhift to live:haft thou nootherend? art thou not made art thou not a creature is it enough for thee to live,and no more? such also as have their eftates provided for them,who care not ought for learning, faying, they can live without it; but art thou not made? and is not this thine end to ferve God and men? So he that shall choose a calling or courfe of life according to his owne fancy,not that which fhall be ferviceable to men, but that which pleafeth himfelf,let him ask himfelfe this queftion; Am I not made? AmInota creature have I no other end,but my felfer shall no more be required of me but this? have I not chofen this courfe of life, and have I not an end appointed to me? which is to be ferviceable to God,and to profit men:But if a man fhall bethink himfelfe onely what is the best way to live and provide for himfelf,which way to get profit and wealth; these are idolatrous and finful thoughts. God may doe all things for himfelfe; because he hath nothing above himfelfe,but if thou doft so, thou provokeft him to wrath exceedingly.

But you will fay,I doe all for this end, to ferve God and men.

Thou that doft pretend to doe all things to be he maketh Gud ferviceable to God and men, and not to thy felfe, thou shalt know it by this:

or himfelfe his end.

* If thou putteft thy felfe to things that are

above thee, it is a figne that thou dost it not for Himselfe, to his fake, that hath appointed thee, but for thine things to

owne.

high.

low.

2

mans felfe

2 If thou art fit for a higher place, if thou refteft in things that are beneath thee for thy grea- Refting in ter profit, thou feekft thy felfe, and not the Lord, things too 3 If thou doeft refift the providence of God, 3 that when thou haft a calling,& art put in it, and In putting a thou putteft thy felfout again for thy advantage, from Gods imthen thine end is thine owne felfe. Paulwent to ployment for Macedonia, though he had found but bad enter- his owne ad tainment there, yet he went, because he was fent.vantage. So John went to Pathmes,though the people were but few and barbarous, yet hee obeyed God, and went. So Eliah did, when he was fent to Ahab, and to prophefie to the Ifraelites, among whom, for ought hee knew, there was not one Soule that did not bow his knee to Baal. Ezekiel and Ifaiah, when they went to harden the people to deftruction, went willingly, becaufe the LORD fent them in all thefe, their willingneffe was an argument that they did it not for themfelves. A fervant is not to doe his owne worke, he doth it as his Mafter will have him to doe it; if he doth the things that his Mafter bids him, and faith, I am his fervant; and if he bid me goe, I will goe, or if he bid me come, I will come; if he bid me to keepe within doore, and to doe the meaneft workes, I will doe them; this is an argument that he doth not feek himfelfe. Here we fee when a man is thus dependant upon God,and takes imployment,neither above him,nor below him,nor

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refifts

AT.

In minding too much his

owne imploy ment, neglect.

ing Geds fervice.

48.6.4+

5

In grieving moft for the lofle of at thatge

refifts his providence,but is willing to be guided by him, it is a figne that he feekes the Lord, and not himselfe.

4 Befides, let a man confider what he doth in these services that immediatly concerns the Lord himfelfe. If a man shall study much, and pray little; if a man shall spend all his time in his calling about worldly bufines,and little time for duties to build up himfelfe in knowledge, as in prayer and reading, &c. it is a figne that he doth it not for the Lord, but for himfelfe; for he that feekes not the Lord,in that which is done to his worthip he doth it not in that which is done in outward workes, he that will not be faithfull in the greater, and that which God doth immediately.com mand in his worship,he will never be faithfull in those things which are further off, that are of leffe confequence: 48.6.4. It was an argument they gave themselves in integrity to the ministry of the Word, because they gave themselves to prayer as well as to it; they did,as it were,divide the time between both; if we were to preach only,fay the Apoftles,we could then wait upon Tables, but one half of our time is to be taken up in prayer, the other in preaching: and if you thus divide the time, it is a fign you look to the Lord. 5 Furthermore,confider what it is that troubles thee? what a man aimes at,if he lose his end,that grieves him, when his worke is done; If this be thy trouble that thou haft loft fome credit, or profit, then thine end is thy felfe; but if this be thy griefe, that thou haft not done it in fuch a

man

manner, that others may receive profit and advantage by it, it is a figne that thou didst it not for thy felfe, but for Gods glory.

6 Moreover, if a man confiders what it is that doth make things pleasant, and gives amability to that which is harth in it felfe. Labor in it felfe is fweet to no man,unleffe there be fomething in it that fweetens it; now confider what that is, if the eye be upon thy wealth that comes by it; if thou ftudiest hard, and if thou preacheft much, and it is for the praife of men, thou feekeft thy felfe, and thy reward is in it; but if thou looket up to the Lord, if thou doeft it because he fees it, and knowes it,and that he may fay, I know thywork and thy labour, it is a figne that thy end in it was the Lord, and not thy felfe.

7 Againe, from whence doeft thou looke for wages? from God or from men? Whence come thofe complaints of the unthankfulnes of friends and pupils, and thofe wee doe good to? but becaufe we looke to men, and not to God. For ifwe did looke to God for our reward, their thankfulneffe or unthankfulneffe would be of small moment to us: for doth the Narfe nurfe the child for it owne fake only doth the looke for reward from the child,or from the mother that putteth it to nurse if you look for your reward from men; they are your end;but if you look for it from the Lord, their encouragements or discouragements will not much move you.

8 Laftly, confider whereon thy minde refteth, for that which a man makes his end, therein his

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minde

8 that which In refting in concernes

himfelfe.