Use. Let us therefore often consider of the end of our life in iliis world, and take shame to ourselves that we have let so much water run besides * the mill, that we have let so much precious time, and strength, and dear advantages be lost. Too much strength hath been spent in the service of sin and our base lusts, which we can give no account of. How many scandalous blasphemous words are many guilty of, which help only to advantage their destruction, if God be not merciful.
Now a little to shew the guise of the world, and the difference of it from the actions of God's children, for these words employ f a restraint to God's people as well as an extension.
Obj. The Christian's whole life is only to Christ ; but what is the life of a man out of Christ ?
Ans. His first aims being corrupt, ' God is not in all his thoughts,' as the psalmist speaks, Ps. x. 4, neither to have communion with him here in grace, nor in glory hereafter. Therefore whatsoever good he doth, a false end poisoneth it. If a man, misunderstanding of a thing, be from a false principle, he misunderstands it grossly. As, if an house be built upon a weak foundation, such is all the fabric, though otherwise never so costly ; if the principles be naught, the conclusions drawn from thence must needs be naught also. As in physic, if the first concoction be naught, the second can never be good. So if a man's ends are naught, if he seek himself, or doth things only from foreign motives, out of terror of conscience, or for vain glory, or to be seen of men, his corrupt aim spoileth all his actions ; yea, he reduceth religion to himself, because he will enjoy his pleasures the better. He will act some part of religion, lest conscience should bark and clamour against him. This self will moderate religion, and restrain it to such a measure as may stand with his lusts and sinful customs.
If he loveth others, it is in order to himself, because he hath use of them, • That is, ' beside' = past.— G. t Qu. ' imply ' '?— Ed.
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as they comply with him in wicked courses, aud so help to bear him out the better.
And if any man stands in the ways of his ends of honour or riches, he removeth them by disgrace, though it amounteth to slandering ; as under- mining and rising by others' ruins, because self, his idol and main end, must not be crossed. He desireth to be somebody in the flesh. All things must be measured by that, yea, religion, and acquaintance, and all ; and whatsoever stands in the way, it crieth down with them, but however it killeth them in the esteem of others, that they themselves might be thought something ; and thus all is turned clean contrary upside down.
But a gracious man's end and aim is to get out of himself and his cor- rupt nature, and to order all his actions in reference to that, and all his acquaintance and communion with others as may help his communion with God. And whatsoever is an impediment to that he laboureth to remove.
But to give you some directions how to live, not to oui-selves, but to live and die to the Lord.
First, We must have a spiritual life from him, for life is but the issue of life.
We must live by faith, from union with Christ by faith, and then live to Christ.
And again, we must do it constantly and uniformly. No part of our lives must be alienated from Christ ; all must be done in order to him ; even our recreations must have some good aims in them.
Motives. Now do but consider we are his. We are not our own, but his, and therefore we ought to live to him, bringing in all our strength, all our advantages, our callings. That we may do service to him in our places, we are redeemed even from ourselves. A world of people think they be redeemed to live as they list. But because God is merciful, and Christ a Saviour, may you therefore live like libertines ? No. You are redeemed from yourselves, not to yourselves.
And to former rules delivered let me add, that this living to Christ (though naturally we count it bondage, because it is the acknowledging of a superior) is the most perfect liberty, Deo servire, est regnare (r). For he that serveth that which is better and larger than himself, that hath more good and ability than himself, he doth advance himself by his service, and freeth himself from the service of all inferiors. For the more dependent any man is on Christ in his service and in expectation of reward from him, the more independent is he upon the world. And indeed who is free in his thoughts and desires from base engagements to the creature, but he that sets up Christ highest in his soul, and suffers him to prescribe rules to him in his life ? Which is freer in the world than they that have hearts freed from overmuch love of earthly things, overmuch fear of earthly things, overmuch delight in earthly things ? He useth them as helps to the main, but is not engaged or enthralled to any. Quanto suhjectior, tanto Uberior. The more subject the more free, is St Augustine's rule (d). And it is un- doubtedly so. You shall find by experience that the soul is never at a more gracious liberty, than when Christ is all in all. We see it in the example of Zaccheus. When once he believed in Christ, presently, ' Half my goods I give to the poor,' Luke xix. 8. St Paul, that was all for the world and vain-glory, can say now, * My life is not dear to me, so I may finish my course with joy,' Acts xx. 24. ' In comparison of Christ, all is dung,' Philip, iii. 8. When Moses had seen God that was invisible, he