yond ordinary, which will try their strength in a peculiar manner. Thus it is with God's fervants; fometimes they meet with extraordinary temptations, or fufferings, and are called to extraordinary duties, to do for themfelves, or to do for God. And truly there is the extraordinary duty of secret fafting and prayer, without which it is hard to live right: Zech. xii. 12. " And the land fhall mourn, every family apart."-We shall now,

II. Confider the fervice of God, as to the manner of it. And unless it be performed in the right manner, God will not account it fervice to him, though ever fo coftly. If what we do, we would have the Lord to account it as fervice to him, we must perform it,

1. In obedience to, and under the sense of the commandment of God: Colof. iii. 17. (quoted above). What a perfon is prompted to, without any refpect to the commandment of God, cannot be accounted as service to him, fince it has no refpect to his authority in the commandment: Pfal. cxix. 6. " Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have a respect unto all thy commandments." We fhould learn to do good; and what we do, we should do it because God commands it to be done, if we would fhew ourselves his fervants. We fhould pray, because God commands it. We fhould eat, because he has faid, Thou shalt not kill. We should work, because he hath faid, Thou shalt not fteal Now, doing what we do in this way, it will be all counted God's fervice.-In ferving God, we are,

2. To aim at his honour and glory in it: 1 Cor. x. 31. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." We fhould make God, and not ourselves, he VOL. II.

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chief end of all our performances, if we would have them accounted fervice to God; for God will never be the rewarder of that work which has not himself for the end of it: "Ye did not at all," faid God unto his ancient people, " faft unto me, even unto me; and when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did ye not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?" Zech. vii. 5. 6. If we feek ourselves, our own profit and peace, as our chief end in what we do, God will reject our fervices. For a fervant, if he should work ever fo diligently, if it be to himself, not to his master, it cannot be acceptable fervice; fo alfo in this cafe.-In ferving God, we are to do it,

3. Out of love to him: Heb. vi. 19. " For God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and lahour of love, which ye have fhewed towards his name, in that ye have miniftered to the faints, and do minifter." This love is to be the predominant motive of our service, and fhould be stronger than the fear of punishment, and hope of reward. God fees the heart, and no fervice but that which comes from the heart will be accepted of him: Col. iii. 23. "And whatfoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men." He cares not for the fervice of flaves, who do not serve him, but through fear of his wrath; nor can he away with the hireling-fervice of those who serve him only that they may make their own advantage by it. The heart must be in it and at it, or it is no fervice in his esteem.-We are to ferve God,

Laftly, In faith: Rom. xiv. 23. "For whatever is not of faith, is fin." Faith is an ingredient abfolutely neceffary in all fervice to God: Heb. xi. "G" Without faith, it is impoffible to please him; for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and

and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him." And there is a threefold faith requifite here. (1.) The faith of God's command, requiring the duty, Rom. xiv. 23.; for if perfons do not believe that God requires fuch a duty of them, it is not fervice to him. (2.) The faith of the promise of strength for the duty, by which the foul is carried out of itself to the Lord, for ftrength to perform it. We are commanded to be strong in the grace that is in Chrift Jefus, 2 Tim. ii: r. Thus God's fervice is called walking in the name of the Lord Zech. x. 12. " And I will ftrengthen them in the Lord; and they fhall walk up and down in his name, faith the Lord." (3.) The faith of acceptance through Chrift, by which the foul is carried over the work itfelf to Chrift, to look for its acceptance only for his fake.--I am now to fhew,

II. WHAT it is to make God's fervice our bufinefs, or when a perfon may be faid to be thus employed. This will defcribe to you the person who may with confidence avow this claim, God, whofe I am, and whom I ferve.-In regard to fuch a perfon, I obferve,

1. That God's service is his grand design in the world, he may have many works on the wheel; but this is the chief one: Pfal. xxvii. 4. "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I feek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." Whatever employment or trade a perfon betakes himfelf to, though he may at times put his hand to many other things yet the work of his calling is ftill his chief bufinefs. Thus he who betakes himfelf to the fervice of God, will make this his chief bufinefs.

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bufinefs. There are many things to be done; but there is one thing more needful beyond all other things, and this is the perfon's great object in the world. Like Mary, he attends to this, and makes choice of that good part which shall not be taken from him, Luke, x. 42.-Here, however, there may be proposed this

Queftion, How may a perfon know whether he makes God's fervice his grand design in the world or not? As to this, I answer,

(1.) What is it that thou feekest to obtain with the greatest eagerness and concern? Pfal. iv. 6. 7. This is thy grand defign, be what it will; for what the heart is moft fet upon, this the perfon will be most concerned about. Now, is it the fervice of God, in its various parts as above described, that your heart is fet upon? then it is well, Pfal. xxvii. 4 (quoted above). That person whofe heart runs like a hare in pursuit of the things of this world, but moves like a snail in the things of the world to come, is not fo. He fwims like a feather in eternal concerns, never diving into them; but he finks like lead in worldly ones, for thefe engross the whole of his attention.

(2). What is that the mifcarrying in which lies nearest the heart? The perfon whofe bufinefs is God's fervice, the mifcarrying in foul-matters will lie moft heavy upon him; but the miscarrying of other matters will be heaviest on others. What the heart makes its chief business in a greater or less measure, will be moft grievous. Thus Job, when he lost all, chap. i. was diftreffed; afterwards, when the Lord withdrew from him, he was infinitely more affected.

(3). When God's fervice and other things come in competition, which of thofe muft yield in thy practice? Luke, xiv. 26. " If any come to me,

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and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and fifters, yea, and his own life alfo, he cannot be my difciple." A perfon who has got a fore leg, will difpofe of his body as may best suit it; but a person who has a tree leg, will cut and carve with it, as may best suit his body. If a perfon has the unmortified love of the world in him, fo that it is to him like a living limb, all things elfe muft yield to it; he will dif pose of his religion, as may beft fuit his worldly intereft, and will facrifice hie fpiritual concerns to his temporal; and if God's service interfere with his worldly intereft, he will justle it by. But it is juft the contrary with those who make God's fervice their bufinefs; in their practice, every thing elie must yield to it. I obferve,

2. That the perfon who makes God's fervice his business, serves him with the whole man: 1 Cor. vi. 20. " For ye are bought with a price: Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your fpirit, which are God's." He not only lends his hand to the work, as a person would do who paffes by accidentally; but fets his heart to it, as a person whose business it is. He looks on himself as wholly the Lord's, and therefore devotes himfelf wholly to him, in foul and in body, to be at his call. It is the butinefs of his mind, to know the Lord, and what belongs to his eternal peace, Song, i. 7. This is the grand inquiry with which he is taken up, What is the way I muít take for another world? What is the duty God calls me to? What must I do to be saved?--It is the business of his will, to conform to the will of God in all things: Pfal. cxix. 112. "I have inclined mine heart to perform thy ftatutes, always even unto the end." In that day in which the

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