Recommended from Phi!. 2. I 2, I 3· fo laborious and expen live, not in procuring Good to himfelf, but in procunng Good for others? Mcthinks thefe Things fhould add fame Spurs to our Endeavours, and excite us to follow the Examples of thofe that are gone before us, yea, and to leave an Example unto them that are to come after us; and though we do come after the Examp les of others who are gone before us, yet.the confideration of their Examples who have gone through this Work, may exctte us not to come behind them in any good Work. 621. (2.) Secondly, God holds out to us the .Ligh~ of his .Gofprl~Truth ~nd Ordinances, whereby to hdp us in our Work. What Chnfi: falth of htmfelf IS apph~able u~1to all, We muft work the Works of God while it is Day; the Night ccmcth wherem ne Man ca1t joh.9. 4 ; wcrk. You are not fi1nt up in Darknefs, you are not muffled up in the Clouds of Error and Ignorance; or if you are, it is not becaufe you have not Light fhining about you, but becaufe you fhut it out when it is breaking in upon you. It is not a double Labour that is put upon you, firft to find out your Duty, and then to perform it; no, the Light fhines about you, and unlefs you will feal up you r Eyes againft it, it is impoffiblc but that it will fometime ftafh in upon you, and difcover both what you have mif-done, and what you ought to do. The Mahcmet4m have a Tradition among them, That Mofes Law and ChrijfJ Gofpel were written at firft with Ink made of pure Light: This Conceit of theirs, though it be fond and ridiculous, yet it carries a myftick Truth in it; the Scripture is as plain for matter of Duty, as if it had been written with a Sun-beam. Ordinances are difpenfed freely and powerfully, fo great a throng of Teachers and Such variety of Gofpel-Adminirtrations, that Men muft take almoft as much Pains to keep themfelves ignorant of their Duty, as would fuffice to perform their Duty. And wherefore ahink you is all this glorious Light given you? Is it not that you might work by it? Doth a Mafter light up a Torch or Candle only that his Servants might play about it? And wherefore doth God light up the Sun of Truth in the Firmammt of his Church? Is it only that you fhould dally anU trifle with it? No, it fhines that you may work by it, and truly work by it you do; b11t alas ! How many do work the V{orks of Darknefs by the glorious Light of Truth? How many have Lig,ht enough to fee that they are notoriouny wicked and prophane Swearers 1 Drunkards, Defpifers of Ordinances, Reviles at Religion and the Pro~ fetfors of it, Enemies to what is fober and facred in Chriftianity? This Light they have Hafhing in their Faces from the clear Evidence of the Word of Gall, and yet frill they continue to work the Works of Darknefs. What fhalll fay to fuch as thefe are? Truly I can fay nothing worfe to them than what their own Confciences already thunder againft them, for they are [elf-condemned Pcrfons. But truly this Complaint may too too juftly be taken up againft all that dG not walk worthy of the Light vouchfafed to them ; their Sins are revealed clearly, and Duties are revealed as clearly as the Scripture can poffibly exprefs t hem, aild yet they live in a grofs nceJ.eCl: of them. Well, believe it, this Light will not always Ihine to be gazed at only; the 0:1y is drawing to an end, the Night is haltning upon us, the darknefs of the Night of Death, and the darker Night of Judgment; and Oh ! That then it may not be any of our Condemnations, That Light U come imo the W6r/d, but we lcved Darknefs and the Works of Darkncfs better than Light, bccaufo QUr Deeds were evil. (3.) Thirdly, God hathtcthi& endfet aplfrthU MinifterJ, that they might be Helpers to you in thiJ great Work of working out of your Sal11ation. And therefore they are called, Helpers •f 1our Faith and 'Joy. They arc faid, Tc watch for your Scuts C , M thofe that muft gtve an account, They are faid to be Co-workers with 'Jefu ~4. or,l. Chrift; yea, theY are faid Tc fave your Souls. Minifters are fet in the Church to ad· Heb. 1 ;, monifu with all Meeknefs, to befeech with all Earneftnefs, to rebuke with all Au~ •7· thority, yea, and we have done i-::: Have we not called upon you, Si1mers, Sit1- Jude. z.s:. ners, why will ycu die? The Way wherein you now walk leads down to the Chambers of Death and DeftruC\:ion; the Wages of that \..Vork you are now doing is Shame, Deach and Hell : Have we not thus often call'd upon you ? Ycs, fo often have we thundred Terrors in Mens Ears, that they now difregard them out of cuftom; and when we fpeak of Sin and Death, and Hell and Judgment to come, Men think we are fallen into a Common Place, and we muft talk dreadfully to keep in our Road. Thcfe are the Apprehenfions Men have of the great and fearful Denunciations that are daily difcharged in their Eafi by the Minifters of
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