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to the court and to the market, as well as to the church and the clofet; to our dealings with men, as well as to our dealings with God, and that under the pain of disobedience to the fovereign Lord of heaven and earth. How then can one imagine, but God is difpleased with the not owning him in these things?

2. God has given a promife of direction to his people in all their matters, Prov. iii. 6. forecited. Pfal. cxii. 5.-A good man-will guide his affairs with difcretion. And what God has put into the covenant by way of promife, his people ought to look to him for by faith, and fue to him for by prayer. And it is highly difhonouring to God, not to be concerned for that which he has made promise of, Ezek. xxxvi. 37. Thus faith the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by the houfe of Ifrael, to do it for them.

3. We can do nothing well or wifely in any matter, but as the Lord is pleased to direct and guide us, Jer. x. 23. O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his fteps. Common gifts are from the Lord as well as faving grace, James i. 17. Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights. Exod. xxxi. 6. In the hearts of all that are wife-hearted I have put wisdom. If one man have a dexterity to manage his civil affairs better than another, it is the Lord himself that makes the difference. And he has the fock and key of thefe gifts, to give the ufe and exercife of them, or to take it away in any particular whatsoever, when he pleafes. Hence often the wifeft are outwitted, and act as egregious fools, being infatuated of God.

4. The fuccefs of all our projects and endeavours depends on God entirely, fo that men may do their best to no purpose, while God frowns on the business, Lam. iii. 37. Who is he that faith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Pfal. cxxvii. 1. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watch

man

man waketh but in vain. God has a negative on all means and instruments, so that the most feasible means fhall miscarry, if he do not order them to profper. God has a wheel within all the wheels of the world, which turns them what way he will: fo that often man does propose one way, but God disposeth a quite other way.

II. I proceed to fhew, whence it is that men de not own God in their affairs.

1. Habitual untenderness of confcience is a main cause of it. Hence our Lord fays, If thine eye be evil, thy whole body fhall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Matth. vi. 23. Moft men have benumbed confciences, which makes them go through the world at random, hardly fearing the offence of God in any thing, Tit. i. ult. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him. They who are truly tender in one thing of offending God, will be tender in all things: but who can think, that those who are un. tender in all other matters, can be tender in their worldly bufinefs? Paul's exercife would mix religion with civil bufinefs, Acts xxiv. 16. Herein do I exercife myfelf, fays he, to have always a confcience void of offence toward God, and toward men. But alas! it is rare in the world.

2. Moft mens religion is but a powerlefs, vain, empty fhew, 2 Tim. iii. 5. Having a form of godlinefs, but denying the power thereof. It cannot awe their confciences to a strict conformity to the way of God in all things, without referve. They have still their referves in their obedience, which never comes to be univerfal. They halve religion, pretend and make a fhew of piety towards God, which cannot ftand in the way of their worldly intereft: but they make no confcience of righteoufnefs, mercy, and charity, towards men. Well may the Lord addrefs them, as he did the people of Judah of old, If. i. 11.

16.

16. 17. To what purpose is the multitude of your fa crifices unto me? faith the Lord: I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats.-Wafb ye, make ye clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, ceafe to do evil, learn to do well, feek judgement, relieve the oppreffed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

3. Many lay their projects in these matters fo contrary to the rules of religion, that they cannot look for God's bleffing on them, or direction in them, Pfal. xiv. 4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?—they call not upon the Lord. So they do not own God in them, because they see, upon a view of their measures, that they are unlawful ones, and their confciences would condemn them before the Lord. They are ruled by their lufts and paffions in their contrivances, which makes them break over the rules of piety towards God, and righteousness towards men, to accomplish their defigns. And what ufe could religion be of in thefe, but to mar all? and therefore they carefully ftave off the dictates of their confciences, to make way for the fulfilling of their unlawful projects.

4. Self-conceit. Men have a high opinion of their own wit, and are confident they can guide well enough, and fo they do not fee their need of owning God in these matters. Thus in the text, The men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of God. But little do they confider that pasfage, Prov. xxiii. 26. My fon, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes obferve my ways. This is to make

flesh our arm, which God can foon make a withered arm, Jer. xvii. 5. 6. Living by faith is quite contrary to this, and carries men out of themselves to depend on God in all things. And there is good reafon for it. For fays the wife man, Ecel. ix. 11. I returned, and faw under the fun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread

to

to the wife, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill, but time and chance happeneth to them all.

5. Many are fo little acquainted with religion, and particularly with the way of looking to the Lord, for direction in all things, that they do not think religion is concerned in their civil affairs, farther than that the thing they do be lawful in itself. But this is a wide mistake. People may perish by lawful things, following them in a way not approved of God, as we fee in the cafe of the old world, Matth. xxiv. 38. In the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, &c. We are obliged to eye the honour of God in all things, 1 Cor. x. 31. Whether ye eat or drink, or what soever ye da, do all to the glory of God; to do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, Col. iii. 17. that is, in obedience to his call pointed out to us by his word and providence, and in dependence on him for direction, throughbearing in it, and fuccefs. This was the pfalmift's practice, Pfal. cxxiii. 2. Behold, as the eyes of fervants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress: fo our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

6. Lastly, Not weighing the event of their projects, which is wholly in the Lord's hand. Had the princes of Ifrael confidered, what weight was in this business, and what it turned to within three days after they had made their bargain, ver. 16. they would not have been fo rafh. How often is that done in a day or hour with much confidence, that is regretted many a day and year? Lot fettled among those of Sodom without confulting of God, Gen. xiii. 10. 12. 13. but afterward, as he had little peace while he was there, he got a very fad removing again. Since we know not what may be in the womb of a day, we had

need

need every day to live in a close dependence on the Lord.

I now proceed to apply this fubject; and the only use I shall make of it, fhall be by way of exhortation. I exhort all to own and acknowledge God in your civil affairs and business in the world. Behave yourfelves as Chriftians, as fearers of God, therein, at all times, and especially at fuch times wherein ye have business of greatest weight in hand. Take not the way of the world, as ye would not perish with the world.

1. Tenants, in the taking of your lands, own God the great Landlord, and wrong not your neighbours, 1 Cor. vi. 9. And whether ye fit or remove, be sure ye do it with a good confcience. Abufe not the goodnefs of God, in the thriving of your stocks, left God fend a curfe on them, and make room enough. It It will not excufe you before God, that ye do not begin the work; Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil, Exod. xxiii. 2. Ye must not follow either. Will one's wronging you give you a licence to wrong another? No, not if it were the very person that had wronged you, far lefs another that has done you no injury, Prov. iii. 31. Envy thou not the oppreffor, and chufe none of his ways. Chap. xxiv. 29. Say not, I will do fo to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work. No doubt it is Satan's game to find out fome to lead the van in an unrighteous course, that others may follow.

2. Masters, in the hiring of your fervants, own God the great Mafter, remembering that every Chriftian's family fhould be a church, Rom. xvi. 5. Gather not together the fcum and dregs of fervants, which may be the reproach of a fociety into which they come. Read the 10ft psalm, and inquire what they are, and what they have been, as well as what they can do. It is hard to get choice, I own: but when a perfon has laid the matter seriously before the

Lord,

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