prepare their posterity only to live plenteously, and in credit in the world, but not to be serviceable to God or thec ommonwealth. Design them, all that are capable, to magistracy or ministry, or some useful way of life. And whatever be their employinent, endeavour to possess them with the fear of the Lord, that they may devote themselves to him. Think not the preaching of the gospel a work too low for the sons of the noblest person in the land. It would be an excellent furtherance to the work of the gospel if noblemen and gentlemen would addict those sons to the ministry that are fit for it, and can be spared from the magistracy. They might have more respect from their people, aud easier rule them, and might better win them with bounty than poor men can do. They need not to contend with them for tithes or maintenance.

4. If you are not your own, your whole families are not your Use them, therefore, as families that are dedicated to

own.

God.

5. If you are not your own, then your wealth is not your own. Honour God, therefore, with your substance, and with the first fruits of your increase. (Prov. iii. 9.) Do you ask how? Are there no poor people that want the preaching of the gospel for want of means, or other furtherance? Are there no godly scholars that want means to maintain them at the universities, to fit them for this work? Are there no poor neighbours about you that are ignorant, that if you buy them bibles and catechisms, and hire them to learn them, might come to knowledge and to life? Are there no poor children that you might put apprentices to godly masters, where soul and body might both have helps? The poor you have always with you. It is not for want of objects for your charity; if you hide your talents, or consume them on yourselves, the time is coming when it would do you more good to have laid them out to your Master's use, than in pampering your flesh.

Some grudge that God should have the tenths, that is, that they should be consecrated to the maintenance of his service. But little do these consider that all is his, and must all be accounted for. Some question whether now there be such a sin as sacrilege in being, but little do they consider that every sin is a kind of sacrilege. When you dedicated yourself to God, you dedicated all you had, and it was God's before; do not take it from him again. Remember the halving of Ananias, and give God all.

Obj. But must we not provide for our families?

Answ. Yea, because God requires it, and in so doing, you render it to him. That is given to him which is expended in obedience to him, so be it you still prefer his most eminent interest.

the

Lastly, if you are not your own, then must not your works be principally for yourselves, but for him that owneth you. As scope of your lives must be to the honour of your Lord, so be sure that you hourly renew these intentions. When you set your foot out of your doors, ask whether your business you go upon be for God. When you go to your rest, examine yourselves what you have done that day for God, especially let no opportunity overslip you wherein you may do him extraordinary service. You must so perform the very labours of your callings, that they may be ultimately for God; so love your dearest friends and enjoyments, that it be God that is principally loved

in them.

More particularly as to the business of the day, what need I say more than in a word to apply this general doctrine to your special works?

1. If the honourable judges and the justices will remember that they are God's, and not their own, what a rule and stay will it be to them for their work? What an answer will it afford them against all solicitations from carnal self, or importunate friends? viz., I am not mine own, nor come I hither to do mine own work, I cannot therefore dispose of myself or it, but must do as he that owns me doth command me. How would this also incite them to promote Christ's interest with their utmost power, and faithfully to own the causes which he owneth!

2. If all counsellors, and solicitors of causes, did truly take themselves for God's, and not their own, they durst not plead for, nor defend a cause they knew which God disowneth. They would remember that what they do against the innocent, or speak against a righteous cause, is done and said against their Lord, from whom they may expect, ere long, to hear, In as much as you said or did this against the least of these, you said or did it against me.' God is the great patron of innocency, and the pleader of every righteous cause, and he that will be so bold as to plead against him, had need of a large fee to save him harmless. Say not it is your calling which you must live by, unless you that once listed yourselves in your

baptism under Christ, will now take pay, and make it your profession to fight against him. The emptier your purses are of gain so gotten, the richer you are, or at least the fuller they are, you are so much the poorer. As we that are ministers do find by experience, that it was not without provocation from us that God of late hath let loose so many hands, and pens, and tongues against us, though our calling is more evidently owned by God than any one in the world besides, so I doubt not but you may find, upon due examination, that the late contempt which hath been cast upon your profession, is a reproof of your guilt from God who did permit it. Had lawyers and divines less lived to themselves, and more to God, we might have escaped, if not the scourge of reproachful tongues, yet at least the lashes of conscience. To deal freely with you, gentlemen, it is a matter that they who are strangers to your profession can scarce put any fair construction upon, that the worst cause, for a little money, should find an advocate among you. This driveth the standers by upon this harsh dilemma, to think that either your understandings or your consciences are very bad. If, indeed, you so little know a good cause from a bad, then it must needs tempt men to think you very unskilful in your profession. The seldom and smaller differences of divines, in a more sublime and mysterious profession, is yet a discovery so far of their ignorance, and is imputed to their disgrace. But when almost every cause, even the worst that comes to the bar, shall have some of you for it, and some against it, and in the most palpable cases you are some on one side, and some on the other, the strange difference of your judgments doth seem to betray their weakness. But if you know the causes to be bad which you defend, and to be good which you oppose, it more evidently betrays a deplorable conscience. I speak not of your innocent or excusable mistakes in cases of great difficulty; nor yet of excusing a cause bad in the main from unjust aggravations: but when money will hire you to plead for injustice against your own knowledge, and to use your wits to defraud the righteous, and spoil his cause, or vex him. with delays, for the advantage of your own unrighteous client, I would not have your conscience for all your gains, nor your account to make for all the world: it is sad, that any known unrighteous cause should have a professed Christian, in the face of a christian judicature, to defend it, and Satan should plead by the tongues of men so deeply engaged to Christ: but it is

incomparably more sad, that almost every unjust cause should find a patron; and no contentious, malicious person should be more ready to do wrong, than some lawyers to defend him, or a (dear-bought) fee! Did you honestly obey God, and speak not a word against your judgment, but leave every unjust man to defend his own cause, what peace would it bring to your consciences; what honour to your now reproached profession; what relief to the oppressed; and what an excellent cure to the troublesome contentions of proud or malicious men.

3. To your juries and witnesses I shall say but this, you also are not your own; and he that owneth you hath told you, "That he will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." It is much into your hands that the law hath committed the cause of the just; should you betray it by perjury and false witnesses, while there is a conscience in your guilty breast, and a God in heaven, you shall not want a witness of your sin, or a revenger of the oppressed, if the blood of Christ on your sound repentance do not rescue you.

4. If plaintiff and defendant did well consider that they are not their own, they would not be too prone to quarrels, but would lose their right, when God, the chief proprietor, did require it. Why do you not rather take wrong, and suffer yourselves to be defrauded, than do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren? (1 Cor. vi. 7-9.)

To conclude: I earnestly entreat you all, that have heard me this day, that when you go home, you will betake yourselves to a sober consideration of the claim that God hath laid to you, and the right he hath in you, and all that you have : and resolve, without any further delay, to give him his own; and give it not to his enemies, and yours. When you see the judgment set, and the prisoners waiting to receive their sentence, remember with what inconceivable glory and terror your Judge will shortly come to demand his due; and what an inquiry must be made into the tenour of your lives. As you see the eclipsed sun withdraw its light,* so remember how before this dreadful final judgment, the sun and moon, and the whole frame of nature, shall be dissolved! And how God will withdraw the light of his countenance from those that have neglected him in the day of their visitation. As ever you would be his, then see that you be his now; own him as your absolute Lord, if you expect he

* This sermon was preached at the time of the eclipse.

should own you then as his people. Wo to you that ever you were born! if you put God then to distrain you for his due, and to take that up in your punishment, which you denied to give him in voluntary obedience. You would all be his in the time of your extremity; then you cry to him as your God for deliverance. Hear him now, if you would then be heard: live to him now, and live with him for ever. A popish priest can persuade multitudes of men and women to renounce the very possession of worldly goods, and the exercise of their outward callings in a mistaken devotedness to God. May not I, then, hope to prevail with you to devote yourselves, with the fruit of your callings and possessions, to his unquestionable service? Will the Lord of mercy but fasten these persuasions upon your hearts, and cause them to prevail, what a happy day will this prove to us! God will have his own, the church will have your utmost help, the souls of those about you will have the fruit of your diligence and good examples, the commonwealth will have the fruit of your fidelity, the poor will have the benefit of your charity, I shall have the desired end of my labour, and yourselves will have the great and everlasting gain.