A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

Secondly, the manifold and great benefits, wherewith the Lord, rich in mercy towards all who diligently serve him, will liberally reward their labours, may serve as an effectual reason to incite us to this duty. For we cannot serve a more bountiful Master, nor employ our labours to better advantage, then in performing unto him our duty with all diligence, seeing he will suffer none of our pains to be spent in vain, but will proportion our wages according to the greatness of our work. In this life he bestoweth upon those who are diligent in the duties of his service, not only a large measure of his temporal benefits, and his blessing upon them, whereby they become truly profitable for their use, according to those many and gracious promises which in his Law he hath made unto ¹them, but also enricheth their souls with the treasures of his spiritual graces. For we can be no more ready to use the means, then the Lord is to give his blessing upon them, whereby they become effectual unto those ends for which we use them. Neither is he ever in this kind wanting to any, who are not through their negligence wanting unto themselves. In which regard that may be truly said of our spiritual estate, which is spoken of our temporal: He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand; ²but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. Hereby also we attain unto the assurance of our Election and effectual calling, which is no otherwise to be had, then by this diligence in labouring after it, as the Apostle implieth in those words; Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election