man, than dare to affront and offend the Almighty SERM. God? 7. Were it not strangely absurd and unhandsome to say, I cannot wait on God, because I must speak with a friend; I cannot go to church, although God calleth me thither, because I must haste to market; I cannot stand to pray, because I am to receive money, or to make up a bargain; I cannot discharge my duty to God, because a greater obligation than that doth lie upon me? How unconceivable an honour, how unvaluable a benefit is it, that the incomprehensibly great and glorious Majesty of heaven doth vouchsafe us the liberty to approach so near unto him, to converse so freely with him, to demand and derive from his hand the supply of all our needs, and satisfaction of all our reasonable desires! and is it then just or seemly, by such comparisons to disparage his favour, by such pretences to baffle with his goodness? VII. Put the case our prince should call for us to speak with him about matters nearly touching his service and our welfare; would it be according unto duty, discretion, or decency, to reply, that we are at present busy, and have no leisure, and must therefore hold ourselves excused; but that if he will stay a while, at another time, when we have less to do, we shall be perhaps disposed to wait upon him? The case is propounded by our Lord in that parable, wherein God is represented as a great man, that had prepared a feast, and invited many guests thereto; but they excused themselves: One said, that Matt. xxii. he had purchased land, and must needs go out to Luke xiv. see it; another had bought five yoke of oxen, and 16, &c. must go to prove them; another had married a 2, &c. SERM. wife, and therefore could not come. These indeed VII. were affairs considerable, as this world hath any; "ExUT T but yet the excuses did not satisfy for, notwith σκῆψις ταῦ Taxi - standing, the great person was angry, and took the Chrys. in neglect in huge disdain. φασις, &c. Joh. Orat. 11. 8. Moreover, if we reflect what vast portions of time we squander away upon our petty matters, upon voluptuous enjoyments, upon fruitless pastimes, upon impertinent talk; how can we satisfy ourselves in not allotting competent time for God's service, our own salvation, and the future everlasting state? Doth not he, who, with the continuance of our life, bestoweth on us all our time, deserve that a pittance of it should be reserved for himself? Can all the world duly claim so great an allowance thereof? May not our soul (which is far our noblest part, which indeed is all ourselves) justly challenge a good share of our time to be expended on it? or shall this mortal husk engross it all? Must eternity, which comprehendeth all time, have no time belonging to it, or allotted for its concernments? 9. Again, is it not great imprudence so to lay our business, that any other matter shall thwart or thrust out devotion? Easily with a little providence may things be so ordered, that it, without interfering or justling, may well consist with all other both needful business and convenient divertisement; so that it shall neither obstruct them, nor they extrude it and are we not very culpable, if we do not use so much providence a? * Πρῶτον μὲν, αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἔγκλημα οὐ μικρὸν, τὸ κυκλοῦσθαι τοσούτων πραγμάτων πλήθει, καὶ τοῖς βιωτικοῖς οὕτω προσηλῶσθαι διὰ παντὸς, ὡς μηδὲ μικρὰν εἰς τὰ πάντων ἀναγκαιότερα ἄγειν σχολήν. Chrys. in Joh. i. 14. (Or. 11.) VII. 10. In truth, attending upon devotion can be no SERM. obstacle, but will be great furtherance to all other good business. It is the most sure, most pleasant, most advantageous and compendious way of transacting affairs, to mix prayers and praises with them; it is the best oil that can be, to make the wheels of action go on smoothly and speedily: it not only sanctifieth our undertakings, but much promoteth and exceedingly sweeteneth the management of them. For the conscience of having rendered unto God his due respect and service, of having intrusted our affairs to his care, of having consequently engaged his protection and assistance for us, will dispose us to do things with a courageous alacrity and comfortable satisfaction; will fill us with a good hope of prospering; will prepare us however to be satisfied with the event, whatever it shall be; will in effect procure a blessing and happy success, such as we may truly rejoice and triumph in, as conferred by God in favour to us. Whereas neglecting these duties, we can have no solid content or savoury complacence in any thing we undertake: reflecting on such misbehaviour (if we be not downright infidels, or obdurate reprobates in impiety) will quash or damp our courage: having thence forfeited all pretence to God's succour, and provoked him to cross us, we must needs suspect disappointment: as we have no reasonable ground to hope for success; so we cannot, if success arriveth, be heartily satisfied therein, or take it for a blessing. He therefore that is such a niggard of his time, that he grudgeth to withhold any part thereof from his worldly occasions, deeming all time cast away that is laid out in waiting upon God, is really most SERM. unthrifty and prodigal thereof: by not sparing a VII. little, he wasteth all his time to no purpose; by so 72. eagerly pursuing, he effectually setteth back his designs; by preposterously affecting to despatch his affairs, he rendereth them endless, or, which is the same, altogether unprofitable. In fine, we may be sure that no time is spent even so prudently and politicly, with so great advantage and so real fruit to ourselves, as that which is employed upon devotion. In sacrificing his time, his pains, his substance, any thing he hath or can do, to God's service, no man can be a loser. ness. We have also many examples plainly demonstrating the consistency of this practice with all other busiWho ever had more or greater affairs to manage, and who ever managed them with greater success, than David; upon whom did lie the burden of a royal estate, and the care over a most populous Ps. lxxviii. nation; the which he fed with a faithful and true heart, and ruled prudently with all his power ; who waged great wars, vanquished mighty enemies, achieved many glorious exploits, underwent many grievous troubles? Yet could not such engagements distract or depress his mind from a constant attendPs. xxxiv. ance on devotion. I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be continually in my mouth. My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever. So he declareth his resolution and his practice. Who is more pressingly employed than was Daniel, first president over so vast a kingdom, chief minister of state to the greatest monarch on Dan. vi. 10. earth? yet constantly thrice a day did he pray and give thanks unto his God. Who can be more 1. lxxi. 6. cxlv. 2. XXXV. 28. Ixi. 4. 28. 8. VII. entangled in varieties and intricacies of care, of SERM. pains, of trouble, than was he that prescribeth unto us this rule of praying continually? Upon him did lie the care of all the churches; night and day 2 Cor. xi. with labour and toil did he work for the sustenance 2 Thess. iii. of his life, that he might not (to the disparagement of the Gospel) burden any man; perpetually he was engaged in all sorts of labour and travail, ever conflicting with perils, with wants, with inconveniences numberless: yet did he exactly conform his practice to his rule, being no less indefatigable and incessant in his devotion than he was in his business. Who ever managed a greater empire than Constantine? Yet every day, as Eusebius reporteth, at stated times, shutting himself up, he alone privately did converse with his God. The most pious men indeed have never been idle or careless men, but always most busy and active, most industrious in their callings, most provident for their families, most officious toward their friends, most ready to serve their country, most abundant in all good works; yet have they always been most constant in devotion. So that experience clearly doth evidence, how reconcileable much devotion is to much business; and that consequently the prosecution of the one cannot well palliate the neglect of the other. II. No better can any man ward himself from blame, by imputing the neglect of devotion to some indisposition within him thereto. For this is only to cover one fault with another, or to lay on a patch b » Καιροῖς ἑκάστης ἡμέρας τακτοῖς ἑαυτὸν ἐγκλείων, μόνος μόνῳ τῷ αὐτῷ zpoowpines Oef. Euseb. de Vita Const. iv. 22. |