25. He is more in love with the employment of holiness than with the enjoyment of happiness

Another singular action of a sanctified Christian, is, To be more in love with the employment of holiness, than with the enjoyment of happiness.

Thousands of professors prize the wages of religion above its works; but a Christian will prize its works above its wages. Give me that singular preacher, who prefers his labour to his lucre; and the flock he attends, to the fleece he obtains.

Some men serve God, that they may serve themselves upon God. He loves not religion sincerely, who does not love it superlatively.

Israel is an empty vine; he brings forth unto himself. Empty, and yet fruitful; fruitful, and yet empty. Thus that fertility which springs up from the bitter roots of self, has nothing but vacuity in the account of God.

Such professors do not make gain stoop to godliness, but godliness to gain; which is, as if a man should fit his foot to the shoe, when he should fit the shoe to his foot.

That tradesman is poor and needy, who must have ready money for all he sells. In all the good a carnal man doth for God, he seeks himself more than God. The clock of his heart will stand still, unless its wheels of profit be oiled.

If the virgin should only give her hand in matrimony for her bridegroom's riches, she would not espouse herself unto his person, but unto his portion. This were not properly to make a marriage with him, but a merchandize of him. Saint Austin hath an excellent saying: 'He loves not Christ at all, who does not love Christ above all.'

Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Christ was the object of their actions, but self was the end of their actions. They came to Christ to serve their own turns; and when their turns were served, they then turned away their service. They were cupboard disciples—more than men at their meat, but less than women at their work. When the loaves were gone, the disciples were gone; when he left off feeding them, they left off following him.

Reader, till you can love the naked truth, you will never love to go naked for the truth. Most persons are mercenary in those works, wherein they should be filial and free. They look more after the streams, than upon the spring from whence they constantly run; and admire the beams more than the sun from whence they are emitted. The want of pardon, is the only spring of a servile man's duty; he plies his prayers, as sailors do their pumps, only in a storm, or when fearful of sinking.

And now, O Father, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. Christ prayed for glory, more for the Father's sake, who bestowed it, than for his own sake, who received it. A true Christian not only desires grace that God may glorify him, but that he also may glorify God.

Could many men find the mercies of God, they would never seek the God of mercies. Could they tell how to be well without him, they would never desire to come to him. God hath but little of their society, except when they can find no other company.

Worldlings, instead of looking upon godliness as their greatest gain, will look upon gain as their greatest godliness. They love religion, not for the beauty existing in it, but for the dowry annexed to it. They are like the fox, that follows the lion for the prey that is falling from him. If there be no honey in the pot, such wasps will hover no longer about it.

Mark how the long-suffering God expostulates with self-seeking Israel: When ye fasted and mourned in the 5th and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? In fasting and in feasting, their eyes were not cast upon God, but upon themselves. They forgat not to eat when they were hungry, but they forgat to

L 3 praise God when they were full. Their greediness swallowed up all their thankfulness.

Reader, remember that God will shut your duties out of heaven, if they shut him out on earth. I have heard a pleasing account of a woman, who being met with fire in one hand and water in the other, was asked what she was going to do with them; she answered, "With this fire I am going to burn up all the joys of heaven; and with this water I am going to quench all the flames of hell; that my services to my God might neither arise from the fear of punishment, nor hope of reward."

The less emphasis you lay upon your own works, the more will God lay upon them. Those who are most righteous in themselves, are least righteous to God. God has three sorts of servants in the world: some are slaves, and serve him from a principle of fear; others are hirelings, and serve him for the sake of wages; and the last are sons, and serve him under the influence of love.

Now a hireling will be a changeling. He that will not serve God except something be given him, would serve the devil, if he would give him more. Any one shall have his works, who will but augment his wages.

He had respect to the recompense of reward. This might be a good glass to look through, but it is a bad object to look to. The poets report, that many who at first paid their suits to the famous Penelope, were afterwards married to the maidens who attended her. The ass which carried the Egyptian goddess, had many bare heads and bended knees before it; but they were all to the burden, and none to the beast. Thus many are advocates for the enjoyment of happiness, and enemies to the employment of holiness.

Demetrius cries up the goddess Diana; yet it was not her temple, but her silver shrines, he so much adored. He was more in love with her wealth, than with her worship. 'Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.' If her temple had been demolished, their trade would have been diminished. Doth Job serve God for naught? Yes, for Job served God when he had naught. He was as religious in his poverty as in his plenty. In this sense, that man who will not serve God for nothing, is nothing in his services.

Love trades not for home returns, it amply pays itself in serving its beloved. It is reported of one, who, being asked for whom he laboured most, he answered, 'For my friends.' And being asked again for whom he laboured least, he answered, 'For my friends.' Love doth most, and yet thinks least of what it does.

Hypocrites are more in love with the gold of the altar, than with the God of the altar. Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. They painted their avarice in religious colours, and put the arms of Christ upon the devil; that iniquity might by that means be esteemed under the garb of religion. They fasted all the day, that they might feed upon the widows' houses at night. They hatched the birds of oppression in the nests of devotion. These spiders weaved the web of their own works, to catch the flies of other men's wealth.

The observation of Augustine is founded on too much truth: 'There is often a vast difference between the face of the work, and the heart of the workman.' But a man influenced by the Lord in his services, though he may find self in them as an intruder, yet he cannot suffer self in them as a leader.

A Christian is more in love with his present duty, than he is with his future glory. St. Paul was contented to stay a while out of heaven, that he might be the instrument of bringing other souls into heaven. To me, to live, is Christ, and to die, is gain. His life to them was most useful, but his death to himself was most profitable. By dying, he might have enjoyed his inheritance sooner; but by living, God made his usefulness greater.

Were it possible to put those things asunder which God himself hath joined together, a Christian would rather be holy without any happiness, than happy without any holiness.

Luther had this expression: 'I had rather be in hell with Christ, than in heaven without Christ.' Indeed, hell itself would be a heaven, if God were in it; and heaven would be a hell, if God were from it. These are hard sayings to an uncircumcised ear; but the real choice of every renewed heart.

A gracious man makes this request for his soul: 'Lord, let me rather have a gracious heart, than a great estate; let me rather be pious without prosperity, than prosperous without piety.' Though he may love many things beside religion, yet he would not love any thing above religion.

The earth is our work-house; but heaven is our store-house. This is a place to run in, and that is a place to rest in.

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