sing sun, and so he is, Mal. iv. 2. especially to souls that have been long clouded. The poor northern nations in Strabo, who want the light of the sun for some months together, when the term of his return approaches, they climb up into the highest mountains to spy it: and he that spies it first, was accounted the best and most beloved of God, and usually they did chuse him king: at such a rate did they prize the return of the sun. Ah! so it is with a poor soul, that for some months, years, hath been deserted. Oh! how highly doth he prize and value the Sun of righteousness his returning to him, and shining upon him! Psal. lxiii. 3. "Thy loving-kindness is better than life," or better than lives, as the Hebrew hath it. Divine favour is better than life; it is better than life with all its revenues, with all its appurtenances, as honours, riches, pleasures, applause, &c. Yea, it is better than many lives put together. Now, you know at what high a rate men value their lives; they will bleed, part with an estate, yea, with a limb, yea, limbs, to preserve their lives as he cried out, Give me any deformity, any torment, any misery, so you spare my life. Now, though life be so dear and precious to a man, yet a deserted soul prizes the returnings of divine favour upon him, above life, yea, above many lives. Many men have been weary of their lives, as is evident

and torments in this world, if I might see thy face one day, at such a rate did he prize the face of God.

in scripture and history; but no man was ever yet found, that was weary of the love and favour of God; no man sets so high a price upon the sun, as he that hath lain long in a dark dungeon, &c. But,

(6.) Hereby the Lord will train up his servants in that precious life of faith, which is the most honourable, and the most happy life in all the world, 2 Cor. v. 7. " For we walk by faith, and not by sight." The life of sense, the life of reason, is a low life, a mean life; the life of faith is a noble life, a blessed life. When Elisha demanded of the Shunamite, what he should do for her, 2 Kings iv. 15, 16. whether he should speak for her to the king, or the captain of the host? she answered, I dwell among my people; that is, I dwell nobly and happily among my people; I have no need to make any suit to king or captain; and this she accounts her great happiness. And indeed it is the greatest happiness in this world, to live much in the exercise of faith; no man lives so free a life, so holy a life, so heavenly a life, so happy a life, as he that lives a life of faith. By divine withdrawings, the soul is put upon hanging upon a naked God, a naked Christ, a naked promise: now the soul is put upon the highest and the purest acts of faith, Isa. lxiii. 15, 16. viz. to cleave to God, to hang upon God, and to carry it sweetly and obediently towards God, though he frowns, though he chides, though he strikes, yea, though he kills, Job xiii. 15. Those are the most excellent and heroic acts

of faith that are most abstracted from sense and reason he that suffers his reason to usurp upon his faith, will never be an excellent Christian; he that goes to school to his own reason, hath a fool to his schoolmaster; and he that suffers his faith to be over-ruled by his reason, shall never want woe; where reason is strongest, faith usually is weakest : but now the Lord, by forsaking of his people for a time, makes them skilful in the life of faith, which is the choicest and the sweetest life in this world. But,

7. By divine withdrawings you are made more conformable to Christ your head and husband, who was under spiritual desertion as well as you, Matth. xxvii. 46. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" There is an hidden emphasis in the Hebrew word. El signifies a strong God, Eli, Eli, my strong God, my strong God. The unity of Christ's person was never dissolved, nor his graces were never diminished, in the midst of this terrible storm. His faith fortified and strengthened itself upon the strength of God. My God, my God; yet in respect of divine protection, and divine solace*, he was for a time forsaken of his Father. And if this be thy case, thou art herein but made conformable to thy Lord and Master, nay thou dost but sip of that bitter cup, of which Christ

*Christ was only forsaken in regard of his human na ture, not in respect of his Godhead.

drank deep: thy cloud is no cloud to that which Christ was under. But,

8. Lastly, By these transient and partial forsakings, Psal. lxxi. 20, 21. the Lord will exceedingly sweeten the clear, full, constant, and uninterrupted enjoyments of himself in heaven to all his people. Ah! how sweet and precious was the face and favour of the king to Absalom, after he had for a time been banished, and at length restored to his royal favour again? Onesimus departed from Philemon for a season, that he might receive him for ever, Phil. ver. 15. So the Lord departs from his people for a time, that they may receive him for ever; he hides himself for a season, that his constant presence amongst his children in glory may be the more sweet and ⚫ delightful to them, &c.

Object. 9. "Oh! but I am falsely accused, and sadly reproached, and my good name, which should be as dear, or dearer to me than my life, is defamed, and things are laid to my charge, that I never did, that I never knew, &c. and how then can I be silent? how can I hold my peace? I cannot forget the proverb, A man's eye and his good name can bear no jests; and how then can I be mute to see men make jests upon my good name? and every day to see men treat it with all the scorn and contempt imaginable, that they may utterly blast it? &c. To this I say,

1. That it must be granted, that a good name is one of the choicest jewels in a Christian's crown; though a great name many times

is little worth, yet a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches; it is better to have a good name abroad, than silver or gold laid up in a chest at home; A good name is better than precious ointment, Eccl. vii. 1. Precious ointments were greatly in use, and highly esteemed of among the Israelites in those eastern parts, Is. xxxix. 2. they were laid up amongst the most precious things even in the King's treasury*. Sweet ointments can but affect the smell, and comfort the brain, and delight the outward man; they reach not the best part, the noble part, viz. the soul, the conscience of a Christian; but a good name doth both.

I have read, that in some countries they have a certain art of drawing of pigeons to their dove-houses in those countries, by anointing the wings of one of them with sweet ointment; and that pigeon being sent abroad, doth, by the fragrancy of that ointment, decoy, invite, and allure others to that house where itself is a domestic. Such is the fragrancy of a good name, that it draws other men after the savour thereof. Among all sorts and ranks of men in the world, a good namé hath an attractive faculty; it is a precious ointment that draws hearers to attend good preachers, patients to attend physicians, clients to attend lawyers, scholars to attend schoolmasters, and customers to attend shopkeepers, who, with Demetrius, háth a good

A good renown is better than a golden girdle, saith the French proverb.

M