without it, seeing it derives all its value from the soul exercise, which spiritualizeth it. The apostle does not simply condemn bodily exercise. Men may fast, abstain from marriage, and do such things as may best contribute to the prosperity of the soul. They may, and must exercise their tongues, in praying, preaching, and the like; but in all these things they must be spiritual, exercising their hearts un to godliness, which lies inwardly.

DOCTRINE.-A heart exercised unto godliness, as it is necessary unto all; so it is especially necessary to him, that would be a good minister of Jesus Christ. In discoursing upon this, I shall,

I. Shew what this heart exercise unto godliness is.

II. The necessity of the exercise of the heart to godliness, to make a good minister of Jesus Christ.

I. I am to shew what this heart exercise unto godliness is.

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1. It pre-supposeth a man to be truly godly. That professor or minister that is not godly can never exercise himself to godliness. It is impossible to act without a principle of acting, and exercise doth naturally require a power of it. He can never exercise himself to running, that wants feet to run with; or to wrestling, who wants arms; nor the ungodly exercise themselves to godliness; on the contrary, an heart they have exercised with covetous practices." There is more haste than good speed, when men run to be leaders of the Lord's people, ere ever they have been taught to follow Christ among them. Serious men will not dare adventure on that great work, till they have examined themselves in the point of personal holiness, and had some comfortable account of themselves therein. Our very calling, supposeth us to be holy, Deut. xxxiii. 8. A slave to Satan and lusts, cannot be very meet to be a man of God, nor does it suit well to preach the words of life, with the grave cloths of an unregenerate state upon us. Where it is so, it is sad. For the minister himself, that is an awful hedge about the mountain; "Unto the wicked God saith, what hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth? seeing thou hast instruction, and castest my words behind thee." It is a dreadful work to be ferrying over others, with our own backs to Immanuel's land. The conversion of every graceless man is a wonder, but the conversion of a graceless minister is a double wonder; therefore, when the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, it is added, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. There is here particular notice taken of the conversion of priests. The more frequently holy things go through men's hands, and do not make them better,

they harden them the more. It is sad also for the people. They that begin not at home, in their own breasts, to ruin the devil's kingdom, will not readily set themselves to do much execution against it abroad. And if the Lord begin a good work in a soul it is hard for people in the pangs of the new birth, to fall into the hands of those who have had no experience of these things in their own souls.

2. Making religion our business. In this the apostle gave himself a pattern to us. "Herein," says he, "do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence, toward God and toward men." Godliness should be our great work, how to advance it in ourselves and others. Now we will make religion our business, if we take it not only by fits and starts, but make it our daily work, as men exercise themselves in their callings. That is a sad character of whom Job saith, "will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?" But see our duty as angels of the churches, Rev. iv. 8. "They rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is, and is to come." The priests and Levites, in their attendance in the temple, "were to lift up their hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord." Godliness is that holy fire, which we are to watch, that it go not out at any time, in ourselves or others. For ministers or people to make religion only their sabbath-day's work is but Pharaoh's religion, to serve God when we have nothing else to do. If the heart be allowed to rove, and lie carnal all the week, no wonder that it be ill to gather for a sabbath; and that the affections be ill to kindle, that lie drenched all the week in carnal worldly things. Again, we make religion our business, if whatever our exercise be, we make godliness still the scope of it. "For me to live," says Paul, "is Christ, and to die is gain." This then, should be the scope, that all the several lines of our life and actions, may meet there as in the centre. We have many things to do as Christians, and much as ministers; but happy they, that make this the scope of all, in public and private. The most holy minister on earth, while he is feeding others with the one hand, hath need to be putting into his own mouth with the other; and it would likely do others the more good, that we had the relish of it on our souls. How sweet might our work of preaching, catechising, reading, and studying, be to us, when thus followed; not studying and preaching just for preaching's sake, but for godliness's sake: that is, in effect, for God's sake. And if in reading and meditation, we be obliged to go even without the compass of the holy ground, yet to manage it so, as to bring and consecrate the spoil to the service of the tabernacle.

3. It imports a vigorous following of it, as wrestlers and runners ply their work vigorously. The apostle will have those that serve the Lord "to be fervent in spirit;" seething hot, as the word imports; Rom. xii. 11. The word of the Lord, in Jeremiah's breast, was as a burning fire shut up in his bones.

When it is thus

as a fire in the heart, it will not readily die in our mouths. Though burning lips with a dead heart, is but bodily exercise that will not profit; and though it may gain credit with men, God will account of it no more than as a potsherd covered over with silver dross. It was John the Baptist's commendation "that he was a burning and a shining light." Much need have we to be lively, for our own sake, and the sake of others.

4. A resoluteness, over the belly of all opposition. "Thou, therefore," says Paul to Timothy, "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ;" we must thus act, as those who strive for the mastery. Levi will always finds himself the son of the hated, if he set himself to answer his name, and set himself to join his own heart, and the heart of others to the Lord. Satan will oppose the exercise of godliness in all, but especially in ministers; because a lively minister is most likely to make a lively people, and a dead minister can scarcely fail to make a dead people. To be a little more particular, I will touch at four things.

1. We should exercise ourselves to the knowledge of these things pertaining to godliness, that we may be full of eyes, and "by reason of use, have our senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Therefore, we must meditate upon these things, and give our hearts wholly to them, that our profiting may appear to all." Solomon lay down ignorant, and arose wise as an angel of God. Bezaleel and Aholiab got the art of making all manner of work and utensils for the tabernacle, in an extraordinary way from the Lord, but others behoved to learn it, and be taught by them. We must be at pains to get knowledge, and therefore give attendance to reading. We will find many books useful, but there are four, the study of which are necessary to make a good minister of Jesus Christ. These are, 1. Jesus Christ himself, who is that body of divinity which the Holy Ghost teacheth all his scholars, particularly those whom he fits for the work of the ministry. "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ." There is no saving knowledge of God, but in him. All is in him, not only subjectively, but objectively, "In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And VOL. IV.

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in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Ah! how foolish are they that turn over many volumes, while this lieth by neglected. "The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them; because he knoweth not how to go to the city." This the apostle resolved to make his study. "For I determined," says he, "not to know any thing among yon, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Shame and blushing may cover our faces when we think on this.

The second book is that of our own hearts, ourselves. The beasts, Rev. iv. 8, were full of eyes within. It is sad when the heart is a sealed book. Three things, said Luther, make a good minister, temptation, prayer, and meditation. Temptation makes the man know his own heart, if he be attentive to observe it for it makes characters both of grace and corruption appear. It is likely to be the best sermon that is taken out of this book, among the rest.

The third book is God's word, the Bible. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." If we would be good Christians, or good ministers, we must study this, not simply as a book of knowledge, that we may speak of the truths contained in it; but as a book of saving knowledge, that we may feel the power of the truths of it on our hearts, and may, as the original hath it, Rom. vi. 17, be delivered into that form of doctrine, as melted metal cast into a mould, comes out with the form thereof upon it.

The works of God make the fourth book. Providence is a river continually bringing down golden ore, in gathering of which much of the exercise of godliness consists. "Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord." And it should be the exercise of ministers in particular, who are to be full of eyes before, to observe the motions of their great Master in his works as well as otherwise. The watchman that is not asleep, is supposed to see the sword coming.

2. We should be exercised in combating the lusts of our hearts, beginning the war against the devil at home. Like Paul, "we should keep our bodies under, and bring them into subjection; lest that by any means, when we have preached to others, we ourselves should be castaways." How sad will it be, if we be keepers of the keep not our own, but let it be as the We never want matter for this exercise; if we be secure, at any time, it is not because our foes are expelled from the house, but because we see them not, or have lost heart for the struggle.

vineyards of others, yet garden of the sluggard!

3. We should be exercised to the performing of our duties, and that in a spiritual manner. Many are the duties of Christianity and of the ministry, and we should have that mark of sincerity, "that we have respect unto all God's commandments." We need eat no idle bread. And we must exercise ourselves to be spiritual in them all, acting from a right principle, in a right manner, for a right end. "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh, shall find so doing." If these things be wanting, what we do will be but loathsome bodily exercise. What avails it though we speak with the tongue of angels, without a principle of love to God, and the good of souls. Though we should waste our lungs and whole bodies, it is of no avail, if meanwhile the base heart be swelling with pride. If our work be a sacrifice to self, the fatter the more abominable to God.

4. We should be exercised in the life of faith, without which, in vain will we attempt the other parts of the exercise of godliness. "We must live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us." I take this to be the soul's constant travelling betwixt the fulness in Christ, and the emptiness, nothingness, misery and poverty in itself. This we may take up in these two things. 1. A continual use-making of the blood of Christ, to take away our guilt, and new defilement, which we contract in every thing. The laver stood beside the altar, in which they were to wash their hands and their feet before they approached the altar, though in the morning they had bathed themselves. "Even he that is washed, still needs to wash his hands and his feet." 2. A continual usemaking of the Spirit of Christ, for sanctification. The coals with which the priests were to burn incense in the temple, were to be taken from the altar of burnt-offering. And without the Spirit of Christ, we and our duties will be but a dead lump. There is a fulness of merit and spirit in him. Happy they who are exercised by faith to bring it in as a flood into their guilty and barren souls. We now proceed,

II. To shew the necessity of the exercise of the heart unto godliness, to make a good minister.

If the fear fear of men, But a heart

1. It is necessary to make a man faithful in his work, and to cause him take God for his party, with whom he hath to do. "Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." of the Lord be not on our spirits, to counterbalance the we cannot avoid being ensnared in unfaithfulness. exercised to godliness, will lead us on to act, as in the sight of God, whether in public or in private, that no souls perish through our default. Hence a man will not offer what cost him nothing;