and makes the foul ready to give up with them at God's call.

2. Grace weans the foul from the foulsome breafts of fin, fo that it loaths that which it loved before. The foul in its natural ftate is like Ifrael, Ezek. xvi. 4. "Not cut, neither washed in water to fupple them; not falted at all, nor fwaddled at all." They had lain long in the foul womb of Egypt, and after they came out, they were fill fucking in the Egyptian manners, customs, and abominable couries. Thus men fuck the breafts of fin; they seek fatisfaction in those things which they ought not fo much as defire; they greedily drink of what God forbids them to tafte; they are as fond of their fins as a child is of the breast, their hearts are averfe to part with their finful courfes. There is a sweetness in these to their corrupt hearts, which they cannot want. For, let a man go the round of all created lawful gratifications in the world, and fqueeze the fap out of them all to fatisfy his heart, they are fo empty, that he will break over the hedge, to try if forbidden fruits will make up the want which allowed fruits cannot do. But grace weans the heart from these breafts. It makes the perfon fay, "That which I fee not, teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do so no more," Job, xxxiv. 32.

II. How is the foul weaned from these things? 1. Grace lays gall and wormwood upon thefe breafts, and fo embitters them to the foul that it is made willing to give over fucking them. The heart is made loth to part with them; and though it is often about to give up with them, yet it ftill goes back again, hoping to fuck fweeter than before; but ftill the gall and wormwood lies there, and more and more is laid on till the heart be ac

tually

tually weaned. The way is hedged up with thorns. Hence," the fhall follow after her lovers, but the fhall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then it was better with me than now," Hof. ii. 6. 7. Now, there are two things that serve to embitter these breafts. (1.) Continual disappointments from them. Though the man is always feeking fatisfaction from them, he can never get it. Like the

prodigal, Luke, xv. 16. " He would fain fill his belly with the husks that the fwine did eat, and no man gave unto him." The man is like one in a mist: He sees something, and it appears a house; he comes to it, and it is but a fstone. His hope rifes again on another view, comes forward to it, and it is but a bush. They fall always fhort of expectation; and his mont blooming hopes are biafted. When he is going to take in the most pleafant fruit, Providence makes it even fall between the hand and the mouth, Hof. ix. 2. "The floor and the wine-prefs fhall not feed them, and the new wine fhall fail in her." Let him make his bed where he will, there is always a thorn in it. (2.) Severe wounds arife from them. The man leans with great delight on the broken reed; and ere he is aware, it pierceth through his hand. He fucks eagerly at the breast, and, instead of milk, wrings out blood. When ftriking the rock for water, inftead of it, fire flashes out in his face. Perhaps from the very thing from which he expected his greatest comfort, arifes his greateft crofs. Rachel must have children, elfe fhe dies: She gets them, and dies bringing them forth. But all this will not wean the foul; therefore,

2. The Lord fills the foul with better things: "Open thy mouth wide," fays God, " and I will fill

it," Pfal. lxxxi. 10. If the nurse take away the breast, she will not put an empty spoon into the child's mouth. The foul of man is an empty wavering thing, muft always have fomething to feed on; and will hold what it has as good for it, till it get what it counts better. The man will not quit hold of the world and his lufts, till he open his hand to take hold of Chrift and all the benefits of the everlasting covenant in their stead. Therefore, the great tranfaction of the foul with Christ is called buying of him, in which if a man gives. away his money, he gives it not but for as good, or better. Thus grace weans the foul: For, faith Jefus, John, iv. 14. "Whofoever drinketh of the water that I fhall give him, fhall never thirst; but the water I fhall give him, fhall be in him a well of water, fpringing up into everlasting life." Hence, two things are evident. (1.) That only the enjoyment of God can wean the foul, and the foul will never be at reft till it reft in God. The heart. of man must have a match, and will be ranging. through the world for a match, till it meet with. Chrift, who is the pearl of great price; and to gain this, quits with all. The foul of man will be a restless night-walker till the day of grace dawn, and discover Jesus the Plant of Renown. If they cannot work themselves happy, they will try to dream themselves happy, and prepare themselves a feast of a thousand airy nothings; poffeffions of the heart, though not of the hand. (2.) That the foul will never be Loafted away from these breasts. The very dung, and affes heads, will be precious, in Samaria when there is no bread. Who is there that has not a rational conviction of the world's vanity? yet men throng into the house craving a fill. Why is it that men fo often seem to give up. with it, and in very deed have fatisfaction in no

thing, and yet go juft back to the fame door, where they have got a thoufand nay-fays, and feemed to have got their laft anfwer? Why, truly the devil' is gone out of the house, but it is empty, it is not filled from heaven, and it must not ftand empty; therefore, he returns with feven fpirits worfe than himself. I fhall now inquire,

III. WHAT are the effects of a weaned difpofition of foul?

The foul is weaned at its first conversion to God. Then it is taken off the breasts; but it is hard work, and tedious. The foul is never perfectly weaned till death. As there is an uneafiness and fretfulness in new weaned children, till thoroughly weaned, fo is there in the cafe of the children of God while here. Hence it is faid to them, Pfal. xlv. 10." Hearken, O daughter, and confider, and incline thine ear: forget alfo thine own people, and thy father's houfe." So the effects of this difpofition are more or less strong, as fouls are more or lefs thoroughly weaned.-I shall notice fome of these effects.

1. The weaned foul is a refigned foul: "If any man," faid Jefus, Matth. xvi. 24. " will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." When the foul is weaned, the long war betwixt our own will and the will of God is at an end, and our will runs captive after the wheels of the Lord's triumphant chariot. The will of the weaned foul is moulded, (1.) To the will of God's commandments. The ftony heart is broken, yea, melted down, to receive the impreffion of whatever is God's will for our duty. Its language is, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" No right hand, or right eye, more to be fpared. They esteem all God's precepts concern

ing all things to be right, and they hate every falfe way, Pfal. cxix. 128. All carnal reasonings, in favour of lufts, muft yield to the great authority of the Lawgiver. (2.) To the will of his providence. It will no more rally its forces, to decide the queftion, whether God's will or their will fhall carry it as to their lot; but as the weaned child is at the nurfe's disposal, fo will they be at God's. If that which is crooked cannot be made ftraight, they will comply with it as it is. If their lot cannot be brought up to their mind, their mind fhall be brought down to their lot. Like Paul, " they learn in whatsoever state they are, therewith to be content," Phil. iv. 11.

2. The weaned foul is chearful, and not fretful, in its refignation. He fays, not only just, but "Good is the will of the Lord," Ifa. xxxix. 8. It makes a man carry Christ's yoke evenly; for, to go drooping under it, is a sign of a heart not right weaned. What God does is not only well done, but beft done; fo fays the weaned foul.

3. The weaned foul ftands on other grounds, when created comforts are with him, and even when created streams are running full: He draws his support in both cafes from God as the fountain. Such fay, like Hannah, 1 Sam. ii. 1. "My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord;" and with David, Pfal. xviii. 46. "The Lord liveth, and bleffed be my rock: and let the God of my falvation be exalted." The world's good things fhall not be their good things. They will love them as a friend, but not be wedded to them as a husband. They will use them as a staff, but not build upon them as a pillar.

4. The weaned foul will ftand without them when these are gone, for they were not the props on which his houfe refted. Such a foul can adopt VOL. I.

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