The Power of Holiness is to be Shown in the Christian’s WORLDLY EMPLOYMENTS 1/2

     

      Third Instance.  The Christian must express the power of holiness in his particular calling and worldly employments—that wherein he is conversant. Holiness must be written upon those, as well as on his religious duties.  He that observes the law of building, is as exact in making a kitchen, as in making a parlour; so, by the law of Christianity, we must be as exact in our worldly business, as in duties of worship —‘Be ye holy in all manner of conversation,’ I Peter 1:15.  We must not leave our religion, as some do their Bibles, at church.  As in man, the highest faculty —which is reason—guides his lowest actions, even those which are common to beasts, such as eating, drinking, and sleeping (man doth, that is, should, if he will deserve his own name, exercise these acts as reason directs—should show himself in them a rational creature); so in a Christian, grace, that is the highest principle, is to steer and guide him in those actions that are common to man as man.  The Chris­tian is not to buy and sell, as a mere man, but as a Christian man.  Religion is not like that statesman’s gown, which, when he went to recreate himself, he would throw off, and say, ‘There lie, lord treasurer, a while.’  No, wherever the Christian is, whatever he is adorning, he must keep his religion on—I mean, do it holily.  He must not do that in which he cannot show himself a Christian.  Now the power of holiness puts itself forth in our particular callings these ways. But take them conjunctively, and ‘the beauty of holi­ness’ will appear in the symmetry of all the parts together.

           First.  When the Christian is diligent in his par­ticular calling.  When God calls us to be Christians, he calls us indeed out of the world as to our affec­tions, but not out of the world as to employment.  It is true, when Elisha was called, he left his plough, and the apostles their nets, but not as they were called to be saints, but because they were called to office in the church.  Some, however, in our days, could find in their hearts to send the officers of the church to the plough again; but upon how little reason let them­selves judge, who find one trade, if it be well followed, and managed with a full stock, enough to find them work all the week.  Surely then the minister that has to do with, yea, provide for, more souls than they bodies, may find his head and heart as full of work in his calling, from one end of the year, as any of them all.  But I am speaking to the private Christian.  Thou canst not be holy, if thou beest not diligent in a particular calling.  The law of man counts him a vagrant that hath not a particular abiding place; and the word of God counts him a disorderly person that hath not a particular calling, wherein to move and act for God's glory and the good of others.  ‘We hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all,’ II Thes. 3:11.  God would have his people profitable, like the sheep which doth the very ground good it feeds on.  Every one should be better for a Christian.  When Onesimus was converted, he became ‘profitable’ to Paul and Philemon also; to Paul as a Christian, to Philemon as a servant, Phil 11. Grace made him of a runaway, a diligent servant.  An idle professor is a scandalous professor.  An idle man does none good, and himself most hurt.

           Second.  When he is not only diligent, but for conscience’s sake.  There are many who are free enough of their pains, in their particular callings; they need no spur.  But what sets them on work?  It is conscience, because God commands it?  Oh no! then they would be diligent in their general calling also. They would pray as hard as they work.  They then would knock off, as well as fall on, at God’s command.  If conscience were the key that opened their shop on the week-day, it would shut it on the Lord's day.  When we see a man, like the hawk, fly after the world’s prey, and will not come to God’s lure, but—though conscience in God’s name bids ‘Come off, and wait on thy God in this duty in thy family, that in thy closet’—still goes on his worldly chase: he shows plain enough whose errand he goes on—not that of conscience, but that of his own lusts. But if thou wilt walk in the power of holiness, thou must be diligent in thy calling on a religious account.  That which makes thee ‘fervent in prayer,’ must make thee ‘not slothful in business.’  Thou must say, ‘This is the place God hath set me in.  I am but his servant in my own shop, and here I must serve him as I would have my prentice or child serve me; yea, much more, for they are not mine so much as I am his.’

           Third.  When he expects the success of his la­bour from God, and accordingly, if he speeds, gives his humble thanks to God.  Indeed, they go together; he that doeth not the one, will not the other.  The worldling that goes not through his closet by prayer into his shop in the morning when he enters upon his business, no wonder if he returns not at night by his closet, in thankfulness to God.  He began without God; it were strange if he should end in him.  The spider that spins her web out of her own bowels, dwells in it when she hath done, Job 8:14; and men that carry on their enterprises by their own wit and care, entitle themselves to what they think they have done.  They will sooner sacrifice—as they to their ‘net’ and ‘drag,’ Hab. 1:15—to their own wisdom and industry than to God.  Such a wretch I have lately heard of in our days, who, being by a neighbour ex­cited to thank God for a rich crop of corn he had standing on his ground, atheistically replied, ‘Thank God! nay, rather thank my dung-cart’—the speech of a dung-hill spirit, more filthy than the muck in his cart.  But if thou wilt be a Christian, thou must ac­knowledge God ‘in all thy ways,’ not ‘leaning to thy own understanding;’ and this will direct thee to him, when success crowns thy labours, to crown God with the praise.  Jacob laboured as diligently, and took as much pains for the estate he had at last, as another, yet laying the foundation of all in prayer, and ex­pecting the blessing from heaven, Gen. 28:20; he as­cribes all that fair estate he at last was possessed of, to the mercy and truth of God, whom he had, in his poor state—when with his pil­grim staff he was travel­ling to Padan-aram—engaged by a solemn vow to provide for him, Gen 32:10.