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that you scarcely reprove in yourselves? Are there not many by-ends in duties? Do not you find you are far less affected with a great deal of service and honor done to God by others, than with a little by yourselves? Is it not hard to look upon other men's excellencies without envy, or upon your own without pride? And are you not troubled with a busy devil, as well as with a bad heart? Has not he that circuits the whole world, observed you? Has he not studied your constitutional sins, and found out that sin which most easily besets you? Has he less malice against your souls than others? Surely you are in the very thicket of temptations; thousands of snares are round about you. O with what difficulty are the righteous saved! How hard is it to be upright! How few even of the professing world win heaven at last! O therefore search your hearts, professors, and let this caution go down to your very reins; "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

Away with rash uncharitable censures of others, and be more just and severe in censuring yourselves. Away with dry and unprofitable controversies, and spend your thoughts upon this great question, Am I sound or am I rotten at heart? Am I a new creature, or the old creature still in a new creature's dress and habit? Beg the Lord that you be not deceived in that great point, whatever you may be mistaken in. Pray that you be not given up to a heedless, careless, and vain spirit, and then have religious duties for a rattle, to still and quiet your consciences.

Surely that ground work can never be laid too sure, upon which so great a stress as thy soul and eternity must depend. It will not repent thee, when thou comest to die, that thou hast employed thy time and strength to this end. Whilst others are panting after the dust of the earth, and saying, "Who will show us any good?" be thou panting after the assurance of the love of God, and crying, Who will show me how to make my calling and election sure?

O deceive not yourselves with names and notions. Think not, because you are for a stricter way of worship, or because you associate with and are accordingly deno

minated one of the more reformed professors, that therefore you are safe enough. Alas, how small an interest have titles, modes, and denominations in religion! Suppose a curious artist takes a lump of lead, and refines it, and casts it into the mould, whence it comes forth shining and bearing some noble figure, suppose that of an eagle, yet it is but a leaden eagle. Suppose it is the figure of a man, and that in the most exact lineaments and proportions, yet still it is but a leaden man. Nay, let it bear the figure of an angel, it is but a leaden angel; for the base and ignoble matter is the same as it was, though the figure be not. Even so take an unregenerate, carnal man; let his life be reformed, and his tongue refined, and call him a zealous conformist or a strict non-conformist; call him a presbyterian, an independent, or what you will; he is all the while but a carnal conformist or non-conformist, an unregenerate presbyterian, a carnal independent; for his nature is still the same, though the stamp and figure his profession gives him be not the

same.

these, than Samuel did and spruce appearance.

O my friends, believe it, fine names and words are of little value with God. God will no more spare you for Agag for his delicate ornaments Either make sure of the root of the matter, or the leaves of a vain profession will not long cover you.

To be deceived by another is bad enough; but to deceive ourselves is a thousand times worse. To deceive ourselves in truths of the superstructure, is bad; and they that do so shall suffer loss, 1 Cor. iii. 12; but to deceive ourselves in the foundation, is a desperate deceit, and shipwrecks all our hopes and happiness at once.

If any one lose his money by a cheat, it troubles him ; but to lose his soul by a cheat, will confound him. If a man lose an eye, an ear, a hand, a foot, yet as Chrysostom says, God has given these members double, so that there is another left; But the soul is one, and only one; and if that be damned, you have not another to be saved. O therefore be restless till it be, and till you know it be, out of eternal danger.

SECTION VI.

If so many professors of religion be cheated in their profession, let all that are well satisfied and assured of their integrity, bless the Lord whilst they live for that mercy. O it is a mercy that no unsanctified soul can have; yea, and it is a mercy that many gracious souls cannot obtain, though they seek it with tears, and would part with all the pleasant things they have in the world to enjoy it.

This is that mercy which gives souls the highest pleasure this world is acquainted with, or the state of this mortality can bear; for let the well-assured soul but consider what it is assured of Christ, with the purchases of his blood. O what is this! "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine," Cant. ii. 16. What a vital, ravishing, overpowering efficacy is in that voice of faith! Let it but look back a few years, and compare what it was with what it is now. It was far off, it is now made nigh, Eph. ii. 12, 13.. It was not beloved, but is now beloved, Rom. ix. 25, 26. It had not obtained mercy, but now hath obtained mercy, 1 Pet. ii. 10. Or let the assured soul look forward, and compare what it now is and has with what it shortly shall be made, and put in possession of. "Beloved," says the apostle, "now are we the sons of God; but it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is," 1 John iii. 2. Let the assured soul but steep its thoughts, by meditation, in these subjects, and it will be impossible to keep him from the most agreeable transports of joy and delight.

O what a life have you in comparison with other men! Some have two hells, one present, another coming; you have two heavens, one in hand, the other in hope. Some of your own brethren in Christ, who have been, it may be, many years panting after assurance, are still denied it; but God has indulged so peculiar a favor to you. Bless ye the Lord, and make his praise glorious.

CHAPTER III.

Doctrine 2.-True grace is exceedingly precious, and greatly enriches the soul which has it.

SECTION I.

THE Lord Jesus here chooses the most pure, precious, resplendent, durable, and valuable thing, in all the treasures and magazines of nature, to shadow forth saving grace, which is infinitely more excellent. Certainly that must be the best thing, which the best things in nature can but imperfectly shadow forth. What was the golden oil emptied through the two golden pipes, Zech. iv. 12, but the precious graces of God, flowing through Christ into all his members? Gold is precious, but one dram of saving grace is more precious than all the gold of Ophir. "It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for a price thereof," Job xxviii. 15. Surely gold and silver, sapphires, diamonds, and rubies, are not worth the mentioning, when saving grace is once mentioned.

1. For consider it in its cause and fountain from whence it flows, and you will find it to be the fruit of the Spirit, Gal. v. 22; who, on that account, is called "the Spirit of Grace," Heb. x. 29. It derives its original from the Most High; it is spirit born of the Spirit, John iii. 6. All the rules of morality, all human diligence and industry can never produce one gracious habit or act; "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves," 2 Cor. iii. 5. Nay, we speak not becoming the incomparable worth of grace, when we say that it is the fruit and birth of the Spirit; for so are common gifts also. There are several emanations from this sun, divers streams from this fountain; but of all his operations and productions, this of saving grace is the most noble and excellent. Gifts are from the Spirit as well as grace, but grace is more excellent than the best gifts; "Covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way," 1 Cor. xii. 31. Hence you read in Phil.

i. 10. "Of things that are excellent," or as the original might be rendered, "things that differ," namely, in respect of excellency, not as good and evil, but as less good and more good differ. Gifts have their value and preciousness, but the best gifts differ as much from grace, as brass from gold. Gifts are dead graces, but graces are living gifts. Grace is the most excellent production of the highest and most excellent cause.

2. Consider it in its nature, and you will find it divine. St. Peter speaks of being "partakers of the divine nature," that is, in our sanctification; not that it gives us the properties of the divine nature; they are incommunicable; but the similitude and resemblance of it is stamped upon our souls in the work of grace. "The new man is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him," Col. iii. 10. The schoolmen and some of the fathers place this image or resemblance of God, in the natural faculties of the soul-the understanding, memory, and will; which is a shadow of a trinity in unity; but it rather consists in the renovation of the faculties by grace; for in this we bear the divine image upon our souls, and that image or resemblance of God in holiness is the beauty and honor of our souls. It is their beauty. "How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!" says Christ of his people, Cant. vii. 6. Natural beauty consists in the symmetry and comely proportion of parts each with the other; spiritual beandy in the harmony or agreeableness of our souls to G And as it is our chief beauty, so certainly it is our highest honor; for it gives us access unto God, who is the fountain of honor and glory. And this makes the righteous more excellent than his neighbour; let his neighbour be what he will, though the blood of nobles run in his veins, the righteous is more excellent than he, except saving grace be also diffused in his soul.

3. Consider it in its recipient subject, and you will find its value still to increase; for the precious oil of saving-grace is never poured into any other than an elect vessel. Hence faith, one branch of sanctification is, with respect to its subject, styled "the faith of God's elect,” Tit. i. 1. Whosoever finds true grace in his soul,

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