so much room in their hearts and affections, that they had no stomach to heaven's dainties; and therefore it is observable, that Christ adds at the end of the parable" he that hateth not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea and his own life also, (much more his farm and his oxen) he cannot be my disciple." By these words it is evident, that 'twas not simply the farm, nor the oxen, nor the wife, but a foolish, inordinate, carnal love and esteem of these things above better and greater blessings, that made them refuse the gracious invitation of Christ. They refused the grace and mercy of God offered in the gospel, under a pretence of their worldly business; and God peremptorily concludes, that not a man of them shall taste of his supper. And indeed what can be more just and righteous, than that they should never so much as taste of spiritual and eternal blessings, who prefer their earthly business before heaven's dainties; who with the Reubenites, prefer a country commodious for the feeding of their cattle, before an interest in the land of promise. Private prayer is a work of absolute necessity, both to the bringing of the heart into a good frame, and keeping it in a good frame. 'Tis of absolute necessity for the discovery and pre-, venting of sin, and for the imbittering, weakening and purging away sin. 'Tis of absolute necessity both for the discovery of grace, and for a full exercise of, and increase in grace: It is necessary, to arm us against inward and outward temptations, afflictions, and sufferings: and to fit us for all other duties and services, to glorify God, and further our everlast H ing happiness; and therefore why should any man plead business, when a work of such absolute necessity is before him? If a man's child or wife were dangerously sick, or wounded, or near to death, he would never plead "I have business, I have a great deal of business to do; and therefore I cannot stay with my child, my wife; and I have no time to go or send for a physician, &c." O! no, but he would rather argue thus, ""Tis absolutely necessary that I should look after the preservation of the life of my child, my wife, and this I will attend to, whatever becomes of my business." O sirs! your souls are of greater value to you, than the lives of all the wives and children in the world; and therefore this must be attended to, whatever business is neglected. But, God did never appoint or design any man's ordinary particular calling, to thrust private prayer out of doors. That it is a great sin for any professor to neglect his particular calling under any religious pretence, is evident enough by these scriptures, Exod. xx. 9. "Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work." 1 Cor. vii. 20. "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." 2 Thes. iii. 10, 11, 12. "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies: Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 1 Thes. iv. 11, 12. “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your business, and to work with your own hands, (as we commanded you) that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing." Eph. iv. 28. "But rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." 1 Tim. v. 8. "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Yea, our Lord Jesus Christ was by trade a carpenter, Mark vi. 3. Mat. xiii. 55, 56. and was laborious in that particular calling, till he entered upon the public ministry; as all the ancients do agree. And we read alsò, that all the patriarchs had their particular callings. Abel was a keeper of sheep, Gen. iv. 2.; Noah was a husbandman, Gen. x. 20.; the sons of Jacob were shepherds, and keepers of cattle, Gen. xlvi. 34. &c. And all the apostles, before they were called to the work of the ministry, had their particular callings. By the law of Mahomet, the great Turk himself is bound to exercise some manual trade or occupation. Solon made a law, that the son should not be bound to relieve his father, when old, unless he had set himself in his youth to some occupation. And at Athens every man gave a yearly account to the magistrate, by what trade or course of life he maintained himself, which if he could not do he was banished. And it is by all writers condemned as a very great vanity in Dionysius, that would needs be the best poet; and Caligula, that would needs be the best orator; and Nero, that would needs be the best fidler; and so became the three worst princes, by minding 'more other men's business than their own particular calling. But for a man to evade or neglect private prayer under pretence of his particular calling, is agreeable to no scripture, yea, 'tis contrary to very many scriptures, as is evident by the very many arguments formerly cited. Certainly no man's calling is a calling away from God, or godliness. It never entered into the heart of God that our particular callings should ever drive out our general calling of christianity. Certainly, our particular calling must give place to our general calling. Did not the woman of Samaria leave her water-pot, and run into the city, and say, "Come see a man that told me all things that ever I did: Is not this the Christ? John iv. 28, 29. Did not the shepherds leave their flocks in the field, and go to Bethlehem, and declare the good tidings of great joy, that they had heard of the angel, viz. "that there was born that day in the city of David, a Saviour, which was Christ the Lord." And did not Christ commend Mary for that holy neglect of her particular calling, when she sat at his feet, and heard his word? Luke x. 38-. And what do all these instances shew, but that our particular callings must give place to the general calling of christianity. Certainly the works of our general noble, than the works calling are far more high and and therefore 'tis much of our particular callings are; *more proper for our general calling to borrow time of our particular calling, than 'tis for our particular calling to borrow time of our general calling. Certainly, those men are very ignorant or very prophane, that think themselves so closely tied up to follow their particular callings six days in the week, that they must not intermeddle with any religious duties during those days. God, who is the Lord of time, has reserved some part of it to himself every day. Though the Jews were commanded to labour six days of the week, yet they were commanded also to offer up morning and evening sacrifice daily. Deut. vi. 6-8. Exod. xxix. 38, 39. Num. xxviii. 3. The Jews divided the day into three parts The second for reading of the law. And the third for the works of their lawful callings. As bad as the Jews were, yet they every day, set a part of the day, apart for religious exercises. Certainly, they are worse than Jews that spend all their time about their particular callings, and shut closet prayer quite out of doors. That man's soul is in a very ill case, who is so entangled with the incumbrances of the world, that he can spare no time for private prayer. If God be the Lord of thy mercies, the Lord of thy time, and the Lord of thy soul, how canst thou with any equity or honour, put off his service under a pretence of much business? that man is lost, that man is cursed, who can find time for any thing, but none to meet with God in his closet. That man is doubtless upon the brink of ruin, whose worldly business eats up all his thoughts of God, of Christ, of heaven, of eternity, of his soul, and of his soul concernments. But, The more worldly business lies upon thy hand, the more need thou hast to keep close to thy closet. |