1st, It is not a plea contrary to grace. Indeed, no such plea can be allowed in the new covenant; partly, because it is the mere mercy of God to advance us to this honour, to make us his servants, and the fruit of his goodness, rather than our choice: "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth; but of God that showeth mercy" (Rom. ix. 16). Willing, and running, and working, and serving, are necessary afterwards (1 Cor. ix. 24), as our way and qualification. Again, our service is mixed with many weaknesses. Mercy there needeth to interpret our best actions, peace and mercy, when we have done most exactly (Gal. vi. 16); yea, the very plea of servant excludeth all thought of merit; for a servant ipso jure ministerium domino debet: "Doth he thank that servant, because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not" (Luke xvii. 9).

2ndly, It is not contrary to humility. It is not, we are thy children, we are thy saints; but, we are thy servants. It is the meanest of relations, it speaketh duty rather than perfection, and pleads not property of the house, but property and interest in God. The best of us are but servants to the high God, and therefore should not carry it proudly either to our master or to our fellow-servants. It is an humble claim.

3rdly, It speaketh comfort; for God will provide for his family, and will give maintenance, protection, direction, help, and finally wages, where he requireth and expecteth service; for the present, necessaries by the way; for the future, a blessed reward. For the present, we may depend on him as servants on their Lord: "Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress," &c. (Psalm cxxiii. 2.) Servants had their dole and portion from their masters; the males from the master, the females from the mistress; therefore is the expression of "looking" here used. First, God will give direction. In the text, David, upon the account of being God's servant, beggeth to know his will, as all good servants study what will please their masters; and will God appoint us work, and not tell us what it is? "Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God; thy Spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness" (Psalm cxliii. 10). God doth not only show us what is good in his word, but teacheth us also by his Spirit, and directs us in every turn and motion of our lives; and we ask it of him, as he is our God and Lord. Secondly, help and assistance. God is no Pharaoh, to require brick and give no straw; his grace is ready to help the endeavouring soul: "Work out your own salvation, &c.; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do" (Phil. ii. 12, 13). He exciteth the first motions, and still carrieth them on to perfection. Thirdly, protection while he hath a mind to use us: "Be surety for thy servant for good, let not the proud oppress me" (verse 122 of this psalm). Under the law, if a servant was hurt, the master was to take an account, and satisfaction to be made to him for his servant; so God taketh an account of the wrongs of his servants, and will demand satisfaction. Fourthly, maintenance. Every man hath a care devolved upon him, to take care of his family, and provide for them (1 Tim. v. 8), as instruments of God's providence; and will not God provide for his own? And then for time to come, God's servants have good wages: "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb. xii. 6). We need not seek another pay-master, there is a sure reward: "But to him that soweth righteousness, shall be a sure reward" (Prov. xi. 18). And a great reward: "And in keeping of them, there is great reward" (Psalm

xix. 11). And a full reward, "But that we receive a full reward" (2 John 8). No desire remaineth unsatisfied.

USE. Is to persuade us to become the servants of the Lord.

The

1. I will plead with you upon the account of right; you ought to be so jure creationis, you were created by him. As a man expecteth fruit from the vine which he hath planted, so may God expect from the creature which he hath made; yea, you were made for this end. If God had made us for another purpose, our living to that end and purpose had been regular. But this was his end, that he might be served by us. Let us lay these things together, consider what an absolute power God hath by creation: no lord hath such a right over his slave or servant as God over us. slave or servant is either taken in battle, or bought and hired with our money; but God made us out of nothing: he that made a thing at his own pleasure, hath a greater right than another can have by purchase, yea, greater right than a master over his beast. A master hath a greater right over his beast than over his servant: the dominion over the beast is more natural to us than over a servant: the servant and master have the same common nature. When he gave us dominion over the beasts of the field, the one is founded in God's original grant, the other is but a civil right founded in temporal accidents. Something is due, even to a slave, as our own flesh. Yet a man cannot absolutely do with his beast as he will, the law of God interposeth: a good man is merciful to his beast God will not allow a cruel disposition, nor give us the absolute disposal over the creatures which we made not. Nay, more than a potter over the vessels which he hath framed, or a workman over his work he only giveth external shape or figure, by art out of matter already prepared; but God giveth the whole being out of nothing, nothing but what is his. A potter hath power over his work to dispose of it as he pleaseth; here the law interposeth not. Surely, if a potter hath power to dispose of his vessels, God hath an absolute power to smite or heal, lift up or cast down, save or condemn. None can say, What dost thou? He did not fashion us out of matter prepared, but out of mere nothing. But this was his end, that we should love, and fear, and serve, and glorify him. Our business was not to eat and drink, and please ourselves and others, and live a merry life. All things act to the end for which they were created: the sun to shine by day and enlighten the world, the moon and stars by night; and they answer their end. Their ultimate end is to serve God; their next end, to serve man. All things in the world are either subjected to our dominion, or created for our use: the heavens, though not under our dominion as beasts, yet are for our use; the lower heaven to give us breath, the middle heaven to give us light and heat, the highest Heaven for our dwelling-place. The sun runneth and hasteneth to give us light. The sun shineth for us, the wind bloweth, and the water floweth for our use. The earth and air are for our use; the earth to tread on, the air to breathe in; and shall not we serve him, that made the whole course to serve us? All the creatures are at work for us day and night, for a poor worm of six feet long! yea, the Creator is at work for us: My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” We complain if the creatures do not serve us, and shall not we serve God who gave us those servants? 2. A right of preservation. all things: "Thou, even thou,

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He is Lord alone, because he preserveth art Lord alone; thou hast made Heaven,

therein, the seas and all that is therein; and thou preservest them all " (Neh. ix. 6). At whose table are we fed? at whose cost and expense are we maintained? upon whom do we depend every moment, for being and operation? "In him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts xvii. 28). He upholdeth all things by the word of his power (Heb. i. 3); he doth every moment continue what he gave at first. Things were not made that they should act and subsist of themselves, as the house abideth when the inhabitant is dead and gone. A daily influence is necessary: as the beams depend on the sun, so do we every moment upon God; every day we are bound to serve him. If God should turn us off for preservation to ourselves, how soon should we return to our original nothing! God is disengaged, if we serve him not. If, out of indulgence, he continues our beings, what vile ingratitude is it not to serve him! "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider" (Isa. i. 3). Would you maintain a servant to do his own work? Since we live upon God, we should live to him.

3. A right by redemption: "And ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20). If a man had bought another out of slavery, all his time, and strength, and service belonged to the buyer: Christ hath bought us from the worst slavery with the greatest price, and shall we rob him of his purchase? This was his end; he did not redeem us to ourselves, but to God; not to live as we list, to exempt us from his dominion, that is impossible. Saul promised to make him free in Israel that would destroy Goliah (1 Sam. xvi. 25); but to be free from God's dominion cannot be; that was not Christ's end in redeeming us, but that we might be put into a capacity to serve God. Well then, when God hath such a right in us, we ought to obey him.

Secondly, Consider, what an honour it is to be God's servants. Servire Deo, regnare est. The meanest offices about a prince are honourable. No such honourable employment as God's service, both in respect of the person whom we serve, the great God, and the service itself; it is a service of "righteousness and holiness” (Luke i. 75). This is no drudgery, our natures are ennobled; the liberty and perfection of human nature are preserved by this service. And then, for the quality of our reward, there is no such wages, no such reward in any service: "And where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour" (John xii. 26). Here is true honour, fitted for great spirits that will not stoop to trifles; and indeed, God's servant is the only great spirit. The most eminent servants in the courts of kings have but a splendid and more gaudy slavery, in comparison of God.

Thirdly, What a happiness, as well as an honour, both in respect of our present communion with him and future fruition of him! The queen of Sheba said of Solomon's servants, "Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom" (1 Kings x. 8). Happy those, indeed, that serve God, they are friend-servants : Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you" (John xv. 15). In regard of intimate communion, they are treated as sons, though they be servants. Now, it is very comfortable to be taken into God's bosom, and to have access to him upon all occasions. Besides the reward

and wages in the life to come, God's servants have great vales: our earnest is better than the world's wages. Consider,

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Fourthly, What a hard master we were under before: "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin" (Rom. vi. 17). You have obeyed many masters: ye were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures" (Titus iii. 3); you that were at the beck of every brutish lust, and were carried to and fro with so many contrary passions and affections, that have left so many wounds in your consciences, alarmed by terrors every day, when you denied yourselves nothing, thought nothing too much or too dear to spend or part with in a sinful

course.

Fifthly, If once we come to choose his service, we shall find a difference between the Lord and other masters: "Nevertheless, they shall be his servants, that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries" (2 Chron. xii. 8). The sorrow of the one, the sweetness of the other; the misery of the one, the blessedness of the other; the bondage of the one, the liberty of the other; they that forsake or refuse God's service, shall soon find worse masters. God hath ways enough to punish our straggling from duty and slighting his service; either by putting us under hard task-masters, some that shall turn the edge of authority against us, push with the horns of a lamb, a barbarous enemy, making us to be mutual oppressors of each other, or by giving us over to Satan's power, or our own hearts' lusts.

Sixthly, Christ's service is not hard nor heavy: "My yoke is easy, and my burthen is light" (Matt. xi. 30), notwithstanding all your prejudices against it. These men live as they list: they think this is a sweet liberty, to be guided by their own wisdom, and live according to their own wills, according to their own ends; and that it is better than to be curbed (Psalm ii. 3); but, after a little while, they have other thoughts, they will find the bitterness of such a course. On the contrary, the more we try the service of God, the sweeter we shall find it to be: "And his commandments are not grievous" (1 John v. 3). And, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace" (Prov. iii. 17). Our work is wages; and our very work carrieth a reward in the bosom of it, so sweet and comfortable it is. Now for directions.

1. If we would be God's servants, we must sincerely, wholly, and absolutely give up ourselves to do his will; and never more look upon ourselves as our own masters, to do what we please; but wholly to study what will please God. Isa. lvi. 6, they "joined themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and be his servants." "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?" (Rom. vi. 16.) There is a solemn dedication made; we take up his service seriously; not upon example barely, or tradition, or fear, or constraint, or some base respects or sinister ends, or some sudden pang or motion; but after serious and due deliberation, out of judgment rightly informed, and affection thereon grounded, do engage themselves to perform humble service to God; without limiting or power of revocation, give up themselves wholly to follow his directions.

2. God's servants have work to do; none of them must be idle: "Why stand ye here all the day idle?" (Matt. xx. 6;) "Serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness" (Luke i. 74, 75); "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. ii. 12); "Herein do I exercise

myself, to have always a conscience void of offence" (Acts xxiv. 16). We must not put hands in bosom, having so much work to do. Many presume of being God's servants; but it is only in the notion, they do nothing for him.

3. This service must not be done grudgingly, but heartily: "Also the sons of the stranger that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and be his servants" (Isa. lvi. 6); "To love him, and to serve the Lord thy God" (Deut. x. 12). God will not be served but out of love, not by necessity and constraint. We must yield obedientiam servi, but not servilem; we are delivered from a slavish spirit: We have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear" (Rom. viii. 15). God's service must be gone about with ready affection and goodwill. The respect which we show to God is called service, in regard of our strict obligation to it; but obedience, in regard of our readiness of mind to perform it. Secondly, not slightly; but with reverence and zeal: "If I be a master, where is my fear?" (Mal. i. 6.) "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Psalm ii. 11); and, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. ii. 12); and, "I beseech you, &c., by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. xii. 1). God will not be put off with anything by-the-by; it is a lessening of his majesty: "I am a great king." Thirdly, it must be done constantly, not by fits. He that is God's servant, never ceaseth from his work; their feasting, walking, sitting, sleeping, waking, hungry, thirsty, hearing, or praying, it is all for God: he that doth any of these things merely for himself, to gratify the flesh, doth not act as God's servant: "Instantly serving God day and night" (Acts xxvi. 16). Fourthly, orderly: all things in God's service must be regarded according to their weight: "For he that in these things serveth Christ, is acceptable to God, and approved of men" (Rom. xiv. 18); that is, the main things, not in contests about ceremonies. If others carry these matters beyond their weight, let not us; it is not a pin to choose what party a man is of, if he doth not mind righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost: as if a servant should provide sauce for his master, and neglect to provide meat. 4. Our great end and scope must be to please God. They are true servants that make it their business to please their master: "Choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant" (Isa. lvi. 6); "The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him" (John viii. 29); "Exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that, as you have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more" (1 Thes. iv. 1); and, "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight" (1 John iii. 22). So, Enoch "had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Heb. xi. 5). The property of a servant is not to please himself. They that set themselves to please God, observe his will in all things. There is a great pleasing in the world; but few make it their business to please God. All inferiors please their superiors on whom they depend; and shall not we please God, who is infinitely greater than man, and on whom we depend every moment for all that we enjoy?

USE.-Are we God's servants? We all say so; but we speak out of conviction of conscience, rather than out of inclination of heart; not what