~f .i!Duttcs tn ®encral. Chap.~.Se8. S. as a means, and fo .as to praife God thereby. Ifs a good way, ncfcicndo {iire, in nor k_nowing, to ~(_now, that fo we may pra~fe God for them; and Jcmtdo nef.ir~, in !{::owing, not rokfmv, that fo we may be humble m our felves. 6. That others might ·receive good, and the_reby be oceafiooed to glorifie God: Ti•. 3, 8. . The.[< things aregood, and profitable unto men, faith the Apoil:Ic; and Lttyour l;ghtJo ~a.c. S1 • i6., jhint before men, that they may fee JoHr goo~ Wt-Tk.J, rzndgi~.~nfie your Father which u in heaven. Chrill: doth not here_encourage vam-glvry, but he propounrls the true ends of our vifible holineiTe; for godhneiTe bemg light, it ought not (in fuitable Dutw) to be iY..d. 16 • 213 • hid under a buthel: .A1y ,goodne./Je cxtendah not to thee, b1tt to the Smnts that m·eon the earth,,.nd rothe execlltnt,m whom 'is all my delight. Fheromc faid ofA•gujline, That he loved Chrift dwellmg tn Auguftme ; fo ought we to walk, that others may love Chrill: dwelling in us. There's an Exhortation to wi~es fo to >M!k.,, tt at thtir /,tMirinds may be , Per. 3. r, ~von to the Lord: Sweet foul, It may be thou prayel! for thy husba.,d, in a carnal con– dition, thou defirelt him to go to hear fuch a Minill:er, fuch a ~ermon . go on in thefe Duties, <!dding this to the reil; See that thy lite alfu may convert him. ' ·7· That Dmzc.s may carry us to the Lord jefus, the only Savivur; he alone i1 able toJave them to the uttermoft that come unto God by him (i.) in the ufe ol the means: Hear R.b. 7• 2 S· a Sermon to carry thee to the Lord jcfus; Fall:, and pray, and get a full ride of affe– ctions in them, to carry thee to the Lord Jefus Chrill: ( i. ) to get more love of him, Sb.ph ibid. more acquaintance with him, more union in him, and communion with him; ufe thy Dmw,as Noahs Dove did her Wings,to carry thee to the Ark ofthe Lord Jefus Chritr, where only t~erc is re£1:: If !he had never ufed her wings, fhe had faln in the waters; and if !he had not returned t<il the Ark, fhe had found no re£1:: So, if thou !halt ufe no Dm1es, but call: them all off, thou art fure to perifh ; and if they convey thee not to (;hriil:;,thou mayeft lie down inforrow: or as it is with• poor man, that is to get over a great water for a treafure on the other fide, though he cannot fetch the Boat, he calls for it, and ufeth it, to carry him over to the treafure: So Chrill: is in heaven, and thou on earth, he cloth not come to thee, and thou canfl not get to him, now call fur a Boat; though thLre is no grace, no good, no falvation in a pithleiTe Dmy, yet ufe"it to carry thee over to the treafure, Tbe Lord ."fcfus Chrift: \Vhen thou come£1: to hear, fay, H~'"' over, ~prtj, by thisfermon; when thou comell to pray, fay Have over, .Lcrd, by iJ,is prapr to aSaviour: But this is the mifery of people, like foolifh lovers, when they are to woo for the Lady, they fall in love with her Handmaid, that is only to lead them to her : So men fall in love with, and dote upon their own Duties, and rc£1: contented with the n'lked performance of them, which arc only Hanclmaids, to lead the foul unto the Lord Jefus Chrill:. · , 8. That the Lord Chrift may be exalted, and advanced by Duties. The main end of Dllties,js the glory of•him whohath Redeemed us with the price of his blood, and by ~he power of his Spirit; this fets the crown on his head: Behold King Solomon, 1vith Canrl '3· 11 • the f rown wherawithhjs,mother crowned him. How many performe Dmies, not to fct the .Crown on.Ch~ill:s head, but to fct the Crown on their own heads ? So do hypocrites, that feek their own praife, and credit, and profit; fo do all, efpecially that do any thing with~ dQnceit ofmeriting at Gods hands. Now this is the main end ofright obedience, ,.That ;(l;e Crown may be.Jet on Chrifts head, that he who is King of Saints, may have the hol!OlJr giyen him, due to his Kingly Office. In this refpeC1, I cannot blame them who blame others, foHrying up; and magnifying mans works in their own name. To fay Dr. Crifp in that Cb!·ifi is alwaysfuppofed as principal, is no fuflicient Apology: For why only Phi!. 3 8 · {uppofed? why not he named, as well as Duties, and Righteoufnejfe? Certainly, it is not goo.d manners'(to fay no worfe) to forget him, whiles his poor Inll:rnments are fo highl)l remembred. When Servants bring prefcnts.from their Mafters to any, they do pot ,fay'; I befrow fuch and fuch a thing on you, but, My Mafrer fends it you; if he fhou!d, t~k-e it on himfelf, he fhould go for an arrogant fellow : nor will it falve the 'matter~, ,' when he is taxed for fuch arrogancy, to fay, My Mall:cr fhould have b"n fuppofcd, when he gave no hint of him. Mcthir.kJ it were comely, (faith the Author •.,".. rightly,in thi6) in extolling of manr.Righteoufnejfc~ cxpli<·itdyto afcribe all the praife roihe :-- /~' ~: .~ ·::Jg_1orY,·tif Chrift.,,,and his grace: An~, I [e,e not (/a.tth ~mot~er mgenuqufly) but tbat 11:~ ~lr, .ll,rges, nifterspiaj. be hwnbled that they have,prt'jfed rcltgzow Dmzcs, bm notJo M 10 Jet Uf. Chrij/. Vind!:if ll'j.is and hc"rttliy people have bee,; content with Duties and Sacraments> tho~tgh no Chrift in them: but arvejfelrwere ~o beofp~tre gold in the Temple, Jo u~tght all our Duties to be ofpttrt m~d H>tCr Chriftfor acceptRfiQ/1.: .(\gain, _q'Bernard faid, He did not love to read Tully,b<Call{< . . ~
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