SERM. take off our minds a little, not wholly to take them LII. up; not to exhaust or tire our spirits, but to refresh and cheer them, that they may become more fit for grave and serious occupations! Jer. ii. 18. How painful will others be in hewing them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that will hold no water; that is, in immoderate pursuit of worldly designs? How studiously will they plod, how restlessly will they trudge, what carking and drudgery will they endure in driving on projects of ambition and avarice! What will not they gladly do or suffer to get a little preferment, or a little profit! It was a common practice of old, and sure the world is not greatly mended since the Psalmist did thus rePsal.xxxix. flect, Surely every man walketh in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them. 6. How many vigilant and stout pursuers are there of sensuality and riotous excess; such as those of Isa. v. 11. whom the prophet speaketh, Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! How busy (O shame, O misery! how fiercely busy) are some in accomplishing designs of malice and revenge! How intent are some to overreach, to circumvent, to supplant their neighbour! How sore pains will some take to seduce, corrupt, or debauch others! How active will some be in sowing strifes, in raising factions, in fomenting disorders in the world! How many industrious slaves hath the Devil, င် 8 Εννοήσωμέν τινα ὁ διάβολος ἐπέταξε, πῶς ἐπίπονα, πῶς ἐμίμοχθα, &c. Chrys. ̓Ανδρ. 16. LII. vi. 18. who will spare no pains about any kind of work SERM. which he putteth them to! How many like those of whom the Wise Man saith, Their feet run to evil, Prov. i. 16. and are swift in running to mischief: they sleep iv. 16. not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall! Now with all these labourers we may well expostulate in the words of the prophet; Wherefore Isa. Iv. 2. do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Such labours are unworthy of men, much less do they beseem Christians. It becometh us not as rational creatures to employ the excellent gifts of our nature, and noble faculties of our high-born soul, the forces of our mind, the advantages of our fortune, our precious time, our very care and labour, vainly or unprofitably upon any thing base or mean: being that our reason is capable of achieving great and worthy things, we much debase it by stooping to regard toys, we do extremely abuse it by working mischief. Much more doth it misbecome us as Christians (that is, persons devoted to so high a calling, who have so worthy employments assigned to us, so glo- Eph. i. 18. rious hopes, so rich encouragements proposed to us for our work) to spend our thoughts and endeavours on things impertinent to our great design, or mainly thwarting it. The proper matter and object of our industry (those false ones being excluded) is true business; or that which is incumbent on a man to do, either in way of duty, being required by God, or by dictate of reason, as conducing to some good purpose; so SERM. that in effect it will turn to account, and finally in 10. LII. advantageous return will pay him for his labour of mind or body; that which the Wise Man did intend, Eccles. ix. when he advised, Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might; whatever thy hand findeth, that is, whatever by divine appointment, (by the command or providence of God,) or which, upon rational deliberation, doth occur as matter of our action; comprising every good purpose and reasonable undertaking incident to us. But our business, according to the holy apostle's intent, may be supposed especially to be the work of our calling; to which each man hath a peculiar obligation; and which therefore is most properly his business, or σov, emphatically, the business allotted to him. Now this business, our calling, is double; our general calling, which is common to us all as Christians, and our particular calling, which peculiarly belongeth to us, as placed in a certain station, either in the church or state. In both which vocations that we are much obliged and concerned to be industrious, shall be now my business to declare. I. As to our general calling, (that sublime, that heavenly, that holy vocation ",) in which by divine grace, according to the evangelical dispensation, we are engaged, that necessarily requireth and most highly deserveth from us a great measure of industry; the nature and design of it requireth, the fruit and result of it deserveth our utmost diligence; all sloth is inconsistent with discharging the duties, * Ἡ ἄνω κλῆσις. Phil. iii. 14. Κλῆσις ἐπουράνιος. Heb. iii. 1. Αγία Kaño. 2 Tim. i. 9. (Eph. i. 18. 2 Thess. i. 11.) κλῆσις. with enjoying the hopes, with obtaining the benefits SERM. thereof. For It is a state of continual work, and is expressed LII. I Tim. vi. 18. in terms importing abundant, incessant, intense care and pain; for to be indeed Christians, we must Phil. ii. 12. work out our salvation with fear and trembling; we must by patient continuance in well doing seek Rom. ii. 7. for glory, and honour, and immortality. We must walk worthy of the Lord, to all wellpleasing, be- Col. i. 10. ing fruitful in every good work. We must be rich in good works, and filled with the fruits of (John xv. righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ to the 5 praise and glory of God. We are God's work- Eph. ii. 10. manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Phil. i. 11. Jam.iii.17.) 9. We have a soul to save, and are appointed eis Thess. v. weρimoinσw owτnpías, to make an acquist of salvation. περιποίησιν We have a mind to improve with virtue and wisdom, qualifying us for entrance into heaven, for enjoyment of God's favour, for conversation with angels. 9. vi. 22. As Christians we are assumed to be servants of Thess. i. God, and readmitted into his family, from which for Rom. vii. 6. our disloyalty we had been discarded; so that as he Eph. ii. 19. was our natural Lord, so he is now such also by special grace; who did make us, who doth maintain us, under whose protection and at whose disposal we subsist; whence we are obliged to be faithfully diligent in his service: we must constantly wait upon him in devotional addresses; we must carefully study to know his pleasure; we must endea- Eph. v. 10. vour exactly to perform his will, and obey his commands; we must strive to advance his glory, to Rom. xii. 2. Luke xi. 28. Matt. xxv. 27. LII. SERM. promote his interest, to improve all talents and advantages committed to us for those purposes; we 1 Cor. xv. must, as St. Paul expresseth it, always abound in the work of the Lord. 58. Col. iii. 24. Eph. vi. 7. Tit. ii. 14. We must also look upon ourselves as servants of 1 Cor. vii. Christ our Redeemer; who by his blood hath pur23. vi. 20: chased us to himself, that we might be zealous of good works; performing a service to him, which consisteth in a faithful discharge of manifold duties, and in pursuance of all virtue; with most intent application of mind, with expedite promptitude, with 2 Pet. i. 5. accurate circumspection; giving all diligence, as cav ragu- St. Peter speaketh, in adding one virtue to another; Tit. iii. 1. being ready, as St. Paul saith, to every good work; and seeing that we walk circumspectly, or behave ourselves exactly according to the rules of duty in all our conversation. Σπουδὴν παρ σαν παρεισε νέγκαντες. Eph. v. 15 Βλέπετε πῶς Col. iv. 2. Rom. xii. 12. This service requireth of us assiduous attendance on works of piety and devotion; that we do in1 Thess. v. cessantly watch to prayer, that we always give thanks, that we continually do offer up the sacrifice of praise to God. 17. Luke xviii. 1. I Thess. v. 18. Eph. v. 20. Heb. xiii. It demandeth from us a continual labour of chaCol. iii. 17. rity; that we serve one another in love; that we should, as we have opportunity, work good to all Thess.i.3. men, that we should always pursue good toward ἀγάπης. one another, and toward all men. 15. Κόπος τῆς Gal. v. 13. Gal. vi. 10. Εργαζώμε θα. It obligeth us with all our powers to pursue Egyalus peace with all men, (which, considering our natural Thess. v. peevishness, pride, and perverseness, is often no easy task,) and that we do ovdάe, studiously endeaEi duvaróv. vour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of |