Recommended from Phil. 2. 12, 13. you rhe worth of your prccio11s ~ouls; and .fince he thinks no Pains too much to ruin them, why 010uld you rhmk ~ny Pams or Labour too much for to favc them? . . . (6.) Sixthly Confider, you your [elves do Labour and take Pams m thmg; of far M_en t.de lower and /cffe/ Concemmtm than the Salvation of your Souls is. Men can rife up Pi,~ns 111 early and go to Bed late,. eat the Bread of <?arefulnefs, ~nd all to g_et fame little j,;"Jif;I inconfiderable piece of th1s Worl~ to provide for a fra1l, Jhort L1fe here; and toncem~ . Who is there that thinks their Pams too much ? And why then Jhould you not memn.llati labour for a future Life in another \Vorld, that you confefs to be ihfinitely more cbeirSouls. glorious and defirable than an~ thi~g.You can obtain he1:e? To me it is Folly fo grofs aod fenfclefs to be bemoan d, 1f 1t were poffible, with Tears of Blood, that Men Jhould fo toil for the low Conveniencies of the World, and yet negleCt the eternal Happinefs of their precious and immortal Souls, as if they were not worth the looking after. Sinners, do you know what a vain, empty Bubble, blown up by the creating Breath of the Almighty, the World is? Do you know it and yet will you take pains for it, yet will you grafp and ketch at it? Who w~uld doubt when we fee Men fo bufy about Jmpertincncies, and the -trivial Concernments of this vain World; who would doubt, but that they were far t;12ore anxious and careful about the Things of Heaven, and the Concernments of their Souls? Who would not conclude, but that they who are fa diligent about petty Trifles, had certainly made fure that their great Work was done? But, a !M would ic not aftonifh Men and Angels, if we lhould tell them how fooliCh Sin~ers are? Would it be believed thu rational ereatures, that have immo·rral Souls that muft be for ever faved or damned, fhould fpend all their Time and Stren cr tb about nothing, never raking any Care or Thought what will become of them 0 for ever? Would fuch Folly be believ'd to be in Men? And yet this Madnefs are Jl)Oft Men guilty of. We may all of us be afhamed to lift up our Heads to God, when we confcfs the World to be fa vain and flight a Thine;, that if we fhould get all of it, nay, fhould we get ten thoufan'ii of them, yet were they not all worth one SouJ, that yet we fhould be (o foolilh to ftrive to get a vain World,_ to the Neglect, yea, to the Contempt of our precious Souls? It is fuch Folly as Men would fcarce fufpeet that any Perfons lhould be guilty of it, if it were not feen daily in the PraCtices of altnoft all Men. (?.) Sevemhly, Confider this: Are you ambitiom? Do you aj{tCf true Homur- and To ntQr,t Dignity?' Yes, I krmv this is the great !dot of the World, that which ewry one Ja.Os f~r Srll~.t· doron to and Wor/hips: Welt then, Sinners, here i5 a way to prtfrr you aU. To work 'J:t:nb:_es for Salvation is the moft honourable Imployment in the: World, and Honour that n!Jurahlt, will pofe and nonplus the moft towring and raifed Ambition, when once it is fpiritualized. Alas, what poor and contemptible Things are the Grandees and great Ones of the World, though they take great State and Pomp upon them, and will fcarce own their Inferioursfor their Fellow-Creatures; nay, will fcarce own God himfelf for their Superiour, are yet but like Painted FJies that play and buz a while in the Sun-lhine, _and th~n ff!Oulder away and come to nothing? All worldly Honour and Pomp 1s but Imagmary; but would you have that which is folid and fubftantial? Chrift tells you how it is to be attained. If any Man John 12. ferve me, him wili my Father honour. Whatever Honour we have, we hold it by 26,. Service; our \Vorks is not only Duty, but Preferment alfo: If any Man ferve me, he fhall be honoured. Would you be inrolled for Right HonourabLe in Heaven's Treafury? Would you be Peers of that Kingdom with Saints and glorified .An-. gels? Th.en honour God. And how fhaU you honour him, but by obeying him ? And he who thus honours God, God will honour him. This- is the only real Honour, all other is but airy, fiCtititious Titles; like Cyphers, which as they are placed, frand for Hm1dreds and Thoufands, bu£ are all of the fame Value· when huddled together. So truly the great Ones of the World, if 110t made honourable by Obedience to God , have but imaginary Excellency; and when Dearh once fhuffies and huddles them together, Nob/es with lgnobies, will the Dult aud Afhes of the one ftand at a Diftance and make Obeyfance to the other? No,' all Honour wSerein here fignifies no more than a King upon a Stage. But here is a way to attain •beHattour true Honour, here i.s the ~vay to it by becoming Servants, not to Command, but oflt1orki"g to Obey; JlOt to be 1mpenous over others, but to work your felves; this is true fo.r 5 " 1"a.. Honour. Now 1 fhall in three Things demonftrate the Honour of working for 'j,{t;. (q'/f. H h h h h Salvation,
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