to a people like stocks and stones, but they would not hear!'"

On the duty of devoting the best to God's service, in another discourse,
he thus forcibly reasons:--

"Observe, that it cannot but be a great injury against God, and procure
a curse, when people employ not their best things in His service. This
is clear from the words, 'Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock
a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing.' So
men that employ not their best things in the Lord's service, believe it,
they are chargeable with this. He calls for your best things in His
service, and not that you should spend that upon your lusts. Ye are
called to employ the best of your time in his service; and many of you
give Him but the refuse of your time, or at least, He gets but your
by-time for His service. But ye should give Him the best of your time
and strength, and your hearts--all should be employed in his service. Do
not say that you do the best that you can; for I am persuaded that there
is none of you but may do more for Him than ye do. Do not say that ye
improve the talent that He hath given you to trade with, for ye but
misimprove it; and the best of you, we fear, come short of improving it.
If ye improve it, ye should find it increase upon your hand, and you
would appear like his children. But because people do not improve their
time and abilities to lay them out for God, it procures a curse. For
though our obligations go far beyond our duties that we do, yet when we
do not lay out all our abilities for Him, and do not bestow our love,
our affections, and our time, and all that we have for Him, but bestow
them upon other things, we procure His curse. Young folks, set to the
work, and be entreated to give up yourselves to his service, and employ
your best things for Him, now when your desires are fast and quick. Oh,
will ye bestow them on precious Christ? You have a brave prize put in