Sixteen sermons, preached on several subjects. By the most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. Being the third volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace

A SERMON ON JOHN IX. 4.

I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: The night cometh when no man can work.

THese words our Blessed Saviour spake of himself, whilst he was upon Earth; in which he tells us, that he was sent by God into the World, and had a certain Work and Imployment appointed him during his Abode in it. A great Work indeed! to instruct, and reform, and save Mankind.

A Work of great Labour, and Pains, and Patience, not to be done in a short time; and yet the time for do∣ing it was not long after he came into the World: It was a good while be∣fore he began it, and after he began it, the time of Working was not long, before the Night came and put an End to it: I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: The night cometh when no man can work.

But this which our Saviour here speaks of himself, and which properly belongs to him, and no other; may ye•• be accommodated to every Man, with some Allowance for the Diffe∣rence and Disproportion. For tho' every Man be not sent by God into the World, after so peculiar a manner, and upon so particular and vast a De∣sign: Yet upon a general Account, every Man is sent by God into this World, and hath a Work given him to do in it, which he is concern'd vigo∣rously to mind and to prosecute with all his Might. And tho' every Man be not sent to save the whole World, as the Son of God was, yet every Man is sent by God

into the World, to work out his own Sal∣vation, and to take Care of that in the first Place, and then to promote the Salvation of others, as much as in him lies. So that every one of us may, in a very good Sense, accommo∣date these Words of our Saviour to himself: I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: The night cometh when no man can work.

I shall therefore at this time take the Liberty to handle these words ac∣cording to this moral Accommodation of them, and apply what our Saviour here says of himself to every Man that cometh into the World: And this I shall do, by shewing these three things.

First, That every Man hath a Work assigned him to do in this World, by him that sent him into it; and may in some Sense say, as our Blessed Saviour did of himself, I must work the works of him that sent me.

Secondly, That there is a certain and

limited time for every Man to do this Work in. While it is day.

Thirdly, That after this Season is ex∣pired, the••e will be no further Opor∣tunity of working. The Night cometh when no man can work.

First, Every Man hath a Work as∣signed him to do in this World, by him that sent him into it; and may in some sense say, as our Blessed Sav••our did of himself; I must work the works of him that ••ent me. God who made man a reasonable Creature, and hath endowed him with Faculties, where∣by he is capable of knowing and ser∣ving him; hath appointed him a Work and Service suitable to these Faculties: And having infused an im∣mortal Soul into this Earthy Body, hath certainly designed him for a State beyond this Life, in which he shall be for ever happy or miserable, according as he useth and demeans him∣self in this World.

So that the Work which every one of us hath to do in this World, is to

prepare, and fit our selves for that E∣ternal Duration which remains for us after Death: For the Life which we live now in this World, is a time of Exercise, a short state of Probation and Tryal, in order to a durable and end∣less state, in which we shall be im∣mutably ••ixt in another World. This World, into which we are now sent for a little while, is as it were God's School, in which immortal Spirits, clo∣thed with Flesh, are trained and bred up for Eternity; and therefore the best, the only sure way to be happy for ever, is, so to improve the short and uncertain time of this Life, that we may approve our selves to God in this World, and enjoy him in the next; or (as St. Paul expres∣seth it) that having our fruit unto Ho∣liness, our end may be everlasting Life.

And this Work consists in these three things.

First, In the Care of our own Salva∣tion.

Secondly, In doing what we can, to promote the Salvation of others.

Thirdly, And in order to both these, in the careful Improvement and good Husbandry of our time.

First, In the Care of our own Salva∣tion. And this consists in two things.

1. In the Worship of Almighty God.

2. In the careful and conscientious Practice and Obedience of his Holy Laws.

1. The Care of our own Salvation con∣sists in the pious and devout Worship of Almighty God; that we honour him, and pay him that Homage and Respect, which is due from Creatures to him that made them, and is the great Sove∣raign, and Judge of the World; that we have an inward Reverence and E∣steem of him, and that we express this by all solemn externalacknowledgments of him; as by praying to him for the sup∣ply of our Wants; by praising him for all the Blessings and Benefits which we have received at his Hands; and that we set apart constant and solemn times for the Performance of these Duties; and that when we are employed in them, we be serious, and hearty, and attentive to what we are about, and perform every part of Divine Worship with those Cir∣cumstances of Reverence and Respect, which may testifie our awful Sense of

the Divine Majesty, and our inward and profound Veneration of him, with whom we have to do. And this is that which is directly and properly Reli∣gion.

2. This Care of our own Salvation, does consist likewise in the conscienti∣ous and constant Obedience and Pra∣ctice of all God's Holy Laws, in the Conformity of our Lives and Actions to the Laws which he hath given us, whether they be natural or written up∣on our Hearts, or made known to us by the Revelation of his Word; that we govern our Passions by Reason, and moderate our selves in the use of sen∣sual Delights, so as not to transgress the Rules of Temperance and Chasti∣ty; that we demean our selves to∣wards others, and converse with them with Justice and Fidelity, with Kindness and Charity.

These are the Sum of the Divine Laws, and the Heads of our Duty to∣wards our selves and others; all which are more powerfully enforced upon us, by the Revelation of the Gospel, and the plain Promises and Threatnings of it; the Faith of Christ being the most firm and effectual Principle both of Piety

towards God, and of Universal O∣bedience to all his particular Com∣mands.

And this is the great work which God hath sent us to do in the World; so the Wise Man sums up our Duty, Eccl. 12. 13. Fear God, and keep his com∣mandments, for this is the whole duty of man. The Fear and Reverence of the Divine Majesty, is the great Foundati∣on and Principle of Religion, but Obe∣dience to God's Laws is the Life and Practice of it. God does not expect that we should spend the greatest part of our time, in the immediate Acts of Religion, and in the solemn Duties of his Worship and Service, but only that we should allot a fitting Proportion of our time to these, according to the Cir∣cumstances of our Condition in this World, and the Example of Holy and Good Men that are in the like Circum∣stances with our selves: For such is the Goodness of God, that he does not only allow us to provide for the Ne∣cessities and Conveniencies of this Life, but hath made it our Duty so to do. It is one of the Precepts of the Gospel, which the Apostle chargeth the Bishops and Teachers of the Gospel to inculcate

frequently upon Christians, that they which have believed in God, should be careful to maintain good works; that is, to employ themselves in the works of an honest Calling for necessary uses; that is, for the support of their Families, and the relief of those who are in want and necessity. And the Apostle lays great weight and stress upon this, as a very great Duty, Tit. 3. 8. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto Men; that is, of general benefit and advantage to Mankind.

So that no Man's Calling is a hin∣drance to Religion, but a part of it; and by performing the Duties of Piety in their proper Seasons, and spending the rest of our time in any honest and useful Employment, we may make our whole Life a perpetual serving of God; we may glorifie God in our eat∣ing and drinking, and in all other law∣ful and useful actions of Life; in ser∣ving the Occasions and Necessities of Life, with Sobriety and Temperance, and in managing our Worldly Commerce

with Justice and Integrity, we may serve God, and perform consider∣able Duties of Religion.

So that provided we do nothing that is sinful, and manage the Actions and Concernments of this Life, with a due regard and subserviency to the great interests of Eternity, we may do the work of God all the while we are pro∣viding for our selves, and employed in the works of an honest Calling: For God, who hath designed this Life in order to the other, considers the ne∣cessities of our present state, and al∣lows us to make provision for it.

There are some Persons indeed, whose Birth and Condition sets them above the common Employments of Life, and the Works of an ordinary Calling: But these also have a work given them to do; for God hath sent no Man into the World to no purpose, and only to take his pastime therein; neque enim ita generati sumus à natura, ut ad ludum & jocum facti esse videa∣mur; sed ad severitatem potius, & quae∣dam studia graviora atque majora; for ••e are not (says Tully de Off. Lib. 1.) so framed by Nature, as if we were made for sport and jest; but for more serious

Employments, and for greater and weigh∣tier business; and those who are tied to no particular Calling, may allow so much larger portions of their time to Religion, and the Service of God; and God likewise expects from them, that they should be useful to Mankind in some higher and nobler way, ac∣cording to the publickness of their sta∣tion, and influence. Such Persons may be serviceable to their Country, and the Affairs of Government, and in the care of publick Justice, and may em∣ploy their time in preparing and ren∣dring themselves more fit for this Ser∣vice. They may find a great deal of work to do in the good government of their Families, and in the prudent care and management of their Estates, and in reconciling differences among their Neighbours, and in considering the necessities of the Poor, and providing for their supply.

So that besides the proper work of Religion, and the more immediate Ser∣vice of God, every Man in the World, how exempt soever his Condition be from the common care an••gdrudgery of Humane Life, may find work e••ough wherein he may usefully employ all his

time, and provide for his own, and for the common benefit of Mankind: And God expects it as a Duty from such, that every Man should employ himself in some work or other, suitable to the station in which God hath pla∣ced him in this World.

Secondly, The work which God hath given us to do in the World, consists in doing what we can to further and promote the Salvation of others: This chiefly lies upon us, who are the Mi∣nisters of God, and to whom the word of Reconciliation is committed. We are more especially Commissioned and Ap∣pointed for this work, and are Ambas∣sadors for Christ, to beseech Men in his stead to be reconciled to God. We are sent by God in a more peculiar man∣ner, and appointed for this very work, to watch for Mens Souls, and to be the Instruments and Means of their Eternal Happiness. And there∣fore we who are sent by God in a more peculiar manner, and have this work assigned to us to do in the World, ought to be very vigorous and indu∣strious in i•• •• And this, whether we consider the Nature of our Employ∣ment, or the Glorious Reward of it.

First, If we consider the Nature of our Employment, both in respect of the Honour and the Happiness of it; 'tis the most Honourable work that Mortal Man can be employed in; 'tis the same in kind, and in the main end and design o•• it with that of the Blessed Angels, for we also are Mini∣string Spirits, sent forth by God to Mi∣nister, for the good of those who shall be heirs of Salvation. We are the Mes∣sengers and Ambassadors of God to Men, sent to treat with them about the terms of their Peace and Reconciliation with God, to offer Salvation to them, and to direct them to the best ways and means of procuring it. Nay, we have the Honour to be employed in the very same work that the Son of God was, when he was upon Earth, to see•• and to save them that are lost; and to call Sinners to Repentance; and to carry on that work, whereof he him∣self ••aid the Foundation when he was in the World. And what greater Ho∣nour can be put upon the Sons of Men, than to help forward that glori∣ous Design and Undertaking of the Son of God, for the Salvation of Man∣kind.

And 'tis an Employment no less Happy than Honourable; 'tis not to drudge about the mean and low Con∣cernments of this Life, a perpetual toil and care about what we shall eat and drink, and wherewithal we shall be cloath∣ed, which is the business of a Worldly Employment; but it is a direct and immediate seeking of the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and a con∣tinual endeavour to promote these. It does not consist in the labour of our Body, and in Bodily toil; but in the delightful exercise of our Minds, about the best and noblest Objects, God, and Heaven, and Eternity; in an ear∣nest and faithful endeavour by all wise ways and means to gain Souls to God, and to turn Sinners from the error of their ways, and to prevent their Eter∣nal Ruine and Destruction; and next to the procuring of our own Happi∣ness, to be instrumental to the Hap∣piness of others, which is certainly the most pleasant and noble work that we can possibly be employed in; especial∣ly if we consider, that by the very nature of our Employment, we do at the same time, and by the very same means, carry on both these designs, of

the Salvation of our selves, and o∣thers. So St. Paul tells Timothy, when he exhorts him upon this very Conside∣ration, to give hi••self wholly to this Blessed Work; because, says he, in doing this, thou shalt both save thy self, and them that hear thee, 1 Tim. 4. 16. And when two of the greatest and best designs in the World, our own Hap∣piness, and the Salvation of others, do so happily meet in one, and are jointly carried on by the same labour; this ought to be a great spur and incite∣ment to us, to be vigorous and un∣wearied, and abundant in the work of the Lord; and a mighty encourage∣ment to us to preach the word, to be in∣stant in season, and out of season, and to be Examples to others, in Word, in Conversation, in Charity, in Spirit, in Faith, in Purity; as St. Paul chargeth Timothy in the most solemn and aw∣ful manner, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing, and his Kingdom, 1 Tim. 4. 12. and 2 Tim. 4. 1. And then,

Secondly, If we consider the glorious Reward of this work. If we be Faith∣ful and Industrious in it, it will advance

us to a higher degree of Glory and Happiness in the other World: They that be wise (says the Prophet, Dan. 12. 3.) shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament, and they that turn ma∣ny to righteousness, as the Stars for ever and ever. They that are industrious in this work, as they are worthy of double honour in this World, so they shall shine with a double glory and lustre in the other.

But tho' this work of promoting the Salvation of others, be chiefly incum∣bent upon those whose Office it is to attend upon this very thing; yet we are all of us concerned in it, accord∣ing to the advantages and opportuni∣ties we have for it. Every Man is concerned to help forward the Salva∣tion of his Brother, and not to let him perish, if he can help it; and it is in every Man's power to contribute some∣thing to this Blessed Work of saving others, by seasonable Counsel and Ad∣vice, by kind and gentle reproof, but especially by a Holy and Exemplary Conversation, by a shining Virtue, which hath a silent power of perswa∣sion, and I know not what secret

charm and attraction to draw and al∣lure others to the imitation of it.

Thirdly, And in order to both these, the saving of our selves, and others, this work which God hath given us to do in the World, consists in the care∣ful use and good husbandry of our time; for without this, neither of the other can be promoted and carried on to any purpose. Time is the season and opportunity of carrying on of any work, and for that reason is one of the most valuable things; and yet nothing is more wastfully spent, and more prodigally squandred away by a great part of Mankind than this, which next to our Immortol Souls is of all other things most precious; because upon the right use or abuse of our time, our Eternal Happiness or Misery does de∣pend. Men have generally some guard upon themselves, as to their Mony and Estates, and will not with eyes open suffer others to rob and deprive them of it; but we will let any body al∣most rob us of our time, and are con∣tented to expose this precious Treasure to every bodies rapine and extortion; and can quietly look on, whilst Men thrust in their hands, and take it out

by whole handfuls, as if it were of no greater value than Silver was in Solo∣mon's days, no more than the stones in the street. And yet when it is gone, all the Silver and Gold in the World cannot purchase and fetch back the least moment of it, when perhaps we would give all the World for a very small part of that time, which we parted with upon such cheap and easie terms.

Good God! what a stupid and sense∣less Prodigality is this! do we consider what we do, when we give away such large portions of our time to our ease and pleasure, to diversion and idleness, to trifling and unprofitable Conversa∣tion, to the making and receiving of impertinent visits, and the usual and almost inseparable attendants thereof, spiteful observations upon them that are present, and slandering and back∣biting those that are absent; (For the great design of most People in visits, is not to better one another, but to spie and make faults, and not to mend them; to get time off their hands, to shew their fine Cloaths, and to recommend themselves to the mutual contempt of one another, by a plentiful imperti∣n••nce;) when we part with it by wholesale

in sleep and dressing, and can spend whole Mornings between the Comb and the Glass, and the After∣noon at Plays, and whole Nights in Gaming, or in Riot, and Lewdness, and Intemperance; in all which People com∣monly wast their Mony and their time together!

Nay how do even the best of us misplace this precious Treasure; and tho' we do not employ it to wic∣ked purposes, and in Works of Iniqui∣ty, yet we do not apply it to the best and noblest use, to the Glory of God, and the Good and Salvation of Men! By thus laying out this Treasure, we might lay up for our selves treasures in heaven, and help others on in the Way thither.

Thus our Blessed Saviour employed his precious time, in going about doing good, in all kinds and upon all Occasi∣ons, healing the Bodies, and enlightning the Minds, and saving the souls of men: This was his Business, and this was his delight; it was his meat and drink, and his very Life, he spent himself in it, and sacrificed his Ease, and his Safety, and his Life to these great Ends, for which he came into the World; he

considered the Goodness and the Greatness of his work, and the little time he had to do it in, which made him incessantly industrious in it, and to run the Race which was set before him with great speed, and to work while it was day, because he knew the night would come when no man can work. And this brings me to the

Second thing, I observed from the Text, namely, that there is a certain and limited time for every man to do this Work in, while it is day: I must work the works of him that sent me, whilst it is day. And this day comprehends all the Oportunities of our Life, which will soon be over, and therefore had need to be well spent. A great part of our Life is past, before the Sea∣son of Working begins; it is a great while before the use of our Reason begins, and we come to have our Sen∣ses exercised to discern between Good and Evil; be••ore our Understandings are ripe for the serious Consideration of God and Religion, and for the due Care of our Souls, and of the Eternal Con∣cernment of another World; so that this first part of our Life is in a great Measure useless, and unprofitable to

us, in regard to our great Design. For Infancy and Childhood are but the Dawnings of this Day, and no fit time to work in; and Youth, which is as the Morning of this day, tho' it is the Flower of our Time, and the most pro∣per season of all other for the Remem∣brance of God, and the Impressions of Religion; yet it is usually possest by Vanity and Vice; the common Custom and Practice of the World, hath devo∣ted this best part of our Age to the worst Employments, to the Service of Sin and of our Lusts. How very few are there that lay hold of this Opportu∣nity, and employ it to the best Purpo∣ses! And yet the following Course of our Lives, doth in a great measure de∣pend upon it; for most Persons do con∣tinue and hold on in the Way in which they set out at first, whether it be good or bad. And those who neglect to im∣prove this first Opportunity of their Lives, do seldom recover thems••lves af∣terwards. God's Grace may seize upon Men in any part of their Lives; but ac∣cording to the most ordinary Methods of it, the Foundations and Principles of Religion and Virtue are most com∣monly laid in a pious and virtuous Education.

This is the great Opportunity of our Lives, which setleth and fixeth most Men, either in a good or bad Course; and the Fortune of their whole Lives does usually follow it, and de∣pend upon it.

'Tis true indeed our Day continues many times a great while longer, and we are to work while it continues; and 'tis never too late to begin to do well, and to enter upon a good Course: but there is no such proper and advantagi∣ous Season for the beginning of this work, as in our youth and tender years. This is the accepted time, this is the day of salvation. God's Grace is then most for∣ward and ready to assist us; and we are then least of all indisposed for the receiv∣ing of the Impressions of it; and the Im∣pressions of it do then go deepest into our minds, and are most lasting and du∣rable. But if we neglect this Opportunity, we provoke God by Degrees to with∣draw his Grace, and to take away his ho∣ly Spirit from us, and by degrees we set∣tle in vicious Habits, and are every day more and more hardned through the deceit∣fulness of sin. It is never too late to work while the day lasts; but the sooner we be∣gin this work, and set about it in good

earnest, the easier we shall find it; if we defer it late, every step will be up the Hill, and against the Grain.

Thirdly, After this Season is expired, there will be no ••urther Oportunity of working; when this day is once at an end, then cometh the night when no man can work. The Night is a time unfit for work, when we can hardly do any thing, if we had never so great mind to it; and there is such a Night coming upon every one of us, and Wo be to us if we have our work to do when the Night overtakes us.

There is usually an Evening before this Night, when it will be very difficult for us, and next to impossible, to do this work; and this is the time of Sick∣ness and Old Age, in which men are com∣monly unfit for any work; but most of all that which requires the whole force and vigour of our Minds, the business of Religion. If we attempt this work then, we shall go very heartlesly about it, and do it very imperfectly, and be forc'd to slubber it over, and to huddle it up in great haste and confusion, and so as we can hardly hope that God will accept it. For how unfit are Men to do any thing, when they are full of the Sense of their

own Infirmities, and Life it self is be∣come so great a Burthen to them, that they are hardly fit to stand under it! how uncapable shall we then be of doing the greatest and most momentous work of our Lives, when our Faculties are almost quite spent and worn out, and all the Powers of Life ar•• decayed in us; when our Understandings are dark and dull, our Memories frail and treacherous, and our hearts hard & deceitful above all things! When Sickness and old Age overtake us, we shall then find to our sorrow, that sufficient for that day is the evil thereof; we shall have need then of nothing else to do, but to bear our Infirmities with patience and decency; and it is well if we can rally together of the broken Forces of our Reason, so much as may be a sufficient Guard to us against Pee∣vishness and Discontent; we had need then have nothing else to do, but to be old and weak, to be sick and die.

Besides, how can we expect that God should accept of any work that we do at such a time? with what face can we put off God with the dregs of our Life? or how can we hope that he will be pleased with the service of those years, which we our selves take no pleasure

in? if we offer the lame in Sacrifice, is it not evil? and if we offer the blind, is it not evil? offer it now to thy Gover∣nour, and see if he will be pleased with thee?

And Sickness is commonly as bad a time as Old Age, and usually in••um∣ber'd with greater Difficulties, and clog'd with more Indispositions. If a violent Distemper seize upon us, it ma∣ny times takes away the use of our Rea∣son, and deprives us of all opportunity of Consideration; it makes us both in∣sensible of the danger of our Condition, and incapable of using the means to a∣void it. And if we have neglected Reli∣gion before, and have put off the great work of our Life to the end of it, our opportunity is irrevocably lost; for there is nothing to be done in Religion, when our Reason is once departed from us; the night is then come indeed, and darkness hath overtaken us; and tho' we be still alive, yet are we as unfit for any work, as if we were naturally dead.

And this is no such rare and extraor∣dinary Case; for it happens to many; and every Man that wilfully defers the work of Religion and Repentance to a

hour, hath Reason to fear that he shall be thus surprized in his Sin, and Security, and by the just Judgment of God deprived of all the opportunity of Life and Salvation, while he is yet in the Land of the Living.

But if God be more merciful unto us, and visit us with such a Sickness, as leaves us the use of our Understandings; yet all that we do in Religion at such a time, proceeds from so violent a Cause, from the present terror of Death, and the dreadful apprehension of that Eternal Misery which is just ready to swallow us up, that it is one of the hardest things in the World, not only for others, but even for our selves, to know whether our Resolutions, and this sudden and hasty Fit of Repentance be sincere or not. For it is natural, and almost unavoidable, for a Man to Re∣pent and be sorry for what he hath done, when he is going to Execution: But the Great Question is, what this Man would do, if his-Life were spa∣red? whether his Repentance would hold good, and he would become a new Man, and change his former course of Life, or relapse into it again? And it is by no means certain, that he

would not be as bad as he was before: Because we see many, who, when they lie upon a Sick Bed, give all imagina∣ble testimony of a deep Sorrow, and a hearty Repentance for their Sins, who yet upon their Recovery return to their former Sins with a greater appe∣tite, and make themselves ten times more the Children of wrath than they were before. So that all the work that we can do at such a time, ought not to be much reckoned upon, and can give us little or no Comfort; because it is so infinitely uncertain whether it be real and sincere, and whether the effect of so violent a Cause would last and con∣tinue, if the Cause were removed. Therefore we should work while it is day; for whatever we do in this Evening of our Lives, will be done with very great diffi∣culty, and with very doubtful success.

But besides this Evening, there is a night coming when no man can work; Death will seize upon us, and then our state will be irrecoverably concluded; after that it will be impossible for us to do any thing towards our own Salvati∣on, or to have any thing done for us by others; the Prayers of the living will not avail the dead, as the Tree falls so it

lies; there is no wisdom, nor counsel, nor de∣vice in the grave whither we are going; therefore, according to the Counsel of the Wise Man, what our hand findeth to do, let us do it with our might.

This Counsel concerns all Ages and Persons. I will apply it to the young, in the words of the wise Preacher, Eccles. 12. 1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou sh••lt say, I have no pleasure in them. To them who are in the vigour of their Age, in the words of the Prophet, Isa. Ch. 55. 6. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. And to them that are old, in the words of another Prophet, Jer. 13. 16. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he causeth darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark Mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. And let us every one of us, of what Age or Condition soever, apply it to our selves, in the words of our Blessed Saviour here in the Text, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is Day: the Night cometh, when no Man can work.

FINIS.