desire glory, but they know neither what it is, nor how it is to be sought. He is upon the only right bargain of this kind, whose praise (according to St. Paul's word) is not of men, but of God. If men commend him not, he accounts it no loss, and no gain if they do; for he is bound for a country where that coin goes not, and whither he cannot carry it: and therefore he gathers it not. That which he seeks in all, is, that he may be approved and accepted of God, whose thanks is no less to the least of those he accepts, than a crown of unfading glory; not a poor servant that fears his name, and is obedient and patient for his sake, but shall be so rewarded.

There be some kind of graces and good actions that men (such as regard any grace) take special notice of, and commend highly, such as are of a magnific and remarkable nature, as martyrdom, or doing or suffering for religion in some public way. There be again other obscure graces, that if men despise not, yet they esteem not much. as meekness, gentleness and patience under private crosses, known to few or none; and yet these are of these are of great account with God, and therefore should be so with us. These are indeed of more universal use; whereas the other are but for high times, as we say, for rare occasions: these are every one's work, but few are called to the acting of the other. And the least of them shall not lose their reward, in whose person soever, as St. Paul tells us, speaking of this same subject. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

This is the bounty of that great Master we serve : for what are we, and all we can do, that there should be a name of a reward to it? Yet he keeps all in reckoning; not a poor lame prayer, not a tear, nor a sigh poured forth before him, shall be lost. Not any cross from his own hand immediately, or com< Eph. vi. 8.

* Rom. ii. 29.

b 2 Cor. v. 9:

ing through mens hands, that is taken, what way soever it come, as out of his hand, and carried patiently, yea and welcomed, and embraced for his sake, but he observes our so entertaining of it. Not an injury that the meanest servant bears christianly, but goes upon account with him, and he sets them so, as that they bear much value through his esteem, and way of reckoning them, though in themselves they are all less than nothing; as a worthless counter stands for hundreds or thousands, according to the place you set it in. Happy they that have to deal with such a Lord, and be they servants or masters, are vowed servants to him. When he comes, his reward shall be with him.

The 3d thing is, the principle of this obedience and patience, for conscience towards God.

It imports the knowledge of God, and of his will in some due measure, and a conscientious respect unto him and his will so known, taking it for their only rule in doing and suffering. We may observe here,

1. That this declares to us the freeness of the grace of God in regard to men's own quality, that he doth often bestow the riches of his grace upon persons of mean condition. It is supposed here, that this conscience of God, the saving knowledge and fear of his name, is to be found in servants: therefore the apostle takes them within the address of his letter amongst those that are elect, according to the foreknowledge of God. And sharers of those dignities he mentions, a chosen generation. The honor of a spiritual royalty may consist with the meanness of a servant; and this grace may be conferred upon the servant, and denied to the master, as is here supposed it may fall out that a perverse crooked minded master may have a servant uprightly minded, being endued with a tender respectful conscience towards God; and thus the Lord counteracts

the pride of man, and sets off the lustre of his own free grace. He hath all to chuse on, and yet chuses there, where men would least imagine it *

2. Grace finds a way to exert itself in every estate where it is, and regulates the soul on the particular duties of that estate. If it find a man high or low, a master, or a servant, it requires not a change of his station, but works a change on his heart, and teaches him how to live in it. The same spirit that makes a Christian master, pious, and gentle, and prudent in commanding, makes a Christian servant faithful and obsequious, and diligent in obeying. A skilful engraver makes you a statue indifferently of wood, or stone, or marble, as they are put into his hand; and grace forms a man to a christian way of walking in any estate. There is a way for him in the meanest condition to glorify God, and to adorn the profession of religion; no estate so low, as to be shut out from that, and a right informed, and right affected conscience towards God shews a man that way, and causes him to walk in it. As the astrologers say, that the same stars that made Cyrusto be chosen king amongst the armies of men, when he came to be a man, made him to be chosen king amongst the shepherd's children, when he was a child. Thus grace will have its proper operation in every estate.

In this men readily deceive themselves, they can do any thing well in imagination, better than the real task that is in their hands. They presume that they could do God good service in some place of command, that serve him not as becomes in that which is by far the easier, the place of obeying, wherein he hath set them; they think if they had the ability and opportunities that some men have, they would do much more for religion, and for God than they do, and yet do nothing, but spoil a far lower part than that, which is their own, and is given them to stu

* Matt. xi. 25. 1 Cor. i. 27.

dy and act aright in. But our folly, and self ignorance abuses us; it is not our part to chuse what we should be, but to be what we are to his glory, that gives us to be such: be thy condition never so mean, yet thy conscience towards God, if it be within thee, will find it self work in that. If it be little that is entrusted to thee, in regard of thy outward condition, or any other way, be thou faithful in that little, as our Saviour speaks, and thy reward shall not be little, he shall make thee ruler over much."

3. As a corrupt mind debaseth the best and most excellent callings and actions, so the lowest are raised above themselves, and ennobled by a spiritual mind A magistrate or minister, though their caliing and employments be high, may have low inten tions, and draw down their high calling to these low intentions; they may seek themselves, and self ends, and neglect God. And a sincere christian may elevate his low calling by this conscience of God, observing his will, and intending his glory in it. An eagle may fly high, and yet have its eye down upon some carrion on the earth; even so a man may be standing on the earth, and on some low part of it, and yet have his eye upon heaven and be contemplating it. That which one man cannot at all see in another, is the very thing that is most considerable in their actions, namely, the principle whence they flow, and the end to which they tend. This is the form and life of actions, that by which they are earthly or heavenly. Whatsoever be the matter of them, the spiritual mind hath that alchemy indeed, of turning base metals into gold, earthly employments into heavenly. The handy-work of an artisan, or servant that regards God, and eyes him, even in that work, is much holier than the prayer of an hypocrite; and a servant's enduring the private wrongs and harshness of a froward master, bearing it patiently for the conscience of God, is more accep

a Matt. xxv. 23.

table to God, than the sufferings of such, as may endure much for a public good cause, without a good and upright heart.

This habit and posture of the heart towards God, the Apostle St. Paul presses much upon servants, as being very needful to allay the hard labour, and harsh usage of many of them. There is no pill so bitter, but respect and love to God will sweeten it. And this is a very great refreshment and comfort to a christian in the mean estate of a servant, or other labouring men, that they may offer up their hardship and bodily labour, as a sacrifice to God, and say, "Lord, this is the station wherein thou hast set me in this world, and I desire to serve thee in it. What I do is for thee, and what I suffer I desire to bear patiently and cheerfully for thy sake, in submission and obedience to thy will."

For conscience.] In this there is, 1. A reverent compliance with God's disposal, both in allotting to them that condition of life, and particularly chusing their master for them; though possibly not the mild est and pleasantest, yet the fittest for their good. Their is much in the firm believing of this, and hearty submitting to it: for we would naturally rather carve for ourselves, and shape our own estate to our mind, which is a most foolish, yea, an impious presumption, as if we were wiser than he that hath done it; and as if there were not as much, and, it may be, more possibility of true contentment, in a mean, than in a higher condition. The master's mind is often more toiled than the servant's body. But if our condition be appointed us, at least we would have a voice in some qualifications and circumstances of it; as in this, if a man must serve, he would wish willingly that God would allot him a meek gentle master; and so in other things. If we must be sick, we would be well accommodated, and not want helps; but to have sickness, and want means and friends for our help, this we cannot think of with