the prayer of Habakkuk, chap. iii. 17. 18. « Although the fig-tree fhall not bloffom, neither fhall fruit be found in the vine; the labour of the olive fhall fail, and the fields fhall yield no meat; the flock fhall be cut off from the fold, and there fhall be no herd in the ftalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my falvation." Ah! that foul is in a fad cafe, whose comfort waxeth and weaneth, juft according to the waxing and weaning of created comforts; is fatisfied or ftarved, juft according as these breafts are full or empty. Thus many lose all spirit and life in religion, when God takes away their worldly comforts. 5. The weaned foul uses created comforts pafsingly. They follow the directions of Paul, 1 Cor. vii. 29. 30. 31. "That both they that have wives, be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they poffeffed not; and they that ufe this world, as not abufing it; for the fashion of this world paffeth away." The greedy grip the heart takes of these things, in the use of them, is a fad fign of an unweaned foul. It was the fin of the old world, they were eating and drinking like beafts. The weaned foul will do in these like the dogs of Egypt, who run when they lap the water of the Nile, for fear of the crocodiles. 6. The weaned foul cafts itself upon the Lord, without carnal anxiety, as the weaned child depends on the mother's care. This seems partly aimed at in the text. The foul is easy, not on a fenfible profpect, but on the faith of the promise. They are "careful for nothing, but in every thing, by prayer and fupplication, with thanksgiving, let their requests be made known to God," Phil iv. 6. Laftly, The weaned foul ftrives to ftarve, but never to provide for their lufts. These are the fuckers, which, the more they are fatisfied, juft the more they crave. They have much to do who have thefe to feed. IV. It remains to make fome practical improveAnd, ment. 1. In an use of information. This fhews us, (1.) Who they are that have met with Chrift, and been feafted at this communion: Even thofe whofe fouls are now like a weaned child. Are your hearts turned to loath your lufts, weaned from fucking the dry breafts of the world, and ye must have your food from heaven? then the Lord is not fending you away empty. (2.) Your hearts. are not right with God, while they are not weaned. If no weaning influences have reached your hearts, no gracious influences have. You will be nothing the better of this communion; nay, it is like you will be the worse of it; if you get not your hearts weaned on this occafion, your lufts will be more rampant after this; like the child that is moft fond of the breast after it has been long away from it. 2. Use of exhortation. I exhort you to labour to get a weaned foul. To urge you to this, I would propose the following motives. (1.) How fad is it that a heaven-born foul fhould be held at fuch fulfome breafts as those fleshly lufts are, at fuch empty breafts as thofe of the world are! Is there not better food, and more plentiful, fet before you, even Christ himself, and all the benefits of the everlasting covenant? Leave thofe to the fwine, and let your precious fouls eat that which is good. G 2 (2.) fill (2.) Your fouls will never get fatisfaction there. You fhall as foon fill your hands with the wind, or grafp your arms full of dreams and fhadows, as your fouls at the dry brcafts of the world. It is fpending your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which fatisfieth not. (3.) They are altogether unfuitable to your fouls. The foul is fpiritual, they are earthly things; your fouls are immortal, they are perifhing; and ye can no more feed on them to thrive, than fifhes on meadows; nor on the breafts of your lufts, no more than falt water will quench thirst. (4.) A weaned foul would make you very eafy. The man that has it, can never be miferable, meet with what he will. The heaviest crofs would be very light, if eased of the overweight an unweaned foul lays upon it. What is the rife of fo much uneafinefs, but that we are wedded to this and the other thing, and being exceeding glad to have it, are exceeding forry to part with it. It would make you easy to others alfo. (5.) An unweaned foul is the root of apoftacy: It will expofe you to many temptations, and may carry you off from the way of the Lord altogether. It will make you a reproach to religion; and it had been better for you not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after you have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto you, 2 Pet.ii. 21. If ye go back, ye fhall not feed on the feat fo cheap a rate as before. (6.) A weaned foul will fit you for fuffering; and you have need of it, when the work of God is in fuch danger. It will keep you fafe in times of trial, when others, glued to the world and lufts, will turn their backs. (7.) It will fit you for communion with God, and you fhall have it. The manna fell when the provifion brought from Egypt Egypt was done. Laftly, It will fit you for heaven; and there you fhall be filled. In conclufion, Study the mortification of your lufts. What need for these things, if you had not living lufts to feed on them? Feed on Chrift and fpiritual things. Take him inftead of that which. the world and lufts offer. Amen. THE DANGER OF NOT WAITING ON GOD AFTER THE DUE ORDER. * SERMON V. 1 CHRON. XV. 13.-For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we fought him not after the due order. TH HE ark of God having been brought from Kirjathjearim, and left at the house of Obededom, upon the account of the death of Uzza, whom God fmote, God bleffed that man and his house, where the ark was. The news of this coming to David's ears, he refolves again to attempt the bringing of the ark into his own city, 2 Sam. vi. 12. În this tranfaction, obferve, 1. That the fear of mifmanaging a duty may fometimes prevail fo far with the people of God, as to make them lay by the duty for a time. David had seen how dear a rafh touch of the ark had coft Uzzah; fo, fays he, 2 Sam. vi. 9. "How fhall the ark of the Lord • Delivered 2d Auguft 1707. come |