good intentions, to please God) the influence and virtue of holy ends into them will be effectual to turn all into religious duties, as the touch of the philosopher's stone turns the baser metal into gold.

Rule IV. In every action let God be uppermost, but in religious actions let God be all. Let none of your actions terminate in yourselves, but labour to be able in sincerity to give this account of any thing you set about, that this you do, because it is pleasing unto Ged, because this is his will concerning you. Set a mark upon this caution. Beware in those actions wherein self may bear a part, lest it should sweep stakes, and carry allYou may, in your common actions, have an eye to your outward commodity, and comfortable being in the world but this must not be the chief thing, much less the all that you design herein for by looking no higher than self, you incur this double mischief. (1.) You lose so much from your own account. (2.) You usurp upon the great prerogatives of God. I fear we are not aware of the fearfal evil that is in self-seeking; it is no less than justling God beside the throne, and setting ourselves in his room. It is God's great prerogative, and the proper worship that is due to him as God, that he should be the last end of all the operations of us his creatures, and that all our motions should terminate in him. Now when we eye our own commodity, and not God, and look to this more than unto God, we arrogate the divine prerogative to ourselves, and set ourselves above him, which

is no less than heinous idolatry. And if it be such an heinous sin to bow down to an image, which is but the giving God's outward wor ship to the creature; how much more to seek and honor ourselves before God, which is to give his inward worship, which of all is the principal, to the creature? Oh, how many that pass for good Christians, will be found heinous idolaters! because they have sought their own carnal ends, more than God and his glory. And many real Christians, though they mainly design God, and his glory; yet in many particular actions contract great guilt, by looking no higher than themselves in what they do. I know you cannot be always thinking of God, yet I would have you never to forget what you have been taught: In the: entrance of every solemn action, to remem ber God, and make him your end. Lie down in the name of God every evening; go forth. in his name every morning, resolving to undertake all for him; when you enter upon your callings, sit down at your meals, make any journey or visit, do it as unto the Lord, with design to please him therein. This you may come to with care and watchfulness.

Again, in religious actions let God be all. Here self (I mean carnal self) must be shut out, otherwise this dead fly will spoil the box of most precious ointment. "Tis true, self will be crowding in, but you must knock it down carefully; otherwise if this be the predominant ingredient, all your duties will be but lost labour. What more pleasing to God than prayer? This is incense before him, Ps..

exli. 2. What more delightful than alms? This is a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing unto him, Phil. iv. 18. How happy a testimony had Cornelius? Thy prayers and alms are come up as a memorial before God, Acts x. 4. Yet when self is predominant in those duties, prayers, alms, &c. are all lost, Matt. vi. 7, and xxiii. 5.

Rule V. When you have done all, be care. ful to deny all, Luke vii. 7. Or not deny God's mercy in enabling and assisting you. This must be with all thankfulness observed; but attributing nothing to yourselves, and giv. ing God all the glory. Take the pattern of holy David, 1 Chron. xxix. 14. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should offer so willingly? Of thine own have we given thee: And of blessed Paul, 1 Cor. xv. 10. Not I, but the grace of God which was with me: And of good Nehemiah, who when he had done most eminent service for God, flies at last for pardoning mercy, Neb. xiii. 22. Remember me, O God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

Rule VI. Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, Col. iii. 17. Having carefully set out for God in the morning, and directed your common actious to him as your end throughout the day, doing all in his sight, and with a desire to please him therein, bring all to Christ in the evening, and present all unto God by him, confidently expecting God's ac ceptance and reward for all that you have done. For this he hath promised, be your

actions never so mean, because they were done as his service, Col. iii. 22, 23, 24. Eph. vi. 6, 7, 8. If you neglect this, you lose all at last; for God will accept of no sacrifice but from the hand of the priest, and therefore you must look for no acceptance with God, nor any reward from him, but only through Christ, 1 Pet. ii. 1, 5. John xiv. 6. You

must be sure therefore not only to make a formal mention of Christ's name, but to build all your hopes and success only upon him, and to come to God with an actual and lively dependence upon him.

Thus I have resolved the case propounded. I will but answer an objection, and so conclude,

Obj. You bind heavy burdens. What! must we be always in the traces? Surely this severity of religion is more than needs.

Ans. 1. Burden, man! Why, it is thy happiness if holiness and pleasing God be a burden, health is a burden, heaven and bappiness are burdens.

Ans. 2. This is no other burden than what God himself hath bound upon your consciences, Rom. ix. 20. Who art thou, O man, that repliest against God? Have I put upon you a devised and unnecessary strictness? or bound that burden upon you, which I will not touch with one of my fingers? 1 Cor. ix. 8. Say I this as a man? or saith not the law the same also? I pray you whose word is this? Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long, Prov. xxiii. 17. Do all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. x. 31. Exercise thyself unto

God, 1 Tim. iv. 7. What have I pressed, but what the saints have practised? Phil. iii. 13, 14. One thing I do, I press toward the mark. Ps. xxvii. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after. And Ps. cxix. 38. Thy servant that is devoted to thy fear. Gen. v. 22. Enoch walked with God three hundred years. What is this, but what the scripture hath foretold shall be? They shall walk up and down in the name of the Lord, Zech. x. 12. Then shall be upon the bells of the horses, and on every pot in Jerusalem, HOLINESS TO THE LORD, Zech. xiv. 20, 21. Dispute not against God, but up and be doing. It is an ill sign when the heart rises against the strictness of the duty: You utterly mistake in thinking this life of strictness to be a bondage. Who have joy unspeakable and full of glory, who do know the peace that passeth all understanding, if not those that do thus walk with God?

37 70 714S

FC 55 1: 55%