4. It is a dishonour to God to do his work negligently : Mai. i. 14, ' Cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and vowetli and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing, for I am a great king, saith the Lord ;' implying that it is a lessening of his majesty. It is a sign we have cheap thoughts of God, when we are slight in his service. Christians, we owe our best to God, and are to serve him with all our might : Dent. vi. 5, ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might.' It is a lessening of his excellency in our thoughts when everything serves the turn.
5. Keeping the commandment, it is a great trust. God hath left this trust with us that we should keep his precepts, therefore it is to be discharged seriously. A man is very careful that hath taken a trust upon him to preserve it. Xo men that have given up their names to Christ, but they have taken up this trust upon them to keep his precepts; therefore we should do it with all diligence and heedfulness of soul.
6. We have no other plea to evidence our sincerity ; we are guilty of many defects, and cannot do as we would, — where lies our evidence then ? When we set ourselves to obey, and aim at the highest exact- ness to serve him Avitli our best affections and strength. A child of God, he doth not do all that God hath required, but he doth his best, and then that is a sign the heart is upright. For what is this diligence, but our utmost study and endeavour after perfection, to avoid all known evils, and to practise all known duties, and that with as much care as we can ? Now, this is an argument of our sincerity, and then our slips are but failings which God will spare, pity, pardon : Mai. iii. 17, ' I will s})are them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him,' kc. Where a man is careless, and failings are allowed, then they are iniquities. A father, out of indulgence, may pass by a failing when
46 SERMONS UPON TSALM CXIX. [SeR. VL
his son waits upon him, suppose when he spills the wine and breaks the glass ; but surely will not allow him to throw it down carelessly or wilfully. We have no other plea to evidence our sincerity but this.
Use. It presseth us, whatever we do for the great God, to do it with all our might, Eccles. ix. 10. There is no weighty thing can be done without diligence ; much more the keeping the commandment. Satan is diligent in tempting, and we ourselves are weak and infirm ; we can- not do the least thing as we should. And the danger of miscarrying is so great, that surely it will require all our care. Wherein should we show this diligence and exactness ? When we keep all the parts of the law, and that at all times and places, and that with the whole man.
1. When we strive to keep the law in all the points of it. This was Paul's exercise : Acts xxiv. 16, 'To keep a good conscience void of offence both towards God and man.' Mark, here was his great business ; this is to be diligent, when a man labours to keep a good conseienc© always. And saith he. Herein, or upon this do I exercise myself ; that is, upon this encouragement, upon hope of a blessed resurrection, for that is spoken of there. There are wages and recom- penses enough in heaven, therefore we should not grudge at a little work, that we may not be drawn willingly from the least part of our duty.
2. When we do it at all times and places, and in all company, then it is a sign we mind the work, then are we diligent : Ps. cvi. 3, ' Blessed is he that doth righteousness at all times.' Not only now and then, but it is his constant course. We do not judge men's com- plexions by the colour they have when they sit before the fire. We cannot judge of men by a fit and pang when they are under the awe of an ordinance, or in good company ; but when at all times he labours to keep up a warmth of heart towards God.
3. When he labours to do this with his whole man, not only in pretence, and with his body, or outward man, but with inward affec- tions : Pom. i. 9, ' My God, whom I serve in the spirit.' And the true people of God are described : Phil iii. 3, ' To worship God in the spirit.' When they labour to bring their hearts under the power of God's precepts, and do not only mind conformity of the outward man, this is to keep the precepts of God diligently. AH this is to be under- stood, not in exact perfection ; but it is to be understood of our striv- ing, labouring, watching ; of our praying, and of our exercising our- selves hereunto, that we may with our whole man come under the full obedience of the law of God, and may manifest it upon all occa- sions, at all times, in all companies and places ; and this is an evidence of our sincerity.