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God from light, vain, and trifling hypocrites 'tis plain there is nothing but damnation for them in the end, whether they make ufe of their talent or pound, or whether they lay it up in a napkin. If the prince give a gift to one of his fervants, it fhall [without fail] go out, or return to the prince at the year of jubilee, Ezek. xlvi. 17. The fervant abideth not in the house ever, but his fon's inheritance fhall be his fon's for them, Ezek. xlvi. 16. the fon abideth in the boufe ever.

And 'tis clear that fome of thefe fervants will accuse the mafter himself of the want of candour in the great day: here, fays one, is thy pound which I have kept laid up in a napkin. This man feems to be one that had waited on ladies or attended a fideboard, yet he falls to accufing the mafter; I knew that thou waft an auftere man, one of a bad fpirit, deftitute of candour, reaping where thou hast not fowed, and gathering where thou hast not strewed. You fee this man contended for candour, though he owned the Lord had never fowed or firewed any thing in his heart; which ferves to fhow, that thofe who make the greatest ftir about univerfal charity, or candour, are the moft deftitue of grace. The Saviour answers him on the ground of his own argument; Thou knewest that I was an auftere man, reaping where I had not fowed, and gathering where I had not strewed, thou oughteft therefore to have been the more careful, as thou hadft fuch a fevere mafter

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to deal with; thou oughteft to bave put my money into the bank; yet fticks to the old prophecy as the Prince of Peace, who was to receive his gift again at the year of liberty, Ezek. xlvi. 17. and therefore adds, that I might have received mine own gift with ufury, Matt. xxv. 27. Luke xix. 23. but never fays a word about receiving the fervant who had received the gift, pound, or talent. Thefe are called fervants, but neither of these are the fervants intended in my text; these are legal servants, fervants of fin, and servants of Mammon, though they daringly called the Lord Jefus their mafter, their Lord, and their God.

There are others who attend the word of God on purpose to learn to talk about religion; and having no inward heart-work to attend to, they make great proficiency in the head and tongue, and will learn to prate publicly in prayer; prate I fay, because Wisdom calls them prating fools, that shall fall. They will attempt to call upon God in public prayer in behalf of others before a poor buffeted and tempted foul can beg for himself, or dares to adopt the language of the publican, and fay, God be merciful to me a finner. This is one of the children that we fay are too witty to live; fimple fouls that have no eyes, and hypocrites that have no feeling, ftand aftonifhed at the clapper of his mouth, at his furious zeal, his undaunted courage, and the progrefs he makes with the unruly member of his head; and no wonder, for there is no ftrife between the devil

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and he; Satan knows the kingdom of God is not in word as well as we do, nor is he afraid of the Speech of them that are puffed up; if he was he would be afraid of his own work. Now the common labours of the day begin to be burthenfome to him, and idleness to gain ground; his call to the miniftry feems clear; his abilities are fufficient for the pulpit, with a little human fcouring, and a few geftures of the body, and fome of Mafter Merryman's antic motions with the hand, which may be learnt at certain places of exhibition, at a mountebank stage, or at a playhouse, and these are all the qualifications he expects; and 'tis too often feen that fuch are admitted into churches by the most wealthy and most graceless of the people. Some of the poor may complain of the want of experience and power, but their attempts are often too feeble; the main fupporters approve, and that is enough; and the preacher has nothing to do to endear himself to his friends but to accommodate himfelf to their humour, rub off the edge of God's fword with a little candour; connive at the fins of his patrons, pay his frequent vifits and partake of their innocent amufements, and by thefe means he picks up a tolerable livelihood; then it is like people like priest; and if any complain for the want of power, they are enthusiasts; if they run away and get their food elsewhere, they are of a party fpirit, and want to make divifions; if they mourn after the old deceased paftor who

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formerly fed them, they are bigots; and if they complain of too many hypocrites being taken into the church, their narrow Spirit is condemned and candour enforced; and if God takes fuch a preacher off and fends one that is faithful, he lives as it were in a hornet's neft, unless he can burn these venomous infects out of the hole, or thrash off this chaff.

This man is called a fervant in fcripture, but not the Lord's fervant; he is faid to ferve not our Lord Jefus Chrift but his own belly. Such are like the papift fisherman, who took to ftudy, and made fome progrefs in. the languages, on the account of which he was made a Monk, and after that a Prieft of an higher order, and after that a Bishop; but through all these scenes of prosperity he would have a net fpread upon his table cloth, to remind him of his mean origin; this mark of his unparalleled bumility carried him higher, he commenced Cardinal, but ftill ufed the net; at last he got into the Scorner's chair, and then the net difappeared; and being asked the reafon, he replied, "There is no call for the net "now, for the fish is caught;" he fifhed for the Popedom, and he knew 'twas vain to caft the net again. If Demas cannot get a prefent portion. in the church, it is ten to one but he goes into this present evil world again.

There is another fort of fervants, who may properly be called time-fervers; their service being according to the times in which they live.

If they are likely to get into a church that is tolerably found in the faith, they will act accordingly, preach against their own fentiments, condemn the very doctrines of their own heart, and advance the truths their fouls abhor. The first step such a man takes is, to wriggle into the affections of his people; and when he has gained ground there, then to bring forth a little of the old store of Arminianifm; but if the brat is too bare, then he covers the naked nefs of it by the word grace, or fome plain truth; and if this goes down, then he increases the baneful ingredients according as he perceives the mixture to operate, and by degrees the minds of the people get blinded, the keennefs of their appetite abated, their judgment confufed, and the great things of God are obfcured and hid from their eyes; fmell then he leads them any where; and if him out, and begin to complain, his zeal will be fired, and sharpness must be used; this makes him the object of their fear; and being awed by his facerdotal countenance, and confounded by his fophiftic logic, they are obliged to throw open both heart and confcience to him, while he enfhrines himself in the holy place where he ought not; and thus the free and felf-will of lordly man becomes the rule of a poor oppreffed people, inftead of the revealed will of God; the confused judgment of fuch people is like a weather-cock, and is turned with every wind of doctrine. This man is fit for any company, fo

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