timely mended. Samuel would not sit down to the feast with Jesse and his sons, till David, though the youngest son, was fetched, who was the only son that was wanting, 1 Sam. xvi. 11. If thou wouldest have God's company in any ordinance, thou must wait on him in all, he will not have any willingly neglected. O fetch back that duty which thou hast sent away; though least in thy eye, yet it may be it is that God means to crown with his choicest blessing to thy soul.

Secondly, In a close and vigorous pursuance of those ends for which God hath appointed them. Now there is a double end which God chiefly aims at in the duties of his worship. First, God intends that by them we should do our homage to him as our sovereign Lord. Secondly, he intends them to be as means through which he may let out himself into the bosoms of his children, and communicate the choicest of his blessings to them. Now here the power of holiness puts forth itself, when the Christian attends narrowly to reach these ends in every duty he performs.

First, God appoints them for this end, that we may do our homage to him as our sovereign Lord. Were there not a worship paid to God, how should we declare and make it appear that we hold our life and being on him? One of the first things that God taught Adam, and Adam his children, was divine worship. Now if we will do this holily, we must make it our chief care so to perform every duty, that by it we may "sanctify his name" in it, and give him the glory due unto it. A subject may offer a present after such a ridiculous fashion to his prince, that he may count himself rather scorned than honoured by him. The soldiers bowed the knee to Christ, but they mocked him, Matth. xxvii. 29, and so does God reckon many do by him, even while they worship him. By the carriage and behaviour of ourselves in religious duties we speak what our thoughts are of God himself. He that performs them with a holy awe upon his spirit, and comes to them filled with faith and fear, with joy and trembling, he declares plainly that he believes God to be a great God and a good God, a glorious majesty and a gracious; but he that is slighty and slovenly in them, tells God himself

to his face, that he hath mean and low thoughts of him. The misbehaviour of a person in religious duties ariseth from his misapprehensions of God whom he worships. What is engraven on the seal you shall surely see printed on the wax and what thoughts the heart hath of God are stamped on the duties the man performs. Abel shewed himself to be a holy man, and Cain appeared a wicked wretch, in their sacrifice; and how? but in this, that Abel aimed at that end which God intends in his worship, the sanctifying his name, which Cain minded not at all; as may appear by comparing Abel's sacrifice with his, in two particulars.

First, Abel is very choice in the matter of his sacrifice; not any of the flock that comes first to hand, but the firstlings; neither did he offer the lean of them to God, and save the fat for himself, but gives God the best of the best but of Cain's offering, no such care is recorded to be taken by him; it is only said, that "he brought of the fruit of the ground, an offering unto the Lord," Gen. iv. 3, 4. but not a word that it was the first fruit, or best fruit.

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Again, Abel did not put God off with a beast or two for a sacrifice, but with them gives his heart also. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain," Heb. xi. 4. he gave God the inward worship of his soul; and this was it that God took so kindly at his hands, for which he obtained a testimony from God himself that he was righteous; whereas Cain thought it enough, if not too much, to give him a little of the fruit of the ground; had the wretch but considered who God was, and what his end in requiring an offering at his hands, he could not have thought rationally that a handful or two of corn was that which he prized, or looked at any further than to be a sign of that inward and spiritual worship which he expected to come along with the outward ceremony. But he shewed what base and unworthy thoughts he had of God, and accordingly he dealt with him. O Christians, remember when you engage in any duty of religion that you go to do your homage to God, who will be worshipped like himself. "Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male,

and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing; for I am a great king, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen." This made David so curious about the Temple, which he had in his heart to build, "because the palace was not for man, but the Lord God," 1 Chron. xxix. 1. therefore, verse 2. he saith, "he prepared with all his might for the house of his God." Thus should the gracious soul say, when going to any duty of religion, It is not man, but the Lord God, I am going to minister unto, and therefore I must be serious and solemn, holy and humble, &c.

The second end God hath appointed divine ordinances and religious duties for, is to be a means whereby he may let out himself to his people, and communicate the choicest of his blessings into their bosoms. "There (saith the Psalmist, speaking of the mountain of Zion, where the temple stood, the place of God's worship) commanded he the blessing, even life for evermore, Psalm cxxxiii. 3. that is, he hath appointed the blessing of life spiritual, grace and comfort, which at last swell into life eternal, to issue and stream thence. The saints ever drew their water out of these wells. "Their souls shall live that seek the Lord," Psalm 1xix. 32. and their souls must needs die that seek not God here. The husbandman may as well expect a crop where he never ploughed and sowed, and the tradesman to grow rich, who never opens his shop doors to let customers in, as he to thrive in grace or comfort that converseth not with the duties of religion. The great things God doth for his people are got in communion with him. Now here appears the power of holiness, when a soul makes this his business, which he follows close and attends to, in duties of religion, to receive some spiritual advantage from God by them; as a scholar, knowing he is sent to the University to get learning, gives up himself to pursue this, and neglects other things; it is not riches or pleasures he looks after, but learning. Thus the gracious soul bestirs him, and flies from one duty to another, as the bee from flower to flower, to store itself with more and more grace; it is not credit and reputation to be thought a great saint, but to be indeed such, that he takes all this pains for. The

Christian is compared to a merchant man that trades for rich pearls: he is to go to ordinances, as the merchant that sails from port to port, not to see places, but to take in his lading, some here, some there. A Christian should be as much ashamed to return empty from his traffic with ordinances, as the merchant to come home without his lading. But, alas! how little is this looked after by many that pass for great professors, who are like some idle persons that come to the market, not to buy provision, and carry home what they want, but to gaze and look upon what is there to be sold to no purpose. Omy brethren, take heed of this. Idleness is bad any where, but worst in the market-place, where so many are at work before thy eyes, whose care for their souls both adds to thy sin, and will another day to thy shame. Dost thou not see others grow rich in grace and comfort, by their trading with those ordinances, from which thou comest away poor and beggarly? and canst thou see it without blushing? if thou hadst but a heart to propound the same end to thy soul, when thou comest, thou mightst speed as well as they. God allows a free trade to all that do value Christ and his grace according to their preciousness. "Ho, every one that is athirst, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat, yea, come buy wine and milk without money, and without price." Isaiah lv. 1. The Spirit of God seems in the judgment of some to allude to a custom in ma ritime towns, when a ship comes with commodities to be sold; they use to cry them about the town, Ho, all that would have such and such commodities, let them come to the water-side, where they are to be had at such a price. Thus Christ calls every one that sees his need of Christ, and his graces, to the ordinances, where these are to be freely had of all that come to them, for this very end.

CHAP. VIII.

A THIRD INSTANCE WHEREIN THE POWER OF HOLINESS MUST APPEAR, AND THAT IS IN THE CHRISTIAN'S WORLDLY EMPLOYMENTS.

THIRDLY, The Christian must express the power of holiness in his particular calling and worldly employments, that therein he is conversant with. Holiness must be writ upon those as well as on his religious duties. He that observes the law of building is as exact in making a kitchen as in making a parlour; so by the law of Christianity, we must be as exact in our worldly business as in duties of worship. "Be ye holy in all manner of conversation." 1 Pet. i. 15. We must not leave our religion, as some do their bibles, at church. As in man, the highest faculty (which is reason) guides man's lowest actions, even those which are common to beasts (such are eating, drinking, and sleeping); man doth (that is, should, if he will deserve his own name) exercise these acts as reason directs, he should shew himself in them a rational creature; so grace, that is the highest principle in a Christian, is to steer and guide him in those actions that are common to man as man. The Christian is not to buy and sell as a mere man, but as a Christian man. Religion is not like that statesman's gown, which when he went to recreate himself, he would throw off, and say, "There lie, lord treasurer, awhile;" no, wherever the Christian is, whatever he is doing, he must keep his religion on, I mean do it holily. He must not do that in which he cannot shew himself a Christian. Now the power of holiness puts forth itself in our particular callings these ways; but take them conjunctive, the beauty of holiness appears in the symmetry of all the parts together.

First, when the Christian is diligent in his particular calling. When God calls us to be Christians, he calls us indeed out of the world as to our affections, but not out of the world as to employment. It is true when