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of them should so employ their | God hath so constituted the staté time. of things, with respect to man

This divine command perfect-kind in the present life, and laid ly coincides with the constitution of mankind, and of the world in which they are placed.

such commands upon them, and made such institutions, to subserve the purposes of his glory If God had judged it wise and and their welfare, both here and best, he could have so formed hereafter, as plainly show, that our nature, that we should not some are to spend the principal have needed material food and part of their time in such occuraiment for our subsistence and pations and callings as preclude comfort or whilst our nature is manual labor, at least in a great such as to render these necessa- measure. As instances of this, ry, he could, had he seen fit, I might mention those civil rulhave so constituted the world, iners, whose time must be mostly which he hath fixed our resi- or wholly employed in discharg dence, as to furnish us with eve-ing the duties of their office; and ry necessary for our support, some instructors of youth; and comfort and convenience, with- gospel-ministers, at least some out any labor or toil on our part. of them.-These, of course, But God, all whose works are must be provided for by the lathe result of perfect wisdom and bor of others. But no man, be goodness, has so formed our na- his rank or station what it will, ture and constitution, and the may warrantably spend his time world in which he hath placed in idleness; but every one is us, that food, and raiment, and bound to a diligent improvement houses are necessary to our sub- of his time and talents in subsersistence and comfort, and that viency to the glory of God, and these cannot be obtained, in a to his own and others' good, in degree sufficient for our support such ways or employments as and comfort, without our own correspond to his proper calling, exertions. Yea, such is the state or state and circumstances in the of things and the situation of the world. larger part of mankind, that industry and economy, and persevering diligence in some kind of labor, are indispensably necessa-bor should be necessary for our ry to obtain the requisites of a comfortable subsistence.

Perhaps God hath so constituted our nature, and the world in which he hath placed us, that la

support and comfort, and accordingly required it of us, to teach This constitution of things, in- us the important lesson, That dependent of the express com- all our capacities, powers and mand of God, plainly argues it faculties ought, in imitation of to be his will, that men should his benevolence, to be employed labor for their support. It may in doing good; and that true however be proper to observe, enjoyment and real happiness that whilst it is necessary that consist in and result from the the greater part should employ proper exercise of our faculties a large proportion of their time upon suitable objects, in opposiin labor, working with their tion to an indolent inactivity: hands in cultivating the earth, and also, because the active naor in some other useful business,ture of man, if he was under no

necessity of laboring for his own support, and had no employment assigned him by God, would expose him to fall into courses, which might be hurtful to himself, and to his fellow-creatures. From the whole that hath now been said, and sufficiently supported by the scriptures, it may clearly appear, that a large majority of the human race are not to blame merely because they employ the greater part of their time in working with their hands, to obtain the things necessary for the support and comfort of mankind in the present life. This, in itself, is so far from being wrong or improper, that it is rendered necessary by the divine constitution of our nature and of the world in which we are placed, and accordingly enjoined by a divine command. Therefore, if the generality of laboring people commit sin by a diligent improvement of their time and exertion of their strength, in laboring to obtain or furnish such things as are necessary for the support and comfort of mankind, it is not because employing a large part of their time in laboring for such things is in its own nature wrong, or sinful, or forbidden by God, but on account of their wrong views, motives and ends therein. Hence,

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ing, is doing it freely and of choice, because God requires it— doing it out of obedience to his will, in the exercise of a free, cheerful subjection to his authority. "Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Eccl. xii. 13.

not

A proper regard for God in the heart, expressed by a willing, unreserved obedience to all his commandments, is the whole duty of man. No one performs his duty in laboring to raise, procure, or furnish, such things as are requisite for the support and comfort of mankind in the present life, any further than he acts therein from a proper regard to God, and doeth it freely and cheerfully in compli ance with his will-in obedience to his command. If a man performs all the work, which God requires to be performed by kim, but in doing it has no respect for God, no regard to his will and authority, and doth mean it as an act of obedience to his command, but acts entirely from other motives, and merely for his own selfish ends; it is plain that he, considered as a voluntary designing agent, cannot be said to render the least degree of obedience to the will and command of God in all the labor which he performs, and therefore, that he doth not discharge the duty of laboring enjoined by God. For although he doeth the things which God requires to be done, yet as to obeying the will of God, or keeping his commandments in doing them, he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to answer his own selfish ends, independ1. One thing essential to the ent of any regard to the authoridischarge of our duty in labor-ty, will, or glory of God. VOL. VI. No. 11. Dd d

With what views and motives and for what ends men ought to labor, working with their hands; and when, in laboring and prosecuting their worldly business they may be said to do their duty and obey the will of God; is a very important and interesting enquiry. In answer to this enquiry, it may be observed,

When God put Adam in the that we should do it from such garden of Eden to dress it and to motives, and for such ends, as keep it, if he had preserved his are agreeable to the revealed original rectitude, and perse- will of God. This indeed is imvered in perfect love and obedi-plied in laboring from a regard ence, he would have performed to God, and in obedience to his the business intended by dress-will; yet a distinct illustration ing and keeping the garden, out of it may be useful.-If in workof respect to God, from a regarding with our hands, and transto his authority, and in obedience acting our worldly business, we to his revealed will; and so do-act from other motives and for ing, would have performed this other ends, than such as are branch of his duty. agreeable to the revealed will of When in consequence of God, and especially, such as are man's disobedience, the ground contrary to it, it is plain that in was cursed for his sake, and the so doing, instead of obeying, we tillage of it rendered hard and really disobey the will of God, difficult, and the will of God however punctually we may plainly revealed, that man should perform such things as in themnow obtain his bread by hard selves considered are proper to and wearisome labor, he ought be done, and even commanded to have willingly submitted to by God. For instance, if God all the fatiguing labor which commands us to labor, working had become requisite, not mere- with our hands the thing which ly as a matter of necessity for is good, that we may have his own subsistence ; but also, wherewith to support ourselves, from a regard and out of obedi- without stealing from or being ence to the will of God, in the burdensome to others, and also exercise of a free, willing sub-to relieve the wants of such as jection to and compliance with his appointment. And so ought the posterity of Adam through all succeeding ages, as long as this constitution of things continues. But however diligent and industrious any are, yet if their chief end is to obtain the means of subsistence, whilst a regard to the divine will doth not come into the account withly disobey and rebel against them if they are impelled to work by a conviction or feeling of its indispensable necessity for their subsistence, and not of choice, out of obedience to the will of God, they neither obey his will, nor perform their duty, by all their diligence and wearisome labors.

2. It is essential to the discharge of our duty in laboring,

stand in need, and we perform the work proper to be done, but in performing it have no view to the ends for which God requires us to labor, but do it with the chief or sole view to obtain the means of defraying the expense of a drunken frolic, or an obscene debauch, we are so far from obeying, that we real

God, by laboring from this motive and with this view. We discharge our duty, and really obey the divine command in laboring no further than we do it. with such views and motives, and for such ends, as are agreeable to the revealed will of God.

Our own comfortable support is not excluded from, but com

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prised in the objects or ends for which we ought to labor. But in this, as in all other things, we should have a supreme and ultimate view to the glory of God. It is written, "Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. x. 31.

As the sum of what the divine law requires, and of what the gospel is designed and calculated to bring us to, as matter of duty to be performed by us is to love God with all our heart, and our neighbors as ourselves; so it is the revealed will or command of God, that in all our conduct we should have a supreme and ultimate view to his glory in connection with our own and other's real good. Therefore, to labor from such views and motives and for such ends as are agreeable to his revealed will, we must do it with a view to contribute, in the ways of God's appointment, to his glory and our own and other's real benefit, and to obtain | the good things of this world, that with them we may do good in all the ways, in which worldly substance may be improved for the glory of God and the real benefit of mankind. One thing implied in such a conduct, is willingly laboring for our own and one another's support, with a desire and view to give to God the glory due to his name, by exercising and expressing a free, cheerful compliance with his will, as manifested in the constitution of our nature and of the world, and subjection to his authority and obedience to his command, as expressed in his word. Another thing implied, is laboring to obtain the necessaries of a comfortable support I

without defrauding others, or being unnecessarily burdensome to them. This implies the exercise of justice and benevolence to our neighbors.

Another thing is, seeking to obtain a sufficiency to contribute something to those who stand in need, and to whose relief, support, or comfort, God requires us to contribute-as the poor, and persons in such employments as prevent their laboring; and also, to provide for the convenient attendance on the public worship of God, for the propagation of the gospel, and for all those purposes whereby the Redeemer's kingdom and the real welfare of mankind may be promoted, and thus to imitate the divine beneficence, and to act in concert with God, as subordinate agents under his direction and control, or instruments in his hand, in doing good and diffusing happiness..

Were we heartily disposed to labor and do all our own work, with the views, motives and ends now briefly suggested, it is easy to see, that working with our hands through the week, instead of diverting our thoughts and turning our hearts away from God, might rather serve to fix them upon him. If we conscientiously went to our daily labor, as a part of the service which God requires of us in the present life, with an habitual disposition and sincere desire to glorify him, by exercising and expressing a becoming regard to his will and submission to his authority and obedience to his commands, and sought to obtain the good things of this world for the ends and purposes which have been mentioned, would it not be easy and natural

to fall into a train of thoughts and contemplations respecting the glorious character, works, and ways of God, and the duties we owe to him, to our neighbors, and to ourselves, and the way to be really useful and happy?

REFLECTIONS.

harder, all from a desire to be rich, to obtain great estates, and to lay up for themselves treasures on the earth, because to their hearts the world and the things of it are the chief good. Such, it is evident, are far from doing their duty and obeying the will of God, by laboring in such a manner and from such motives. Hence,

How deficient in discharging their duty in laboring are those How directly contrary to the laboring people, who, though real spirit of the divine comthey work early and late, and di-mand for men to labor, and how ligently improve their time to criminal in the sight of God, as the best advantage, in perform-well as pernicious to themselves, ing the business of their respective callings and occupations, do it not willingly, but by constraint, being impelled to it, not from any regard to God, or any inclination or desire to obey and honor him, but merely by the necessity of it, to keep themselves and their families from suffering with hunger and cold, or to provide for their comfortable subsistence?

is their conduct, whose only or chief and governing motive in working hard, and laboring diligently to obtain the good things of this world, is, that they may consume them upon their luststhat with them they may feed and gratify the lusts of the body, and the pride and vanity of the mind, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind? Should any of the readers of this be conscious, that such, or similar hath hitherto been the first spring and principal motive of their industry, may they become sensible of the importance of repentance and amendment, and be enabled henceforth to act from a nobler principle and to a higher end. May they find it in their hearts and learn how even to eat and drink, and to go about and perform their common worldly bu

How evidently inconsistent is a prevailing love of this world and of things which are in it, with discharging our duty in laboring How greatly do they deceive themselves, who think they are yielding obedience to God by working with their hands, and transacting their worldly business with diligence and economy, when the love of this world is the first spring and principal motive of all their in-siness, with a supreme and uldustry? For it is written, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any

timate view to the glory of God.

man love the world, the love of On the reasonableness of an im

the Father is not in him."

1 John ii. 15.

Men may work early and late, and labor hard from day to day, and from year to year, quite as hard as they ought to, and even

mediate Repentance. (Contin. from page 79, vol. v.)

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