tery pull down the pride of his heart, whenever it offered to rise in any heavenly action?

Secondly, In this point it will be needful to give direction in a case of daily occurrence.--What a man should do, when he finds his natural impotency dead him in spiritual works; when he finds stupidity, benumbedness of the spirit, and many defects, which he cannot over-rule nor subdue in God's service; whether it were not better to forbear the very duty, than to grieve the spirit with undue performances? To this I answer: First, Omit not the duty, though thou art never so ill affected; for that is to give place to the Devil, and to yield to the flesh; and the Devil is pleased either way when by his allurements he can persuade us to evil, and when by discomforts he can discourage us from good. Besides, by doing spiritual things, a man grows more spiritual, and gathers strength even in the action; as water which comes hard at first, flows very plentifully after it hath been a little drawn. They that begin in tears, may end in joy: David began to pray with no comfort, much sore vexation and weakness of spirit under the sense of God's heavy displeasure, and yet he ends with much faith, peace, and triumph: "The Lord hath heard my supplication, the Lord will receive my prayer; let all mine enemies be ashamed," &c. Secondly, Take St. Paul's advice to stir up the gift that is in thee; awaken and revive thine own spirit, by communing and debating with thine own heart, by consulting with God in his word, by diligent acquaintance and right knowledge of his will, by fruitful and seasonable conference, borrowing light from thy brother's candle, rebuking or rectifying thyself by his example; (this is that which the Scripture calls "whetting the law upon one another;") by renewing thy covenant, coming afresh to the fountain of grace, which is in Christ. As iron is quickened by the loadstone, and the earth moves swiftest when it is nearest to its place; so the soul, approaching nearer to Christ, renewing repentance, recounting errors, reviving covenants, dedicating itself afresh to his service, must needs be much sharpened and encouraged anew. Thirdly, When thou canst not do a thing with life, yet do it with obedience when

not in comfort, yet with fear and trembling; when not as God loves to be thou wert wont, yet as thou art able.

sought when he hides. "Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou lodgest at noon?" When Hezekiah could not pray, he chattered and peeped and when thou art not able to speak thy desires, the Spirit can form thy sighs into prayers. Lastly, When still thou art heavy, and in darkness, fly to thy faith; take Job's resolution, "Though he slay me" with discomforts, "yet will I trust in him:" angry though he may be, yet he cannot be unfaithful: though he may, like Joseph, conceal his affection for a time,—yet impossible it is, that he should shut up his compassions, and renounce the protection of such, as in truth depend upon him. "Who is there amongst you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." God will ever have us so much conscious of our own defects, and sensible of our own disabilities, as that we may still run to the sanctuary of our faith, and rest on him, not glory or rely upon ourselves. And now, if our impotency drive us to the grace of Christ, make us more vile in our own eyes, and cry out, with the apostle, of our own wretchedness,-there may be as much life and obedience all over, as when this or that particular duty was performed with more vigour: for that which was wanting in our strength, may be made up in our humility. And this is a sure rule,-God is more praised and delighted in those graces, unto which humility doth more essentially belong, as faith and spiritual sense of our own disabilities, and the like, than in any others. And thus as a small heap of gold may be equal, in value, to a greater of silver; so though, in other regards, we should be many times weak, yet if the sense of that make us more humble, and the less hold-fast we have of any thing in ourselves, make us to take the faster hold of the hope that is set before us,—we may be equally acceptable in the sight of God, who doth not judge of us according to our sense of ourselves, but hath respect to the lowliness' of his servants, and of their graces.

Isai. lx. 10.

The second thing I will but name, having largely insisted upon it from another text; and that is, that the estate of sin, is an estate of enmity against God and his ways. This is amongst other characters of wicked men by nature, that they are SeoσTuys, haters of God,' and 'enemies of the cross of Christ by minding earthly things";' and this by nature is universal. The apostle useth three expressions for the same thing, "When we were sinners,-When we were without strength,―When we were enemies i," to note that impotency and enmity is as wide as sin; and therefore elsewhere he saith, that "we were enemies by wicked works." And our Saviour maketh it all one not to love him,' and not to 'keep his sayings';' and to refuse subjection unto him, and to be his enemy m.' The very minds of men, and their wisdom, their purest faculties, their noblest operations, that wherein they retain most of the image of God still, is yet "sensual, earthly, fleshly, devilish, enmity against him "." In a word, we are, by nature, enemies to the will of God, by rejecting his Word; enemies to the Spirit of God, by withstanding his operations P; enemies to the notions of God, by disliking and suppressing the thoughts and knowledge of him; enemies to the righteousness of God, by setting up our own works and merits'; enemies to the ways of God, by fulfilling our own lusts and wicked works; enemies to the servants of God, in persecutions and cruel mockings, &c.'

And how should the consideration of this fetch us in to the righteousness of Christ, make us fall down and adore that mercy, which spared and pitied us when we were his enemies! Consider but two things: First, what an ungrateful thing; Secondly, what a foolish thing, it is to be God's enemies, as every man is that continues in sin without returning unto him. First, How ungrateful: He is our Father. "Adam the Son of God";" and therefore there is due unto him honour. He is our master; and therefore there is due

g Rom. i. 30. Joh. xiv. 24.

X

h Phil. iii. 18, 19. i Rom. v. 6, 8, 10.

k Col. i. 21.

m Luke xix. 27. n James iii. 15. Rom. viii. 7. o Jer. vi. 10. viii. 9. ii. 19, xliv. 16. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16. Zech. vii. 11. Mat. xxiii. 37. Acts xiii. 45, 46. P Acts vii. 51. Gal. v. 17. Acts vi. 9, 10. q Rom. i. 18, 21, 27. Rom. iii. 11. r Rom. ix. 32. 1 Cor. i. 23. s Col. i. 21. Job. xxi. 14, 15. Joh. xv. 19. 2 Tim. iii. 3. Isai. viii. 18. Zech. iii. 8. Gal. iv, 29. Heb. xi. 36. u Luke iii. 38. * Mal. i. 6.

unto him fear and service. He is our benefactor; he left not himself without a witness; all we are, all we enjoy, is from him. He is the fountain of our life"; it is his mercy that

we are not consumed '; his compassions fail not: therefore there is due unto him love and reverence. He is our purchaser; he bought us out of bondage, when we had sold away ourselves: therefore there is due unto him fealty and homage; nay, he humbled himself in Christ to be our brother, to be our husband; he took our rags, our sores, our diseases and pain upon him, and therefore there is due unto him all fidelity and obedience.

Oh what an aggravation will this be against the sins of men at the last day,-that they have been committed against the mercy and patience, against the bounty and purchase, nay against the very consanguinity, of God himself! He died for us, when we were enemies; and we will continue enemies against him, that died for us! And yet the folly is as great as the impiety. Consider what God is; the judge of all the world : all eye to see, all ear to hear, all hand to find out and punish, the sins and provocations that are done unto him! A jealous God; and jealousy is most impatient of disaffection! A consuming fire: and who amongst us can dwell with devouring fire? and who" amongst us can dwell with everlasting burnings? Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?' St. Paul hath resolved his own question before; as long as we are enemies, we are without strength.'-And now for the clay to contend with the potter,-for the potsherd to smite the rock,-for impotency to stand against omnipotency,-what a madness is it! Let us learn wisdom from our Saviour's parable; "consider, whether we, with our ten thousand, are able to go out against him, that meeteth us with twenty thousand;" whether we, with our ten thousand flies and lusts, are able to meet him with twenty thousand angels and judgements. And when we are indeed convinced, that, in his presence, no flesh living shall be justified;' that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God;' that our hands will

y Acts xiv. 17. 1 Cor. vi. 20. d Isai, xxxiii. 14.

z Psal. xxxvi. 9. a Acts xvii. 25, 28. Heb. ii. 12. e Eph. v. 32. f Gen. xviii. 25.

i Luke xiv. 31.

b Lam. iii. 21.

Heb. xii. 20.

not be strong, nor our hearts endure, in the day when he will have to do with us; how can we choose but send forth an embassage? especially since he is not a great way off, as it is in the parable, but standeth before the door, and is nigh at hand, and will not tarry ;-an embassage of repentance, to give up our armour, to strip and judge ourselves, to meet him in the way of his judgements, to make ourselves vile before him, and be humbled under his mighty hand, and sue forth conditions of peace; to meet him, as the Gibeonites did Joshua, and resolve rather to be his servants, than to stand out against him. This is certain, God is coming against his enemies, his attendants Angels, and his weapons fire. And if his patience and forbearance make him yet keep a great way off, that he may give us time to make our peace, "O let the long-suffering of God draw us to repentance *, lest we treasure up more wrath against ourselves!" Consider the great aggravation of that spiritual Jezebel's sin: "I gave her space to repent of her fornications, and she repented not1." Consider, that the long-suffering of God is salvation; and therefore let us make this use of it. Labour to be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

The last thing in this first point proposed, was, How the Spirit, by the commandment, doth thus convince men to be in the state of sin? To this I answer briefly, First, by quickening and putting an edge upon the instrumental cause, the sword of the Spirit: for the Word of itself is a dead letter, and profiteth nothing: it is the Spirit that puts m life and power into it. "I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord to declare unto Jacob his transgressions," saith the prophet, Mic. iii. 8. As the Spirit is a spirit of life, so hath he given to the Word to be a Word of life, “quick and powerful"." Secondly, by writing in the heart, casting the heart into the mould of the Word, and transform ing the spirit of man into the image of the Word, and making it, as it were, the Epistle of Christ,' bending and framing the heart to stand in awe of God's Word; for writing his law, and putting his fear into the heart, is the same thing with God. In which respect, amongst others, men are said to be sealed' by the Spirit; because that spiritual holiness,

k2 Pet. iii. 15. 1 Rev. ii. 21. 18 Rom. viii. 2. n Phil. ii. 16. Heb. iv. 12.