the general name of meat, because it was that which the Jews came to Him for at this time, and so gave Him occasion to speak these words. Wherein He commands you therefore, not to take too much care or pains about food, or raiment, or any thing which concerns only this present life. I say, too much, because He doth not mean that you should take no care or pains at all about them, so far as they are necessary to the support of yourselves and families for He Himself elsewhere, by His Apostle, commands you to "study 1Thes.4.11. to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands;”“ that if any would not work, neither 2Thes.3.10. should he eat." "And let him that stole," saith He, "steal Eph. 4. 28. no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." Where you see, He doth not only permit, but require you to labour; and that too, not only for yourselves, but other people, that ye may be able to supply their wants as well as your own: especially such as are related to you; "For if any provide not for his own, and specially for 1 Tim. 5. 8. those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Such a one, it seems, in the sight of God Himself, is so far from being a Christian or a believer, whatsoever he may pretend, that he is not so good as an infidel or unbeliever. For the very law of nature, by which the infidels were governed, taught them to provide for their parents and kindred that were in want. But Christ came not to destroy that law, but to vindicate, explain, refine, and enforce it. And therefore He is so far from indulging men in sloth and idleness, so far from commanding or suffering them to neglect the calling in which He hath placed them for the maintenance of themselves and their families, that He looks upon such as none of His disciples, but as bad, nay worse than the very infidels themselves. It is not therefore in this sense that He commands you "not to labour for the meat which perisheth."

But He commands you, first, not to labour for it as these people did to whom the words were first spoken, who left their trades, and houses, and business at home, to seek for food abroad, where they had no ground to expect it any other way than by a miracle: you must not be like them;

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SERM. ye must not leave your callings and employments wherein you were bred, and so the ordinary way in which God hath set you, whereby to provide necessaries for yourselves and families by God's blessing which He hath promised upon your endeavours, and then take any extraordinary or unlawful course for it; or think as these people did, that you shall be fed with miracles, without taking any care about it yourselves; much less must ye pretend religion, when your design is only to get bread or money, as these people did, who followed Christ; but it was only for the loaves, not out of any love to Him or His religion: which is the case, I fear, of too many among us, who follow this or that particular sect or profession in religion, out of a desire, as they pretend, to serve and worship God better; when, after all, it is their own worldly interest they seek: if they would but deal impartially with themselves, and narrowly search into their own hearts, I fear many will find that to be at the bottom. This is that which our Lord condemns in those that followed Him; and therefore commands that ye be not guilty of it: that ye "labour not for the meat that perisheth," under the disguise and pretence of labouring for that "which endureth unto everlasting life."

He commands you also not to labour for that only; as these people had no other design in rambling about, but only to get another bellyful of good victuals. I wish they had been the only people that ever did so; but, alas! this is the common practice of most men in the world, even to mind nothing but their bellies, and to provide enough for them: as if they came into the world for no other end but to eat and drink awhile, and then go out again; for what do most people do besides? It is a great while before they are capable of doing any thing else. And when they come to years of discretion, so as to be able to serve God and work out their own Salvation, yet they spend their whole time, week after week, year after year, in nothing else but what concerns this present life, labouring night and day, either to get what to eat, or to eat what they have gotten, or to lay it up for other people to eat it; this is their business all their life long, how long soever it is: the only business they ever mind or think of, unless perhaps, a little upon the Lord's Day, when

the laws of the land will not suffer them to follow their particular callings openly; but then also many do it privately, and so spend all their days in labouring for nothing but only the meat that perisheth; as if they had neither God to serve, nor souls to save. I doubt there are some such here present, and heartily wish you would take some time to consider that you have another world to live in as well as this; and that He who alone can save you, doth here expressly require that you do not thus labour only for the meat that perisheth; nor chiefly neither; that you do not make it your great and chief design, as many do, to heap up riches, or enjoy the pleasures of the world; but that ye "seek the Kingdom of Matt. 6. 33. God and His righteousness" in the first place, and other things only after that, or in order to it. In which lower sense ye may and ought to labour for the meat that perisheth, so far as it is needful to your present subsistence; but your chief care and labour must be for that which endureth to everlasting life.

This therefore is that which our Lord commandeth in these words, according to the idiom of the sacred writings, and His common way of speaking in the like cases: as where He saith, "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice;" that is, mercy, rather Matt. 9. 13. than sacrifice. So here, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but rather," or chiefly, "for that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you." Where ye may first observe, that He would have you all labour, not sit still and do nothing. The idle, unprofitable servant, that hid his master's talent in a napkin and did nothing with it, was cast into utter darkness; and so will ye be too, unless ye labour and take pains, so as to "work out your Salvation with fear and trembling." It is a Phil. 2. 12. great work ye have to do, the greatest ye have to do in the world; and it can never be done effectually, without much labour and pains, far more than men commonly take about it. And that is the reason why there are so few that effect it; but most of those also who labour for it, labour in vain, because they do not labour enough; they do some things, but not all that is required of them. And what they do, they do it carelessly and slothfully, without labouring or taking that pains about it, which is necessary to the accomplish

LXI.

SERM. ing of so great a work, and then it is no wonder that they never accomplish it. And hence it is, that He by whom alone we can accomplish it, requires you all to labour, and to labour with that dilgence, earnestness, zeal and constancy, that such a work requires.

But what would He have you labour for? For the meat which "endureth to everlasting life;" that is, for all things necessary to your getting to Heaven, and living there for ever; which He calls meat, because they who gave Him occasion to speak the words, came after Him for meat; or something to refresh and support their lives in this world: which our Lord perceiving, He bids them not to be so solicitous about the things of this world, as the next. And that they might better understand His meaning, He accommodates His speech to the occasion, and bids them not to labour so much for their bodily food; but for such meat as will nourish and preserve their souls to everlasting life; as all things do which tend to the making them pure and holy, and capable of seeing and enjoying God, and may therefore be properly called the food and nourishment of the soul, that whereby it is kept in health, and strength, and life. And so the Holy Scripture delights to speak. As where Isa. 55.1-3. the Prophet saith, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat, yea come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price. Wherefore do ye spend your money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good; and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear and come unto Me, hear and your soul shall live." This is good and pleasant, strong and excellent food indeed, by which our souls may live. But it is not taken in at the mouth, but at the ear; by "inclining the ear," as the Prophet speaks, "and hearkening diligently to the Word of God." It is that which entering in at the ear, nourisheth 1 Pet. 2. 2. and refresheth the soul, therefore called "the milk of the Heb. 5. 13. word;" even "the word of righteousness," because by it the

soul is nourished with righteousness, as the body is by milk. Matt. 5. 6. Hence is that of our Saviour, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

Implying, that righteousness is both meat and drink to the soul, and that all who accordingly hunger and thirst after it, shall be filled with it. For righteousness, as the word here signifies, containing under it all manner of virtue and goodness, is that without which the soul is dead, "dead," as the Eph. 2. 1. Apostle saith, "in trespasses and sins." But by it the soul lives the life that is proper for a soul or spirit to live, acts and moves in its own sphere, and brings forth its proper fruit, therefore called, "the fruit of righteousness, which Phil. 1. 11. endureth for ever," or as our Lord here speaks, "unto everlasting life." This therefore is the meat that He requires you to labour for, even "that ye may grow in grace, and in 2 Pet. 3. 18. the knowledge of Him, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." That "Giving all diligence, you add to your faith, virtue; ch. 1. 5-8. and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ;" but will both live the life, and die the death of the righteous, and so go with them into life eternal.

But that ye may better apprehend both the quality of this meat which endureth unto everlasting life, and also where ye may have it, our Lord here adds, it is that "which He, the Son of Man shall give unto you." Whereby He hath given you to understand, that although you must labour for it, or otherwise ye can never have it; yet after all your labour, it is He only that gives it to you; for it is He only that hath it to give; but He hath it in Himself. Hark what He Himself here saith: "I am the bread of life. I am the John 6. 48, living bread which came down from Heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and ver. 53, &c. drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the Last Day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As

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