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with a diligence answerable to the weight thereof; for it is no vain work concerning thee, it is thy life.

Religion

The POE M.

When advanc'd in pow'r,

Will make you Hufband every hour.

"Twill make

And therein

If there were
Chrift-gives

Should we not
For there's

Shall others

Their ftrength;
Whilft we

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Men ftrive with all their might,
Find a fweet delight.

Nought befides that pay
To cheer us in our way;
Do the best we can ?

No fuch reward from man.
Work, and not regard
To get a small reward?

Turn flugs, and loyter thus ?
Their zeal might quicken us!
Hands, and feet fo flow,
Unto our bufinefs go ?
Then Chrift's pay expect,
Chriftian's work reject?
Alfo that embrace

If not, we both disgrace.
They could these two divide,

Please them well, with Chrift to fide!
May not, then it were

Ceafe pleading, they'll not hear.
From floth, my foul betake

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Work, no cavils make.

O ftrive,

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And try! Saints fay that even,
Take, hath much of heaven.
Their beft wine's kept till laft,
Eafe comes all so fast.

CHA P. II.

Upon the Thriftinefs of the Hufbandman.
The hardest lab'rers are the thriving men :
If you'll have thriving fouls, be active then.

OBSERVATION.

the world. The earth must be manured, or its increase is in vain expected; Qui fugit molam, fugit farinam; He that refufes the mill, refufes the meal, (faith the proverb.) "The VOL. VI.

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"diligent foul fhall be made fat." Solomon hath two proverbs concerning thriftiness and increase in the world. In Prov. x. 4. he faith, "The hand of the diligent maketh rich." And in ver. 22. he faith, "The blefling of the Lord maketh rich." Thefe are not contradictory, but confirmatory each of other; one fpeaks of the principal, the other of the inftrumental caufe. Diligence without God's bleffing will not do it; and that bleffing cannot be expected without diligence; therefore hufbandmen ply their bufinefs with unwearied pains, they do even lodge in the midst of their labours as that good husband Boaz did, Ruth ii. 3. They are parfimonious of their time, but prodigal of their fweat and ftrength, because they find this to be the thriving way.

APPLICATION.

As nature opens her treasures to none but the diligent, fo neither doth grace. He that will be rich, must be a painful Chriftian; and whofoever will closely ply the trade of godlinefs, fhall comfortably, and quickly find, "That in keeping "God's commands, there is great reward," Pfalm xix. 11. God is a bountiful rewarder of fuch as diligently feek him," Heb. xi. 6. They must not indeed work for wages, nor yet will God fuffer their work to go unrewarded; yea, it fufficiently rewards itself, 1 Tim. vi. 6. And its reward is twofold; (1.) Prefent, and in part; (2.) Future, and in full, Mark x. 29, 30. Now in this time an hundred-fold, even from fuffering, which feems the most unprofitable part of the work, and in the world to come life everlasting. If you ask what present advantage Christians have by their diligence? I anfwer, as much and more than the husbandman hath from all his toils, and labours. Let us compare the particulars, and see what the husbandman gets that the chriftian gets not alfo. Compare your gains, and you will quickly fee the odds.

1. You get credit and reputation by your diligence; it is a commendation and honour to you, to be active and stirring men: But how much more honour doth God put upon his loborious fervants? It is the highest honour of a creature, to be active and useful for its God. Saints are called vessels of honour, as they are fitted for the master's use, 2 Tim. ii. 21. Wherein confifts the honour of angels but in this, that they are miniftring fpirits, ferviceable creatures? And all the apoftlesgloried in the title of fervants. The loweft office in which a man can ferve God, even that of Nethinim, or door-keeper,

*Non mercenarii fed operarii

which was the lowest order or rank of officers in the house of God, Ezek. xliv. 10, 11. is yet preferred by David before the fervice of the greatest prince on earth, Pfalm lxxxiv. 10. It is no fmall honour to be active for God.

2. You have this benefit by your labour, that thereby you avoid loose and evil company, which would draw you into mifchief. By diligence for God, the Christian alfo is fecured from temptation; "God is with them, while they are with "him," 2 Chron. xv. 2. Communion with God in the way of -duty, is a great prefervative against temptations. The Schoolmen put the queftion, how the angels and glorified faints become impeccant? And refolve it thus: That they are fecured from fin, by the beatifical vifion; and fure I am that the vifions of God, not only in glory, but now also in duty, are marvellous defences against fin; and they who are most active for God, have the fulleft and clearest visions of God, John xiv. 21.

3. You have this benefit by your labour, that it tends much to the health of your bodies. The Chriftian hath this benefit by his labour, that it tends to a healthful state of foul; "The "way of the Lord is ftrength to the upright," Prov. x. 29. As those that follow their daily labours in the field, have much more health than citizens that live idly, or scholars that live a fedentary life: So the active Chriftian enjoys more spiritual health, and is troubled with fewer complaints than others.

4. By diligence in your civil employments, you preferve your eftates, and are kept from running behind-hand in the world. Bailiffs trouble not fuch mens doors; they usually have the forefoot of their neighbours. And by activity and diligence for God, fouls are kept from backfliding, and running back in their graces and comforts. Remiffness and intermiffion in our duties, are the first steps and degrees by which foul declines and waftes as to his spiritual estate.

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5. Your pains and diligence in the fields, make your bed fweet to you at night, Ecclef. v. 12. " Reft is sweet to a labour"_ing man, whether he eat little or much." But the diligent life of a Christian makes the clods of the valley, his grave, tweet unto him, 2 Cor. i. 12. 2 Kings xx. 3. Remember now, O "Lord, how I have walked before thee," &c. Think Chriftian, how sweet it will be for thee, when thou comeft to die, to fay then as thy Redeemer did, when near his death, John xvii. 4, 5. "I have finifhed the work which thou gavest me to do; "and now, O Father, glorify me with thine own felf."

6. The expence of your fweat fills your purfes, you get eftates by your diligence and labour; but what are your gains to the gains of Chriftians? They can get in an hour, that which they will not part with for all the gold and filver on earth, Prov. iii. 14.

So that compare these labourers, as to all their advantages, and you fhall fee, that there is no trade like that which the diligent Christian drives.

Reflections of the flothful foul.

REFLECTION S.

1. Blufh then, O my foul, at the confideration of thy lafinefs and floth, which is attended with so many spiritual wants! And

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can I wonder at it, when I refufe the painful way of duty, in which the precious fruits of godlinefs, are only to be found? If the fruits ly upon the furface of duty, or could be had with wishes, I fhould not want them; but to dig deep and take pains I cannot. My defires, like thofe of the flothful man, kill me, because my hands refufe to labour, Prov. xxi. 25. If every duty were to be rewarded presently with gold, would I not have been more affiduous in them, than I have been? And yet I know that a heart full of the grace and comfort of the Holy Ghoft, is better than a house full of gold and filver. O what a compofition of ftupidity and floth am I ! I have been all for the fhort cut to comfort, when constant experience teacheth, that the further way about, by painful duty, is the nearer way to it. What pains do husbandmen take? What peril do feamen run for a little gain? O fluggish heart! wilt thou do nothing for eternal treasures?

Secondly, If there be fuch great reward attending diligence in duty, then why art thou fo apt, O my foul, to caft off duty, because thou findeft not prefent comfort in it? How quickly am I difcouraged, if I prefently find not what I expect in duty? Whereas the well is deep, and much pains must be taken to draw up thofe waters of joy, Ifa. xii. 3. There is a golden vein in the mount of duty, but it lies deep; and because I meet not with it as foon as I expect, my lazy heart throws by the fhovel, and cries, dig I cannot.

Thirdly, If this be indeed the rich and thrivThe worldings ing trade, why do I puddle about the poor, reflection. low things of the world fo much, neglecting the rich trade of godlinefs for it? O how much of my time and strength have thefe things devoured? Had I employed that time in communion with God, would it not have turned to a better account? Thinkest thou in ear

neft, O my foul, that God hath endowed thee with fuch excellent faculties, capable of the most divine and heavenly employments, or that Jefus Chrift hath fhed his invaluable precious blood, or that he hath fent forth the glorious Spirit of holiness, and all this to fit men for no higher nor nobler employments than these?

Is this the end of thy wonderful creation? Doth God whirl about the heavens in endless revolutions, to beget time for this? Or doth he not rather expect that the weightiest work should engross thy greatest strength, and choiceft hours ? O that I could once confider, what a good Mafter Chriftians ferve, who will not only abundantly reward them at night, but brings them their food into the fields to encourage them in their labour ! What pity is it, that, fo good a Master should be so badly served as he hath been by me! Hark how he pleads to gain my heart:

The POEM, by way of Dialogue betwixt Chrift and the World.

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CHRIST.

Why fo free of sweat and time,

For what ere long will not be thine?
Or if it might, thou fell'ft to lofs,
A precious foul for lafting drofs.
Those weary hands, and toiling brains,
Might be employed for better gains.
Wouldft thou but work as hard for me,
As for the world, which cozens.thee;
Thy gains fhall be a thousand fold:
For my revenue's more than gold.
WORLD.

Soul, I have always found thee willing,
Rather by me to earn a fhilling,
Than truft uncertain things which lye
Beyond thee in eternity.

Shall things unfeen now tempt thee? Tufh,
A bird in hand's worth two i' th' bush.

I pay thy wages down in hand,

This thou canft feel, tafte, understand,
O let not such a vain pretence

Prevail against thy very fenfe.

CHRIST.

Thus beafts are led, thus birds are fnar'd,

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