after the manifestations of Christ, are ever in my view. If they were in the dark, and loved to have it so, it might something close a door upon the bowels of our compassion; but they cry out of their darkness, and are ready to follow every one whosoever, to have a candle. If their being gospelless move not our hearts, it is hoped their importunate cries will disquiet our rest, and wrest help, as a beggar doth an alms.

(3.) Seducers and blasphemers will not be wanting to sow their tares, which those fallowed fields will receive, if there be none to cast in the seed of the word. Some are come over thither already without call, without employments, to no other end, but only to vaunt themselves to be God; as they have done in the open streets with detestable pride, atheism, and folly. So that as Ireland was heretofore termed by some in civil things a frippery of bankrupts, for the great number of persons of broken estates that went thither; so doubtless in religion it will prove a frippery of monstrous, enormous, contradictious opinions, if the work of preaching the word of truth and soberness be not carried on. And if this be the issue of your present undertakings, will it be acceptable, think you, to the Lord Jesus, that you have used his power and might to make way for such things as his soul abhors?

[1.] Will it be for his honour, that the people whom he hath sought to himself with so high a hand, should, at the very entrance of his taking possession, be leavened with those high and heavenly notions, which have an open and experimented tendency to earthly, fleshly, dunghill practices? Or,

[2.] Will it be for the credit and honour of your profession of the gospel, that such a breach should be under your hand? that it should be as it were, by your means? Will it not be a sword, and an arrow, and a maul in the hands of your observers? Who can bear the just scandal that would accrue? scandal to the magistrates, scandal to the ministers of this generation, in neglecting such an opportunity of advancing the gospel; sleeping all the day whilst others sow

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[3.] Where will be the hoped, the expected consolation of this great affair, when the testimony and pledge of the

peculiar presence of Christ amongst us upon such an issue shall be wanting?

What then shall we do? This thing is often spoken of, seldom driven to any close!

1st. Pray. Pray the Lord of the harvest, that he would send out,' that he would thrust forth labourers into his harvest.' The labourers are ready to say, There is a lion in the way, difficulties to be contended withal. And to some men it is hard seeing a call of God through difficulties: when if it would but clothe itself with a few carnal advantages, how apparent is it to them? they can see it through a little cranny. Be earnest then with the Master of these labourers, in whose hand is their life and breath, and all their ways, that he would powerfully constrain them, to be willing to enter into the fields, that are white for the harvest.

2dly. Make such provision, That those who will go may be fenced from outward straits and fears, so far as the uncertainty of human affairs in general, and the present tumultuating perturbations will admit. And let not, I beseech you, this be the business of an unpursued order. But,

3dly. Let some be appointed (generals die and sink by themselves) to consider this thing, and to hear what sober proposals may be made by any, whose hearts God shall stir up to so good a work.

This, I say, is a work wherein God expecteth faithfulness from you: stagger not at his promises, nor your own duty. However, by all means possible, in this business I have strived to deliver my own soul.

Once more, to this of faith, let me stir you up to another work of love, and that in the behalf of many poor perishing creatures, that want all things needful for the sustentation of life. Poor parentless children that lie begging, starving, rotting in the streets, and find no relief; yea, persons of quality, that have lost their dearest relations in your service, seeking for bread, and finding none. Oh, that some thoughts of this also might be seriously committed to them that shall take care for the gospel.

Use 3. I desire now to make more particular application of the doctrine, as to things purely spiritual. Until you know how to believe for your own souls, you will scarcely know how to believe for a nation. Let this then teach us VOL. XV.

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to lay the burden and trouble of our lives upon the right shoulder. In our staggerings, our doubtings, our disputes, we are apt to assign this and that reason of them; when the sole reason indeed is our unbelief. Were it not for such a cause, or such a cause, I could believe; that is, were there no need of faith. That is, faith must remove the mountains that lie in the way, and then all will be plain. It is not the greatness of sin, nor continuance in sin, nor backsliding into sin, that is the true cause of thy staggering, whatever thou pretendest (the removal of all these is from that promise, whose stability and certainty I before laid forth), but solely from thy unbelief, that 'root of bitterness, which springs up and troubles thee.'. It is not the distance of the earth from the sun, nor the sun's withdrawing itself, that makes a dark and gloomy day; but the interposition of clouds, and vapourous exhalations. Neither is thy soul beyond the reach of the promise, nor doth God withdraw himself; but the vapours of thy carnal, unbelieving heart do cloud thee. It is said of one place, Christ could do no great work there.' Why so? for want of power in him? Not at all but merely for want of faith in them, it was 'because of their unbelief.' The promise can do no great work upon thy heart to humble thee, to pardon, to quiet thee. Is it for want of fulness and truth therein? Not at all: but merely for want of faith in thee, that keeps it off. Men complain, that were it not for such things, and such things, they could believe; when it is their unbelief that casts those rubs in the way. As if a man should cast nails and sharp stones in his own way, and say, Verily I could run, were it not for those nails and stones; when he continues himself to cast them there. You could believe, were it not for these doubts and difficulties, these staggering perplexities; when, alas! they are all from your unbelief.

Use 4. See the sinfulness of all those staggering doubts and perplexities wherewith many poor souls have almost all their thoughts taken up. Such as is the root, such is the fruit. If the tree be evil, so will the fruit be also. Men do not gather grapes from brambles.' What is the root that bears this fruit of staggering? Is it not the evil root of unbelief? And can any good come from thence? Are not all the streams of the same nature with the fountain? If that

be bitter, can they be sweet? If the body be full of poison, will not the branches have their venom also? Surely if the mother (unbelief) be the mouth of hell, the daughters (staggerings) are not the gates of heaven.

Of the sin of unbelief I shall not now speak at large. It is in sum, the universal opposition of the soul unto God. All other sins arise against something or other of his revealed will, only unbelief sets up itself in a direct contradiction to all of him that is known. Hence the weight of condemnation in the gospel is constantly laid on this sin. He that believeth not, on him the wrath of God abideth: he shall be damned.' Now as every drop of sea water retains the brackishness and saltness of the whole; so every staggering doubt, that is an issue of this unbelief, hath in it the unsavouriness and distastefulness unto God, that is in the whole.

Farther, to give you a little light into what acceptance our staggering thoughts find with the Lord, according to which must be our esteem of all that is in us; observe that, (1.) They grieve him.

(2.) They provoke him.

(3.) They dishonour him.

(1.) Such a frame grieves the Lord. Nothing more presses true love, than to have an appearance of suspicion. Christ comes to Peter, and asks him, 'Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?' John xxi. 15. Peter seems glad of an opportunity to confess him, and his love to him, whom not long since he had denied, and answers readily, 'Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.' But when Christ comes with the same question again and again, the Holy Ghost tells us, 'Peter was grieved, because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? It exceedingly troubled Peter that his love should come under so many questionings, which he knew to be sincere. The love of Christ to his is infinitely beyond the love of his to him. All our doubtings are nothing but so many questionings of his love. We cry, 'Lord Jesus, lovest thou us?' and again, 'Lord Jesus, lovest thou us?' and that with distrustful hearts and thoughts, that it is not, it cannot be. Speaking of the unbelieving Jews, the Holy Ghost tells us, 'Jesus was grieved for the hardness of their hearts; Mark iii. 5. And as it is bitter to him in the root, so also in the fruit. Our staggerings and debates,

when we have a word of promise, is a grief to his Holy Spirit, as the unkindest return we can make unto his love.

How can this be,

How can this be, says Zechariah,

(2.) It provokes him. that I should have a son? This shall be, saith the Lord, and thou thyself for thy questioning shalt be a sign of it, 'Thou shalt be dumb, and not speak;' Luke i. His doubting was a provocation. And our Saviour expresses no less, in that bitter reproof to his disciples upon their wavering, Matt. xvii. 17. 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?' That is, in this unbelieving frame. Poor souls are apt to admire the patience of God in other matters, that he spared them in such and such sins, at such and such times of danger; but his exceeding patience towards them in their carnal reasonings, and fleshly objections against believing, this they admire not. Nay, generally they think it should be so, God would not have them one step farther; nay, they could be more steadfast in believing, as they suppose, might it stand with the good will of God; when all this while this frame of all others is the greatest provocation to the Lord, he never exercises more forbearance than about this kind of unbelief. When the spies had gone into Canaan, had seen the land, and brought of the good fruit of it, then to repine, then to question whether God would bring them into it or no, this caused the Lord to swear in his wrath, that they should not enter into his rest.' When God hath brought men to the borders of heaven, discovered to them the riches and excellency of his grace, admitted them to enter as spies into the kingdom of glory, then to fall a staggering, whether he intends them an entrance or no, is that which lies heavy on him. The like may be said of all promised mercies and deliverances whatsoever. That this is a provocation, the Lord hath abundantly testified, inasmuch as for it he hath oftentimes snatched sweet morsels from the mouths of men, and turned aside the stream of mercies, when it was ready to flow in upon them. If,' saith he, 'you will not believe, you shall not be established;' Isa. vii. 9. The very mercy but now promised concerning your deliverance shall be withheld. Oh, stop not success from Ireland by unbelief.

(3.) It dishonours God. In the close of this verse it is. said, Abraham was strong in faith' (or staggered not)