TiePlatformeofObedience. 337 who hauing receiucdpreff mony,isnomorehis owne man,but is aloheaa the ordering of his Captane, and fo ishe likewifein the Lords power, andmutt firiue to frame himfelfeonly to hiswill . The vieofthispoint is, tolet vs feehowfarre wedeceit= our felues Inout 7"bcVii imagination. Wewillneeds be thnught tobe the Lords feruants,and tohaue givenour (clues overwhollyvnto hire : butyet whenwearelooked into, wee (hall be foundto idle inaprincipall part offeruice. For why?WeWill be ffId to be his feruants,yetwe will be led by ourowne difcretion : we wouldbe in. deedbut as it were Gods retayners.Retayhers (wee know)are willing to be. longtoaGentienfao, but yet it is but for theirowne peivateaduantage, for theircountenance, or for theauoydingoffóme otherçharges; in the meane timethey would haue their owne liberty, tò follo+hatheir owne bufineffes, to line at theirownhoufes,to comeand got at their ówne plealure:fyçhferuants men generally would be totheLord; willingtheybe to fltroud them(eluesvn. derthat name, becaufe they thinke,that in theend it willgoe well with filch s andit maybe alfo,they thinke itadifgrace tobe(aid to beofno Religion :yet forall that, they are lothto be tied, theydelretobe free ftill, and tobe (asit were)attheir ownedifpofing. Thus (I fay) therebe many,that willneedsbee reputed tobe the Lords , yet are but as in the nature ofRerayners : when the Lord lookes for feruice,thenare they to feeke,and -areemployed in the doing ofthemfelues feruice. Hence it is, that in the mattersof Godsworfhip, men (termed Gods feruants) will by norneases bee perfwaded to enquire after whatfa(hionGods pleafure isto be (clued :but lookehow they dtinkegood, howthecullome bath been,andhowthe moftdoe,fohe (hall be ferried; ifthat feruice like himnot, heels like tohaue noother at their hands. Soinother things, tell them;thus itiswritten,thuspathGod commanded, this is hisholy pleafure,this is thatwhich beerequireth, this bathhe reuealed, this is hiswill; they makeno reckoning,of it, they lóoke no further then their owne private, either profit, or delight, or credit amongft men. Now lodgein indiWerency, how theLord(hall account vs tube his , when, albeit wee profeffe fomuch, yetweeline as ifwee were our owne, and did oweneitherhomage norduty, noranymanner of obediencevnto him. Let any man meafure it by hisowne cafe. Imagine thou hadit a feruant that hued in thy houle, and did rateat thy Table, and teccined wages horn thee t lithos command rhis,or that, henot. withftanding makes light of it;ifit be fittingto hisowne humour,perhapshe willnot flick= to doit,otherwifehewillaltogether neglect it:what wilt thou fay orthinkein filchacafe?lfa neighbour askethee,andfay;what? is this your man? thou wiltfay; Truly Iknow not well,whether I may fay he ismy man, orno:here he liuethwith me,andhathmeat,and drinkendwagesof me, but nothingis there which Ican get himto doe formee further thenhimfelfe li. fteth,hetakethhimfelfe fora wifer man then I, and refuleth to doethat which I command him; and thereforeI mesar torid myhands ofhim a; bone as it ispofiìble : This is truein meen ¿flaires. Is is true altoin the matters ofGod; forifIbe ssnafer, where /srnyfesre,faitb the LordnfHesJ/, e.Só that ifthou cal- amati.6. left thy felfeGods fernam,and fayeft,thou hopeftthat God hath apart inthee, befive hedothuotfaaccount ot thee, folong as thou refufefttoberuled by him ;lithoswilt follow.thine ownewayes,andbe led by the Iaftes ofthine owneheact,doing nothing which he talleth for at thyhands, butonly fofarte forth as it forts with thine omet humour; well thou mayeftfay, thou art his, butcerteniy the-Lord difclaymeth thee : thoumayeftprefumftuoufly terme thyfeift oneof his feruanes, but be fare inthe dayoftriall hewill neuerOwne thee.Remernber we thenthis Inftruelion, that as we mull bewillingand glad todoe God feruice, fo weemuffallo yeeld our felues to follow inch dire&/: ons forhis feruice, as herinhis Word (hall bee.pleafed topreferibe t this is to Gl3 vat
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