Elisha was called he left his plough, and the Apostles their nets, but not as they were called to be saints, but because they were called to office in the church, though some in our days could find in their hearts to send the officers of the church to the plough again; but upon how little reason let themselves judge who find one trade (if it be well followed, and managed with a full stock) enough to find them work all the week; and sure the minister, that has to do with, yea provide for, more souls than they bodies, may find his head and heart as full of work in his calling, from one end of the year to the other, as any of them all;-but I am speaking to the private Christian. Thou canst not be holy, if thou art not diligent in a particular calling. The law of man counts him a vagrant that hath not a particular abiding place; and the Word of God counts him a disorderly person that hath not a particular calling, wherein to move and act for God's glory and the good of others. "We hear there are some which walk disorderly among you, working not all." 2 Thess. iii. 11. God would have his people profitable, like the sheep, which doth the very ground good it feeds on. Every one should be the better for a Christian. When Onesimus was converted, he became profitable to Paul and Philemon also: to Paul as a Christian, to Philemon as a servant; grace made him of a runaway a diligent servant. Phil. i. 1. An idle professor is a scandalous professor: an idle man does none good, and himself most hurt.

Secondly, when he is not only diligent, but for conscience sake. There are many free enough of their pains in their particular callings, they need no spur; but what sets them on work? Is it conscience, because God commands it? Oh no! then they would be diligent in their general calling also; they would pray as hard as they work; they then would knock off as well as fall on at God's command; if conscience were the key that opened their shop on the week-day, it would shut it on the Lord's-day. When we see a man, like the hawk, fly after the world's prey, and will not come to God's lure, though conscience bids in his name come off, and wait on thy God in this duty in thy family, that in thy closet,

but still goes on in his worldly chace, be shews plainly enough whose errand he goes on, not of conscience's, but of his lust's. But if thou wilt walk in the power of holiness, thou must be diligent in thy calling on a religious account that which makes thee" fervent in prayer," must make thee "not slothful in business." Thou must say, This is the place God hath set me in, I am but his servant in my own shop; and here I must serve him as I would have my apprentice or child serve me, yea, much more, for they are not mine so much as I am his.

Thirdly, when he expects the success of his labour from God; and accordingly, if he speeds, gives his humble thanks to God. Indeed they go together: he that doth not the one, will not the other. The worldling, that goes not through his closet, by prayer, into his shop in the morning, when he enters upon his business, no wonder if he returns not at night by his closet, in thankfulness to God: he began without God, it were strange if he should end in him. The spider that spins her web out of her own bowels, dwells in it when she hath done; and men that carry on their enterprizes by their own wit and care, entitle themselves to what they think they have done; they will sooner sacrifice (as they to their net and drag, Job viii. Hab. i. 16) to their own wisdom and industry, than to God. Such a wretch I have lately heard of in our days, who being by a neighbour excited to thank God for a rich crop of corn he had standing on his ground, atheistically replied, “ Thauk God! nay, rather thank my dung-cart."-the speech of a dunghill spirit, more filthy than the muck in his cart. But if thou wilt be a Christian, thou must acknowledge "God in all thy ways, not leaning to thy own understanding;" and this will direct thee to him, when success crowns thy labours, to crown God with the praise. Jacob laboured as diligently, and took as much pains for the estate he had at last, as another, yet laying the foundation of all in prayer, and 'expecting the blessing from heaven, Gen. xxviii. 20, he ascribes all that fair 'estate be at last was possessed of to the mercy and 'truth of God, whom he had in his poor state (when with

his pilgrim staff he was travelling to Padan-aram) engaged by a solemn vow to provide for him. Gen. xxxii. 10.

Fourthly, when the Christian is content with the portion (little or much) that God upon his endeavours allots him; not content because he cannot have it otherwise. Necessity was the Heathen's schoolmaster to teach contentment, but faith must be the Christian's, whereby he acquiesces in the dispositions of God's providence with a sweet complacency as in the will of God concerning him. Here is godliness in triumph, when the Christian can carve contentment out of God's providence, whatever the dish is that it sets before him; if he gathers little, he lacks not, but is satisfied with his short meal; if he gathers much, he hath nothing over, I mean not more than his grace can well digest and turn to good nourishment; nothing over that turns to bad humours of pride and wantonness. This was the pitch Paul attained unto, Phil. iv. 12, “He knew how to abound, and how to want." Take contentation from godliness, and you take one of the best jewels away she wears in her bosom. "Godliness with contentment is great gain;" not godliness with an estate, but godliness with coutentment." 1 Tim. vi. 16.

Fifthly, When the Christian's particular calling doth not encroach upon his general. Truly this requires a strong guard. The world is of an encroaching nature, hard it is to converse with it and not come into bondage to it. As Hagar (when Abraham shewed her some re: spect more than ordinary) began to contest with, yea crow over her mistress, so will our worldly employ ments jostle with our heavenly, if we keep not a strict hand over them. Now the power of holiness appears here in two things: first, when the Christian suffers not his worldly business to eat upon his time for communion with God, but keeps it inviolable from the sacrilegious hands of the world. The Christian may observe that, if he will listen to it, he shall never think of setting about any religious duty but some excuse or other to put it off will present itself to his thoughts: this thing must be just now done, that friend spoken with, or customer waited for; so that (as the wise man saith)

"he that observeth the wind shall not sow, and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap." Eccles. xi. 4. so he that will regard what his own sloth, worldly interest, and fleshly part suggests, shall never pray, meditate, or hold communion with God in any other religious duty. O it is sad when the master must ask the man leave when to eat and when not; when the Christian must take his orders from the world when to wait on God and when not; whereas religion should give law to that. Then holiness is in its power (as Sampson in his strength) when it can snap asunder these excuses that would keep him from his God, as easily as he did his cords of flax when the Christian can make his way into the presence of God, through the throng of worldly incumbrances: "Behold (saith David) I have in my trouble prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver," &c. 1 Chron. xxii. 14. He had ways enough to have disposed of his treasures, if he would have been discouraged from the work. He might have had a fair apology from the wars he was all his reign involved in, (which were continually draining his Exchequer) to have spared this cost. But as Rome shewed her puissance in sending succours to Spain when Hannibal was at her gates, so David would shew his zeal for God and his house by laying aside such vast sums for the building of the Temple in the midst of the troubles and expences of his kingdom. He is the Christian indeed that lays aside a good portion of time daily, in the midst of all his worldly occasions, for communion with God; whoever he compounds with and pays short, he dares not make bold with God to serve him by halves. He shall have his time devoted to him, though others are put off with the less like that devout man, who when his time for his devotions came, what company soever he was with, would take his leave of them with this fair excuse, he had a friend that staid to speak with him (he meant his God). Secondly, when his worldly employments do not turn the edge of his affections, and leave a bluntness upon his spirit, as to holding communion with God; here is holiness in the power: as the husband, when he

hath been abroad all day in this company and that, yet none of these makes him love his wife and children the less; when he comes home at night, he brings his affections to them as entire as when he went out; yea he is glad he is got from all others to them again. This is a sweet frame of spirit indeed; but, alas! how hard to keep it. Canst thou say, O Christian, after thou hast past a day amidst thy worldly profits, and been entertained with the delight and pleasures which thy full estate affords thee, that thou bringest thy whole heart to thy God with thee, when at night thou returnest into his presence to wait on him? Thou canst say more than many can that have some good in them. O it is hard to converse with the world all day, and shake it off at night, so as to be free to enjoy privacy with God. The world does by the Christian as the little child by the mother if it cannot keep the mother from going out, then it will cry after her to go with her; if the world cannot keep us from going to religious duties, then it will cry to be taken along with us, and much ado to part it and the affections. Fourthly, The Christian must express the power of holiness in his carriage and behaviour to others; and they are either within doors, or without.

CHAP. IX.

OF EXPRESSING THE POWER OF HOLINESS, IN AND TO OUR FAMILY RELATIONS.

FIRST, To his family relations. Much, though not all, of the power of godliness lies within doors, to those that God hath there related us unto. It is in vain to talk of holiness, if we can bring no letters-testimonial from our holy walking with our relations. O it is sad, when they that have reason to know us best (by their daily converse with us) do speak least for our godliness. Few so impudent as to come naked into the streets; if men have any thing to cover their naughtiness, they will put it on