to be examined in heaven, they fhall be examined Cap.55. ftrictly, and unless God fee a fupernatural stamp upon them, they will burn; and therefore look to your works, fee whether they be fupernatural in the principles, in the ends, and in the maner of doing of them: and examine by these rules the affurance of this reward. Mr. Latimer fays, the affurance of heaven, is the sweet meats of the feast of a good confcience: In great feasts there are good meats and banquets: There are other dainty dishes in this feast, and the affurance of heaven is the sweet meats and the banquet. Now that we may have the feaft of a good confcience made full, let us take pains in examining whether this recompence of reward be ours: if we did but apprehend this reward to be ours,it would make us go on with power in our way, whereas now every little thing is ready to turn us afide.

Again, if upon examining by these arguments you finde fome comfortable hope that the recompence of reward is yours, what concerns you, but patience to wait for it; and in the mean time to live as those that shall have these things,and labor to dye fo?

Firft, patiently to wait; St. Iames fays, The Hufbandman waits for the precious feed till the harvest come: Though it be precious feed, the Husbandman cafts it into the earth, he is not difcontent because he hath not harvest next Week, but he is content to let the winter, the froft and fnow go over it; and fo we must be content to have many troubles between the hope of the reward, and the poffeffion of it. We must work in the vineyard of the Lord, and endure Xx 2

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IO.

I.

Cap.55. the heat of the day, and not expect our peny till night. Mark how the Apostle would have those to walk who have the hope of heaven, Rom. 2.7. To them, who by patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life. Great things are to be expected and waited for; If a man have a great venture at Sea, that he expects fome mighty profit by, he is content to wait two or three years, because he thinks it will make amends for all: So in your way of merchandizing, if a man go and buy a commodity of five or ten fhillings, he lays down prefent money, but if the commodity come to a great fum of many hundred pounds, he does but give fomething in earnest, the great pay is to come many moneths after: fo when men will bargain with God for their obedience to have credit and esteem in the world, yea, those men that aspire after the greatest things in the world,thefe are poor trifling matters, and God gives them prefently: but because the Covenant that is between God and Christ,& fo between Christ and us,is about great matters, and God intends to reward his people with glorious things eternally in the Heavens, they have but the first-fruits of them for the prefent, and they must not expect the fulness of them fuddenly. Great men have two kinde of Servants ufually, fome fervants that they hire by the day, or the moneth, or the year, that they fhall have fo much wages, and fo their wages is paid them, it may be every night, or every week; other fervants have not their wages presently, but that which they serve for, is the expectation of fome great office or living that their Lord fhould give to them after many years service,

and

1

and therefore they go on in their fervice, though Cap.55.
nothing come presently. Here is the difference
between the men of the world and others, I speak
of those who live the best lives who are not truly
gracious; they in fome measure are the fervants
of God, they do God fome fervice, onely fuch
fervice as poor laboring men do that are hired in a
great mans Houfe, that have their pay every
week, or day; fo you have your pay every day,
you have meat and drink, and the comfort of the
creatures; but God hath other greater Servants,
godly people, Chriftians, and though they have
not fo much pay presently, as wicked men have,
yet there are reverfions, and fome glorious things
that they expect hereafter, and therefore they go
on patiently, though for the present they have not
fo much as others. And you have no cause to
envy others: If there be two Servants in a great
mans House, the one fees the poor laboring man
have his fhilling given him, fhall he envy him, and
fay, I have ferved many years, and have not had
a fhilling? No, he does not envy him, because he
expects fome great things: And fo when you fee
the men of the world have the great things of the
world, do not envy them, because you serve God for
greater things.

Queen Elizabeth, the envyed the milk-maid when
She was in prifon, but if she had known what a glori-
ous Reign the fhould have had for four and forty
years, the would not have envyed her. Wait there-
fore patiently, because the things are great, and the
longer you wait, the greater they will be: as it
was the fpeech of the Son of an Emperor, fays he,
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Cap.56. The longer the Cooks are preparing the meat, there will be the better chear, meaning, The longer he staid for the Empire, the greater it would be, fo go on in your way, wait patiently, the longer you wait, the better it will be at the laft: and it is fure enough, Chrift is gone before to take poffeffion, and God never fo wrought to make any thing fure, as he hath wrought for the affuring of the good in the Covenant of grace. Yet long after it and defire it. In Rom. 8. 21. it is faid, The creature groaneth to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, to come into the glorious liberty of the children of God; and therefore we our felves fhould much more defire it, and pant after that time, we should cry out with D4vid, though with patience,When fhall Iappear before God, the living God?

I

2.

CHAP. LVI.

Christians fhould live and dye as becomes heirs of fuch a glorious estate.

S

Econdly, learn, if there be fuch a glorious reward, to live and dye as becomes fuch glorious heirs: this is the Exhortation of the holy Ghost unto us by St. Paul, in his Epiftle unto the Theff. Theffalonians, As you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you that ye would walk worthy of God that hath called you unto his kingdom and glory here is an exhortation, and in the name of God a charge upon every foul that does expect to have the portion of it in thefe great things,

2. 11, 12.

that

that they would walk worthy of God, who hath called Cap.56. them unto his kingdom and glory: it is a great charge to walk worthy of God, but to walk worthy of God who hath called us to his kingdom and glory, this is great, but the life of a Christian must be thus. Now confider,what life have I? Is my life fuch as may be faid to be worthy of God, and that God that hath called me unto his kingdom and glory? Surely great things must be in the lives of Gods people: people talk much of strictnefs, and precifenefs,that they may be too precife, what do you think muft this life be that must be worthy of God who hath called us to his kingdom and glory?

It must not be a dead-hearted life, go on with a holy and heavenly chearfulness and courage in Gods ways: It becomes the children of the Bride-chamber to be joyful: fee that in any cafe you rejoyce before the Lord; comfort your felves and one another by these fayings. We belye the truth of God, if we do not walk joyfully:Rejoyce in this, that your names are written in the Book of life; fays Chrift, they rejoyced that the Devils fell down before them: If there were any thing in the world to be rejoyced in, one would think they might rejoyce in that, but Christ would not have them rejoyce in that, in comparison of this.Cafar when he was fad,he said to himfelf,Think thou art Cafar, that that might take away Cogita te his sadness; and fo fay I to a Chriftian, Think of your Cafarum Crown and glory, let your lives be fuch as may make appear you have your portion in these things. I may fay to fome, as Fonadab faid to Amnon, Why art thou lean from day to day, being the Kings Son? So may I say to every childe of God, Why is thy heart

it

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fo