both of supposition and of position. I shall reduce all unto this one proposition: As Christ doth allow his servants to be moved by considerations of gain in his service; so he doth withal assure us, that this gain doth not stand in winning of the world, but in saving of the soul. That the soul being infinitely more precious than all the world, therefore the gaining of the world is nothing but loss, where the loss of the soul is the purchase of that gain: inasmuch as the world, being gained, cannot be kept; and the soul, being lost, can never be recovered. All men have a merchandise and trade to drive in this world, whereon doth depend the issue of their profit, or damage; therein their principal wisdom is to balance and poise their gains and losses, so as that they may thrive and prosper in this their trade. Worldly love is a great obstruction unto the true gain, which a wise Christian should pursue. They who, for preserving that, do take offence at the cross of Christ, will suffer damage in their souls; the love of the world and the love of the soul being inconsistent. Since therefore both will not stand together,—and, of the two, the soul is much more precious and excellent than the world; therefore a wise Christian should have his trade heavenward for the enriching of his soul, rather than downward for the possession of the world.

The branches, then, to be touched are three.

1. The lawfulness of a Christian's looking after true gain. 2. The inordinateness of worldly love, and inconsistency thereof with true Christian gain.

3. The preciousness of the soul of man; in saving, advancing, and enriching whereof, this true gain doth

consist.

First, then Christians may be moved in matters of religion with arguments, drawn ab utili,' from considerations of profit or disprofit, of such good things as are really beneficial and advantageous unto us. It is the voice of nature in every man," "who will shew us any good?" (Psalm iv. 6) There is a natural indigency in us, whereby we are constrained to look abroad for foreign supplies of that good, which we are wholly insufficient to furnish ourselves withal. This wicked

e Nec quisquam tantum à naturali lege descivit, et hominem exuit, ut animi causâ malus fit: Senec, de Benef. 1. 4. c. 17.

men do look for in ways of sin. There are few men that are wicked' gratis,' but do promise themselves some benefit by their wickedness. If Esau sell his birthright; if Balaam curse God's people; if Jeroboam set up calves; if Ahab sell himself to work wickedness; if Judas betray his master;— it is all upon a contract and bargain, under the intuition of the wages of unrighteousness. "Si violandum jus, regnandi

causa violandum.'

Therefore God is pleased, 1. To dehort men from the ways of sin by undeceiving them, and discovering the unprofitableness and perniciousness of those ways." My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit." (Jer. ii. 11) "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not?" (Isa. lv. 2) "What fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye are now ashamed ?" (Rom. vi. 21) The voluptuous sinner promiseth himself abundance of delight in his stolen waters: "let us take our fill of loves, let us solace ourselves with loves;" (Prov. vii. 18) but at last when he hath destroyed his name, and gotten a wound, and dishonour; when he hath destroyed his estate, and strangers are filled with his wealth; when he hath destroyed his body, and given his years to the cruel; when he hath destroyed his soul, and is gone down to the chambers of death; then tell me whether his perfumes of myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon, be not all turned into gall and wormwood? The worldling promiseth himself much content in his dishonest gain, in fraud, oppression, circumvention, and violence. "Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo ipse domi." I shall have a brave vineyard, says Ahab. I shall have sheep and oxen, says Gehazi. I shall never want friends, nor content; money answers to all, "O nummi, vos estis fratres."-But what says God? "Thou fool, this night shall they take thy soul from thee :" thy vineyard, O Ahab, shall bring forth grapes of gall: thy talents, O Gehazi, shall purchase thee and thine heirs a leprosy: thy wedge of gold, O Achan, shall cleave thy soul from thy body: thy thirty pieces of silver, O Judas, shall be the price of thine own bowels, as well as of thy master's blood."-Treasures of wickedness shall not profit in the day of wrath.' (Prov. x. 2) They that will be rich, drown themselves in destruc*ion and perdition, and pierce themselves through with many

"

sorrows.' (1 Tim. vi, 9, 10) The ambitious man promiseth himself much honour and power, when he hath arrived at that greatness whereunto he aspireth. "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." (Isa. xiv. 15) When I have, by plausible compliances, gotten the glories of the world, I will then please myself, as Nebuchadnezzar did, with the view and fruition of so gallant a purchase. But what saith the Lord? Though thou set thy nest amongst the stars, thence will I bring thee down." (Obad. ver. 4. Isa. xxvi. 5) "Thou art a man and no God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God." (Ezek. xxviii. 2) O Nebuchadnezzar, instead of the majesty of a Prince, thou shalt have the misery of a beast. Thy feasting, O Belshazzar, shall be turned into mourning, thy pride into terrors: thou shalt be drunk not with wine, but with astonishment; and thy joints shall stagger one against another.-Thus do men sell themselves to sin for hopes of gain, and thus miserably are they cheated in the bargain; the Devil dealing with them, as some say he doth with witches, giving them leaves of trees in the shape of gold and silver; so that, in the conclusion, it appears, that they did indeed sell themselves for just nothing.' (Isa. lii. 3)

2. By the same argument, God is pleased to vindicate the ways of godliness from the prejudice which wicked men have against them, as if they were unprofitable. What is the Almighty that we should serve him? "What profit should we have if we pray unto him?" (Job xxi. 15) Ye have said, "it is vain to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances?" (Mal. iii. 14, 15) To take off this objection, God assures his people, that his ways do good to those that walk uprightly;' (Mic. ii. 7) that his people do 'not seek his face in vain;' (Isa. xlv. 19) that he is not a wilderness unto them;' (Jer. ii. 31) that godliness is great gain, and profitable unto all things;' (1 Tim. iv. 8, and vi. 6) that he who 'soweth righteousness, shall have a sure reward;' (Prov. xi. 18) that in keeping his commandments, there is great reward.' (Psal. xix. 11) And he is pleased to animate his servants against the hardship of their Christian warfare, against external difficulties, and internal faintings,

f Omnia serviliter pro dominatione: Tacit. hist. 1.

by setting before them exceeding great and precious promises. Having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves, and perfect holiness.' (2 Cor. vii. 1) Ye have need of patience, that when ye have done the will of God, ye may receive the promise.' (Heb. x. 36) Be not weary of welldoing in due time ye shall reap, if ye faint not." (Gal. vi. 9) When ye are reviled, and persecuted, rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward.' (Mat. v. 11) By this consideration, not only Moses and Paul, (Heb. xi. 25, 26. Phil. iii. 4) but the Lord Jesus himself, "for the joy which was set before him, endured the cross, and despised the shame." (Heb. xii. 2)

Now herein is the mercy of God greatly commended unto us, that when he might use no other argument to enforce obedience, than his own sovereign authority over us, he is pleased to encourage us by our own benefit. "The chief reason of obedience," saith Tertullian, is the authority of the Lord, not the utility of the servant." He made all things for himself, and might have looked no farther than his own glory. We do so with the creatures which serve us; we labour our oxen, and then we destroy them; first we make them drudge, and then we make them die. But God is pleased to encourage us unto duties by our self-love, commands us to fear him for our own good; (Deut. vi. 24) sets the blessing of obedience, and the curse of disobedience before our eyes. (Deut. xi. 26, 28) The work of Christianity is a difficult work; there are many enemies, many temptations; Satan and the world resist us without; corruption wrestles and rebels within. But here is the comfort;-God's servants work for a master that remembers all, who looks to their profit, as well as to his own honour; who keeps a book for our prayers, a bottle for our tears, a register for them that fear him, (Mal. iii. 16) a memorial of but a cup of cold water, given to a prophet as a prophet. This is encouragement indeed unto God's service. Christ is willing to put it to this issue:"Though I have a right and power over you, which Satan hath not; I made you, I bought you; he never had title unto you, either by dominion or purchase, as I have:

* Prior est auctoritas imperantis quam utilitas servientis: Tertul.

but I shall wish you to look to your own interest; see which service is most advantageous to yourselves, mine, or his. If he can make you more precious promises, if he can prefer you unto greater happiness, if he have an immarcescible crown, an eternal kingdom to bestow upon you, if he have shed any blood, laid down any life, to purchase blessedness for you, I am willing where your gain is greatest, there your trade and service be directed. But if my wages be much better than his, and my love much greater than his, and my right in you, and authority over you much more than his ; not only for love and duty to me, but for your own sakes, limit and confine your negotiations there, where your own advantages will be more abundant, and your own comforts more durable and glorious."

We see Christ allows us to eye our own profit in his service. In what sense we may, or may not do this, may be briefly thus resolved:

1. We may not expect profit or advantage, as the ultimate end of our obedience. God's glory, being simply the supreme of ends in itself, should accordingly be so unto us. Our greatest aim in bringing forth fruit should be, that God may be honoured; (John xv. 8) that whether we live, we may live to him; or whether we die, we may die to him. (Rom. xiv. 7, 8, 9) "All things are of him, and for him;" therefore all things must be to him likewise. (Rom. xi. 36 1) 2. We must not respect profit and reward as the only reason of our obedience, without which we would not do God any service at all; for this would be a mere mercenary and servile consideration. The chief reasons of obedience are, our subjection to God's authority over us, because he is the Lord our faith, love, and thankfulness, for his covenant of grace, because he is our God. These two are joined in the preface to the Decalogue, "I am the Lord thy God." 3. We may not respect profit and reward, as the fruit of merit in our services. When we have done all we can, any we are but unprofitable servants unto God; and therefore he might justly make our services unprofitable to ourselves. It is matter of comfort; it is not matter of boasting: we may rejoice that there is profit in serving of God, but we

Ἡ Ἐκ σοῦ πάντα, ἐν σοὶ πάντα, εἰς σὲ πάντα. Marc. Antonin. 1. 4. sect. 23.