SERM 1 duty, giving all diligence. Secondly, the first particular which the apoftle exhorts us to add to our faith, and it is vertue. That First, let us confider that which muft accompany our whole duty, the manner of performing it, or applying ourselves to it, giving all diligence. It is not to be confin'd to one point, but runs thro' the whole detail of the chriftian graces which is here given us; give all diligence in virtue, all diligence to attain knowledge, all diligence in the exercise of patience, of tetnperance, of godliness, and charity. Diligence in religion is often recommended to us by the facred writers. familiar image under which they describe the practice of piety, walking with God, plainly implies it. For, as a man who walks is all in motion, we must exert the utmost activity of our fouls in that tenor of converfation whereby we would approve our felves to God, and maintain fellowship with the Father and his Son Jefus Chrift. The glorious prize of that favour which he shows to them that love him, is not prostituted to the ineffectual 84 withes, wishes, the lazy unactive defires of the floth-SERM. ful, which kill him while bis hands refufe to IV. labour. We should summon all the powers of our fouls continually to attend this very thing, and watch every occafion of doing and of receiving good. The pfalmift fays, * that his foul followed hard after the Lord. And fas our Saviour pronounces them bleffed who hunger and thirst after righteousness, he recommends it to his disciples, that they should bgrow more and more affiduous in order to obtain it, and that to all other endeavours they should add their fervent prayers to God, in which apprehended delays and difappointments fhould only whet their defire and increase their fervor and importunity; † Ask -and it fhall be given you, feek and ye shall find, 1 knock and it shall be opened unto you. And tho' the fcripture teaches us to attribute our attainments in religion to the grace of Gad (while St. Paul labour'd more abundantly than all the reft of the apostles, he afcribes the praise not to himself, but to the divine grace) yet this is not intended to vacate, or at all to leffen our obligation to dilitogence; on the contrary, the greatest encouragement SERM. Couragement we have in * working out our IV. own falvation with fear and trembling, is, that God worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure. Nothing, indeed, is more certain than the divine affiftance to men heartily difpos'd to perform their duty, which, instead of fuperfeding the neceffity of their own endeavours, fhould animate their zeal, and excite them to industry; as David in giving a charge to Solomon his son, concerning that good work of building the temple, thus exhorts and encourages him, arife and be doing, and the Lord be with thee. Never is there the leaft countenance to a fupine negligence by the promise of divine aids, nor have men any reafon to expect that God will work their works in them and for them, if they be wholly wanting to themfelves; or that they fhall fee the falvation of God, if they so stand still as to be idle, and do not call upon their fouls, and ftir up all that is within them to a vigorous concurrence in improving every opportunity that prefents itself The neceffity of this will appear, if we reflect on the conftitution of human nature, and the divine wisdom and condefcenfion in Philipp. ii. 12, 13. + Chron. xxii. 16. ac accommodating to it the way of conferring the SERM. greatest bleflings upon us. The bleffed Au- IV. thor of our beings has a regard to their frame while he carries on his merciful defigns towards us. He does not deal by us as unintelligent machines, but rational creatures. He does not make us happy without our own knowledge, choice and concurrence, which would indeed be a contradiction; but prepares our fouls for the enjoyment of himfelf, and for the perfection of righteousness, by forming in them ftrong defires, and exciting them to vigorous endeavours; and the more carneft the pursuit is, the greater is the felicity. In the affairs of common life, if a man has bufinefs to tranfact which he regards as of importance to his intereft or reputation, he will be upon his guard that he do not miscarry in it; and we fee that ordinarily, it is the hand of the diligent that maketh rich, as Solomọn observes, * And he becomes poor that deals. with a flack band. And if we have at heart. the attaining of the ends of religion, the like, care and industry we will use in attending the means; improving all opportunities, and exerting all our abilities for it, which is in this * Prov. X. 4. cafe SERM cafe the more neceffary, because we are fenfiIV ble there is a difficulty in the practice of vir tue, from our own confeffed weakness. It is a work to which we find ourselves unequal, by the vanity of our minds, the darknefs of our understandings, and many infirmities which compass us about; but all these difadvantages are no argument for floth or dif couragement; on the contrary, they fhould incite us to greater zeal and activity, according to Solomon's proverbial expreffion.* If the iron be blunt, he must put to the more ftrength. Since most important confequences depend upon performing our duty aright, and we labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that which endureth to everlasting lifes fince there is but a fhort time appointed for this most neceffary work, and ‡ there is no knowledge, nor wisdom, nor device, in the grave whither we are all bastning; these con fiderations urge us to induftry, and show that negligence is very unreafonable. Solomon, in his excellent proverbs; the main defign of which is to recommend religious virtue under the amiable character of wisdom, and engage men in the pursuit of it; very earnestly exhorts us to diligence as abfolutely neceflary in order Ecclef. x. 10. ↑ John vi. 27. † Ecclef.ix. 1 |