I. To fhew what is that service of God, which is the bufinefs of those who are the Lord's. This is to be considered in respect, First, Of the matter; Secondly, Of the manner of this fervice. First, We are to confider the fervice of God, as to the matter of it. This is as wide and broad, as is the broad law of God; therefore serving God, and keeping his commandments, are joined together. The fervant's work is to do the mafter's will: Luke, xii. 47. " And that fervant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many ftripes." I. fhall offer you fome directions anent this fervice, that you may fee what it is in respect of the matter of it. 1. There is falvation-work, and generationwork, which God puts in your hands, as the matter of your service.-There is falvationwork Phil. ii. 12. " Work out your own falvation, with fear and trembling." You must begin this work, carry it on, and work it out. Sinner, thou art in hazard of perishing, God calls thee to fee to thyself, that thou perish not, and accounts it fervice to him that thou art concerned, and layeft out thyself for thy own falvation. It is moft neceffary work, for the finner's cafe is in this respect, like theirs, whom fome punish, and oblige to work, by putting them into a house where the water comes in on them, where they must either work at the pump, or be drowned. There is generation-work: Acts, xiii. 36. " For David, after he had ferved his own generation, by the will of God, fell on fleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and faw corruption." There is something which God has put into every one of our hands, to do for him and his honour in the world; the duty of our ftations and relations, and the duty arifing from fome special fpecial occafions we have of honouring God. It is our business to discern all this, to exert ourselves, and get it done before our time be done: Gal. vi. 10. "As we have, therefore, opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." If we do not, we are unprofitable fervants, cumberers of the ground, and ufelefs for God in the world. 2. There is an external and internal fervice to God.-External fervice, a service with the outward man: 1 Cor. vi. 20. "For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your fpirit, which are God's." The whole man is God's, and therefore though internal fervice be preferable to external, yet God must have the one as well as the other. Here are to be taken in all external duties, of piety towards God, of righteousness and mercy towards our neighbour. Thefe are a great part of our bufinefs in this world, if we be the Lord's fervants. Our ears must be employed to hear his word, our eyes to read it, our tongues to speak to him in prayer and praife; to fpeak of him and for him to men; our hands and all our members to act for him in the world. There is-Internal service, we are to glorify him with our fpirit, which is his: John, iv. 24. " God is a fpirit; and they that worship him, muft worfhip him in fpirit and in truth" This is the foul of religion, and the chief part in the service of God, without which the other is but a lifeless, unacceptable carcafe; and therefore the character of a true fervant is taken from it: Phil. iii. 3. "We are the circumcifion which worship God in the fpirit, and rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Are you the Lord's? Then it must be your business to love him, to fear him, to believe and depend upon him, to obey and and refign yourselves unto him. In a word, it is to keep the heart, and employ it in his fervice; it is to meditate on, rejoice and delight in him; fuiting your will to his in all things, and confecrating the whole of your affections to him. 3. There is ftated service and continual service. -Stated fervices are to be performed to God, at fuch and fuch times. Thus you are to serve him in fecret in your clofets, in private in your families, worshipping him morning and evening, Matth. vi. 6. Jerem. x. 25. If you be the Lord's, it is the least you can do, to pay thy homage to him, by thyself in the morning, when he gives thee a new day; and at evening, when thou are to enter into the darkness of the night. And if yourselves be the Lord's, you will also devote your houses to him, and pay him your homage in a family-capacity: Jofh. xxiv. i5. "But as for me and my houfe, we will ferve the Lord." Look on the morning-facrifice in your family as the Lord's due, as well as the evening one. Job had as great a family, as large a ftock, and as much work in hand, as any can pretend to, yet he duly obferved the morning-facrifice. Thus did Job continually, chap. i. 5. And then there is the Lord's weekly fervice in his own day, in the public duties and ordinances thereof. A piece of fervice this which thofe who are the Lord's will find themselves obliged to make conscience of, and not loiter away the day unneceffarily at home: "Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy houfe, and the place where thine honour dwelleth," Pfal. xxvi. 8. It was the godly Shunamite's practice, though the had a good way to go, 2 Kings, iv. 23. It was David's alfo, fo that Saul knew, when he was abfent, there was certainly fome extraordinary thing kept him away, i Sam: xx. 26. There There is continual service: Acts, xxvi. 71. « Unto which promife, our twelve tribes, inftantly ferving God day and night, hope to come." A Chriftian must never be out of his Mafter's work, he ferves God in the interval of duties, as well as in duties. Hence we are ordered to pray always, and not to faint; not that we are always to be on our knees, but are always to be in a praying frame. The Lord's fervants will find no time in which to be idle, as long as the broad law is continually laying work to his hands; he defires to "walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless,” Luke, i. 6. Whatsoever we do, we are to have an eye to God in it, and fo to manage our worldly employments, as to tincture them all with religion: Colof. iii. 17. « And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." This is the walking with God recommended to us by the example of Enoch, Gen. v. 24. 4. There is doing-service and fuffering-service.. There is doing-service. The Lord calls his people to act for him. As he faid to Saul, Acts, ix. 6. he fays to every one, " It fhall be told thee what thou must do." He requires doing and working from all who call him Lord: Luke, vi. 46. " And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I fay?" They have much to do that are the Lord's. They have their hearts and lives to purify. And do what they will, they have always more to do as long as they are here: "Brethren," fays Paul, Phil. iii. 13. 14. "I count not myfelf to have apprehended: But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I prefs towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus." They have a great deal, deal, which hath been wrong done, to undo by repentance. And in all, they have much oppofition, little ftrength, and the Mafter urgeth hafte; so they have bufinefs enough.--There is fuffering-fervice: Phil. ii. 17." Yea, and if I be offered upon the facrifice and fervice of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." The Lord calls his people to ferve him in bearing of their burdens, taking up their crofs and following him. And we will never want business of that nature, every day will have the evil thereof: Luke, ix. 23. “ And Jefus faid unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his crofs and follow me." The Mediator himself, who was the Father's fervant, his great service was fuffering fervice; and those who are his must not think to mifs it. As he fuffered fatisfying juftice, they must fuffer for their trial, and the exercife of their graces. Thus, when we are under the crofs, we are on fervice, and ferve the Lord in a Christian bearing of our trials. Laftly, There is ordinary and extraordinary fervice, of all the kinds before named.--There is ordinary fervice. There are pieces of work, which are the ordinary or every day's task of those who are the Lord's, as the bearing of ordinary trials, Luke, ix. 23. (above quoted), and doing of the ordinary duties of religion. It is ordinary service to fight the good fight of faith, every day grappling with temptations from the devil, the world, and the flefh. To be running the Chriftian race, making progrefs in fanctification, mortifying lufts, and the like. There is extraordinary service, which God only fometimes calls his people to in holy providence. Thus he called Abraham, Gen. xxii. to offer up his fon. There are few fervants but they are obliged fometimes to do something be -- yond |
