to die like beafts, we might live like beafts, with our fouls grovelling ftill downward on the earth. If the foul had been fo narrow, as to be fatisfied with lets than an infinite good, he had not fpoke like a fool, who faid to his foul, Luke, xii. 19. "Soul, take thine cafe, eat, drink, and be merry,' when his barns were full; in that cafe, the fwine and his foul might have fed together. But we have immortal fouls, capable of enjoying an infinite good, and fuch working in the earth muft needs be a base labour for an heaven-born foul, which God breathed into the formed duft, but gave not to be drowned in a mass of flesh and blood, nor to be only as falt, to keep the body a while from rotting.

3. It is a conftant labour. The fea refts fometimes, the carnal heart never: Ifa. lvii. 20. “But the wicked are like the troubled fea, when it cannot reft, whose waters caft up mire and dirt." Lufts are ever craving, never fay they have enough; they are rolling the tone to the top of the hill, which ftill comes down on them again and again, and creates new labour; fee Pial. lxxviii. 18.20. 29. 30. Two things make it a continual labour. t, Continual difappointments. Thx fe they cannot mifs, feeing there is no fatisfaction to be had in the creatures; yet their foul ftill craves. hence no reft, but are urged on to work again : Ifa. lvii. 10. "Thou art weary in the greatnefs of thy way, yet faidft thou not, 'There is no hope." Men are like the filly doves without heart, who ftill go to the fame neft where they have been herried never so often before, and will even big there, where they have got a thousand nay-fays. 2dly, What is got in them enlarges the defire, inftead of fatisfying it; the more that lufts are fed, the more they require to maintain them. Sin is an in

fatiable

fatiable tyrant; to labour in its fervice, is but to caft oil into the flame. The dropfy-thirft can never be quenched.

4. It is vain labour, they can never reach the end of it: Ifa. ly. 2. "Wherefore do you fpend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which fatisfieth not?" They fhall as foon fill a triangle with a circle, as the heart with fuch things; the grave fhall fooner give back its dead, than the lufts of the heart fay, It is enough. It is impoffible to find fatisfaction in these things, for they are not suitable to the foul, more than stones for the nourishment of the body. The body gets its nourishment from the earth, because it is of the earth; the foul is from heaven, and fo its fatisfaction must come from thence. The things of the world cannot fatisfy the foul, because they have no word of divine appointment, to be the staff of that bread which nourishes it; without this, grafs could no more fatisfy the beafts, nor bread the hunger of man, than fand: Matth. iv. 4. "Man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." God has kept this as his own prerogative, to fatisfy the foul, incommunicable to the creatures conjunctly or feparately.

Laftly, It is notwithstanding coftly labour; for time that is precious is spent on it, which men fhould hufband well, Ephef. v. 16. " Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." By time well improved, we might attain true happiness; time once gone can never be recalled.. But, ah! what precious hours are caft away on these things, which might be improved in trading for heaven.It is coftly, because the gifts of the mind are thrown away on it. Reafon makes us differ from the beafts, but by the abuse of it men make themselves worfe

worfe than the beafts: Jer. viii. 7. "Yea, the. ftork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times: and the turtle, and the crane, and the fwallow, obferve the time of their coming: but my people know not the judgement of the Lord." Men's minds are employed not to know God, but other things; their choice alfo is not fixed upon him, their affectious are beftowed on other things.-Finally, It is coftly, because the outward good things of the body, and estate in the world, are bestowed upon it. Health and ftrength go in the purfuit of vanity, and in the fervice of their lufts, yea, are facrificed many times on the altar of intemperance and fenfuality. Riches, power, honours, as the feeding of the horfe does, make people kick against hom who lays these things to their hands. Yea, to crown all, the foul itself is thrown away upon it: Matth. xvi. 26. "For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own foul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his foul?" Men seeking vanity, lofe what is moft excellent; and it is dear-bought that is purchased at that rate. I fhall now confider what is meant by,

II. A LABOURING in the law. And to this most of what has been faid may be applied; and befides it may occur afterwards. I fhall only say these two things anent it at present.

1. It is moft hard labour, for it requires the moft exact obedience, under pain of the curfe: Gal. iii. 10. "Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law, to do them." Nothing but perfect obedience is accepted, according to the law; and for the leaft failure, it dooms the finner to death. Now, no man can perform this; and yet, fo foolish are men, that they think to pleafe God with their VOL. I. Cc works.

works. Again,-it is hard, because the law neither promiseth nor giveth ftrength. God gave Adam ftrength to perform; he loft it, the law does not reftore it; fo that in this cafe they must make the brick, but no ftraw is laid to their hands. This makes hard work, and fo, by the Spirit, it at length breaks the heart of the elect, and makes them die to the law, as a wife tó a rigorous hufband, Gal. ii. 19.

2. It is a vain and ufelefs labour. There are much pains, and yet no gain, in this labour. It is vain, in refpect of the foul thriving; they that labour in the law do but fow their feed in the fand; all they reap is wind, which may puff them up, but cannot nourish. Why fo many barren dry profeffors? but because they are not trading with Christ, but with the law. Men go to duties, and reft in them; the pipe is laid fhort of the fountain.-It is vain, in refpect of acceptance with God. It is thanklefs work, for it fuperfedes the commandment to believe: John, vi. 29. "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent." It is a fad word, Rom. ix. 31. 32. "Ifrael, which followed after the law of righteoufnefs, hath not attained to the law of righteoufness. Wherefore? Because they fought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law." Turtles were accepted on the altar at Jerufalem, when bullocks were rejected on these at Dan and Bethel. -Farther, it is vain, in refpect of answering the demands of the law, Gal. iii. 10. Our curtailed obedience will not answer the measuring-reed of the law; it demands fatisfaction for what is past, and perfect obedience for what is to come.-Finally, it is vain, in refpect of falvation. The way to heaven by the firft covenant is blocked up; the angel with the flaming fword guards it, Gal. iii.

IO. O Sirs! duties are a fandy foundation, and great will be the fall of legal profeffors.

us inquire,

-Let

IV. WHY finners labour in these things for fatisfaction, and do not come to Christ ?—They do fo because,

1. They have loft God, the fountain of happinefs, and therefore they seek to fqueeze it out of the creatures: Ephef. ii. 12. “ Having no hope, and without God in the world." For, fays God, Jer. ii. 13. "They have forfaken me, the fountain of living waters." The fun is gone down upon them, and therefore they light their candles, and compafs themselves with their own fparks; for the empty foul muft have fomething to feed on. The prodigal wanted bread, and therefore fed on hufks. Doves dung is precious, when there is no bread in Samaria. Sinners labour in these things,

2. Because, by the power of a ftrong delufion, they ftill expect fatisfaction from them; they are represented in a magnifying glafs, as the forbidden fruit was to our first parents, Gen. iii. 5. 6. That delufion took with them, is conveyed to their pofterity, and will never be cured till grace. do it. Hence men, though they meet with a thoufand disappointments in these things, yet still from new hopes they renew the attempt.--Sinners labour thus,

3. Because these things are most suitable to the corrupt nature: Rom. viii. 5. "For they that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh." Fifhes fwim in the river, and care not for the most pleasant meadow; fwine prefer the dung-hill to a palace; becaufe every thing feeks its like. Lufts must be nourished with these; even the way the law, though just and good in itself, is the way

Cc 2

of

that