ineftimable Treafure of Grace and Love in the Gospel of JESUS Chrift, in whom are bid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge. Col.

Every one of us that enjoys this rich Treasure must make fure to keep and improve it, and shall be call'd to a very fevere account for any wafte he fhall, make. But alafs, notwithstanding this, how carelefly do we generally behave our felves? How little do we prize this Jewel of fo great price, that it coft the Son of God his most precious Blood to purchase it for us? We can filently hear it reproach'd and vilified, we can calmly fee it trampled under foot by Dogs and Swine. We will hardly be at the trouble to take notice of it. The light fhines upon us, and we fhut our Eyes against it. God's Meffengers bring it home to our Doors, and we defpife them and it both. They beg of us in Christ's stead, as tho' God did befeech us by them, that we would be reconciled unto God, and accept of this token of his Love; but we turn to them the deaf Ear, and will not be entreated to embrace his mercy. How many of us who make a fhew of receiving it, and profefs our felves thankful for it, and have folemnly vow'd to keep it very choicely, and to value it above our Lives, and to be everlastingly obliged to God for it, and by it; yet, regard it not, nor ever endeavour to live wor thy of it? Nay, how many who feem earneftly to contend for it, yet behave themselves fo, as if they valued it for nothing else, but that it find them with matter of difpute and wrangling? That which was intended for a bond of Union, they turn into bond of Contention and Division, and fall out bitterly with thofe whom it Teacheth them to love. Thus is the Jewel hammer'd to

pieces by us; and every Party going away with a piece, triumphs as if he had won the whole; and the Gospel of Peace is quite loft among us, and whoever finds any other but that, has found a new nothing, how fond foever he is of it. Such wafte do we make of the Gospel of our blefled JESUS.

Let us now in the laft place fee, what wake is made by us of thofe other Goods of our Lord, which are proper to fome Orders and Relations of Mien. I fpeak not here to Magiftrates, and it becomes us not to fay much of their failings, where we have not Audience of their Perfons. But we are Subjects, and are to confider how we Flusband the benefit of Government. And here we have reason, I am fure, to accufe our felves as wafters of a very great bleffing of God; for fuch is Government, without which (fo much have we loft the very nature of Men, which obligeth us to a peaceable and friendly Communion and Society one with another) we should be all in a Confufion and conftant War, and live in fear one of another, as tho' we were wild Beafts, and not Men. But, alafs, how unthankful are we for this benefit, and how unwilling to accept of it? We have too little Religion to fubmit to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's fake, as we are Commanded.

1 Pet. 2. or to

be fubject to the higher Powers which are of God, for Confcience fake. Rom. 13. We cannot endure to be reftrain'd by good Laws from fulfilling our Lufts, or to be tied up to that piece of flavery (as many of us account it) of living quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty. I Tim. To take no notice of open Rebels, or fecret Plotters against the Government,

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which are numerous enough. How do the ge-
nerality of us fleight the Authority of Laws,
and take all the care we can that they be never
put in Execution? The Officers to fee that done
are frown'd upon if they go about, and fo good
Chriftians are they, that they have neither Cou-
rage nor Conscience enough to do their Du-
ties, if their Neighbours will be angry with 'em
for it. The Oaths themselves have taken faith-
fully to do their Office they quite forget, if they
hear a Gentleman fwear that they are Fools if
they keep them. A thousand tricks we have to
fruftrate the gracious defign of God, in fetting
his Minifters over us for our good. Rom. 1. 3---
and to lose the benefit of it. And, oh! what a
load of guilt have both we who are set to mini-
fter in the Church, as Stewards of the mifteries of
Chrift. Cor. 4. 1. And they to whom we
minifter, for their flighting the Office and Bene-
fit of our Miniftery. We, of all Men, who are
Ambaffadors for Chrift, and workers together
with him, have caufe to bluth and tremble, when
we confider how little we heed what St. Paul
hath told us, That a Bishop must be blameless as the
Steward of Chrift. Tit. O! how little watch
we for Men's Souls as they that must give an Ac-
count? Heb. -- How negligent are we in all
the parts of our Office? How many of us
preach our felves more than the Lord JESUS
Christ, and make through vain Glory and a defire
to be admired, the mifteries whereof we are
Stewards, rather more mifterious than plaine
to our hearers, and feek with much more earnest-
nefs theirs than them? How many of us ftrive
rather to Lord it over God's Heritage, than to
make our felves Servants of all, as we ought to do,

4

to win the more unto our great Mafter? How many, instead of being enfamples to the Flock, becomes Seducers and Tempters, lead the Sheep of Chrift into Error, and into Sin? What can we on these Accounts expect, but that whilft we teach others, and teach not our felves, we fhould at laft be found caft-aways. The unfavory Salt is good for nothing, but to be caft out and trodden under foot of Men. But, alafs, how many of the People, instead of endeavouring to have fuch Salt caft out, account it more favory than any other, and love no other Minifters but fuch as cease to be the Servants of Chrift, that they may please Men? We feek not in a Paftor a good Inftructer, or a good Guide, but a good Companion, and one whose witty difcourfe may ferve not as Salt, to preferve our Minds from Corruption, but rather as Salt Meats to help us to relifh our Liquor. If any thing difpleafe us, it is the Miniftery, not the Minifter; the good Minifter is indeed hated for his Ministry's fake, and the evil one is made much of, because he is a fcandal to his Function, and gives us a handle to fhake it by. The moft think, that of all other Men the Minifter may be beft fpared for any good he doth them; for they cannot think their Souls worth the faving at the charge of his maintenance. And now, what can we hope to meet with in moft Families, when People fhew themselves fo little concern'd for the Publick Service of God? They that difcover fo much Profanenefs Abroad, are not like to be found very Religious within Doors, and in private. How do Husbands and Wives, Parents and Children, Mafters and Servants, there behave themselves in their feveral Stewardships? Families are the Nurferies of Church and State,

and

and the Plants grow there, which are to be the Strength and Beauty of both. What care is there taken to fit them for either. I will not come to particulars. It is enough to obferve, how little of Religion is to be feen in most Families, how feldom God is there worshiped, and how rarely the Members of the Family are Inftructed out of his word; and what untoward Examples they have always before their Eyes in their Parents or Masters? There is hardly any thing to be ften in our private Houses, but either drudgery or vanity, the World and our Lufts make us all the bufinefs we have there to do. God is ufually a very Stranger to us, and we never have any Entertainment for him, nor can we find in our hearts to invite him to abide with us. ever Education or Breeding we beftow on our Children, we take too little care to bring them up in the nourture and admonition of the Lord, as is our Chriftian Duty. Eph. And whatever care we take of our Servants, we are not very careful to fee that they ferve God. Thefe things are all toonotorious to be denied, and hence we may, in fome measure, learn how wafters we all are of our Mafter's Goods.

What

great

And how greatly should this humble us in our own Eyes, and in the Prefence of that gracious Mafter, towards whom we behave our felves fo unfaithfully. What corrupt things are we, who are fo ftrongly inclin'd to abufe the goodness of God, and to turn his Grace into wantonness ? What unprofitable Servants are the very best of us, and how little can we deferve the Love and Favour of our Mafter, or challenge any other Reward as our due, but that of unjuft and waftfal Servants? And how fhould this make us not only

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