say That Man's Obedience is insincere who together with his Intentions of serving God joins another Intention of serving Sin But 1st that Man's Obedience is insincere who together with his Intention of serving God joins another Intention of serving Sin as if a Man as our Saviour tells us the Pharisees did make long Prayers and other Professions of Religion to enable him the better and without suspicion to devour Widows Houses as well as serve God Where his obedient Performances slow from such a mixture of Design as this they will in no wise be owned as an obedient but punished as a sinful Service Secondly Again Men's Obedience is insincere when they design some temporal Ends in the practice of Vertue as much or more than the design God's Service 2dly When he designs some temporal Ends in the practice of Vertue as much or more than he intends God's Service as when a Man is temperate and will not drink which is his Duty indeed but yet only because he cannot without making himself sick But when in the performance of any Vertue a Man has a regard as much if not more to his Profit or Ease than to the Commands of God in that case this Obedience is also insincere and will be far from entitling him to be an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven For thus to have as much regard to our worldly Profit or Pleasure in the performance of any Duty as to please God is a degrading of Him it is a setting up the World for His Rival And to bring other Things in Competition with Him is plainly to renounce Him In respect of our Love to God we must even hate Father and Mother Wife and Children the dearest Interests and Concerns we have in the World He will be served and respected above all for He is jealous of the Pre-eminence of His Service above all Things as an Husband is of his Wife's Love to him above other Men I the Lord saith he am a jealous God Exod. 20.5 And so much for that Sincerity which is required of us as the first Qualification of an Acceptable Obedience II. That Evangelical or Gospel-Obedience 2dly Evangelical Obedience must be entire viz. which now under the Covenant of Grace is the indispensible Condition of every Man's Salvation must be an entire Obedience to all the Laws of the Gospel Now this Integrity of our Obedience is such a Perfection and Compleatness of it as excludes all Maimedness and Defects and this in another Word is ordinarily express'd in Scripture by Vprightness or walking uprightly And to be upright in God's Ways is not to stumble and fall by Sin or Disobedience but to be perfect and entire or wanting nothing in obedient Performances And that our Obedience may be thus entire and upright it must be First The Obedience of the whole Man Secondly To the whole Law And Thirdly performed at all times First That our Obedience to the Laws of the Gospel may be entire and so avail as to Life and Happiness it must be the Obedience of the whole Man that is 1st The Obedience of the whole Man that is we must take care to obey with all the Powers and Faculties of our Nature We must have our Understandings our Wills our Affections and our Bodily Powers obedient to God's Laws And for this the very Letter of the Law is express for when the Lawyer ask'd our Saviour What shall I do to inherit eternal Life Luke 10.25 our Saviour ask'd how it is written in the Law who answering that it is written Thou shalt love that is serve as it is Deut. 11.13 the Lord thy God with all thine Heart or Will with all thy Soul or Affections with all thy Strength or Bodily Powers and with all thy Mind or Understanding vers 26 27. When the Lawyer answered him That thus indeed it was written in the Law as it was Deut. 11. our Saviour told him he answered right and bid him do this and he should live Obedience with all the Powers and with the whole Nature is the Means of Life and the indispensible Condition of our eternal Happiness And In the first place of the Mind and Vnderstanding First We must keep all God's Commandments with our Mind or Understanding that is all the Thoughts and Imaginations all the Contrivances and Counsels of our Hearts must be governed by and kept in obedience to the Laws of the Gospel so that we must not indulge our selves nor entertain in our Hearts evil Thoughts wanton and vain Thoughts nor must we purpose and contrive wicked and unjust Things no more than we must outwardly act them Thus the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 tells us That the Weapons of a Christian's Warfare must be mighty through God to the pulling down Strong-holds to the casting down Imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the Knowledge of God and to the bringing into captivity every Thought to the Obedience of Christ. This Text forbids all Thoughts and Contrivances of Sin Secondly Secondly of the Will As ever we hope to have our Obedience avail us to Life and Happiness as we must keep our Minds and Understandings so likewise our Wills in Obedience to God's Commands The Choice as well as the Practice of our Duty is plainly necessary to render it available to our Salvation but on the other side he that would sin if he could conveniently and opportunely if he chuse Sin although he miss of opportunity to act it the bare Choice without the Practice is sufficiently to his Condemnation Thus our Lord Himself has determined it Whosoever looks on a Woman to lust after her or so long 'till his Heart consent to commit Lewdness with her if he could though he never meet with an opportunity to act it hath committed Adultery with her already in his Heart Matth. 5.28 This Text shews us that we may disobey in Willing as well as Doing and that we shall be condemned for a wicked Choice as well as a wicked Practice Thirdly Thirdly of the Affections As we will render to God the Obedience of the whole Man an entire Obedience such as will avail us to Salvation we must regulate our Souls and Affections conforming them wholly to what God commands That is we must love our Duty as well as do it and not to do it meerly out of Fear but of out Love To pretend Obedience to God and yet to love what he forbids to make a show of his Service and yet in our very Hearts to hanker after his vilest Enemies our Sins whom above all Things his Soul hates this surely is not honestly to Serve but grosly to Collogue and flatly to Dissemble with Him And we must not do our Duty meerly out of Fear I say but out of Love for thus to serve God against our Wills is to submit to Him as a Slave doth to a tyrannous Lord not through any Kindness for him but through a hateful Fear of
power or the Right and Priviledge as it is in the Original to become the Sons of God Joh. 1.12 This is a remarkable Text to our Purpose In the Two Verses immediately before viz. The 10 and 11 it is said He was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not he came unto his own and his own received him not but as many as received him to them gave he Power or the Right and Priviledge to be the Sons of God even to them who Believe in his Name So that by this time I hope it does fully appear to you what is meant by a Child of God especially in that sence wherein it is to be understood here in your Catechism And you see as he is not every Child by Creation which is a sence too wide so neither on the other side is he only One who is so by Regeneration which is a sence as much too narrow but every one is such who has Enter'd into Covenant with God and whom the Heavenly Father has thereupon Adopted into his Family to partake of the Priviledges which belong to his Adopted Sons which Secondly What are the Priviledges which do belong to the Children of God as such Brings me next to Enquire what a Vast Priviledge it is accordingly to be made the Children of God And truly upon Enquiry it will be found to be in general the very same Priviledge in Kind but infinitely greater in Degree as Heavenly Things are always greater than Earthly which the most Tender and Indulgent Father that is withal Wise as well as Good can be suppos'd to allow his own Children In general such as an indulgent but wise Father may be suppos'd to allow his Children beyond Aliens and Strangers beyond what he will do to Strangers and Aliens For is it natural to such a One more easily to Pardon the Offences of his Child than of his Slave more favourably to over-look his Infirmities more readily to hear his Requests and to instate him in a surer Title to his Possessions than he will do others that have no such Relation to him Why such are the Priviledges our Heavenly Father will allow to us who are his Children by Adoption above others who stand in no such Relation to him He will be Just to all but these are properly Fatherly Kindnesses and he will Indulge 'em to none therefore but those who are his Children But more particularly Particularly First It is worthy our Consideration I. Pardon of all Sins upon hearty Repentance that we shall have this inestimable Priviledge by being his Children above the rest of Mankind namely We shall have all our Sins Pardon'd upon our hearty Repentance of 'em upon Condition we forsake 'em and return to God The unbelieving Jews and Gentiles and all Persons remaining in a State of Nature who have not Embrac'd the Gospel who have not been Baptized nor have Enter'd into Covenant with God have no Assurance from him that their Sins should be ever Pardon'd tho' they should forsake 'em because God never gave any Promise of Pardon to any other but his Children who are in Covenant with him And for want of their having any express Engagements and Promises from God of Mercies from him does the Apostle therefore speak of the State of the Gentiles as exceedingly Uncomfortable Eph. 2.11 12. in these very remarkable Words Remember that ye being in times past Gentiles in the flesh that at that time ye were without Christ being Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel Strangers from the Covenants and Promises having no hopes of Pardon and without a God in the world But we Christians who have Enter'd into Covenant with God and so are his Children have the utmost Assurance possible grounded upon the most gracious and express Promises that upon laying down our Rebellious Arms upon our Renouncing of his and our own most mortal Enemies our Sins and Coming over to him we shall have all our Sins Pardon'd Or rather as the Apostle himself does Express it in the following viz. The 13 14 ver But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the Blood of Christ for he is our Peace And indeed that this Pardon and Peace with the Father does more peculiarly belong to us under the Character of his Children who had formerly stray'd afar off from him by our Sins but are now return'd Home to him by Repentance we have Exemplify'd to us in that famous Parable of the Prodigal Son Luke 15. That Person we there read after a most Lewd and Riotous Life after he had spent and squander'd away all his Substance that his Father gave him yet upon his deep Humiliation for his Vile and Undutiful Behaviour towards his Father and his hearty Desires to return Home and to his Duty and Obedience to him was thereupon admitted to his former Interest in his Father's Affections Yea and receiv'd with more than usual Joy Why the whole Design of that Parable is to shew us how our Heavenly Father will graciously deal with us his Undutiful and Rebellious Children and that after even a very Ill Life upon our laying down of our Sins the forsaking the service of our Lusts and Return to him he will graciously Pardon and Forgive us his Children And Secondly II. being his â—ldren he 〈◊〉 not be so â—re as to â—k what is â—e amiss as Sins of Inâ—ity being his Children he will not be severe to mark what is done amiss tho' after our Return to him through the Infirmity of our Flesh we do not altogether Live up to the Rule by an Unsinning Obedience provided we watch carefully against the common Infirmities of Humane Nature and do not wilfully Indulge our selves in any of ' em The Rigour of the First Covenant would admit of no less than a Perfect Exact Vnsinning Obedience the never Offending in any One Point In the day thou dost Eat thereof thou shalt surely dye Gen. 2.17 But here under the Second our Father deals with us with the Indulgence of a tender Parent who does not throw off his Child and withdraw his Kindness upon the smallest Offences and such as through Ignorance Surprize or the like cannot in this our fall'n and corrupt State be avoided But as a Father pitieth his own Children even so the Lord pitieth them that fear him that is Who do not willingly displease him Psal 103.13 In a word As the Pardon of Sins whether great or small is a Mercy held out to us only in the Covenant of Grace so it is granted us under this very Notion of being Children of God as appears from Mal. 3.17 where the Prophet foretels the Happy State of Christians upon this very Score in these words And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own Son that serveth him And more particularly
Devotion towards God Justice and Charity towards their Neighbour and a subjecting of their Lusts and Appetites to right Reason which is the great Duty to themselves I say Christians must as much distinguish themselves from the profane Crew of Idolatrous and Wicked Heathens and Unbelieving Jews by an exact and regular and a better Life as the Jews were to distinguish themselves from the Idolatrous and Wicked Heathens in those days by a Ritual Holiness Nay And does he call us a Royal Priesthood Why this he does here and also Rev. 1.6 where we are told That Christ hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father And what doth this import but that we are as much to exceed both Jews and Gentiles in holy Living as the Priests among the Jews were to excel the rest of the People in a Legal Purity and Cleanness Christians are to shew themselves to be Kings by their Victories over the World the Flesh and the Devil over Sin and Satan and they are to be as it were Priests because they are to present their Bodies a living Sacrifice Holy acceptable unto God which is our reasonable Service and are not to be conformed to this World but to be transformed by the renewing of their Minds Rom. 12.1 2. And are to offer up the Sacrifice of Praise continually the Praises of God Heb. 13.15 They are to offer charitable Alms which are called an Odour of a sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing unto God Phil 4.18 This is the Importance of those high Expressions of St. Peter and this indeed do the following Words declare But ye are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a Peculiar People that ye should shew forth the Praises of Him who hath called us out of Darkness into his marvellous Light And indeed so much it concerns us who are Members of Christ's Church to distinguish our selves from the rest of the World by our excellent Lives far above other People that our Blessed Saviour came into the World died and suffered all those stupendious Things recorded in the Gospel all on this very Design To purchase such a Body of Men that should more peculiarly and zealously serve God and to work and persuade us to it Thus Tit. 2.14 it is said That he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works And hence were all his Discourses and Preachings to us especially that most divine Sermon upon the Mount to raise all his Disciples and Followers to the highest pitch and perfection of moral Vertue and Goodness He came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil them Matth. 5.27 That is to enlarge and encrease our Duties to God and Man and to our selves to make the Obedience of the Heart as necessary as that of the outward Man to make the very Thoughts of Uncleanness criminal as well as Adultery it self And in a word hence does he require of us his Members that our Light should so shine before Men that they might see our good Works and glorifie our Father which is in Heaven vers 16. That is he requires that by the Eminence of all divine Graces and Vertues shining in our Lives we should be as a Candle set on an Hill to enlighten the benighted and bewildred World straying in the darkness of Ignorance and Errour that they might find their way by the Brightness of our Examples to Heaven and Happiness And by the savourliness lastly of our good Conversation he requires that we should be as Salt in the World to season the corrupted Manners of Men. Such strong Obligations lie upon us as Members of Christ's Church to be faithful in our Covenant that is to perform all due Obedience unto God Secondly Nor is the consideration of our being Children of God 2. As Children of God less fruitful of good Arguments shewing us those vast Obligations lying upon us faithfully and conscienciously to discharge our Covenant with him There is no relation that is which does speak more of Duty and Duty sounded upon better Reasons than that of a Child to his Father A Wifâ— owes some Duty and Observance to her Husband because the Husband is the Head of the Wife a Servant to his Master because from him he has Provision a Subject to his Prince Children are bound to the strictest Obedience to their Parents as owing to 'em their Being because of Protection But a Child owes his very Life and Being and all that he has is originally derived from his Parent Especially this is so with the Children of God upon a double account both that of Creation and that of Adoption Consider us as the Children of God with respect to Creation and not only our Life and Being but all Things necessary to the support and maintenance of this Being of ours that it falls not back into Annihilation and Nothing is wholly owing to that God whose Offspring we are according to that of the Apostle Acts 17.28 In him we live and move and have our Being for we are his Offspring But consider us who are Baptized Christians farther as the Children of God by Adoption and then over and above our Being and all that belongs to it our Well-being also both in this and a better Life is wholly of his Gift For if Children of God as St. Paul does argue Rom. 8.17 then Heirs Heirs with God and joint Heirs with Christ so that if we suffer with him we shall be also glorified together And now if for Life and Being and also for all that Well-being Children of God as owing both Being and Well being too which we have or hope to enjoy in this or the Life to come we wholly and entirely depend upon God our Father Do we not then owe to him as his Children all the Duty all the Observance and all the Diligence possible in the discharge of such Duty and Observance This the very Light of Nature teaches us but the Scripture does most expresly upon that very score of being his Children require of us A Son honoureth his Father and a Servant his Master says God by his Prophet Mal. 1.6 If I then be a Father where is mine Honour And if I be a Master where is my Fear And upon the same score of our being Children of God does St. Peter most earnestly exhort us to a Renunciation of the World and our filthy Lusts and to a faithful and careful discharge of our Duty to God our Father As Obedient Children says he 1 Epist 1.14 15. not fashioning your selves according to the former Lusts in your Ignorance but as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of Conversation And vers 17. If ye call on the Father that is profess your selves the Sons of your Heavenly Father who without respect of Persons judgeth every Man according to his Works can see Blemishes and
Divine Nature whereby he is a Partaker of the Life and Likeness of God himself should Entitle God to be also a Father and such who are so Regenerated and Renew'd his Children And accordingly in the Holy Scripture we find that such a derivation of Strength and Grace from the Word and Spirit of God does Entitle those who are Renew'd thereby to be Children of God St. Paul not only attributing to the Ministry of the Word a Power of Begetting in Christ 1 Cor. 4.15 But withal expresly assuring us that As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Rom. 8.14 So that he is undoubtedly a Child of God whoever giving himself up to the Guidance of God's Word and Spirit is thereby Sanctify'd wholly in his own Spirit Soul and Body 1 Thes 5.23 so as to sudue and mortify every Lust and every naughty inordinate and worldly Desire And indeed every truly Regenerate Child of God does do so such a One does by the power of the Word and in the use and strength of that Grace that God does afford him subdue and mortify every Lust and every naughty inordinate and worldly Desire So we are expresly told 1 Joh. 3.9 Whosoever is Born of God doth not commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is horn of God that is a sanctify'd Child of God does really hate Sin the very Temper and Bent of his Soul is against it and as to living in any gross and wilful Sin he cannot without much Reluctancy force himself to it his renew'd Nature is so much contrary thereto Such I say is every Regenerate Child of God and such indeed in a peculiar manner â—ch indeed in a peâ—ar manâ— and in 〈◊〉 highest â—e the â—ldren of â—l and in the highest and strictest sence of the Word that it can be apply'd to a meer Man is a Child of God But then all who are the Children of God either in the sence of Scripture or of your Catechism are not actually thus Regenerate As to the sence of Scripture it is plain as will presently appear that every One who bears the Relation of a Child to God is not Dutiful to his Father â—ut every â—â—d of God â—t actualâ— Regeneâ— either in sence of â—â—ture of your â—chism which is in Heaven no more than all Children are to their Natural Parents It is a monstrous Thing indeed that any Child should be Undutiful to so good and gracious a Father but it is too true that too many are so Hear O Heaven and give ear O Earth for I the Lord have spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me Isa 1.2 And as to the meaning of a Child of God here in your Catechism it is also plain tht it is not only such as are Renew'd in the Spirit of their minds and do imitate God that are there to be understood for every One who is Catechized is requir'd to Answer that In his Baptism he was made a Child of God whereas many Catechumens are not actually as yet Renew'd and really Converted and by their own Fault many will never be so that a Child of God by spiritual Regeneration and a God-like Imitation expresses rather the Duty of every One what he ought to be than the Notion and Nature of a Priviledge which many may Enjoy who in the mean time are not over Dutiful So that a Child of God by spiritual Regeneration or a God-like Imitation is a meaning of the Word as much too narrow to be the sence of it here in your Catechism as a Child by Creation was too wide To proceed then Fourthâ—â— Child â—od as 〈◊〉 in the â—hism is one who by Verâ—â—f a Coâ—â—t Relaâ— Fourthly There are the Children of God by Vertue of a Covenant Relation and also by Adoption who are neither all the Sons of God by Creation nor yet on the other side such onely as are Renew'd in the Spirit of their Minds and do imitate God But they are all those who have been Baptiz'd into the Covenant of Grace and have been Incorporated into Christ's Church and who do profess the true Religion and themselves the Servants of the True God Thus before the Law Gen. 6.2 the whole House and Posterity of Seth are call'd the Sons of God as on the contrary the Posterity of Cain are call'd the Daughters of Men. They are there call'd the Sons of God because that in the Family of Seth â—was the â—â—n of a 〈◊〉 of God 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 the Worship of the True God was continued and establish'd from which the Posterity of Cain had Revolted And so likewise under the Law the whole Body of the Children of Israel are call'd the Children of God Deut. 14.1 and that for this Reason â—der the 〈◊〉 as it follows ver 2. because they were a Holy people unto the Lord and the Lord had chosen them to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the Nations that were upon the Earth They were a Holy people unto the Lord not all of 'em by an inward and real Change in their Natures but by a Foederal Holiness and by reason of their separation from the rest of the Idolatrous and wicked World by a Holy Covenant Alas as to their inward Holiness this very Body of Men who were call'd the Children of God are said Deut. 32.5 to have Corrupted themselves and to have not the spot of Children but to be a very froward Generation Children in whom is no Faith ver 20. But their outward Relation to God continued notwithstanding and that whole Body of People being in Covenant with God were styl'd thereupon his Children And under the Gospel likewise Vnder the Gospel all that are Members of the Church and in Covenant with God are styl'd his Children Thus 2 Cor. 6.16 17 18. you will find that with Relation to all those concerning whom God declar'd He would be their God and that they should be his People which are the express Terms of the Covenant betwixt God and all Christians as you will see Heb. 8.10 and with Relation to all those whom he commanded to Come out from among the Gentiles and to be separate and not to touch the unclean thing that is not to Partake in their Idolatry which is the very Description of the Members of Christ's Church I say with Relation to all these he declar'd he would be a Father unto 'em and that they should be his Sons and Daughters And such are called Sons by Adoption Also a Child of God as meant in the Catechism is every One who is so by vertue of Adoption concerning whom it is said Gal. 4.4 5. When the fulness of time was come that God sent forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law to Redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons Now this word Adoption is much used in
also Believed on him yet because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue for they lov'd the Praise of Men more than the Praise of God Joh. 12.42 43. that is They Valued their Reputation with Men and their Places and Posts of Honour more than the Testimony of and Reputation with God himself But as the True Religion is here openly Profest amongst us and generally it receives no Disgrace heartily to Espouse it and to Live up to it but is indeed a matter of Disgrace to do the contrary except it be with some profligate Debauchees of our Age If it happen that you should Fall into their Company and Acquaintance which God preserve you from So the Temptations of this Nature which they will give you to cool you towards the serious Profession and Practice of Religion will be Consider'd hereafter when I come to speak of the wicked World and the Temptations which Arise from thence And thus I have consider'd and laid before you as the World in General and the Good Things thereof in Particular viz. Riches Honours and Pleasures So on the contrary the Opposite Evils of it Poverty Disgrace and Afflictions and have Discover'd to you the various Temptations each of 'em do give you and how you are to Renounce and Resist ' em And now it only remains Lastly That I do the like and consider also some Things therein of a middle Nature viz. The Callings Conditions of Life and the Cares of this World which are the Appurtenances of it and afford great matter of Temptation and Tryal to us therein And in what Sence and how far you are also to Renounce each of these I will endeavour to shew you And First Let us consider the Callings of the World I. The Callings of the world and how the Temptations they give are to be Renounced and what Temptations they give us in what Sence and how far we must Renounce and Resist them Now a Calling is some settled Course of Life wherein a Person employs himself in some Business such as Providence has fitted him with Abilities for and which he is Called and Appointed unto to employ himself therein to the Honour of God and to his own and the publick Good And there is no Man nor Woman if not utterly disabled in Body and Mind who ought not to be of some such Calling That is In the first place every Man ought in a settled Course of Life to betake himself to some Business Every Man is to betake himself to some Business Adam even in the State of Innocence was Enjoyn'd to Dress and keep the Garden or e're he could Freely eat of every Tree thereof Gen. 2.15 16. And since his Fall it is as well the Duty as it is the Curse of all his Posterity that In the sweat of our Brows we must eat of our Bread Gen. 3.19 So that every Child of Adam must now with great Industry and Application Employ himself in order to obtain the Necessaries or Conveniencies of this Life It was indeed from the very Beginning and even in Paradise it self our Duty to be Employ'd but it is now both our Duty and Punishment that we must Employ our selves even to the taking of Pains every Man in his proper Calling And that Calling which every Man is to employ his Time in must be such as Providence has fitted him with Abilities for It must be such as Providence has fitted him with Abilities for As God hath distributed to every Man as the Lord hath Called every one so let him walk 1 Cor. 7.17 God hath distributed to every Man some proper Gift or other and therefore every Man must Glorify God in some peculiar Calling or other And to whatsoever particular Calling any Man's peculiar Abilities do fit him to that he is to look upon himself as preparatively Call'd or Appointed by God And such he is preparatively Called and appointed to by God with due Abilities and lawful Authority in Church or State is to determine his Call God does not ordinarily himself Point out any Person by an express Designation as he Called Bazaleel and Aholiab by Name to do the Wâ—rk of the Tabernacle Exod. 31.2 But he distributes his Talents variously to all Persons on some he bestows the Gifts of Honours and Fortunes as to Magistrates and Gentlemen to some the Gifts of Good Parts and Learning as to Scholars of whatsoever Profession and to some Skill in Trade and in Arts as to Dealers and Artificers and to the Inferior and Poorer sort of Men he gives Health and Limbs and whatever sits 'em for Toil and Labour And to some he gives the whole Ten Talents to Trade withal to their Master's Use that is Authority Riches Learning Skill in Business and Strength of Body and Mind and accordingly of all he will require an Account how they have Employ'd their Talents For unto whom much is given of him shall much be required Luk. 12.48 And the unprofitable Servant shall be cast into outer darkness Matth. 25.30 Lastly whatever Calling any Person is appointed to by the Divine Providence he must Employ himself therein to the Glory of God and to his own and the Publick Good To whatsoâ—â—er Calling 〈◊〉 is appointâ— he must â—ploy himâ—f therein to â—od's Glory â—â—d his own â—â—d the pubâ—ck Good In the first place to the Glory of God for that is to be the main End of whatever we do 1 Cor. 10.31 and also to his own and his Families Good For he that provides not for his own especially for those of his own House he hath denied the Faith and is worse than an Infidel 1 Tim. 5.8 And also as every Man is a Member of the Body Politick he is bound to employ his Time and Parts and Pains for its Welfare for God requires that As every Man has received the Gift that accordingly they should Minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold Grace of God 1 Pet. 4.10 And no Member of Church or State of what Rank or Quality soever he be but must Employ or Interest himself for the Publick Good For God hath so temper'd the Body or Humane Societies together that the Members should have the same care one of another and whether one Member suffers he would have all the Members suffer with it as in the Natural Body or one Member be Honoured he would have all the Members rejoice with it 1 Cor. 12.24 25 26. So that it is necessary you see that every Person should betake himself to some Calling or Business And now the Question will be What is to be Renounced with respect to the Callings of this World And First It behoves all Persons utterly to Renounce such Callings and Professions of Men in the World as are directly sinful and wicked I. All Persons â—ustrenounce â—uch Callings â—nd Professiâ—ns as are diâ—ectly sinful â—nd wicked Such are Bards Pimps
abounding with sensual Delights and Pleasures and that he therefore who has placed us in it will not command us upon Pain of Damnation to over-come those strong Temptations and to deny these Pleasures of the World And we 'll grant it that he has Plac'd us in a State of Probation and Tryal where we have sensual Pleasures and Delights and many other Temptations besetting us on the one side as well as the Rewards of Heaven awaiting us on the other and where were the Vertue and what Place would there be for Reward if there were not those Difficulties to Overcome But in short there is not any thing Unreasonable nor a Hardship unsupportable in any thing that God has Enjoin'd us for the same Almighty Goodness which gives us the Command to do these things gives us also the Will and Power to Obey and besides proposes to us Enjoyments infinitely surpassing those Worldly Pleasures as the Rewards of such Obedience And so I have given you sufficient Answers to those false and fallacious Argueings of sinful Men against the Necessity of a Holy Life I know 'em to be too common in the Discourses of such Persons who love their Lusts and therefore I thought it requisite to Fortify you against them But to proceed Fifthly Wicked Men will not be content by the secret Influence of their Examples and Company only nor by their false and fallacious Arguments to Tempt you to Sin but Will moreover sometimes add Kindnesses and Promises to oblige you to do ill Things and on the contrary will much discourage you nay sometimes Threaten you to forbear your Duty V. Wicked Men will add Kindnesses Promises to Oblige us to do ill Things and on the contrary will much discourage us nay sometimes Threaten us to forbear our Duty The Kindnesses of Friendship are of all things the most Engageing and if your Choice of a Friend has not been so discreetly and happily made but he happens to be a wicked Man who upon the Score of former Obligations laid upon you will require in Return that some ill Thing should be done by you to serve his Interest you will be drawn thereby into a very great Snare for besides that there is in very many whom we call Good-natur'd Men such an Easiness of Mind that they can hardly deny any thing to those who have once Oblig'd 'em but are ready to Pleasure and Comply with 'em tho' in things most directly contrary to their own Minds and Inclination Besides this if you should refuse to Gratify in any thing One that has done you former Kindnesses the World will be ready to call you Vngrateful the most odious Reproach that can be cast on any One Nay and wicked Men will not sometimes stick to Bribe you also with Promises and Proposals of Profit and Advantages if you will serve 'em in their ill Designs This One would think not so dangerous a Temptation to Sin because more open and not so Insinuating a way as the former but God knows too many do knowingly and wilfully barter away their poor Souls and plainly sell 'em to the Devil contracting to commit this or that Sin as for Instance to take a false Oath to forge Writings to make a Lie in another's behalf upon the Promise or Intimation of some Reward for so doing Thus will wicked Men some by Kindnesses some by Promises Oblige you if they can to serve 'em by your Sins And some on the other hand will be no less Industrious by Discouragements nay Threatnings to hinder you in the discharging your Duty and a good Conscience Religion will sometimes put you upon doing those things that will prejudice your worldly Interests and stir up the Wrath of those that are Superior to you And indeed in this Case a Man's worst Enemies shall be those of his own House and when either you must Sin or Suffer none will be so forward to Tempt you to Sin rather than to Suffer as your nearest Relations and Acquaintance And what must Wife and Children and Family do if you should talk of Forsaking all and of following Christ in the Preservation of a good Conscience will be Argument that the Friend of your own Bosom will strongly urge you withal But the more common Temptation discouraging Men in the Discharge of their Duty especially such as are of a low Rank and Condition in the World are the Frowns and Threats of those that are above ' em Hence a Minister in low Circumstances shall venture hard if he offers to Reprove a Great Man tho' a Great Sinner And you shall scarcely ever know an Officer tho' never so strictly oblig'd thereunto by his Oath present in order to Punishment the Man of Power and Interest in his Parish for his Oaths his Riots and the most outragious Immoralities which he so scandalously commits I. â—indnesses 〈◊〉 not corâ— us to Sin And now what shall be done with reference to these manifold Encouragements to Sin and Discouragements to Vertue which you shall meet withal from wicked Men Why in the first Place have a special Care you be not Inveigled by the pretended Kindness of any Person be he who or what he will Let not the Obligations of your Friend or Acquaintance cause you to strain Truth when you are call'd to give Testimony in his Cause Take care you be not then wrought upon by any Sence of Kindness to Perjure your selves for him by declaring either more than Truth or by speaking not the whole Truth when it would make against him Consider what Kindness has been done you if you must sin against God and your own Soul to Pleasure your Friend in Return for it It was but a Bait to take you a Snare to Entrap and a pleasant Poison given to destroy you You ought indeed as an honest Pagan says excellently well to be assistant to him in his honest Endeavours but not in his Knaveries in his Counsels not in his Tricks in appearing as Evidence for him but not in a Cheat and you must bear a share in the Misfortunes of your Friend but not in his Acts of Injustice II. Promises â—t not bribe Secondly As to any Promises wherewith wicked Men may so Tempt you as to Hire you to Sin God forbid there should be a Necessity to bid you Reject and Detest them But if there be any need to Fortify any here against such a Temptation the meer Foolishness of the Bargain you will make will sufficiently move you to Spurn at them for if it be an unprofitable a very unprofitable Bargain tho' a Man should Gain the whole World and lose his own Soul as it is said Mark 8.36 Oh! What ill Husbandry what Stupidity is it for a Trifle of worldly Wealth or Advantage to barter it away III. â—courageâ—ts must 〈◊〉 hinder us â—n discharâ—g our â—y And Thirdly As for those who shall hereafter discourage you from suffering for Righteousness sake when call'd thereunto by laying before you the