Fourthly, He did much work for God in a very silent manner : he wrought hard, but did not spoil his work, when he had wrought it, by vain ostentation. When he had expressed his charity in his acts of mercy and bounty to men, he would humbly seal up the glory of it, with this charge ; " see ye tell no man of " it," Matt. viii. 4. He affected no popular air. All the angels in heaven could not do what Christ did, and yet he called himself a 'worm, for all that, Psal. xxii. 6. O imitate your pattern ; Work hard for God, and let not pride blow upon it, when you have done. It is hard for a man to do much, and not value him- self for it too much.
Frfihly, Christ carried on his work for God resolvedly : no dis- couragements would beat him off, though never any work met with more from first to last. How did Scribes and Pharisees, Jews, Gentiles, yea, devils set upon him, by persecutions, and reproaches, violent oppositions, and subtle temptations ; but yet, he goes on with his Father's work for all that : he is deaf to all discouragements -f*. So it was foretold of him, Isa. xlii. 4. " He " shall not fail, nor be discouraged." O that more of this spirit of Christ were in his people : O that, in the strength of love to Christ, and zeal for the glory of God, you will pour out your hearts in service, and, like a river, sweep down all discouragements before you.
SLrtlily, He continued working, whilst he continued living : His life and labour ended together : He fainted not in his work : Nay, the greatest work he did in this world, was his last work. O be like Christ in this, be not weary of well-doing : Give not over the work of God, while you can move hand and tongue to
* Quicquid cult, raid? vuli.
f Senior, ob obice itft. i. e. He shall proceed the more resolutely because of obstacles.
SERM. XXXV. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 441
promote it, and see that your last works be more than your first. O let the motions of your soul after God be, as all natural motions are, swiftest when nearest the centre *. Say not it is enough, whilst there is any capacity of doing more for God. In these things, Christians, be like your Saviour.
Inf. 6. Did Christ finish his work ? Look to it Christians, that ye also finish your -work which God hath given you to do : That you may with comfort say, when death approaches, as Christ said, John xvii. 4. " I have glorified thee on earth, I have finished the work " thou gavest me to do ; and now, O Father, glorify thou me " with thine own self.11 Christ had a work committed to him, and he finished it ; you have a work also committed to you i O see that you may be able to say, it is finished when your time is so : O work out your own salvation with fear and trembling ; and, that I may persuade you to it, I beseech you lay these considera- tions close to heart.
First, If your work be not done before you die, it can never be done when you are dead. " There is no work nor knowledge, " nor device in the grave, whither thou goest," Eccl. ix. 5, 10. They that go down to the pit cannot celebrate the name of God, Isa. xxxviii. 18. Death binds up the hand from working any more ; strikes dumb the tongue that it can speak no more ; for then the composition is dissolved. The body, which is the soul's instrument to work by, is broken and thrown aside : the soul itself presented immediately before the Lord, to give an account of all its works. O therefore, seeing the night cometh, when no man can work, as Christ speaks, John ix. 4. make haste and finish your work.
Secondly, If you finish not your work, as the season of working, so the season of mercy will be over at death. Do not think, you that have neglected Christ all your lives, you that could never be persuaded to a laborious holy life, that ever your cries and intreaties shall prevail with God for mercy, when your season is past : No, it is too late ; " Will God hear his cry, when troubles come upon " him ?" Job xxvii. 9. The season of mercy is then over ; as the tree Jails, so it lies : Then he that is holy shall be holy still, and he that is filthy shall be filthy still. Alas, poor souls, you come too late : " The master of the house is risen up, and the doors are " shut," Luke xix. 42. The season is over : happy had it been if ye had known the day of your visitation.
Lastly, If your work be not finished when you come to die, you can never finish your lives with comfort. He that hath not finish-
* Si dixisti sufficit. pcriisti. If thou once sav it is enough, thou art lost.
442 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XXXVI.
ed his work with care, can never finish his course With joy. O what a dismal case is that soul in, that finds itself surprised by death in an unready posture ! To lie shivering upon the brink of the grave, saying, Lord, what will become of me ! O I cannot, I dare not die I For the poor soul to shrink back into the body, and cry, Oh, it icere better for me to do any thing than die. Why, what is the mat- ter ? Oh, I am in a Christless state, and dare not go before that awful judgment-seat. If I had in season made Christ sure, I could then die with peace. Lord, what shall I do? How dost thou like this, reader ? Will this be a comfortable close I When one asked a Christian that constantly spent six hours every day in prayer, why he did so ? He answered, Oil, / must die, I must die. Well then, look to it that you finish your work as Christ also did his.
The seventh and last Word with which Christ breathed out his Soul, illustrated.
And when Jesus had cried zvith a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit ; and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
JL HESE are the last of the last words of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross, with which he breathed out his soul. They were David's words before him, Psal. xxxi. 5. and for substance, Stephen's after him, Acts vii. 27. They are words full, both of faith and comfort ; fit to be the last breathings of every gracious soul in this world. They are resolved into these five particulars :
First, The person depositing, or committing : The Lord Jesus Christ, who in this, as well as in other things, acted as a common person, as the head of the church *. This must be remarked care- fully, for therein lies no small part of a believer's consolation : When Christ commends his soul to God, he doth as it were bind up all the souls of the elect in one bundle with it, and solemnly presents them all with his, to his Father's acceptance : To this purpose one aptly renders it.
" This commendation made by Christ, turns to the singular
* He commends not his soul to the Father on his own personal account, but the souls of all the faithful, bound up as it were in one bundle, that they might be kept in safety together with his own. D. Parens.
SERM. XXXVI. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 443