presses it, " Ministers would not be gray-headed so soon, nor die so " fast, notwithstanding their great labours, if they were but suc- " cessful ; but this cuts to the heart, and makes us bleed in secret, " that though we do much, yet it comes to nothing. Our work " dies, therefore we die. Not so much that we labour, as that " we labour in vain : When our ministry petrifies, turns hearts " into stones, and these taken up and thrown at us, this kills us ; ** the recoiling of our pains kills us. When our peace returns to " us ; when we spend our strength to make men more nought u than they were ; this wounds our hearts, which should be con- u sidered by sinners. To kill one's self, and one's minister too, " who would save them ; what a bloody condition is this ! u * Every drop that hath fallen from our heart and hand, from u our eye-lids and eye-brows, shall be all gathered up, and put " as marginal notes by all our labours, and all put in one volume " together, and this volume put into your hands at the great " day, and opened leaf after leaf, and read distinctly and exactly " to you.
Christians, you hear our case, you see our work. Now a little to cheer our spirits in the midst of our hard and killing labours, God sends us to you for a little refreshment, that, by beholding your holy and heavenly conversation, your cheerful obedience, and sweet agreement in the ways of God, we may be comforted over all these troubles, 2 Thes. i. 3, 4. And will you wound and kill our hearts too ? O what a cut will this be !
Fourthly r, God hath further use for the holiness of your lives ; this serves to daunt the hearts, and overawe the consciences of his and your enemies. And sometimes it hath had a strange influence and effect upon them. There is a great deal of awful Majesty in ho- liness, and when it shines upon the conscience of a wicked man, it makes him stoop and do obeisance to it, which turns to a testimony for Christ and his ways before the world. Thus Herod was over- awed by the strict and holy life of John ; he feared him, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and observed (or preserved and saved) him.
That bloody tyrant wras convinced in his conscience of the worth and excellency of that servant of God, and was forced to reverence him for his holiness. So Darius, Dan. vi. 14, 18, 19, 20. What con- flicts had he with himself about Daniel, whom he had condemned ; his conscience condemned him, for condemning so holy and righte- ous a person. " Then the king went to his palace, and passed the " night in fastings ; neither were instruments of music brought " before him, and his sleep went from him. He goes early in
* Lockyer upon the Colossians, p. 551,
560 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XLII.
" the morning to the den, and cries with a lamentable voice, O " Darnel, servant of the living God." How much is this for the honour of holiness, that it conquers the very persecutors of it; and makes them stoop to the meanest servant of God ! It is said of Henrv II- of France, that he was so daunted by the heavenly ma- jesty of a poor taylor that was burnt before him, that he went home sad, and vowed, that he would never be present at the death of such men any more. When Valence the emperor came in person to apprehend Basil, he saw such majesty in his very countenance, that he reeled at the very sight of him ; and had fallen backward to the ground, had not his servants stept in to support him. O holiness, holiness, thou art a conqueror. So much, O Christians, as you shew of it in your lives, so much you preserve your interest in the consciences of your enemies : cast off this, and they despise you presently.
Fifthly, and lastly, God will use the purity of your conversations io judge and convince the world in the great day*. It is true, the world shall be judged by the gospel, but your lives shall also be produced as a commentary upon it ; and God will not only shew them by the word how they ought to have lived, but bring forth your lives and wavs to stop their mouths, by shewing how others did live. And this I suppose is intended in that text, 1 Cor. vi. 2. " The saints shall judge the world, yea, we shall judge angels;" i. e. our examples are to condemn their lives and practices, as Noah, Heb. xi. 7. is said to condemn the world by building the ark, i. e. his faith in the threatening, and obedience to the com- mand, condemned their supineness, infidelity and disobedience. They saw him every day about that work, diligently preparing for a deluge, and yet were not moved with the like fear that he was ; this left them inexcusable ; so when God shall say in that day to the careless world, did you not see the care, and diligence, the holy zeal, watchfulness, and self-denial of my people, who lived among you ? How many times have they been watching and pray- ing, when you have been drinking or sleeping ! Was it not easy to reflect when you saw their pains and diligence, Have not I a soul to look after as well as they ; a heaven to win or lose, as well as they ? O how speechless and inexcusable will this render wicked men, yea, it shall not only be used to judge them, but angels also. How many shocks of temptations have poor saints stood ; whereas they fell without a tempter ? They stood not in their integrity,
* When therefore the faithful are said to sit in judgment with Christ, it must he understood, not of any authority and power of judging of themselves, but (I.) Of that which is given them in Christ their head. (2.) Of their approbation of the sentence pronounced by Christ. Apoc xix. I. (3.) Of their bearing witness by their ministry or conversation (against fhe wicked) and the comparison of their own lives with theirs, by which the ju -tice of the Judpre shall be manifest.
SERM. XLII. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 561
though created in such excellent natures ; how much then are you concerned on this very account also to walk exactly ! if not instead of judging them, you shall be condemned with them.
And thus you see what use your lives and actions shall be put to ; and are these inconsiderable uses ? Is the winning over souls to God a small matter ? Is the salving the honour and reputation of godliness a small matter ? Is the encouraging the hearts and strengthening the hands of God's poor ministers, amidst their spending, killing labours, a small matter ? Is the awing of the consciences of your enemies, and judging them in the last day, a light thing ? Which of these can you call so ?