uncover more than an industrious hand will easily repair again.

2. Learning; chiefly in the Holy Scriptures, and then in the succession and doctrine of the churches of Christ in all ages, that "we may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convince gainsayers." (Tit. i. 9)

3. Labour in preaching of the word, both by doctrine and living. You know how the business of our calling is set forth unto us, and under what expressions, pyov, A work *'; and more than that, xónos, A painful work ;' σTOυn, A care';' and more than that, pépiμva, A distracting care; the work of a soldier, and of a shepherd, and of a husbandman, and of a chirurgeon, which requires more patience and assiduity, calls upon us to be in readiness day and night. Such a work as we must wholly give ourselves unto, gorxapпроткарτερῆσαι, and πληρῶσαι, and ἐπιμένειν, and ἐν τούτοις εἶναι, they are the apostle's expressions. A work which will still keep us doing; a work, in which, of all other, is required the most exquisite and difficult mixture of wisdom and courage. zeal and temper, boldness and meekness, power and patience, authority and compassion, reverence and humility, eloquence and plainness, learning and experience; that no wonder if Saint Paul cry out ris ixavós. No wonder if Gregory Nazianzen and others have hid, and run away from such an employment: but great wonder it is to see men of green heads‹, of crude and lank abilities, to rush, without fear or due preparations, upon so dreadful and sacred an office. Certainly, of all callings under heaven, we, in ours, have greatest reason to cry out with the prophet David, "If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who might stand?"

4. Discipline and fatherly government, to keep the stones of the building in order, and to reduce all unto decency and beauty for as God must be served with holiness, so it must be in the beauty of holiness too; and unity is the beauty of

x Acts xii. 2, and xv. 38. 1 Cor. iii. 13. Ephes. iv. 12. Phil. i. 22, and iii. 30. 1 Thess. v. 13. 1 Tim. iii. 1. 2 Tim. iv. 5. y John iv. 38. 1 Cor. iii. 8. z 2 Cor.

2 Cor. x. 15. Gal. iv. 11. 1 Thess. iii. 5, and v. 11. 1 Tim. v. 17. vii. 12.

b 2 Cor. xi. 28. Phil. ii. 20. 1 Tim. iii. 5.

e Acts vi. 4.

1 Tim. iv. 15. Acts xii. 25. 2 Tim. iv. 5. Col. iv. 17. Acts xiv. 26. 1 Tim. iv. 15, 16.

the church.

"Behold, how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."

And here let me speak one word to you who are churchwardens, and are entrusted with care of presenting disorders to the governors of the church; to beseech you to consider the religion and sacredness of that oath, which, in the house of God, and as you expect help from God, you promise to perform with the reverence of which oath, and fear of God's dreadful name, were you so thoroughly affected, as indeed you ought, we should not see (what with grief we do) so great contempt of God's house and ordinances, as if they were common and profane things: many scarce, throughout the whole year, making their confessions of sins to God in the assembly of his people; many seldom or never hearing any one psalm of David, or chapter of the Holy Scriptures read unto them; nay, many neglecting the whole liturgy of the church, and dropping in after the sermon is begun; and though the preacher have taken great pains for what in the name of God he speaks. unto them, having not yet the patience to stay till that piece of the hour be ended. Certainly, David had learned more reverence to the Lord's house; "I was glad when they said, Let us go into the house of the Lord." (Psalm cxxii. 1) And so had Cornelius, who, with his kindred and near friends, waited for the coming of Peter. (Acts x. 24) And so had Solomon, who teacheth men to "wait daily at the gates, and to give attendance at the posts of the doors of God's house." (Prov. viii. 34) And the prophecies foretell the like of God's people under the gospel; that they should call upon one another, and should go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord. (Zech. viii. 21) I speak this in zeal to the service of God, and to the reverence of his sanctuary; and beseech you, by the sacredness of your oath, and for the fear of God's name, to think upon it.

3. General: And so all the people, in their places, must labour, by inoffensive and holy lives, and by the peaceable fruits of righteousness, to cover the church wherein they live, from the reproaches of all those who calumniate our doctrine and worship, as tending to licentious, profane, rebellious, or superstitious living.

And now when all this is done, Except the Lord build the house, they labour but in vain that build it." Paul may plant, and Apollos may water; but his blessing it is, which must perfect all. We all are but walls of mud, which may easily be broken through: He only is a wall of fire, which no enemies can approach unto. And therefore we must all (and we in our calling especially) be frequent and urgent in our prayers to him to preserve the peace, to repair the breaches, and to build up the walls, of his Jerusalem; that he would give us eyes to see, and hearts to love, and mouths to utter, and lives to express, the praises of his word and that he would give his word a free passage into the heads and hearts, into the consciences and conversations, of all his people that so beginning at the unity of the faith, and knowledge of the Son of God, we may grow up together unto a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; which the Lord grant for the merits and mercies of his beloved Son Jesus Christ the righteous; to whom, with the Father and the blessed Spirit, three persons, and one immortal and only wise God, be all glory, majesty, and thanksgiving, now and for evermore. Amen.

:

SELF-DENIAL.

TO THE

REVEREND ASSEMBLY OF DIVINES.

FATHERS AND BRETHREN,

This Sermon was preached by your command, and in your alone audience: nor had it gone further than those walls, had not the importunity of many Reverend Brethren amongst yourselves urged the publication of it. The argument of the Sermon taught me to lay aside mine own judgement touching the expediency or seasonableness of this action, seeing the judgements of so many godly and learned brethren concur for it. I have this advantage and benefit by the publishing of it, that I may return some small tribute of public thanks for those many grave, judicious, and learned debates; those many gracious and heavenly exercises; that sweet and most delightful society, whereof I have been made a partaker by sitting amongst you; which truly have made my life, amidst many great losses and greater infirmities, more cheerful to me than even my own judgement in such sad and calamitous times could otherwise willingly have allowed it to be. Yet it will be a further accession unto this content, if you shall be pleased to accept of this poor part of my labours, first preached in your hearing, and now submitted to your view, from him, whose heart's desire and prayer is, that the Lord (whose you are, and whom you serve) would prosper all your labours for the good of his church, and make you happy instruments of healing the breaches, reconciling the differences, preventing the confusions, and advancing the peace of his Sion.

Your most humble servant in the Lord,

E. R.

SELF-DENIAL.

Opened and applied in a SERMON before the Reverend ASSEMBLY of DIVINES on a Day of their private Humiliation.

MATTH. XVI. 24.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

a

b

WE may observe of Christ, that usually when there appeared in him any evidences of human frailty,-lest his servants should thereat be offended and stumble, he was pleased at the same time to give some notable demonstration of his divine power; he was born weak and poor, as other infants, but attended on by a multitude of glorious angels, proclaiming him to the Shepherds, and, by a special star, Þ leading the Wise men to worship him. He was hungry, and tempted by Satan, as other men; but by his divine power he vanquished the enemy, and was ministered unto by angels. He was deceived in the fig-tree, which he went to for fruit, and found none, and so shewed the infirmity of a human ignorance; but withal immediately did manifest his divine power in drying it up from the roots. He was "crucified" (as the Apostle telleth us)" in weakness;" and yet withal he did even then manifest himself "the Lord of glory," by rending the rocks, opening the graves, darkening the sun, converting the thief and the centurion, and so triumphing over principalities and powers. g

d

f

On the other side, we may observe, when holy men in

b Matth. ii. 2.

c Matth. xiv. 11. Vid. Atha

a Luke ii. 13, 14. nas. Interpretat. Parabol. q. 22. Et Isid. Pelus. lib. 1. epist. 15. f Matth. xxvii. 51, 54.

xxi. 19.

e 2 Cor. xiii. 4.

ii. 15. Vid. Parker, de descens. 1. 4. sect. 76.

d Matth. 8 Col.