Labour and Industry, there is a double Profit, one from Men, and another from God alone. In the firft, the World, with Godliness, may have a great share; but in the second it hath no part at all: Godliness in the first can bear a great stroke, but it wholly and folely effects the second.

Thirdly, there is yet a further Profit of Godliness, which doth accrue unto us: For it makes to Men not only their Wealth and Riches profitable unto them, but likewife all thofe inward Endowments of Body and Soul, which God bestows upon Men. For whereas there are in us, as we are meer natural Men, and Strangers unto the Covenant of Grace, many excellent things; without Godliness they are all nothing worth. In the Fall of our first Parents, fome things we did utterly lofe, and fome excellent things did ftill remain; but the Profit of them was quite loft. They are unto natural Men now, as the Rain-bow was unto the World before the Flood, the fame ftill, but of no ufe. It is a wonderful thing to fee, what Gifts of Wisdom, of Temperance, of moral and natural Conscience, of Justice, of moral uprightness, do remain, not only in the Books and Writings, but even in the Lives and Converfations of many Heathen Men, utterly devoid of the true Knowledge of God; yet what profit reap'd they of these things, fince all the good that doth remain in the natural Man, can never further him one foot for the purchafing his eternal Good. Suppofe ye unto your felves fome fuch Man as Epictetus was, let him have all Graces that are, Piety only excepted, let him wear out himself with Studies, pine himself with Temperance, keep his Hands clean from Corruption, his Heart from unchafte Defires. Nay, yet more, let us add unto thefe the patient enduring of all Difgrace, of lofs of Goods, of Banifhment, yea, of Torment of Body for Goodness fake. (For fo we find, that not only Christianity, but even Moral Good

nefs

nefs amongst Heathen Men, fometimes endured a Perfecution.) Our Books are full of the Commendation of Regulus, à famous Roman, who did undergo a kind of Moral Martyrdom for his confcience fake, and with great patience for a long time all the unspeakable Torments of Body, which a moft cruel, perfidious, and bloody People could lay upon him, only because he would not break his Oath. Let us, I fay, fuppofe fome one Man, in whom all these things concurr; and what shall these profit him, when having put off this Body of Flesh, he fhall find one and the fame place provided for him, and the wickedeft Wretch that ever lived? Indeed I cannot think, that in this one place, there is the fame degree of Punishment inflicted upon Epictetus and Regulus, and upon Nero and Julian. The Gospel diftinguishes and tells us, that there is a Servant that shall be beaten with many Stripes, and a Servant that fhall be beaten with few Stripes. All thefe great Graces in Heathen Men, may ferve to lighten their weight of Punishment, to diminish their number of Stripes, they may procure them less Inconvenience, but they bring them no pofitive profit at all. Add but only Godliness to these things, and forthwith they shall become exceeding profitable. This alone is that which gives them òíaτpov, a Loveliness and Beauty, which is of force to attract and draw the Favour of God unto them. Thofe natural Graces, they are at the most only as it were the Matter and Body of a Chriftian Man, a thing of it self dead, without Life; but the Soul and Life that quickens this Body, is Godliness. They are of the fame Kindred and Brotherhood with Godliness, and God is the common Father unto them all, yet without Godliness, they find no entertainment at God's hands. As Fofeph faid unto his Brethren, Ye shall not fee my Face, unless your younger Brother be with you; The fame is the Countenance of God towards these, they shall never come to have any part of that blessed

Vision

;

Vifion of God, wherein all Happiness doth confift, except this Brother be with them. And as the fame Fo Seph, when his Brethren came to him accompanied with their Brother Benjamin, gave Portions to every one of them, but Benjamin's part was five times more than theirs, fo when thefe fhall come to appear before God, accompanied with this Brother, they fhall every one of them receive worthy Portions from him, for Godliness fake, but the Portion of Godliness fhall be five times more than any of the reft.

Fourthly, and laft of all, there is yet one further Profit of Godliness. For whereas hitherto we have fhewed, that Godliness makes, that which we do poffefs profitable unto us it shall now appear that Godliness makes even the want of them advantagious unto us. That which makes all thing's profitable unto us, that makes even Nothing it felf profitable, so that in refpect of Godliness it is alike gainful unto us, either to enjoy the things of the World, or not to have them. For I verily perfwade my self, that it is as meritorious (if I may use the Word) as great a part of Religious Worship, to know how to want these things for God's Sake, as to know how to abound, and use them to his Service. Epaminondas a Theban Nobleman, when the People in fcorn had put him in a base Office, told them, that he would fo manage it, as that he would make it a Place of as great Honour and Credit, as any was in the State. Godlinefs is like this Theban Nobleman, and is able to make the bafest and most penurious Eftate, equivalent unto the most Honourable Calling in the World. God, who made us out of Nothing, is able, and doth make Nothing as beneficial unto us, as if he had made us Lords of all his Creatures. Neither to enjoy, nor to want, is a thing with God of any Worth; but to know how to use, or to know how to want, this becomes beneficial to us. But the Man that hath nothing in this World, if he have not this Art of

enjoy

enjoying nothing, Perdidit in fœlix totum nibil, hath utterly loft the benefit of this Nothing. When Job from fo great an Estate had fallen to nothing, by Patience, by bumble Submiffion under the hand of God, by receiving Calamities and giving of Thanks, had purchas'd to himfelf a greater meafure of Glory, than if he had never tafted of Mifery. Many do want, and make their Want a greater Increase of evil unto them; for they do it either with repining at God's Providence, or fecret Indignation and Envy against them that abound, (both which, as they make the prefent Evils worse, fo they heap up Wrath against the Day of Wrath) or if they can quiet their Minds, and make a fhew of calmness and Contentedness, it is rather out of a Senfelefnefs and Stupidity, than Religious Difcretion. As little Children that laugh at their Parents Funerals, because they do not understand their Calamities. But to refign our felves up into the Hand of God, to be throughly contented, that he should difpofe of his Creatures as he pleases, to want without repining, this is a part of Piety as great as giving our Bodies to the Fire, or Entertainment of Chrift and his Prophets, of founding of Churches, of Almfdeeds, or whatfoever part of Godliness is fo much in Scripture commended unto us. What a Comfort then is this to a Brother of low Degree, when he shall confider with himfelf, that his Want is as rich as the greatest Wealth? That between Rich and Poor, in regard of our last Landing, as it were, and entrance into our Haven, it is bat as it was in St. Paul's broken Ship, fome by swimming, fome by broken parts of the Ship, fome one way, fome another, but all came fafe to Land.

The

272

The profit of GODLINESS.

The Second

SERMON

On I TIM. iv. 8.

But Godliness is profitable unto all things."

W

Hen I made my firft Entrance upon thefe Words, you may be pleased to call to mind, that I confidered in them two things: First, the Prof that comes by Godliness, in the first Words, Godliness is profitable. Secondly, the Latitude, Compass and Extent of this Profit, in the next Words, Unto all things. [Godliness is profitable unto all things.]

In the firft part, concerning the profit that comes by -Godliness, I fhew'd you, first, that Godliness was profitable in that plain and grofs fenfe, in which the World in her Language commonly takes the Name of Profit. For fo I taught, and by example I proved it, that Godliness bleffes our Store, gives good Success to all our Drifts and Counfels, profpers our Preferments, and makes all things fuc cefful which we take in hand. Secondly,