Recommended from Phil. 2. I 2, I 3· you from your Work , and cheat YOIJ. of your Re~ard.. Lr~ UJ' therefore fear (fays the Apoftle) leaft a Promife bting made UJ ofentrmg mto hu Reft, dfl} of us Jhmld fall fhort . Yet as this may ca~fe Holy Fear, fo it may be matter of fpirit ual Joy and Rcjoycing, that notwithftandiog the deadnefs of our H e:trts, the flacknefs of our Hands, the many Avoca,ions from withou~, the many l11terrup· tions from within, yet none of us fhall forfake our Work ull we have brought it to PerfeCtion) our Obedience fhall be crowned with Perfeverance, and our . Perfev erance with Glory ·and Immortality. See for this that of the Apoftle, We Phil. '· 1. are conftdmt of this thing· 7 that he that hatb brgun a good YVork in you, wilt perform it till the day of <Jefus Chrift. Let therefore the Mouth of Calumny be for ever ftopt that accufeth th is comfortable Doctrine of the Saints Perfevcrance through Grac~ unto Glory, that accufeth it of patronizing Sloth and ldlenefs. Some do faften this V1per upon it; let Chriftians live as they lift, though carelefs of good Wor·ks, yea, thouf;h continually imployed in evil Works; yet being Chriftians they need not fear that they !hall fall Jhort of Glory. But though we do affirm that every true Chriftian !hall certainly inherit Heaven and Glory, yet we fhakc of this pernicious Confidence, for he is no true Chriftian who is not zealous and carefu l of good \Vorks, whofe knowledge of his own Eftate doth not provoke him to 1valk worthy of that Vocation ;-ohcrewirh h_e U caH:d, w.hofe hope of Heaven doth not inable him to purify himfrlf, 11nd to pajdl Holmefs u~ the fear of God. What a Contrad itl:ion is it to fay, we patronize finfu l Sloth m Men, when we tell them if th~y are true Chriftiaus that they fhall con tinue worki ng ? Is it Sloth to continue work~ ing? Or do we inconr3ge Men to be idle, by affuring them if they are Chriftians, they muft and fhall work? Yet this is the natural ftrain and tendency of our DoGf.rine. What greater lnconragement can you have to Obeclicncc than this? If you wi ll work you Ihall not fail of your End, becau[e the End it felf is poflible, becaufe the means to ic are direa and certain, and becaufe if you once begin ro work , you fhall moft alfuredly perfevere till you have att(l.ined that End, even the SalvaTion of your own Souls. And this is one Ret>fou why your Labour !hall not be in vain. . . (2.) Secondly, Your Labo11r p,a/1 not be in vain, beL·~tufe this End jb~tll fully tt'1fw~r, yea, infinitely exceed all thAt Coft and Pains you tlrc ilt in procuring it . It is not fo in the Th ings of this World. As to this that of the Pfalmift holds true, Surely every Pral. _6 Afan walketh in a vain Shetv, furety they are d1[quieted irz vain. Though they do ana in >J • their End, and that bccaufe that very End that they grafp at is it felf but Vanity. But can any Man accom1t Heaven and Happinefs a \'a in Thing} Is it not infinitely worth all, yea, more than all that thou canft do or futfer for It ? Certainly whe n you come to enjoy it, you will not think it a hard BJ.rgain that \it ftood you in f~'J many· Duties and Difficulties before you came to the poffeffion of it: No, if t~1erc could be any Sorrow in that ftate of perfed Joy, it would be, not that we h:Jve done fo much~ b~t that we have done no more; not tha~ we have gone through fo much Ang;utfu 10 Repentance, or that we have fuftamcd fuch great Conflicts in Self·deniJl and Mortification , but that we waded no deeper i n our own Tears, and deeper in the Blood of our own Lufts; that we have not more vexed and croffed our c3rna~ Self, and ta~en more Pains in the ways of God ; could there be any Sorrow m Heaven tbts would be the caufe of it: Bnt certainly a great part of our Joy there, will be to reflect hack upon thofC Duties an~ y:orks of Obedien.ce, through which, though with much ftrt1~p)ing and frnvmg, we have attamed unto that moft bleffed State. And thi s is the bit Argument or Motive that I Ihall infift upon; \Vork, for your l.abour {h,1u not be in vain, you Ihall certainly accomplilh your End, and this End fhall abundantly recompence you fo r all your Labour and Pains. Well then to conclude this Head, you have at large fecn wllat can be pleaded on .the behalf of Obedience; What is it now that you can ObjeU aga in fr there Thtngs? Arc they not true? Are they not cogent? Your Confcienct:s I know tell you that they are fo; why then do they not prevail with you? Why fit vou frill holding your Arms in your Bofoms? Sirs, I have not fpoken to you E::blr; or M_yfteries tha~ cannot be underftood, but the Truth in all pla innefs; and if you will not lay It; to Heart, believe it there is a Day coming; when you [hall, coo late; know that once you had a Proffer of Salvation , and you might h:n'C been happy for·working for it: But, alas! this the defperate Folly of Men, they do K k k k k 2 not
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