Recommended from. Phil. 2. J 2, 1 3· to wOrk, \\'hy fhould,yon not.as well follow and obey the Diaates and Comm~ndS of your Confciences that prompt you to Work and Duty, as obey the Propenfions of your fenfual part to theo-contrary ? ( 2.) Secondly, God him{df hetr uJ by working all our WorkJ in w and for us; by Go4 him· working in us the will to work, and by working for us the work 1Phen we have willed: {elf _k!pu And therefore while there is no part of our Work too hard for God, there fhould Cbrifl~an be no part of it too hard and difficult for us. Chrifr tells us, His burthen iJ not rowor ' he~vy, yet were it heavy we might well undergo it, fince he· himfelf helps us to bear it. The frequent experience of every Child of God doth abundantly confirm this: Did you never bc~in a Duty with your Hearts Jiftlefs and dead, with Affections ·cold and Hat, with ThouE,hts very w<1ndring and diftratt:ing, that at thC very entrance of it you concluded you fhould never make good Work of it, you fhould never bring the Duty to a good Iff'ue? And yet have you not in the midft of thefe your Difrempers found a mightY affiftance and influence fhining down from Heaven into your Hearts, filling them with holy and divine Affections, tranfporti,Jg them beyond all that deadnefs that did opprefs them, enlarging them with fweet and heavenly Erdargements, ·fo that no Duties were ended with more Comfort and Rev1vings than thofe that were begun with fuch dead Hearts and cold AffeCtions? Have you not often found it fo? And what is this but a fenfible feeling of God's working in you, that in the fame performance you fee your own weaknefs when you are lc:ft to your felves, and you fee the Power of God's Affiftance when he comes in to help you, and there is no Duty but this Divine Affifbnce may be hoped tor and expett:ed by you to enable you in the performance of it ? Are you to do ? God wor.ks in )'OU the Will and the Deed. Are you to fuffei- ? Ifa. 43• 2, Whm you pafs through the Fire and through the W4ter he wilt be with you ; he will deliver J ob 5· 19. you in fix TroubtcJ , and in [even there /hall no ~'flil touch JOu. Are you to pray ? HiJ s;m. 8· Spirit ma1wh Jnrerceffion for w. God doth not, as the Scribes and Pht~rifecs did, Jay 2 ' heavy Burthens' upon others and not touch them with the lcaft of his Fingers, no, he is p!l:aled to become a Co-workei- with you, he begins, he carries on, and he alfo perfetls whatever concerns your Duty here and your Happinefs hereafter; and is not this a mighty Encourag~ment to. Obedience? Wil1 you any longer delay fince God affords you fuch Affifiance as this? Why do you not prefently at- ~cmpt this ~ork? But J.OU will fay, how foal/ I know th~tt Go~ will ajfift me? Why put it to the Tnal. Was It ever known that God ever fa1led any that refolutely ventured ? Difpute not concurrence, but believe, and by looking for it and depending upon it, you ingage God to help you. It was the confideration of the allfufticic~t _Affiftance _of G?Cf that made one of the Ancients cry our, Da Domine quod jubcs, C7 ;ube quod vu: GJve, Lord, what thou commandejf, and then command wh 4 t thou wilt. .. . , (6 .) Sixthly, Confidt r for JtiUr lncour4gement, it U not Jo much the abfolute tlnd legal Godlor.fcs perjdlion of the Work, M the per[effion of the Worker; th4t is , the perfelfion of the 41Sinmi. Heart th4t is looked at IUJd rew~trded by God : And is not this a great Incourage... ~ mo;e ment? There is a twofold perfetlion; the perfeCtion of the Work, and the per- jeiHon "- fett ion Qf the Workman : The perfeaion of the Work is when the Work doth • fo exatt:ly and ftriC\:ly anfwer the holy Law of God, that there is no irregu larity in it. The perfcd ion of the Workman is nothing but inward Sincerity, the uprightnefs of the Heart towards God, which may be where there are many lmperfett:iml s and DefeCts intermingled. If God fhould accept and reward no Work but wh&t is abfolutcly perfect: in refpeB: of the Law, this WOllld be fuch a fadning Difcouragemcnt that it would take off the Wheels of all Endeavours, for a11 our Obedience falls far fhort of legal perfection in this Life. We our felves are confLious of many tailings and imperfecl:ions in our beft S€:rvices, and God knows far more; and fince we can do notliing without Infirmitcs, ~ho would ·venture to do any thing upon the account of thofe Infirmities, left God fhould caft back a\1 again as Dung into our Faces? No, but we do not ftand upon fnch TermS as thefc are with our God, it is not fo much what our Works are, as what our Heart is that God looks at and will reward: Yet know alfo, left any fl10uld too foon lay hold on this ; if our Hearts are perfea and fincere, we lhall endeavour to the utmoft of our Power that our Works may be perti:Ct: according to t~e ft~ictnefsof the Law. 1 fpeak not this therefore to incourage ignorant fot~ ulh Stoners, that though they live in a conftant com·fe of Sin and neglect of Duty.
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