the kingdom was laid, kept up his private devotions. In the first and second verses of the sixth of Daniel,

you

will find that Daniel had great and weighty employments upon his hands; he was set over the whole affairs of the Persian empire; and he with two other presidents, (of whom himself was chief) were to receive the accounts of the whole kingdom, from all those hundred and twenty Princes, which in the Persian monarchy were employed in all public business. And yet, notwithstanding such a multiplicity of business as lay upon his hands, and notwithstanding his servile condition, yet he was very careful to redeem time for private prayer; yea, 'tis very observable, that the heart of Daniel in the midst of all his mighty business, was so much set upon private prayer, upon his secret retirement for religious exercises, that he runs the hazard of losing all his honors profits, pleasures, yea, life itself, rather than he would be deprived of convenient time and opportunities to wait upon God in his chamber. Certainly, Daniel will one day rise in judgment against all those subjects and servants, who think to evade private prayer, by their pleas of much business, and of their being servants, &c. But,

6. I answer, If you who are gracious servants, notwithstanding your master's business, cannot redeem a little time to wrestle with God in private, what singular thing do you? what do you more than others? Do you hear? so do others. Do you read? so do others. Do you follow your master to public prayer? so do others. Do you join your master in family prayer? so do others. O but now gracious servants

should go beyond all other servants in the world, they should do singular things for God, Mat. v. 47. "What do you more than others?" What extraordinary thing do you? What more ordinary than to find servants follow their masters to public prayers, and to family duty? but to find poor servants redeem a little time from their master's business, to pour out their souls before the Lord in private; this is not or dinary, yea, this is extraordinary, and this doth wonderfully well become gracious servants., O that all men's servants, who are servants to the most high God, would seriously consider,

1. How singularly they are privileged by God, above all other servants in the world. They are called, adopted, reconciled, pardoned, and justified before the throne of God, which other servants are not. And why then should not such servants be singular in their services, who are so singular in their privileges.

2. Gracious servants are made partakers of a more excellent nature than other servants are. 2 Peter i. 4. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be made partakers of the divine nature." The apostle in this. expression doth not aim at any essential change and conversion of our substance into the nature of God and Christ, but only at the elevation, and dignifying of our nature by Christ. Though that a mysterious, peculiar, and singular union that Christians have with Christ, riseth them up to a higher similitude and likeness of God and Christ, than ever they had attained to in their primitive perfection; yet it doth

not introduce any real transmutation, either of our bodies or souls, into the divine nature. 'Tis certain, that our union and conjunction with Christ doth neither mingle persons nor unite substances, but it conjoineth our affections, and brings our wills into a league of amity with Christ. To be made partaker of the divine nature, notes two things, say some.

1. A fellowship with God in his holiness.

2. A fellowship with God in his blessedness, viz. In the beatifical vision, and brightness of glory. To. be made partakers of the divine nature, say others, is to be made partakers of those holy graces, those divine qualities, which sometimes are called, "the image of God, the likeness of God, the life of God," whereby we resemble God not only as a picture doth a man in outward lineaments, but as a child doth his father in countenance and condition. Now take the words which way you will; how highly doth it concern those servants, that are made partakers of the divine nature, to do singular things for God, to do such things for God, that other servants that are not partakers of the divine nature, have no mind, no heart, no spirit to do; yea, that they refuse and scorn to do.

3. Gracious servants are worthily descended, they have the most illustrious extraction, and honourable original. 1 John v. 19. John iii. 8. James ii. 5.

4. Gracious servants are worthily attended, they are nobly guarded, Psalm xxxiv, 14. Heb. i. ult. Deut. xxxiii. 26, 27. Zac. ii. 5.

5. Gracious servants are worthily dignified; they

are dignified with the highest and most honourable titles. Peter i. 2, 9. Rev. i. 5, 6. v. 10.

6. Take many things in one. Gracious servants have more excellent graces, experiences, comforts, communions, promises, assurances, discoveries, hopes, helps, principles, diet, raiment, portion, than all other servants in the world have; and therefore God may well expect better and greater things from them than from all other servants. God may very well expect that they should do singular things for his glory, who hath done such singular things for their good. Certainly, God expects that gracious servants should be a blessing of him, when other servants are blaspheming; that they should be magnifying, when other servants are debasing him; that they should be redeeming precious time, when other servants are trifling and sinning away precious time; that they should be weeping in a corner, when other servants are sporting and making themselves merry among their jovial companions; that they should be mourning, when other servants are sinning in secret; and that they should be at their private devotion, when other servants are sleeping.

Solomon, that was the wisest prince that ever sat upon a throne, and who was guided by an infallible spirit, hath delivered it for a standing maxim above 2000 years ago, "That the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour." When Solomon dropt this metaphor from his royal pen, there was not a man in the world, that was legally righteous; Adam and all his posterity had fallen from all their honour, glory dignity, and excellency, into a most woful gulf of sin

and misery and therefore Solomon must be understood speaking of him that is evangelically righteous. He that is so, be he master or servant, rich or poor, is more excellent than his neighbour. And O! that all masters would seriously consider this, that they may not behave so proud, loftily, and bitterly, towards their pious servants, as not to afford them a little time to pour out their souls before the Lord in private.

I have read of Ingo, an ancient king of the Draves and Veneds, who making a stately feast, appointed all his Pagan nobles to sit in the hall below; and at the same time, commanded certain poor christians to be brought up into his presence chamber to sit with him at his table, that they might eat of his kingly feast; at which many wondering, he told them, That he accounted christians, though ever so poor, a greater ornament at his table, and more worthy of his company, than the greatest nobles that were not converted to the christian faith: for, saith he, when these pagan nobles shall be thrust down to hell, these poor christians shall be my comfort and fellow princes in heaven. Certainly, this noble prince will one day rise in judgment against all churlish Laban's, who carry it so severely towards their gracious servants, who will not allow them a little time to wait upon God in secret. Why should not gracious masters give their gracious servants a little time for closet prayer now, considering that they are sharers with them in all the fundamental good that comes by Christ in this world; and considering, that they shall be partakers with them in all the glory of an