Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v11

240 Vetf, t I. 'e,+in Expof:tion upon the Book of jo s. Chap, 36. in divinity, and the great end why we tame into this World and for which we are here detained. Nor is it an eafie matter to come up to, or attain the holy skill of ferving fuch a Lord and Mafier ashe: There muff be a doing of his Will, and of his whole Will, and of his Will only, and that under this precife contem plation, that it is his Will, to denominateus his fervants, or to make a proof that we ferve him. Now whether God teacheth us by his Word, or by his Rod (which is the teaching of this context) O how readily fhould we obey and ferve him ! To ferve him isnot only the deGDn of cur being made free, that is, we were not onely made free to ferve him,but to fervehim is our freedom (as was touch't before ) yea, to ferve him is not onely tobe free, but to ferve him is to reign and rule. They that ferve God to purpofe reign over the lufis of the evil. World without, and over their own lufts within ; nor can any reign over the lufis of the world without, or their ovin within, but only they who ferve him, and only fo far as they ferve him. Every gracious a& of fervice to God is the fubjugati- on or bringing under of loge lufl crother inman. Now if any fhould fay, Curdy this is a very fad Life, tobe al- wayes ferving, or to lead only the life of a fervanr. I anfwer, To ferveGod; or the fervice of God is fweet,plea- fant and eafie in a twofold refpea. Fitfl,comparatively, to the fervice ofliin and the world, of luft and the devil; that's a weari- nefs indeed as well as a'bafenefs, Secondly, It is eafie alfo if we confider the help we have in it. The people of God ferve him in a Covenant of Grace, which, as it calls them to work, fo it gives them help to work. The NewCovenant doth not call us (as 'Pharaoh did the children of Ifrael) to make brick and deny us 1lraw ; yea,under that Covenant, we have not onely firaw af- forded us to make our 'brick, but we have flrength afforded us to make our brick ; that is , the very power by which we ferve our Mailer is given in by our Mailer. The Mafters of thisworld fet us a work, but they give us no f'lrength, but what work foever God lets his Covenant fervants about,he gives them flrength to do ir. Then, Ohow fwcet is it to ferve him, and how readily fhould our hearts come off in his fervice! Let me add one thing more (whichbrings us to the next words) ferve him, for his is not a lean fervice, not an unprofitable fervice, `there is a reward

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