lost the benefit of one duty, before you come to another, and cool by intermissions.'

Direct. XVII. Remember that it is not your divertisement, but your calling, and is to your soul, as eating to your bodies.

Tempt. XVIII. Sometimes satan corrupteth duty by men's private passions, interest, and opinions, making men, in preaching and praying, to vent their own conceits and spleen, and inveigh against those that differ from them, or offend them, and profane the name and work of God: or proudly to seek the praise of men.'

Direct. XVIII. Remember that God is most jealous in his worship, and hateth hypocritical profaneness, above all profaneness. Search your hearts, and mortify your passions; and especially selfishness, remembering that it is a poisonous and insinuating sin, and will easily hide itself with a cloak of zeal.

Tempt. xIx. False-hearted reservedness is a most accursed corrupter of holy duty: when the soul is not wholly given up to God, but sets upon duty from some common motive; as, because it is in credit, or to please some friend, purposing to try it awhile, and leave it, if they like it not.'

Direct. XIX. Fear God, thou hypocrite, and halt not between two opinions. If the Lord be God, obey and serve him with all thy heart: but, if the devil and the flesh be better masters, follow them, and let him go.

Tempt. xx. Lastly, The tempter hindereth holy duty much, by wandering thoughts, and melancholy perplexities, and a hurry of temptations, which torment and distract some Christians, so that they cry out, 'I cannot pray, I cannot meditate;' and are weary of duty, and even of their lives.'

Direct. xx. This sheweth the malice of the tempter, and thy weakness; but, if thou hadst rather be delivered from it, it hindereth not thy acceptance with God. Read for this, what I have said Chap. v. Part 2. at large; especially in my Directions to the Melancholy.

I have been forced to put off many things briefly here, which deserved a larger handling; and I must now omit the discovery of those temptations, by which satan keepeth men in sin, when he hath drawn them into it. 2. And those

by which he causeth declining in grace, and apostacy. 3. And those by which he discomforteth true believers; because else this Direction would swell to a treatise; and most will think it too long and tedious already, though the brevity which I use, to avoid prolixity, doth wrong the matter through the whole. Acquaintance with temptations is needful to our overcoming them.

Grand Direct. x. Your lives must be laid out in doing God service, and doing all the good you can, in works of piety, justice, and charity, with prudence, fidelity, industry, zeal, and delight; remembering that you are engaged to God, as servants to their Lord and master; and are entrusted with his talents, of the improvement whereof you must give account.'

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The next relation between Christ and us, which we are to speak of, (subordinate to that of King and Subjects,) is this of Master and Servants. Though Christ saith to the apostles, "Henceforth I call you not servants, but friends";" the meaning is not that he calleth them not servants at all, but not mere servants, they being more than servants, having such acquaintance with his counsels as his friends. For he presently, verse 20. bids them "Remember that the servant is not greater than the lord." And John xiii. 13. “Ye call me Master and Lord; and ye say well, for so I am.” And Matt. xxiii. 8. "One is your Master, Christ; and all ye are brethren:" so ver. 10. And the apostles called themselves the " servants of Jesus Christi ;" and " of God.” He is called our Master, and we his servants, because he is our Rector, ex pleno dominio' with absolute propriety, and doth not give us laws to obey, while we do our own work, but giveth us his work to do, and laws for the right doing of it and it is a service under his eye, and in dependance on him for our daily provisions, as servants on their lord. God hath work for us to do in the world; and the performance of it he will require. God biddeth his sons, "Go work to day in my vineyard';" and expecteth that they do it". His servants" are as "husbandmen," to whom he entrusteth his vineyard, that he may receive the fruit"." i Rom. i. 1. and 1 Cor. iv. 1. Phil. i. 1. * Tit. i. 1. n Ver. 33, 34. 41, 43.

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:

h John xv. 5.
Matt. xxi. 28.

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m Ver. 31.

Faithful servants" shall be made rulers over his household" Christ delivereth to his servants his talents to improve, and will require an account of the improvement at his coming. Good works, in the proper, comprehensive sense, are all actions internal and external, that are morally good but in the narrower acceptation, they are works, not only formally good, as acts of obedience in general, but also materially good, such as a servant doth for his master, that tend to his advantage, or the profit of some other, whose welfare he regardeth. Because the doctrine of Good Works is controverted in these times, I shall first open it briefly, and then give you the Directions.

1. Nothing is more certain, than that God doth not need the service of any creature; and that he receiveth no addition to his perfection or felicity from it; and, consequently, that on terms of commutative justice, (which giveth one thing for another, as in selling and buying,) no creature is capable of meriting at his hands.

2. It is certain, that on the terms of the law of works, (which required perfect obedience as the condition of life,) no sinner can do any work so good, as in point of distributive, governing justice, shall merit at his hands.

3. It is certain, that Christ hath so fulfilled the law of works, as to merit for us.

4. The redeemed are not masterless, but have still a Lord, who hath now a double right to govern them: and this governor giveth them a law: and this law requireth us to do good works, as much as we are able, (though not so terribly, yet) as obligingly as the law of works: and by this (of Christ) we must be judged: and thus we must be judged according to our works and to be judged is nothing else but to be justified or condemned. Such works, therefore, are rewardable according to the distributive justice of the law of grace, by which we must be judged. And the ancient fathers, who (without any opposition) spoke of good works as meritorious with God, meant no more, but that they were such as the righteous Judge of the world will reward, according to the law of grace, by which he judgeth us. And this doctrine being agreed on as certain truth, there is no controversy left with them, but whether the

o Matt. xxiv. 45, 46.

VOL. II.

Y

P Matt. xxv. 14.

word 'merit' was properly or improperly used: and that both Scripture, and our common speech, alloweth the fathers' use of the word, I have shewed at large in my " Confession."

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5. Christ is so far from redeeming us from a necessity of good works, that he died to restore us to a capacity and ability to perform them, and hath new-made us for that end. "He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them"."

6. Good works opposed to Christ, or his satisfaction, merit, righteousness, mercy, or free-grace, in the matter of justification or salvation, are not good works, but proud self-confidence and sin: but good works, in their due subordination to God's mercy, and Christ's merits and grace, are necessary and rewardable.

7. Though God need none of our works, yet that which is good materially pleaseth him, as it tendeth to his glory, and to our own and others' benefit, which he delighteth in.

8. It is the communicating of his goodness and excellencies to the creature, by which God doth glorify himself in the world and in heaven, where is the fullest communication, he is most glorified: therefore the praise which is given to the creature, who receiveth all from him, is his own praise. And it is no dishonour to God, that his creature be honoured, by being good, and being esteemed good: otherwise, God would never have created any thing, lest it should derogate from himself: or, he would have made them bad, lest their goodness were his dishonour; and he would be most pleased with the wicked, and least pleased with the best, as most dishonouring him. But madness itself abhorreth these conceits.

9. Therefore, as an act of mercy to us, and for his own glory, (as at first he made all things very good, so) he will make the new creature according to his image, which is holy, and just, and good, and will use us in good works; and it is our honour, and gain, and happiness to be so used by him. As he will not communicate light to the world, withr Ephes. ii. 10.

q Tit. ii. 14.

out the sun, (whose glory derogateth not from his honour :) so will he not do good works in the world, immediately by himself only; but by his servants, whose calling and daily business it must be, as that which they are made for, as the sun is made to give light and heat to inferior things. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heavens." Christ was far from their opinion, that think all good works that are attributed to good men, are dishonourable to God'.

10. He is most beholden to God, that is most exercised in good works. The more we do, the more we receive from him and our very doing itself is our receiving; for it is he that "giveth us both to will and to do," by his operation in us"; even "he, without whom we can do nothing"

11. The obligation to good works, that is, to works of piety, justice, and charity, is essential to us as servants of the Lord. We are practical atheists, if we do not the works of piety to God: we are rebels against God, and enemies to ourselves, and unmeet for human society, if we do not the works which are good for ourselves, and for others, if we have ability and opportunity. This is our fruit which God expecteth; and if we bear it not, he will hew us down, and cast us into the fire.

J 12. Though doing no hurt will not serve turn, without doing good, yet it is not the same works that are required of all, nor in the same degree, but according to every man's talent and opportunities.

13. God looketh not only nor principally at the external part of the work, but much more to the heart of him that doth it: nor at the length of time, but at the sincerity and diligence of his servants. And therefore, though he is so just, as not to deny the reward which was promised them, to those that have borne the burden and heat of the day; yet is he so gracious and bountiful, that he will give as much,

• Matt. v. 16.

Vir bonus est qui prodest quibus potest, nocet autem nemini. P. Scalig. Ne pigeat evangelicum ministrum, ægrotum visitare, xenio aliquo recreare, famelicum cibario saltem pane pascere, nudum operire, pauperem cui non est adjutor, à divitun calumniis et potentia eripere, pro afflictis principem magistratumve convenire: rem familiarem consilio augere, morientibus sedulo et benigne astare, lites et dissidia componere, &c. Acosta lib. iv. c. 18. p. 418.

" Phil. ii. 13.

* John xv. 5.

y Matt. xxv. 14, 15, &c.