[2.] Choose apt means, or rather submit to what God hath chosen for you ; for he hath given you his word to direct you, and his Spirit to assist you. His word is your rule, and his Spirit is your guide. His word is your rule : Gal. vi. 16, 'As many as walk by this rule, peace be on them.' And his Spirit is your guide : Horn. viii. 14, ' As many as are led by the Spirit of God, are the sons of God.' That the word may be plain to you, he giveth you prophets and apostles to write scripture, and pastors and teachers to explain and apply scripture, Eph. iv. 11. If you will often consult scripture with a mind to practise it, you will find it a plain rule to direct you in all cases, and upon all occasions : Ps. cxix. 105, ' Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path ; ' John vii. 17, ' If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine,' &c. In necessaries God will not be wanting to you ; and if you despise not God's helps, but attend with good conscience on the ministry, truth will be kept lively upon your hearts ; for preachers are appointed to ' warn every man, and teach every man, and present every man perfect in Christ Jesus,' Col. i. 28 ; to warn them of their snares and dangers, and teach them or instruct them in their duties, and to help them to perfection, that they may be fit to be presented unto God, as objects qualified and capable of his glory. More especially
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the matter, comprising all the means, are faith in Christ and new obed- ience ; which is entered into by repentance, and continued in by perse- verance. This is a short delineation of the means.
[3.] For dexterous and earnest prosecution. You must be exactly true and faithful to your great end, which is to glorify God in Christ. The last end must be principium universalissimum ; it should have a universal influence upon us, and be minded and regarded in all our desires, purposes, actions, and enjoyments ; for God's glory must be at the utmost end of every business. If it be impertinent to our great end, it is frivolous, and of no use ; and you wander if you fill up your lives with these things. If it be inconsistent with your great end, it is naught and wicked ; then you quite turn your back upon your end. For instance —
(1.) In your desires. If you desire any benefit or blessing, increase of power or estate, it must be to honour God with it : James iv. 3, ' Ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.' When they desired increase of estate, to satisfy their covetous minds, or pride, and sensu- ality. Agur measureth every estate of life by ends of religion : Prov. xxx. 8, 9, ' Remove far from me vanity and lies, give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord ? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.' Yea, spiritual things must be desired in order to God's glory : Eph. i. 6, ' To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved.'
(2.) Our purposes, especially in weighty cases, as the disposing of ourselves, and the choosing our condition of life. As the apostle saith, 2 Cor. i. 17, ' The things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh ? ' that is, am I swayed by carnal motives ? Many think and speak of living to God, because they now and then perform some devout acts ; they lightly and rashly resolve in weighty cases, and dispose of themselves without asking God's leave, counsel, or blessing, or consider- ing whether it may conduce to his glory, or be an impediment and hindrance to it, whereby they get a wound to their consciences, and a snare from whence they cannot disentangle themselves all their lives long ; but it proveth a grievous cross to them, if God should yet keep alive any seriousness in them.
(3.) Actions, civil, sacred : Zech. xiv. 20, 21, all the utensils and vessels must have God's impression, whether they belong to the temple or city. In a king's palace there are many officers, but all serve the king ; so in a christian's life there are many duties of several kinds, but all must have an aspect upon and tendency to the glory of God ; we must mind it in the shop as well as in the closet, in the family, in the assembly, at home, abroad. So —
(4.) For enjoyments, comforts, recreations ; we must value them more or less as they conduce to the glory of God. In everything I must ask, ' What doeth it ? ' Eccles. iii. 2. How doth it contribute to my great end, to fit me for God ?
(5.) Relations. Every one is accountable to God for that state of life wherein God hath set him ; as there is no member in the body but hath its function and use, whereby it becometh serviceable to the whole. All have not the same office, that would make confusion ; but all have