The Intercourses of Divine Love Betwixt Christ and His Church

Sermon XX.

I Am dwelling yet upon the first Proposition of Doctrine I observed from these words, That the Soul must be drawn to, and after Christ before it will run after him. (It is a great point, and I am willing to make the utmost improvement of it that I can. The improveableness of it for our instruction is all you have yet heard.

In the next place, certainly there may be made some improvement of this notion, to assist to judge concerning our spiritual state, concerning faith and holiness. These being from the ordination of God so necessary to Salvation, that without them we cannot see God, mistakes about them are like diseases that affect the vital parts, exceeding dangerous. All that this Doctrine will help us in, as to this particular, is in letting us know,

1. That that faith which will do the Soul any good as to Eternal Salvation must be (as the Apostle stiles it, Col. 2. 12.) a faith of the operation of God. The work of Faith with power, as the Apostle speaks, 2 Thessal. 1. v. 11. It is called the gift of God, Eph. 2. 8. Not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, Eph. 2. 8. The work of God, Joh. 6. 29. This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he hath sent. It is not only the Commandment of God, 1 Joh. 3. 23. and the gift of God, but the work, the operation of God, a work with power, such a faith as is an effect of the Fathers drawing? This if duly observed, will go a great way to guide us in this inquiry, it will let us see • that that believing (which is the mere product of natural powers) is not that coming to Christ, to which the promise of life, and Salvation is annexed▪ Two things men ordinarily deceive themselves with, as to this business of Faith.

1. Judging any kind of blind, and languid assent, to the proposition of the Gospel to be that believing, to which the Holy Ghost in Scripture annexeth the promise of Salvation, A great many know no more by believing, but their agreement that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he was made man, and died for us. All which, and much more the Devils believe, and yet tremble. I do not think that an assent to the Proposition of the Gospel, be the assent what it will, is that Faith which justifieth. It is not the Proposition of the Gospel, but the Person of the Mediator, that is the object of that Faith; some indeed tell us, that Faith is an operative assent, and by that they have mended the matter: but if the Person of the Mediator, not the Proposition of the Word be the formal, and proper object of true Faith, no assent can be the justifying act of Faith, for the Proposition must be the object of that. There are several kinds of assent according to the light in which we see a Proposition. We assent to things ofttimes merely upon report and hear-say, so as the assent is a mere human Faith. Thus most Englishmen assent to this, that there was such a Person as William the Conqueror. A thing they can see in no other light than that of human reports in History; of all other assents this is the weakest, and most invaluable, and before we give it, there must appear to us a probability in the thing; upon this account, none but those who judge themselves obliged to believe what the Church saith, and that those Books were written by the order of the Church, believeth or assenteth to the strange stories in the Popish Legends, because their reason tells them the things are improbable, yea, impossible, without a miraculous operation which they see no reason God should work in such a case, nor will men give their assents in such cases, but where they are not much concerned whether the thing be true or false, so as it is equal to them to agree the thing or to deny it. 2. Men assent to things upon the evidence of ratiocinations, they form conclusions from principles, and then assent to them. Now in regard our reason is not infallible; this assent likewise (though more strong than the other) yet is but saint and incertain, and alters as we see better reason for the contrary. 3. There is an assent which is given to a Proposition upon the account of a divine revelation. Now this assent is stronger or weaker, as the Revelation, is more fully, or imperfectly, & incertainly agreed. A man by a natural power may assent to the Proposition of the Gospel, as delivered to him by men: he that thus assenteth doth no more assent to what the Gospel saith of Christ, than to what Histories tell him of what was done by the Saxon or Norman Kings many hundred years ago. Reason working upon its own principles showeth us nothing of Christ. The Scriptures are by all Christians generally looked upon as the Word of God, but no man hath any certain and firm persuasion that they are so, but he who is persuaded of it by the Holy Spirit of God; all arguments from tradition and reason, have their uncertainties, and though they are useful to make it probable to others, yet they do not produce a certainty of persuasion in our own Souls; hence the assent to such Propositions as are only revealed in Scripture, must also be faint and incertain, and consequently not operative, or very incertainly operative; so that although it may produce something of practice, whiles the fit of assent is upon the Soul, yet it produceth no steady, certain constant practice; so as though it should be granted, that a practical assent to the Proposition of the Gospel, be true justifying faith, to which is annexed the pardon of sin, yet if by it we mean such an agreement of our minds to the truth, as produceth a certain, steady, constant or ordinary practice and course of life, conformable to the propositions of truth which we agree, as this will imply trusting, and relying on Christ for life and salvation, so it is such as is the operation of God in the Soul, and that not in a way of common providence (as our abilities▪ to speak or move are) but in a way of special favor and working, for man's agreeing to the holy Scriptures to be the Word of God, firmly and steadily, being the reason why he agrees the truth of the propositions which are revealed in it alone, and that being the special work of God in Souls that shall be saved, of necessity such also must be the assent to the Propositions that are revealed in it, and which can be seen by the Soul in no other light. So as indeed I do not think there is much in it more than a strife about words, or at least a very great nicety, whether true justifying Faith be a practical assent to the Propositions of the Gospel, or a reliance on the Person of the Mediator, or rather both; for a practical assent doth necessarily infer a reliance on the Person of the Mediator: Admitting that this is one Proposition of the Gospel, Acts 4. 12. That there is no Salvation in any other, for there is no other name given under Heaven amongst men, whereby we must be saved; and that the Soul in its practice of holiness, hath any Eye to the recompense of reward, it is impossible there should be any practical assent (to use the term of some) that is, any assent to the Proposition, that shall produce any truth, or constancy of practice, without a reliance upon, and trusting to the Person of the Mediator; and this must be the special work, and powerful operation of God in, and upon the Soul. But now if men make any kind of languid, weak and incertain assent to the Gospel Faith, and think that they have true Faith, because they agree the truth of the Propositions of Scripture, they may miserably deceive their own Souls; a Man by a mere natural power may as well agree, that there was such a one as Jesus of Nazareth once in the world, who went about doing good, exhorting men to a good life, and was Crucified, &c. as that there was in England a William the Conqueror, or anything else that is to be found in other Books of tolerable credit, and reputation in the World. Or if men think that they do truly believe, because they agree many propositions of the Gospel, which are evident in the light of Reason, they again deceive themselves, here may be nothing of the operation of God in this faith. Nay if they agree the Propositions of the Gospel, because they are revealed there, and in the mean time do not agree the Scriptures to be the Word of God, but look upon them in the same rank with human writings, or only by an human saith agree them to be the Word of God, because the Church hath so delivered, and transmitted them, here is all this while nothing of the special operation of God. Nor will this agreement produce any steadiness and firmness of practice, commensurate to the Revelation, but only commensurate to the nature of the Assent, which being not fixed, & constant, nor it may be, not universal, but to some part only of the revelation, must necessarily bring forth no more than a saint, partial, and incertain, practice. Hence it is that Hypocrites may do many things contained in the law, and at one time be more warm than at other times. But if thy Assent be the special operation, thou assentest to the whole revelation, because God hath fixed in thy Soul a persuasion that it is from him who cannot lie, it is also steady and fixed; and though some doubts may possibly incumber thee sometimes, yet they hold not long, and thou firmly and generally (with allowance for the frailty and infirmity of human nature, endeavourest to live up to the whole of that duty, which the revelation imposeth upon thee, which thou canst not do, without relying on Christ, and him alone for Salvation, and having a respect to all the Commandments of God. And indeed, herein that agreement or assent which is the special work of God in the Soul, differs from that which is but a mere natural action. 1. In that it is more fixed, certain, and universal; and this must be so, for our assent is according to our light, we must first see, before we agree the truth of a proposition, now the light of the holy Spirit is without doubt the clearest and brightest light. Our natural reason gives us but a dim light, as to matters of Faith. 2. In that it layeth a stronger obligation to practice. Reason will tell us, that the more firmly we believe the truth of Propositions, holding forth rewards and punishments relating to our practice, the stronger we shall find our obligation to practice in order to the obtaining such rewards, or avoiding such punishments. 3. In that it layeth an obligation to a more universal practice. The obligation to practice riseth no higher than the assent, so as if there be any duty to which we do not agree, our assent obligeth to no practice of that. Now the holy Spirit persuades us of the truth of the whole revelation, and that in the fullest and truest sense. Hence it is that the true believer is more warm and universal in his obedience, than it is possible another should be, because his assent unto the truth, is from a quite differing light, and a quite differing work of God, the assent of the former proceeding but from a common work of God in nature, the latter from a work of special grace by the Spirit of God upon the Soul. I will not much contend with those who will have true Faith to be a practical Assent to the Proposition of the Gospel, if they by Assent mean a firm and steady Assent; and by practical, such an Assent as obligeth strongly to an universal practice of whatsoever is revealed as our Duty. 1. Because I know a reliance upon Christ for eternal Salvation, must be the effect of such an Assent. 2. Because I know there can be no reliance on Christ without such a previous Assent to the Proposition of the Gospel. 3. Because I know there can be no such thing without the mighty Power of God upon the Soul. So that in this sense the Soul must be drawn by the Father, before it come to Christ. Only let none deceive themselves, (as to this point of true Believing) by fancying such an Assent to the Doctrine of the Gospel, true Faith, wherein God hath no further concern, than as he influenceth acts of Human Nature flowing from that order of operations which he hath set in all rational Souls. True Faith must be more than this.

2. As to Faith men are also prone to cheat themselves by calling their Natural presumption Faith; we say Faith lies in a resting, and reliance on Christ. Now many will tell us they rest and rely on Christ, and yet it is no difficulty to evince they do but presume and not believe. Resting and relying on Christ for Salvation, must be the Father's drawing. Natural presumptions are merely from ourselves. Every man is willing to hope well for, and to prophesy good unto himself. Hence living under the publication of the Gospel, and having heard of an eternal Life and Salvation, and this to be had through Christ, and by resting on him, many naturally cry, they rest on Christ, and trust in him, and him alone. And our Savior lets us know, that men may die with such confidences, Matth. 7. 22, 23. Now there is a resting and reliance on Christ, which is the Operation of God, yea and the mighty work of God upon the Soul, and this many a poor Soul finds that lives months, and years, under the Spirit of bondage, before it can rest on Christ, and quietly commit itself unto him; and there is a resting, which is no more than a natural hope, or confidence, arising either from the Souls natural desire of good to itself, or from its ignorance of the true grounds of a true resting and reliance: And indeed by this may these two be distinguished and known asunder, That resting and reliance upon Christ for any spiritual and eternal blessing, which is the Operation of God, is alwa • es bottomed on a Promise, and testified by a life suitable to the condition upon which that Promise is made. These two things are always in it. 1. I say first it is founded upon a Promise; for all Grace, and Eternal Life being the gift of God, it is as vain a thing for any to be confident they shall have it, without God's revelation of his Will as to it with reference to them; as it is for any man to pretend a confidence, and trust in another for the making him rich with a great part of his Estate, when that other never so declared his mind to him, or any one else. And 2. The Promises being not made to persons by name, but to persons that do thus & thus, it is altogether as unreasonable for any to pretend a rest and confidence in Christ, for the collation of those spiritual blessings, as it had been for any Commanders in the Jewish Army, having heard Saul 's declaration of his Will, That whosoever killeth Goliath, should have his Daughter to Wife, should have promised himself Saul 's Daughter without incountring the Philistine. Now this resting and relying on Christ, (which is the only true reliance) is so difficult by reason of our former sins, and daily infirmities of human nature, and the lapses and backslidings we are guilty of, that no man thus comes to Christ until he be drawn. Thus far I have shown you how far this discourse may be useful to guide us in our enquiry whether we be drawn and come to Christ yea, or no, directing you to distinguish true Faith, both from a faint and languid assent, and from a natural presumption of our good Estate with reference to Eternity.

2. But it may be further useful also to try your holiness. That also must be the effect of Drawing Grace. There are two usual mistakes about holiness.

1. The first is when what we usually call Moral Virtue is called holiness.

2. When we mistake it for a formal running a round of Religious Duties.

I say first, When we mistake holiness, for what we usually call Moral Virtue, or Moral Righteousness. I put in those words [we usually call] because I perceive some modern Writers (possibly because pinched with their Arguments, who have contended for something else besides Moral Virtue to be necessary tó salvation) have extended the notion of Moral Virtue far beyond what Aristotle and the rest of the Philosophers learnt us to understand by that name; and do not only bring Faith within the compass of it, but will pretend it to be necessary to it, that the action to be done should be performed from a Principle of Faith, and Love, and Obedience, and directed to the Glory of God as their end. These acts and actings our Fore-fathers were wont to call Grace; but to let us know that those in our days who have enlarged the acts of Morality, mean no more, than what men may do, by nature, having no more than the motives of the Gospel, and the assistances of the Spirit, common to all to whom the Gospel is Preached, therefore they well call these things Moral Virtues. As to Moral Virtue in the latter notion of it, it cannot be mistaken for holiness, for it is so. It is in the ancientest, and most proper notion of it, that I am speaking to it. So Chastity, Sobriety, Temperance, Liberality, Justice, are moral habits, and the acts of them are acts of Moral Virtue and Righteousness; whether he that doth them doth them out of any Principle of Faith, or Love, or Obedience, or with any respect to the Glory of God, yea or no; but if any thinks this is holiness, he is wonderfully mistaken, for it is essentially necessary to an act of holiness, that it should be done from a Principle of Faith, the Soul being fully persuaded, that it is the Will of God, and in Obedience to his Will, eying his command in our action. And 3. Proposing to ourselves the Honor and Glory of God for our end. So that though the same acts be done, yet if they be done from other Principles, and to other ends, they may be acts of Moral Virtue (that is, under the government, and conduct, and guidance of reason) but no acts of holiness. Besides, there are many actions which are our duties, in obedience to the Will of God, the reasonableness of which is not to be concluded (nor ever was concluded by the men of reason amongst the Heathens) from any other Principle than this, That it is the highest reason that we should do what God commands us. So that to reduce our duty as Christians, to the Precepts of what we have used to call Moral Virtue, is partly to secure ourselves from a great part of our duty, by that Art, and partly to do what we do out of such Principles as God will never more thank us for, than we will do our Servants, for doing what we would have them do, but they do out of respect to themselves, without any regard to the pleasing of, or obeying us. Now, though it be true, that acts of Moral Virtue (that is conformable to natural reason) may be performed by men without any special influence of the Holy Spirit: Yet without such a Drawing Influence the Soul will neither do those acts, from any true Principle, or to any right end: Nor yet do many things which are required of us (under the notion of holiness) in order to eternal life. Besides, the holiness required of us is in all our conversation, 2 Pet. 3. 11. Now it is observed of the greatest Moralists, that they failed here, and indulged themselves in some things of immorality, yet went for morally virtuous men, if they excelled in Justice, though they failed in Temperance, Sobriety, and Chastity, &c. And indeed herein is the drawing of Divine Grace with respect to holiness seen, and from hence to be judged. If the Soul finds itself under a constant obligation to whatsoever God hath commanded, and that because God hath commanded it, and that it might please him, and do what is acceptable in his sight. This no Soul doth from a mere natural power; and though the renewed Soul be made willing, yet to keep on in this course it stands in need of the daily excitings and quickenings, and assistances of the Holy Spirit.

2. A second mistake which men may be deceived by, as to Holiness, is when they take a formal performance of Religious duties to be it. Holiness lieth in Godliness, and Righteousness. And as men may mistake Righteousness towards men for Holiness, so they may as easily mistake a Form of Godliness, which may consist (as the Apostle teacheth us) with a denial of the Power of it to be Holiness. Godliness in the sense I am speaking to it, signifieth the performance of those acts of homage and worship, which God hath required of us to his more immediate Service and Glory. This lieth in the performance of some external actions of God immediately, according to the prescription of his Divine Will, which respecting the manner, as well as the matter, all such actions as are mere bodily labor, are indeed no Godliness, but mere formal performances, and things so short of obedience to the Commands of God, that God in Scripture is said not to require them, that is, not them alone, or them performed in such a manner, as Isa. 1. 12. When you come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hands, to tread my Courts? Bring no more vain Oblations; Incense is an abomination unto me; the New Moons, and Sabbaths, the calling of Assemblies, I cannot away with, even the Solemn Meetings: Your New Moons, and your appointed Feasts, my Soul hateth; they are a trouble to me. God had appointed all these things; he had commanded they should tread his Courts, bring Oblations, offer Incense, keep New Moons, and Sabbaths; but all these things ought to have been done out of love to God, with a Faith in Christ, and with pure hearts; not being so performed, they were no Godliness, but mere abomination unto God. The case with us under the Gospel is the same, though our Acts of homage there prescribed be of another, more reasonable and spiritual nature. God hath required of us to pray, to praise, to hear his Word, to partake of his Supper. He hath also prescribed us the manner in which we ought to do these acts; in Faith, in Obedience, with the intention of our minds, attention of our thoughts, fervency of spirit. Separate the more external acts from these, they are no better than formal performances, bodily exercises, neither acceptable to God, nor profitable to ourselves: If men will call these Godliness, or Holiness, it is a great mistake. The external acts are indeed such as men that live under the Gospel may be excited to perform, and may perform without any special influence of Grace, by virtue of his natural powers and abilities, and the common Grace of God not denied to any: But when they are done, without due affections, and principles, and inward motions of the heart correspondent to the nature of the actions, according to the revelation of the Divine Will, they are no Holiness, but Hypocrisy; and thus they cannot be performed without the assistance and influence of special Grace. Thus from this notion of the necessity of Christ's drawing both with reference to our first coming to Christ for life, and further following him, walking with him, and running after him. Christians may be able to judge both concerning the Truth of their Faith, and also of their Holiness. If either be true, they must be the effect of Divine special Grace, and more than any can do from the powers of Nature, even the best educated Nature, not renewed, changed and influenced by special and distinguishing grace. I am fully of their mind who think that those Souls, who are no further changed and reformed, or converted, than might be from the power of Nature rationally improving Moral Principles, and Gospel Motives and Arguments, cannot be saved: But yet I am so charitable, as to think that many may be saved who think they have no other conversion than this; the workings of the Spirit of God upon our Souls are so indiscernible and internal, that we may possibly mistake them for the workings of merely our own powers and faculties, under the advantages of the Gospel; but they must be more than such, or else (as I have before said) man is the first Author of all spiritual good, both with respect to action and fruition, to himself, and clearly his own Savior, and must make himself to differ from another, and that by the highest, and most spiritual difference, and one man's Soul must have different and inequal virtues from the Soul of his Brother, whose Soul is of the same species, and hath the same faculties. But I have dwelt long enough upon this branch of Application.

Let everyone now by this Examine himself, whether the Faith that he thinks he hath, be a mere Assent to the Proposition of the Gospel, upon the Evidence of it he hath had from the Church, or from men, or a mere languid incertain Assent, from probable Arguments of Reason, or a mere presumption bottomed upon no Promise. Or, whether it be a firm and fixed Assent to the Truths of the Gospel understood by him, conjoined with a reliance upon the Person of the Mediator, clearly revealed in the Gospel, as the only Savior of Man, and producing an endeavor in all things to live up to the condition of the Promise? Whether the Holiness which he thinketh his Soul hath arrived at, lieth in a mere Moral Righteousness, a forbearance of gross and scandalous courses of sin, and a doing such acts of Justice and Charity, as a man may do from the mere improvement and conduct of reason, and a mere Formality of Godliness, a performance of such acts of homage, as God hath prescribed, without respect to the manner in which God hath willed them to be performed.

If your pretended Faith and Holiness be no more, trust not to them as Evidences that you are come to Christ; all this may be without anything of this drawing; your Faith is no more than that mentioned, Matth. 7. 22. where our Savior tells you that many (pretendedly trusting in, and relying upon him, as may appear by what they said) should say to him in that day; Lord! Lord! Have we not prophesied in thy Name, and in thy Name have cast out Devils, and in thy Name done many wonderful works? to whom he would say, I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. God had never promised Heaven & Salvation, to a prophesying in his Name, nor to a casting out of Devils, so as their confidence, or reliance on, or in Christ, was the growing up of a Rush without Mire; a trusting without a ground, or bottom: Your Holiness and Righteousness is no more than that of the Pharisee, who gloried, Luk. 18. 11, 12. That he was not as other men were, Extortioners, Unjust, Adulterers; he fasted twice a week, and gave Alms of all that he possessed. Our Savior saith, he went away not justified. And Matth. 5. 20. Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you can never enter into the Kingdom of God. Say to yourselves severally, My Soul, thou must one day come before the Judgment Seat of Christ, and begging for admittance into Heaven, thou wouldest be loath to hear the Lord in that day say to thee, Depart from me, I know thee not. My Soul, what hast thou more to trust to than they had? Canst thou say anymore than Lord! I am not as other men? I am no Swearer, no Drunkard, no Reviler, no Extortioner, no Whoremonger; Lord, I fast often, I go to prayers often, and to Church often, to hear the Word; if thou hast no more to say, the Pharisee had as much. The interest of a man's own body, or estate, the examples of other men, the credit and applause of the world, may move a reasonable Soul, under no other power than that of reason, nor other influence, than that which all within the compass of the Church, where the Gospel is Preached, may carry thee thus far, without any influence of powerful, special Grace.

Further yet, this notion of Truth, may help to relieve many good Souls, who are discouraged, either because they seem to themselves to stick in the New Birth: Or, because they find in themselves a great weakness to spiritual duties: Or, impotency in the resistance of their own intrinsic motions to sin, or foreign temptations. As easy a thing as some make it to believe; many Souls smitten of God, and truly afflicted under the sense of sin, find it one of the most difficult things in the world, to give such a firm and steady Assent to the Revelation of the Gospel, as will produce in their Souls any grounded confidence, and resting on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and shall be productive of such a change of heart and life as the Gospel requireth. Hence, though they be truly wounded in the sense of sin, and have taken up resolutions through the Grace of God, to sin no more as they have done formerly; yet they cannot tell how to bring their Souls to any fiducial adherence and rest on the Lord Jesus Christ, but they are still full of doubts and fears concerning their spiritual and eternal state; the guilt of their sins is upon their consciences, and they pine away, in, and under it; but they are not able to reach out an hand to the Promise in and through Christ; they have deep sights of their misery, but they can see no hope, no mercy at all in God for them. Now to such Souls as these, this is some relief to consider, That no man cometh to the Son unless the Father draweth him. It is no wonder that thou who hast formerly been not a stranger only, but an enemy to God, canst not at first come unto him, without a powerful influence of Divine Grace; when as those who are brought home to God, stand in need of a daily Divine Influence to enable them to walk with him, and to run after him. This is not the weakness, or frowardness, or badness of thine heart alone; it is the condition of every lapsed Soul. And here the thinking Soul will come to feel the wound given it by the Fall of Adam, and its own original corruption. No man hath by nature more aptitude than another to acts truly spiritual. You will say, this is very cold comfort. We are sure, if we be without Christ, we are undone; and what if our hearts be no worse than others were till they were made better by the Power of Divine Grace, so long as that they are so bad as we cannot come to Christ for life? We have been lying in this state at the Pool of Bethesda, under the Ordinances of God, many months and years; others within the time have been rolled in; here we lie still as weak as ever. I will but offer two things to the relief of a Soul thus complaining.

1. That every Christian drawn to Christ, doth not presently discern it. Faith, is one thing, the sense of that Faith is another thing. Many a Child of Light doth not walk in the Light. I would hope charitably, that that Soul which complains that it cannot believe, and seriously bemoans its impotency, doth believe; a serious desire to believe, is generally the fruit of believing. I would say to the Soul that thus complaineth, Thou art awakened to consider an Eternity, and that thy Soul is hastening towards an Eternity; yet thou dost not despair, thou hast some hope: In what is thy hope? What dost thou trust in, with reference to thy Eternal Happiness? Such a Soul will easily see, that its Moral Righteousness, or Formal Performance of Duties, are not the things it hopeth in; Where then is thy hope, (those degrees of hope which keep thee out of the Pit of despair,) fixed? Where can it be fixed but in Christ exhibited in the Promises of the Gospel, so as thou rather complainest for want of sense, than for want of 〈◊〉

2. If thou dost but pray, and wait, thou shalt see. Christ will make thee to see, that he hath drawn thy Soul unto himself. Never poor Soul perished under thy circumstances, that is, heavy loaden under the sense of sin, and weary of its sinful courses, and sensible that it hath no Righteousness wherein it can stand before God, and panting and thirsting after the Lord and his Righteousness. I have always thought that God would not be wanting to any as to his special Grace, that had made the best improvement he could of common Grace. But this case riseth higher; God hath begun his good work in thy Soul, and he will perfect it; he hath begun with thee in a way of special Grace, and more shall be added; he hath brought to the birth, and shall he not give strength to bring forth? so as thou hast nothing to do but to pray, to wait upon God in his Ordinances, and to wait for God with patience.

Secondly, I hear others complaining, They would run after God, they would follow the Lord fully; the Spirit is willing, but the Flesh is weak; they find their corruptions, their temptations so strong, their strength against them so small, that they wonder they hold out so long, and fear they shall one day fall. They cannot find that they run after Christ; something of duty they do, but with so much dullness and heaviness, as is far from running. Christian! be of good comfort:

1. The Lord will draw thee; do what in thee lieth, the Lord will draw thee. Who (saith Paul) shall deliver me from this body of death? He presently subjoins, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Spouse prayeth in Faith, when she saith, Draw me, and we will run after thee. If Abraham had considered his own body, at that time dead (as to such acts) or the deadness of Sarah's womb, he had never glorified God by a strong Faith in the Promise; Rom. 3. 21. He considered none of these, but the Promise only, and concluded, that what the Lord had promised, he was able to perform. Thou considerest how busy the Devil is, and what he can do: How strong thy lusts are, how weak thou art, and how little thou art able to do. But thou dost not consider what a mighty God can do; what he can do who hath said, To him that hath shall be given, and he shall have in more abundance. Thou seest a great Mountain of lusts and corruptions, great Mountains of temptations, and thou art afraid: But what art thou O great Mountain before the Lord's Zerubbabel? If it be the Lord's work, who shall let him?

2. Consider, The Lord may sometimes not draw 〈…〉 as at other times, and our running will bear a proportion to his drawing. The Mother will never leave the little Child to go wholly alone, for fear it falls; she will always have an hand upon it; but she may sometimes put forth more, sometimes less of the strength of that hand. God never leaveth us wholly to ourselves; he knows we cannot stand, or go without him; but he sometimes lets us feel more of his strength, sometimes less.

3. Going slowly when God slackens his hand, is indeed running, that is, equivalent to a going faster with a further influence. It is like the Widows Mite, who hath no more to put in. Like Hezekiah 's chattering like a Crane. Like the voice of David 's weeping. Like the sorrowful sighings of the Prisoners which God heareth and accepteth.

Sermon XXI.

IT is a great point that I am upon from the Petition of the Text Draw me, viz. That the Soul must be drawn before it will move toward Christ, either by coming to him, in its first conversion, or by running after him: I have been some time upon it, I shall now shut up my discourse with some few words of exhortation, which shall respect all Men and Women. 1. Those that are yet without Christ, not come unto him. 2. Such as are come unto him, yet are under obligations to run after him.

1. To the first I would speak two things. 1. Never think either of coming to Christ, or running after him in your own natural strength. It is a rock which many Souls dash, and are eternally spilled upon. They say not, there is no hope, they have found the life of their hands, therefore they are not grieved. It is one of the most dangerous deceits of a man's heart, for him to say he hath his Spiritual life in his own hands, to think that he hath a power within himself, and can turn to Christ, when he pleaseth, or to bless himself as in a good condition, when indeed his condition is very bad. Let me a little show you the mischief of this error.

1. If I could say no more, than that it is a false persuasion, yet that were enough to defame it to every reasonable Soul, the Soul instead of having its life, hath no more than a lie in its right hand; the object of our understanding is truth, falsehood is what it ought naturally to reject and abhor. Men are but in an ill condition when they are forced to make lies their refuge, and to hide themselves under falsehood, Is. 28. 15. What a sad state is that Soul in, that is put to make a lie its refuge, and to hide itself from the reflections of its conscience, under falsehood! His conscience tells him he perisheth forever, if he abideth in the State he is in, what relieves him? he thinks he can repent, and believe, and turn to God when he listeth, and so goeth on in his sinful courses, stoppeth his Ears against the voice of the Lord's Charmers. Here is now a lie made the refuge of the Soul.

2. But Secondly, a further mischief lies here, That whereas the drawings of Divine Grace do usually follow some means, and endeavors to be used on our part. and that in time, this false persuasion, takes us off the timely use of such means, and endeavors, upon the use of which God ordinarily comes in with the further power of his Grace. Admit a thing necessary to be done, and so allowed by us, yet if it be laborious, painful, or any way ingrateful as to the means to be used in the doing of it, and it be a thing which we know, or believe we can do when we will, we are never hasty to do it, but very apt to defer and put it off from time to time, and to omit those means, the use of which is not pleasing to our sense; whereas if we be convinced that the thing is not in our own power, but requires the assistance of another, if we apprehend it necessary for us, though the means be unpleasing, yet we will not neglect the use of them. For example, admit a man sick of some dangerous disease, and he apprehendeth, that without the use of some skillful Physician he cannot live, though he cannot come at this Physician without a laborious journey, and knows the Physic will not please his palate, yet a man will not lose his opportunity, nor neglect taking Physic according to the Physicians prescription; whereas if he apprehends his distemper such, as he knows at any time how to remove, by some means in his own power, he is very prone to put off the use of means from time to time, until possibly it be too late. This is the case of a Soul, persuaded that it hath its life in its own hands, a power in itself when it pleaseth to repent, believe and turn to God; these things being not pleasing to flesh and blood, the Soul is very prone to slight and neglect the means, with which God useth to concur, giving the Soul a power to do these things above what it hath in itself, but now admit a Soul possessed of the necessity of faith, repentance, and new obedience, in order to its eternal happiness, and also to know that it cannot do these things without a powerful influence of Divine Grace, which God useth not to give out in the neglect, but in the use of those means of Grace, which he hath appointed, especially if it knows that the Spirit of God shall not always strive with man, it will neglect no time, no use of means, but in the morning sow its Seed, and not suffer its hand in the Evening to be • lack, because it knoweth not which shall prosper, this or that, with what means, or at what time God will concur, Isaiah 57. 10. Thou saidst that thou hadst thy life in thy hands, therefore thou wert not grieved. The Jews had used all means to make piece, and leagues with other Nations, and had at length obtained it, and thence concluded they had their life in their hands; they were well enough, and safe enough, and therefore they were not at all grieved for their sins against God, which was a means in order to their true security. It is even thus with the Soul, did it lie under the powerful conviction of this truth, That of itself it hath no power to repent, believe, or turn to God, it would then be troubled for its sad and miserable estate, and look out for Salvation in and by Christ, waiting upon him in ordinances, and by prayer crying to him to draw it unto himself, but so long as it is possessed of an opinion of sufficiency in itself, it neglecteth the timely use of such means as must be used in order to eternal Salvation by, and from Christ, upon this score I conceive it was that Christ told the Pharisees, Mat. 21. 32. That Publicans and Harlots should enter into the Kingdom of Heaven before them. The Pharisees said they had their life in their hands, they could save themselves, they were Lord's, and therefore they would not come to Christ; the Apostle telleth us that the Jews going about to establish their own righteousness, submitted not themselves to the righteousness of God, Rom. 10. 3.

3. May it not be doubted whether God will ever draw that Soul that faneieth that it stands in no need of his drawing? It is said of God, that he resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. What is Pride but an high, and undue opinion of ourselves? Whether it be upon the account of some gifts of common Providence, such as Riches, Honors, &c. or common gifts of the Spirit, such as knowledge, the gift of prayer, or prophesying, or (which indeed is the worst of all) upon the opinion of some conceited righteousness in ourselves, or some spiritual power, and abilities we have, or judge ourselves to have; the latter is Spiritual Pride, nor is anything more opposite to the truth, and Grace of the Gospel; the whole design of the Gospel, is to exalt Christ as the Lord our righteousness, and our strength, and our great duty is to accept him in that notion, nor indeed can he be truly received in any other notion; now can it be reasonably imagined, that he whose arm useth to bring Salvation; when he looketh and seeth there is none to save, should bring Salvation to a Soul, that apprehends it hath no need at all of him, he hath done enough for it, in giving it a reasonable Soul, and the Preaching of the Gospel. These are now some of those great Evils, that are consequential to this error imbibed by the Soul; but you will say to me: what can a Man or Woman in his or her natural state do in order to his being drawn by Divine Grace? To this I answer,

1. He may not oppose or set himself against the workings of this Divine Grace.

2. He may do some things that may be conducive.

1. In the first place do not resist the Grace of God, nor set yourselves in opposition to it; You will say then, can Grace be resisted, did not you tell us it is powerful, and shall be obeyed?

I answer. I did tell you that Grace is powerful, and cannot be finally resisted, but it may be a long time resisted and opposed. The holy Spirit, is the most potent agent, and must at last overcome, but it may be vexed and grieved. I know what some will say; what if I do resist, if I do oppose it, if God hath determined me to lise, and to Grace, as the means, it shall at last overcome? I answer that is true, but yet it is no vain counsel to give any to advise them to take heed of such resistings, and vexings of the Spirit of God, as it is capable of, and that upon a threefold account.

1. Because he who thus resisteth the Holy Spirit, justifieth God in his condemnation, and not putting forth such a power of Grace as shall be effectual of its Salvation; those who plead so highly for a power in man to what is Spiritually good, lay a great stress upon their fancy, that if we do not allow this, we make the destruction of a Sinner to be from God, not from himself, but they do not consider two things. 1. That whatsoever destruction we derive from Adam, is from ourselves, for in Adam all died (saith the Apostle.) God is neither bound to restore unto us the Grace he once gave us, and we lost, nor yet unjust in requiring of us the exercise of that power, which we once had of his gift, and have lost through our own default (for the default of our first Parent in whom we all sinned, and died was our own.) 2. That the resistance of the holy Spirit in its more common Grace and operations is a sufficient clearing of God in the condemnation of Sinners, though he doth not give out his effectual Grace; he hath said, that to him that hath shall be given. The sense of which (though Mat. 13. and in the parallel Text it may be to him that hath anything of special distinguishing grace, shall be more given of the same nature and kind yet) is plainly, Mat. 25. 29. (where it is used in the exposition of the parable of the Talents) To him that improveth what he hath, and may very well be interpreted into a promise of further Grace to him that makes a good improvement of common Grace. The justice of God's judgment upon those of Jerusalem was from this manifested to the world. That Christ would ofttimes have gathered them as an Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings, but they would not. If a man must be ruined, yet surely he should not ruin himself.

2. Secondly, Tho if thou beest one ordained to life, the Grace of God towards thee shall not be finally resisted; yet thy resistances, and opposition may make the new birth, much harder, and more full of pain to thee. It is a most certain truth, that the foundation of God standeth sure, the Lord knoweth who are his, and not one of those whom the Father hath by his Eternal gift given to Christ shall be lost, they may for a time oppose and resist the motions, and knockings of his Spirit, but it shall at last overcome them, but the Soul in its coming unto Christ, usually meets with the Spirit of bondage, making it to fear before it receiveth the Spirit of adoption, teaching it to cry Abba Father. Now thy opposition, and resistances to the Spirit of Grace may keep thee much longer under the Spirit of bondage; and for this, I appeal to the experiences of all those who have been brought home to Christ, whether they have not found the oppositions and resistances which they have made, to the knocks, and motions of the Holy Spirit, have not lain heavy upon them, before they have been able to discern a gracious acceptation; whether when their faith in Christ hath got above their other sins, the follies, and vanities of their youth, they have not found it stick here. They could hope in Christ, and in the free and infinite Grace of God through him, were it not that they remember, how often they refused the tenders of Grace, and put off the holy Spirit, knocking at the door of their hearts. Now what knowest thou O Christian but that thou art an elect vessel, one ordained to eternal life, and salvation, if so, thou shalt certainly be brought home to Christ, and be saved, notwithstanding thy present resistance and opposition, but it may be as through fire, why shouldest thou make thy new birth more painful, and difficult?

3. Thirdly, When thy Soul is brought home to God (if ever thou seest that happy hour) it will while thou livest he a grief of heart unto thee, to think how long thou didst oppose, and resist the Grace of God, bringing Salvation in the tenders of it to thy Soul. The People of God, have their sad, and dark hours, as well as their hours of light and comfort, they will tell you from their own experience, that when they reflect a sad Eye upon their former ways, they find nothing lying more sad and heavy upon their Souls, than their so long resisting, and opposing the Grace of God, before they submitted to it, to all their sins they have added this great iniquity, that when the Lord said to them, yet Believe and you shall be saved, they to go on in their sinful courses, put off the Spirit of God from day today, and sent him sad away from their Souls, and why should Christians make themselves matter of trouble and sorrow hereafter, how graciously soever God will deal with their Souls? O therefore let all that wish well to their own Souls, be so far from opposing, or hindering the drawings of Divine Grace, as to do what in them lies in order to the obtaining of them; you will say unto me, what is that, what can we do either, as to the hindering or obtaining them?

1. First, As you may hinder these influences by omitting your attendance upon hearing the word: so you may by your conscientious attendance upon it, do something in order to the obtaining of it. I observe that the blind men in the Gospel, observed, and placed themselves in Christ's walks, the way wherein he was to go. He that conscientiously waiteth upon the preaching of the Word, placeth himself in the way wherein Christ useth to go. He that walks to the Ale-house, or to his worldly business, or abideth in his House, when he should walk to a Sermon, is out of Christ's walk, and as this is in his own power to avoid, so by not avoiding, he hindereth divine drawings. The Preaching of the Word is the ordinance of God for the Salvation of the Elect, when Christ was lifted up, he by this drew all those Gentiles that were converted to the faith of Christ; you know in the drawing of a thing by a Cord, there is necessary, a Cord to draw with, which must de fastened to the thing we would draw, when it is fastened, he that draweth must put to his strength, it is not the Cord that draweth, but the power and strength of the man's arm that useth the Cord. That which is drawn here is the Soul of man, a poor dead Soul, that hath in it no principle of Spiritual life, and of itself cannot come to Christ. He that draweth is God, the holy Spirit of God, and that by the power of an everlasting arm; but now the Cord is the word of God (so God hath ordained) either some terrible word of threatening, or some comfortable word of promise, some word of God, is by the holy Spirit fastened upon the Soul, by this the Soul is drawn, yet not by the force of the Word, but by the power of the Spirit making use of the Word; now he who neglects the reading, or hearing of the word, hinders his own drawing, he rejecteth and refuseth the Cord, which though alone, it would not draw the Soul, yet is the mean, the Cord in the hand of the Spirit, by which ordinarily Souls are drawn that do come to Christ. On the other side those Souls that are diligent, and careful to read and hear the Word of God, where it is interpreted, and applied with most tendency to the conversion of Souls, though he doth nothing ultimately, and efficiently, yet he doth much, in a way of means in order to his drawing unto Christ. This is the first way.

2. As a man may hinder the drawings of God, by quenching the motions of the holy Spirit, and giving a deaf ear to the knocks of it, or delaying its obedience to them, suffering vain company, or worldly cares to choke the motions of the Spirit, and wear out the impressions of the word: so he may further them by favoring them, retaining such impressions, and whetting the word upon his heart. There is scarce any person who is a constant attender upon the Preaching of the word, but at some time ot other will find some discourse more than ordinarily affecting him, and making some more than ordinary impressions upon him, now if when a man findeth this, he endeavoreth to stifle this conviction, or wear off this impression, and to work his Soul out of the trouble of it, he hereby opposeth and resisteth the drawings of Divine Grace. 〈…〉 the other side, if he withdraws himself, fits alone, meditateth upon what he hath heard, searcheth the Scriptures to see if it be according to what is revealed there, and when worldly business would put it out of his thoughts, if he endeavors again to bring it to his remembrance, and setcheth it again into his thoughts, desiring it may have its perfect work. This man now doth what in him lieth to promove divine drawings.

Thirdly, As a man or woman may hinder God's drawings, by walking contrary to his or her Light: So they may promove them, by walking up to their Light and Power. The Soul that is drawn to Christ is alive, and yet dead: Alive as a natural rational Soul, dead as to God and Goodness. And this answereth an obvious and ordinary Objection, viz. What can a dead Soul do? The Answer is easy, it can do nothing so far as it is dead; but though the natural man be spiritually dead, yet considered as a man, a rational creature, he is alive; and though he can do nothing that is spiritually good, because he is dead in sin; yet he may do something that is morally, and rationally good, because he is rationally alive, and under the power and conduct of reason in a great measure. He hath some Natural Light; he hath a further revealed Light by and in the Gospel; and though he hath not a power to live up to all the Light which the Gospel shows him; yet he hath a power to sin against that Light, to which he might walk up, and of which • he might make a better improvement. It is very possible, and too too ordinary for men when God draws one way, to suffer their passions, their vile affections and lusts, to draw another; and in doing it, to triumph over their reason. This is highly provocative of God. There is a great question about the power and freedom of man's will by nature. Sober Divines say, the unregenerate man hath no power, no freedom to what is truly, and spiritually good. If any power, or freedom may be allowed to the unrenewed will▪ certainly it is most proper to assert it at such a time, when the Holy Spirit moveth most strongly, by its impulses and convictions. The unregenerate man at such a time more than another hath in his power to resist his lusts and motions to sin, and give up himself to God; if he will now resist this Light, and not to his power use this help, he thereby hindereth God's drawings. Suppose a man in a Pir, and weak, and not able to get out; some strength he hath while he lies still, to hold back, but none to raise himself upward, to get out: When a Cord is fastened about him, if instead of yielding himself, he holds back what he can; this man now hinders the charitable drawing that others more strong would lend him.

Fourthly and lastly, Pray to God that he would draw you out of the horrible Pit, and miry Clay. It is the Holy Spirit that draweth; and Christ tells us, that he giveth the Holy Spirit to those that ask him. But I shall turn my discourse to the Children of God, and show them what is their duty, upon the consideration of this truth; That no Soul, unless drawn by God, either comes to, or runneth after Christ I shall open it in several particulars.

First, This Doctrine calleth to all who apprehend themselves to be come to Christ, to examine their Calling, whether it be such as amounts to a Divine Drawing; whether there be anything wrought in your Souls, which flesh and blood could not reveal to you; anything more than could be the effect of the will of the flesh, or the will of man. I have before enlarged upon this Theme, showing you, how you may know whether your Faith be a Faith of the operation of God. The work of God upon your Souls with power. Whether what you take to be Holiness, be the Sanctification of the Spirit. You have heard that there is an Assent to the Gospel, which may be given upon mere human testimony, or upon probable Arguments of Reason; neither of which is true Faith; that there may be a Moral Righteousness, and a formal course of performing Religious Duties; neither of which amount to the Sanctification of the Spirit, or a running after Christ upon his drawings. I shall here only add, that there are two or three things which may draw men to some Reformation of life, though Christ draweth not.

1. The interests of men's bodily lives, and healths, and estates. Temperance, Sobriety, Chastity, are Virtues, in the practice of which men are concerned, as to these; and though indeed lusts have so far fermented in some debauched persons, that these interests will not draw them to such a Reformation, yet in many who have not been tainted by a vicious Education, and in whom custom hath not begot a second nature, these concerns will draw much, as to which aactions Grace comes not in, (I mean special Grace • ) further than to direct men to do them from a Principle of Faith, Love, and Obedience to the Will of God, and with an aim at glorifying God.

2. The Examples of others, especially such as are our Superiors, whom we honor or reverence, or our near friends and companions whom we love, may have a great force upon us, that we may please them, or be like unto them, to do many things. It is of great concern with whom we converse. Many persons in Religion, write only by Copies, and do acts because they see others do them whom they love, admire, or have in reverence. These Examples alone will not only bring men to a conformity to them, in a civil conversation, but also to forms of Religion and Worship.

3. The inter st • of men's credit and applause in the World will go a great way. Saul begs of Samuel to honor him before the People. The Pharisees sought the praise of men, rather than that of God; and indeed this is the general cause of Hypocrisy. This happens more generally when Religion is in fashion and credit with the world. I might instance in several other things, but these are sufficient. Try therefore and examine your Souls, and rest not till you find what may evidence to you, that you are indeed drawn by Christ.

Secondly, This Doctrine calls to all the People of God for Humility; indeed it evidenceth Humility a necessary ingredient into Saintship. A proud Child of God is a contradiction. Grace leaves the Soul nothing to boast in, nothing to be proud of Is he come to Christ? He had never come, if the Father had not drawn him: Doth he run after him faster than another? he had never run, if he had not been drawn. There were some in the Church of Corinth, who were puffed up, who despised Paul, and thought of themselves above what they ought to think; they were full, they were rich, they had need of nothing. Observe the Argument by which the Apostle humbleththem, 1 Cor. 4. 7. Who hath made thee to differ from another? Or, What hast thou which thou hast not received? And if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? Art thou come to Christ? and is not thy neighbor? What follows from hence, but (as the Apostle to the Romans saith) that to thee God hath been more good, to him more severe. Hast thou come of thyself, or in thy own strength? Christ hath told us; That no man cometh to the Son, but he whom the Father draweth. Everyone as he is learned and taught of the Father, cometh unto the Son. He who is not drawn, is the object of thy pity, and deserveth thy prayers, thy good counsel and exhortations, all the help thou canst give him; but thou hast no reason to triumph, or boast, or glory over him; had not the Lord drawn thee, thou hadst been in the same circumstances that he, as as much a stranger to Christ as he is. It is grace, special grace which alone maketh the difference betwixt thee and him. Dost thou find thyself more strong and able than another to resist a motion to sin, whether from the lusts of thy own heart, or from the suggestions of of the Devil, or from the World? Thou standest when another is overcome and falleth. Dost thou find more ability to spiritual duties, more freedom and liveliness in the performance of them? still all this is from grace: Without Christ thou couldest do nothing; thou hast no reason to glory, because what thou hast is received; what thou dost is by grace, which thou hast received. I live (saith Paul, Gul. 2. 20.) yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the Faith of the Son of God. So as the Child of God hath nothing to glory in, nothing to boast and triumph over his weaker Brother; for, if he differs, it is grace alone makes him to differ.

Thirdly, This notion calleth upon the People of God to bless the Lord, if at any time they find their hearts more enabled to run after God, Psal. 18. 29. By thee (saith David) I have run, or I have broken through a Troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. David owns there to God his Victory over his fleshly enemies; but a Christian's Warfare is more spiritual, against Principalities and Powers, against spiritual Enemies, mighty Temptations, strong Motions to sin; doth he at any time get a Victory against them? certainly he is obliged to give God the glory, for it is by him that he breaketh through the Troops of the Prince of darkness. Hath he difficult duties to perform, and hath he found a strength to perform them, still the glory is due unto God; for by him he leapeth over the wall. It is an expression of David 's, Psal. 87. 7. All my springs are in thee. Our spiritual life is maintained from many springs. A spring of pardoning grace, because of our renewing guilt. A spring of renewing and sanctifying grace, because of the frequent lustings of the flesh against the Spirit, and our being brought so often into a captivity to the Law of our members. Springs of strengthening, quickening, comforting grace, because of accidents which weaken our strength, make us dull and heavy in the service of God, and often to walk in the dark, and see no light. Now all our fresh springs are in Christ; whither then but to God should we go with our homage, for any influence of grace received? God laid it to the charge of the Israelites, Hos. 2. 8. that they did not know that he gave them their Corn, and Wine, and Oil, and Silver, and Gold. Great evils followed this ignorance. 1. God had not that glory which was due unto him for it. 2 They made an ill use of them, they multiplied them for Baal. 3. They by this means provoked God to deprive them of those mercies. Those who do not know, that is, do not believe that their fresh springs of grace are from God, cannot give God the glory of them, nor will think themselves so concerned, to use them for the honor and glory of God; the not doing of which will provoke God • to deprive them of them. I cannot understand, how those who derive all their good motions from their own wills, should understand themselves obliged further than to sacrifice to their own Net and Yarn, and to applaud themselves instead of giving glory to God. What have they to praise God for, saving only for making them reasonable creatures, and so leaving them to the power and freedom of their own natural faculties?

Fourthly and lastly, This notion calleth upon all the Children of God to eye and to use Christ, as the fountain both of their spiritual life and strength. Christ is the All in all to, and in all his Saints. He is the Lord their Righteousness, that is, their All as to Justification: The Lord their strength, that is, as to Sanctification, and in Heaven he will also be to them All in All. They shall be ever with the Lord: that's their All in Heaven. But here is our infirmity, that we do not eye Christ in this notion. Hence our doubts, and fears, because of our guilt of sin, and imperfection in duty; hence our despondencies as to the Promises, if our Souls be but a little spiritually sick, we prophesy to ourselves no less than spiritual death. We shall one day die by the hand of our tempter, or by the power of our lusts. Here we do not act like our Father Abraham; he did not consider the deadness of his own body, nor the deadness of Sarah 's womb; he staggered not at the Promise through unbelief. We consider only the frame and temper of our own hearts, and what they are able to produce; we consider not what God is able to perform, nor yet his Promise, which ensureth his willingness, that he might be faithful. Fear not (said God to his People) for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God, I will strengthen thee, and uphold thee with the hand of my Righteousness, Isa. 41. 10. & v. 14. Fear not thou worm Jacob, and you men of Israel, for I am thy Redeemer.

2. Use him as the fountain both of your life and strength. It is with the spiritual life of the Soul, as with the natural life of the Body; both of them are from God's breathings: The first is from the breathings of his more common providence; the second from the breathings of his more special grace, and spiritual influence: And in the like manner, as the former is also preserved, and maintained by God upholding our faculties, and the virtues in our meat to nourish, in our physic to heal us, and keeping off those accidents, which would ruin and destroy us; use him therefore as the principle and fountain of your life:

1. By frequent addresses and applications to him: Because our natural life is from God: We are not excused from endeavoring to our utmost the preservation of it, whether by the use of food or physic, o • cautious avoiding what will be noxious and pernicious to it, because the influence of God's blessing is not to be expected in the omission and neglect of due means, but from the due use of them, God concurreth with our endeavors, and use of means, though he putteth forth an influence in order to the effect, beyond the bare virtue of the means: so as to our spiritual life, the necessity of Christ's influence in order to the preserving, and upholding it, doth not infer a needlesness of our use of such means as he hath instituted, in order to that end, it only teacheth us not to trust in the means alone, but to look beyond them unto Christ. Every gracious Soul hath in itself a principle of spiritual life, as every living Body hath in it a principle of natural life, but as the Soul in the Body of a man may be obstructed in its operations, so the Soul may be clogged in its spiritual operations, hindered by lusts, and corruptions, hindered by strong temptations and motions to sin; these may make the Soul stumble and fall, they may make it dull, heavy and inactive, weak, and sad, and dejected; here is need of Christ's further drawings, in order to it we must cry unto him, we must lie in the way in which he useth to meet Souls with such dispensations.

2. Keep up in your Souls a dependency upon Christ, without distrust and unbelief; when you cannot live upon the sense of strengthening, quickening, consolatory influences, yet live upon faith, as to them; God is never so much honored as when he is trusted, when his Servants live a dependent life upon him, for whatsoever he hath promised. It speaketh a great faith to live upon a promise, when we cannot live by sight; a Christian should live by faith upon Christ as to his spiritual influences, with reference to the Enemies of his Soul, as David lived by Faith upon God, and his promises, and providence with reference to his worldly Enemies, Psal. 118. 10, 11, 12. All Nations (saith he) compassed me about, but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them: They compassed me about, yea they compassed me about, but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. They compassed me about like Bees, they are quenched as the fire of Thorns, for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. If our strength depends upon Christ's drawings, we have no reason to distrust because of our own weakness, and have nothing to do but to do what in us lieth, depending upon Christ for his further supplies and influence.

Sermon XXII.

I Have done with the Spouse's Petition, Draw me. I now come to the Argument, or her Promise, And we will run after thee. She beg'd her Beloved's drawing; she promiseth her own running. From the Petition I observed; That the Soul must be first drawn, before it will come to, or run after Christ. This I have discoursed largely. I come now to the second Proposition I raised from these words:

Prop. That the gracious Soul being first drawn, will run after Christ.

Till it be drawn, it will not, it cannot run; when once drawn, it will run. This Proposition I shall open, prove, and apply. In the Explication I have only the term running to open. I opened the term draw largely in my Discourse upon the former Proposition, where I told you it signified, a powerful gracious influence of the Holy Spirit upon the Soul, persuading, alluring, and commanding the Soul's Obedience. It is an act both sweet, and powerful. Sweet, for God draws with the Cords of Love, as he speaks, Jer. 31. 3. yet powerful, for the Soul is made willing; the will is not forced, but melted, renewed, and changed, and contrariwise inclined to what was before its inclination. So as my meaning is, that when God hath once, by the sweet and powerful influence of his Spirit upon the Soul of a man, allured, persuaded▪ and commanded the Soul to its duty, then it will run after him. The only question to be spoken to is, what is meant by Running. When I opened the Text, I told you of several things imported by this term, I shall now more largely discourse them

1. Running implieth willingness to the motion. It implieth motion, and so is opposed to lying, or si • ting still. It is a saying of Augustine, Certum est nos velle, quum volumus, agere quum agimur. It is (saith he) certain, that we will, when we are made willing, that we act, when we are acted, sed ill facit ut velimus, it is God that maketh us to be willing. He giveth to will and to do. Men may run, that are not originally willing, it is a mischief that they fear, which makes them run, but yet even then they move willingly, though it be a danger imminent upon them, which maketh them so willing. But this motion is a much sweeter motion, they are made willing first, and then they move out of choice, willingly: until the Soul be renewed, and changed, it moveth not at all toward God, it may move to natural actions, from that principle of natural life, of which it is possessed. It may move to moral actions, from that principle of life which every reasonable Soul is possessed of. But it moveth not to any truly spiritual actions, because it wanteth a principle of Spiritual life. But this being infused in regeneration, to will being given unto it, it moveth in the ways of God, and that from a principle within itself. You (saith the Apostle, Eph. 2. 1.) hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. It moveth not, as a mere Machine, or Instrument, from the power and force of a foreign agent, but as a living creature, from itself, and a principle within itself. Yet not without a divine influence, look as it is in natural motions, though they flow from a a principle of life in a man, yet they are not without an influence of more ordinary common providence, upholding our natural faculties; hence the Apostle saith of God, in him we live, move and have our being: So it is as to our Spiritual motions, the Soul moveth from the principles of Spiritual life infused into it, from the principles of the new creature, but yet not without the influence of the Spirit of Grace upon it, upholding those habits of Grace, which are infused into the Soul, and exciting it to, and assisting of it in Spiritual actions. Without me (saith Christ) you can do nothing. he doth not say, without me you cannot do much, or you cannot do great things, but you can do nothing. But yet to will is present with the Soul, yea and to do, though it hath no strength to do what it would. And as the Soul hath need of a daily influence of Grace, in its ordinary course of Spiritual action, so it hath need of more special and powerful influences, when it meets with a work more difficult, for (saith the Apostle) 2 Cor. 3. 5. We are not sufficient to think one good thought as of ourselves, for now our sufficiency is from God. This is now Gratia co-operans, co-operating Grace, in the exercises of which we are not mcerly passive, as in the reception of the first Grace; as it was with the Israelites in their journey towards Canaan, Numb. 9. 17. 18. &c. They kept pace with the Cloud, and with the Pillar of fire, when the Cloud moved, they moved, when the Cloud stood still, they stood still. At the Commandment of the Lord they journeyed, and at the Commandment of the Lord they pitched, as long as the Cloud abode upon the Tabernacle, they rested in their Tents. And when the Cloud tarried long, upon the Tabernacle many days, then they—journeyed not. So it is with such as are Israelites indeed, in their spiritual motions toward the new Jerusalem, the City of God. If the Grace of God assists not, they move not, and according to the degree of its influence, they move more, or less. But yet they move, and willingly move, though not without the co-operating and assisting Grace of God.

2. Secondly, Running implieth strength in the motion, thus it is opposed to creeping, or walking saintly. The weak man may creep, and go slowly, but he cannot run. When the Lord draweth, the Soul will not only move towards God, and that freely and willingly, but it will move strongly; it will find strength against sin, and strength unto duties, Job. 17. 9. The righteous man will hold on in his way, and he that is of clean hanas shall grow stronger, and stronger. God commandeth that we should love h m with all our strength, Luk. 10. 27. When the Lord draweth the Soul, then it runneth with all its strength, loveth God with a love that is stronger than the Grave; then it believeth with a strong saith, and obeyeth with a perfect heart. While God was present with Sampson, though they tied his Hair to a Beam, and shut up the Gates of the City, he could carry away Beam and Gates, though he had no more then the jaw-bone of an Ass, he could with it slay a thousand men, when God was departed from him, he could not get out of his Enemies hands, though he had no such opposition; when a Soul finds the power and presence of Divine Grace, though it hath strong corruptions, and meet with strong Temptations, yet they are all nothing to it, it easily over all becomes more than Conqueror. Peter at one time, at the command of Christ, walks to him upon the Sea, at another time wanting the same special assistance, is overcome by a silly Maid in the High Priests Hall; the opposite Temptation was much the same in both cases, viz. from the sear of his life, which was in as apparent danger from the Sea, as from the Enemies in the Hall of the High Priest.

3. Running argues speed, so it is opposed to walking a footpace, or step by step. When the Soul is by God drawn unto him, and wants not his co-operating Grace drawing him after him, it will not only move towards God, and that with strength, and courage, but it will move with nimbleness and readiness. As it is with the body sometimes, though it hath its usual strength, and be able to work as usually, yet it is seized with a torpor, and laziness, there is a dullness, and inactivity upon it: So it is with the Soul, its Spiritual distemper many times, is not so much a weakness, as a spiritual deadness, dullness, and inactivity, so as it wants a promptness, and readiness to its duty: It cannot say with David, My heart is ready O God, my heart is ready, I will pray and sing Praise. Running argues the absence of this ill temper. If the Lord draweth the Soul, it will not only serve him, but it will serve him with a ready mind, and free Spirit; praise and duty will wait for God in the Soul; it will not only walk, but run the ways of God's Commandments. David hath an expression to this purpose, Psal. 119. 60. I made hast, and delayed not to keep thy Commandments. Every Soul that loves God keepeth the Commandments of God, it is the test of our love to God. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them (saith Christ, John 14 21.) he it is that loveth me. But there is a great deal of difference in men's keeping, and fulfilling the commandments of God. The meanest, weakest Christian doth in his measure keep the Lord's commandments, all the commandments of God, Psal. 119. 6. Then (saith David) shall I not be ashamed, when I have a respect to all thy Commandments. He that hath the least of saving Grace, sets the law of the Lord in his Eye, and makes the word of God a light to his feet, and a Lanthorn to his paths, and hath a reverence and regard to all the commandments of God, and To will is present with him, he would walk perfectly with God, but in many things he doth offend, through weakness, and in many things through a dullness, and heaviness which sometimes doth affect, and afflict his Soul, he doth not only want a strength to perform, but he wants a life, and quickness of Spirit in what he doth, but now if the Lord draweth, the Soul makes hast and delayeth not to keep the Commandments of God. Jacob himself had forgot the vow which he had made unto God, when he fled from the face of his Brother Esau; God draweth him, saith unto him, Gen. 35. 1. Arise go up to Bethel, make there an Altar to God, &c. then Jacob made hast, and delayed not, v. 2. When there is a suspension of this drawing Grace in its co-operating, and concurring influences, the Soul moves heavily, like Pharaohs Chariots; when the Wheels are taken off, it hath a view of its duty, and lieth under convictions as to it, and it may be finds strength enough to the performance of it, but wants a readiness of mind, and is ready when it hath a monition to duty from such as wish well to it, to say as he said to Paul, Go thy way, when I am at leisure I will send for thee. Or tomorrow, or at such or such a time I will do it; as the young man in the Gospel whom Christ bid follow him, said, suffer me first to go and bury my dead; So sometimes the Soul is ready to say, suffer me first to go, and do such or such a thing. So the Soul is ready to delay and put off good motions, but when the Lord draweth, then it maketh hast and delayeth not to keep his Commandments. It longeth for times of duty. It is glad when they say unto it, Come, let us go up to the House of the Lord, it saith, when shall I come and appear before God? There is a time when the Soul saith, when will the Sabbath come, the hour of Prayer come, that I may appear before God, and pour out my Soul before him? This is now when God draweth hard, when the Spirit of God cometh upon the Soul, in a more than ordinary influence: and there is a time when the Soul saith, when will the Sabbath he gone, the hour of duty be run out? This is when the Lord doth not draw in such a manner. The believing Soul like the flowers, opens or shuts, as the Sun of righteousness shineth more or less upon it. Let me again allude to that Text, Psal. 65. 1. Praise watteth for God in Zion. Praise is a rent due from our Souls to God, we farm much mercy from the great Landlord of all good, Praise is all the rent we pay. Now look as it is in the world, a bad tenant never hath his rent ready so it is with a bad Man, he lives upon mercy, and it may be hath liberal portions of mercy, but God never hears of him to pay his acknowledgments. A good Tenant, if the times be good, hath always his rent ready for his Landlord, so as his rent waiteth for his Landlord: but if the times be bad, even the best Tenants, though they have an heart to pay their rent, yet may not have it to pay, their Landlords may wait for their rents; so it is with the best Souls. If the Sun of righteousness shines out clearly upon them, and the Spirit of Grace draweth powerfully, Praise waiteth for God in their Souls. If not, God may wait for his Praises. Hence David so often prayeth. Quicken me according to thy word, Psal. 119. 25. Quicken me in thy way, v. 37. Quicken me in thy righteousness, v. 40.

I have now opened the term Run. The Proposition opened lies thus before you, That the Soul of a Christian, once drawn not only by the motives and arguments of the Gospel improved by the gifts of God's Minister, but by the secret, and powerful influence of the Spirit of God upon it, doth no longer lie still (as the Soul dead in sin) nor move from a foreign power put forth upon it, but from an inward principle within itself, and that not weakly and impotently, but with might and strength, and that not dully, and heavily, but with life, freedom, speed, and cheerfulness, after God in the way of its duty, keeping the Commandments of God with its whole heart; being first made willing it willeth, being first set on work, it worketh, yet not of itself merely nor principally. I live (saith the Apostle) yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God. I can do all things (saith the same Apostle to the Philippians) through Christ that strengtheneth me, and without me you can do nothing, saith Christ to his Disciples, Joh. 14. 3.

The truth of this further appears from God's Peoples promises of running upon God's drawing, in that excellent 119 Psal. you shall find many passages of this tendency. v. 32. I will run the ways of thy Commandments, when thou shalt enlarge myheart. 33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy▪ Statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end. v. 34. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy Law, yea I shall observe it with my whole heart, v. 35. Make me to go in the paths of thy Commandments. v. 36. Incline my heart to thy testimonies. The enlarging of the heart, his prayer for giving him understanding, making him to go in the paths of God's Commandments, &c. are but all several phrases, expressive of the drawing influences of Divine Grace, which are followed with the promises of running, keeping God's Commandments, yea, keeping them with his whole heart, keeping them to the end. So v. 7. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous Judgments. So v. 41. Let thy mercies come unto me, even thy salvation, v. 44. So shall I keep thy law continually.

What needs any further proof of this than what every good Christian hath from its own experience? Who is there that walks with God, that always finds the same spiritual temper? that doth not find, that he cannot at sometimes do as he can, and doth do at other times? Every good Christian finds the same willing at all times. To will is always present with him; but who finds the same degree of strength, the same readiness, and cheerfulness of Spirit in God's service at all times? Now from whence is this, if not from the inequal drawings of Divine Grace? if the Soul be drawn strongly, then is it strong, if weakly, it moveth accordingly. Being drawn, then it runs. Being at first drawn to Christ, it moves, being further drawn, it runs.

The reason of this lieth. 1. Partly in the Souls renewed nature. 2. Partly in the nature of special Divine Grace.

1. All motion is from a principle of life. Natural motion from a Natural life, Spiritual motion from the Spiritual life, and the truly Spiritual motion is as much an indication of a Spiritual life that principleth it, as the Natural motion is an indication of that Natural life from which it floweth, and the Spiritual motion is as much the necessary effect of a principle of Spiritual life, as the Natural motion is the necessary effect of a Natural life. So as the Soul being once quickened by the quickening Spirit, cannot but move in its Spiritual motions. But look as it is in the natural motions, some motion must attend all natural life, yet it is more or less, more or less strong, or weak, and there is a more or less cheerfulness, and readiness, attends the motion of the natural body, as the faculties of the Soul that animates it, are more or less upheld by the influence of Divine Providence, and the incumbrances of that life are more kept off by the power of Divine Providence: So it is as to our Spiritual life, there is in that Soul that is once drawn to Christ, and so alive to God, a seed of God abiding, which is a constant principle of life, and is always working, and moving to, and in its proper operations, but yet these motions are more or less strong, free, and cheerful, according to the influence of the holy Spirit of God, and the workings of it in the Soul, which being a free agent, sometimes puts itself forth more, sometimes less, & according to that are the Souls motions either more quick and cheerful, or more dull and heavy, but being once drawn to Christ, it moves, and moves willingly from a principle within itself, being made willing it willeth, and chooseth the things that please God, though it must be further drawn before it runneth. It requires no more than a renewed sanctified heart to move for and towards God, but it requireth an enlarged heart, to run after God.

2. Secondly, It will yet further appear from the Nature of Divine Grace, in its special saving operations. There are those who will acknowledge no Grace but exciting Grace in the proposal of the Gospel, and pressing the Grace of it by those gifts which God hath for that end given to his Ministers, whatsoever else is done in the Soul, they will have to flow from the power of man's will, lest free to good or evil; but we say this is not enough, there must also be a working Grace, applied to the Soul in conversion, and a co-working Grace, which is necessary to the Soul after conversion. Now all special Grace, whether it be operans, or cooperans, that which we call working, or that which we call coworking, is effective; those who will own nothing but an exciting Grace, allow it no proper effect upon the Soul, for if it be productive of an effect, it is more than exciting. Now here indeed lies the difference betwixt common and special Grace, betwixt the Grace that bringeth salvation, and that which only proposeth and offereth Salvation. The first is always effective of its end, the latter is never effective, but is determined in the exhibition and offer of good, which man is left to his own freedom, and choice whether he will accept yea or no, which being admitted, it is not possible but that the Soul once drawn by it, must run, or rather will run, for now it moves from the inward principle of a renewed nature, and if working special Grace be esfective, and faileth not in its operations upon the unrenewed Soul, it is much more effective of its end in the Soul that is changed, and renewed where it is but assistant to the renewed nature, so as the Soul being drawn, will run, First, From that principle of spiritual life which is in the renewed nature always a principle of some motion, though sometimes more, and sometimes less; and Secondly, From the powerful assistance of that special Grace which God puts forth upon the Soul in its renewed state, helping it over those mountains of difficulties which sometimes it meets with, and removing those stumbling blocks, which corruption, and the malignity of the world, or its grand adversary, ofttimes layeth in its way. I have thus far opened the proposition, I shall now apply it. First,

1. By way of Caution. Blindness is a great Mother of boldness and confidence, and Love is the Mother of jealousy and suspicion, hence it is, that the natural man knowing nothing of spiritual things, nor understanding the state of the Soul by nature, nor the workings of God in the Soul, turning it from sin unto God, seldom or never examineth, or questioneth his state. The knowing Christian fullest of Love, for God, finds difficulty to satisfy himself as to his Spiritual state. The first concludeth himself sufsiciently drawn, because he sits under the preaching of the Gospel, and finds sometimes some good motions, and impressions, whether he obeyeth them or no, whether he be turned into the likeness of the Gospel, yea or no. The other, though he doth find his heart renewed, and changed, though he doth find, that to will is present with him, yet because he wanteth strength to perform, because he doth not find at all times, that promptness, and readiness of mind, that freedom, activity and cheerfulness of Spirit, which he thinks he hath sometimes found, and which he seeth others triumph, and rejoice in, questioneth whether he was drawn, yea or no. Now such a Soul ought to distinguish,

1. Betwixt a being drawn to Christ, and a being drawn after Christ. It is true, there is no Soul that is drawn to Christ, but shall be drawn after him, but yet these are two things, both the acts of special, powerful Grace, but yet in a different kind, and degree.

2. Secondly. Betwixt a real drawing after him, and a gradual drawing. I told you before that all Divine drawing signifieth a sweet, and powerful influence of the Spirit upon the Soul, by which it is allured, changed, and melted into that duty which the Soul oweth to God in obedience to the Gospel; now as it is in our drawing of a thing, or person to us, we may put forth more or less power as we please: So in the divine drawings, though divine drawing be a mercy of that nature, that it shall and will follow the Soul all the days of its life, God will never depart from the Soul to which he is thus united, to do it good, and he will put his fear into its heart, that it shall never depart from him; yet he puts forth more or less of his power, according to the good pleasure of his own will, and the conduct of his own infinite wisdom, and according also to our behavior toward him; let me for the relief of such a Soul lay down three conclusions.

1. First, I say there is no Soul by the Father drawn to Christ, but that Soul is also, and shall be by the Spirit drawn after him. Upon the Souls being drawn to Christ, there followeth an Union between Christ and the Spirit of Christ, and the Soul that is so drawn. Christ after that time is in the Soul, and the Soul is in Christ, hence his Spirit is put into their hearts, and dwelleth in them, a multitude of phrases of that nature are to be found in holy writ. It is called an ingrasting into Christ. Now it is not possible, that the Soul should be ingrasted into such a stock, but it must partake of the fatness of the stock, and grow up in him, the seed of God abiding in the Soul, it cannot but grow and spring up in it. Some Communion with Christ always follows this union. So that unless the union with Christ could be wholly broken and dissolved, its communion with Christ, cannot be wholly interrupted; interrupted it may be, but I say not wholly interrupted. Secondly,

2. The least influence of special Grace keeps the Soul moving for, and towards God, and in a willingness to sorve and obey him, and preserveth it from a total falling away. Papists say that we may fall away both totally, and finally, Lutherans say we may fall away totally, but not finally, but we say, the justified Soul can neither fall away totally, nor yet finally, if he could fall away totally, the union betwixt Christ and the Soul, must be dissolved, or the union remaining, the communion consequent to that union might be wholly interrupted, neither of which can be.

3. But Thirdly, The holy Spirit dwelling in the Souls of Believers, and working in them putteth forth its power, sometimes more, sometimes less, as a free agent, and according to the good pleasure of his own will, as is the drawing, so is the running. Hence the Soul moveth, sometimes with more, sometimes with lesser strength, sometimes with more promptness, and readiness, sometimes with less, as the holy Spirit is pleased more or less to exert and put forth his power, in, and upon the Soul. Now from this discourse it appeareth, that a Soul that findeth that God hath renewed, and changed it so far, that to will is present with it, and it hath an heart to do, though it wanteth such a strength, such a freedom to, and cheerfulness in duty, as others rejoice in, and itself hath sometimes found, yet hath no reason to conclude, that it was never truly drawn to Christ, because as it apprehendeth it is not drawn after him, all the evidence of which that it hath, is because it doth not run as at other times; all this may be, yet the Soul may be truly drawn to him, and also drawn after him, though not so powerfully as it may be it hath felt itself, at other times, or seen others drawn.

In the second place, This notion may inform us. That a running after Christ is the duty of a Christian. The life of a Child of God is in Scripture, ordinarily expressed under the notion of a walking with God, a phrase that some in this age would scoff at, but one of the ancientest by which in Scripture a course of holiness is expressed, Gen. 5. 24. Enoch walked with God, and was not; but now if walking be taken in opposition to running, there is something more than walking with God, the duty of a believer; even this running after Christ which I have been describing to you. Hence it is also expressed under this notion. So the Spouse here expresseth it, we will run after thee. So David, I will run the ways of thy Commandments. So St. Paul, so run that you may obtain, we are not only under an obligation to serve God, but to serve him with all our might, all our strength, to serve him with readiness, and freedom of Spirit; this is that which elsewhere is called a growing in Grace, and corresponds with the Israelites motion and pace to Jerusalem, mentioned, Psal. 84. a going from strength to strength. It is a long journey that we have to go, from the minimum quodsic, the least degree of Grace, to the maximum quodsic, the fullness of stature which is in Jesus Christ, and therefore we had need run; sinners run in their sinful courses. Lusts get strength, and discover their activity daily, men make hast to be complete in sinning, to fill up the measure of their iniquities. Men make hast to be rich in the world, and shall the Children of God make no hast to be rich in Grace? David saith, My Soul followeth hard after thee, Psal. 63. 8, St. Paul tells us that he pressed forward toward the Mark, Phil. 3. 14. Ah! where are those Souls of whom we can say they run after Christ. How few are those Souls that follow hard after God, that go as fast as they can, though it may be they cannot go as fast as they would.

1. How many are there in the world that appear to us as if they were moving after God, but move merely as Machines and Ingines, they are rather moved from some foreign principle without them, than move from any intrinsic principle; all hypocrites, all formal professors do so, they follow Christ for the Loaves, or are drawn from the consideration of their own credit and reputation, some are drawn to some degrees of duty, from the reflections of their natural conscience; this is now no running after God, they may do many things which God requires, but it is from no internal principle.

2. How manẏ are there that instead of running, halt? We dare not say that they do not move at all, we hope their hearts are right, we hope they are the Children of Jonathan, but they are lame of their feet, with one foot they seem to go right, with another they fail, they are like Naaman the Syrian, who pretended that he would serve God, even the God of Israel, only he desires that the Lord would be merciful to him, as to his bowing down in the House of Rimmon. They are neither uniform nor steady, and constant in their service of God, they seem to run in public duties, but follow them into their Families and Closets, there they halt. They appear like those that run in duties of more external communion with God, but halt in duties of more secret, heart communion with God. Nor are they constant; that of the Apostle to the Galatians is applicable to them, Gal. 5. 7. You did run well, who hindered you? Heretofore one would have thought them in a great zeal for God, but they are grown cold, and remiss and are very careless of their conversations, these never truly ran, though they appeared to others to have ran: at least they never ran so as to obtain. It is said, Isaiah 40. 12. That they that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like the Eagle, they shall run, and not be weary, walk and not faint.

3. How many more are there that seem to stand at a stay? We cannot say they halt, that they are not uniform, or not constant, they are not to be accused of any notorious lapses, or goings backward, but alas they are come yet but to a little pitch in religion, their knowledge of the things of God is but little, that of the Apostle, Heb. 5. 12. is applicable to them. Whereas for the time they might have been teachers of others, they had need be themselves taught the first principles of Religioṅ, and must be spoken to as Babes in Christ, such as had need of milk, and not of strong meat, and truly this is much the fault of good People, they do not grow in the knowledge of Christ, we see something of heat in them, in whom we want a great deal of light. Others seem to be increased in light, but to be decayed in heat, and warmth for God; sure we are we see a great decay of religion amongst Christians, or at least but a small improvement, they have in profession seemed to be such as have walked with God a long time, we do not see them running yet. It is true, some plants grow downward in the root, when they do not grow upward into the air, so as their growth is not so sensible, and difcernable. So it is possible there may be some such Christians, who though their proficiency may not so much appear in their outward performances, which requires a growth in gifts, and parts, yet they may be grown more in faith and love, and hatred of sin, and resolution for God, &c. and this is a good running, in Grace; they grow best who grow in the root, not those who improve most, in leaves, and more exterior branches of Christian profession. 2. If Christians cannot satisfy themselves that they run in any sense, it would be inquired from whence they are hindered, whether from some cause from within or from without. 1. A man may be hindered in his bodily running by some inward obstructions, bodily decay, or weakness; this must be cured or purged out; Christians ought to search whether they have no secret lust, no love to the world, no greedy desire to be rich, nothing of sensuality which weakens their Souls, and keeps them from this running after Christ. 2. As a man may be kept from running from some external cause. So may a Christian also be hindered in his spiritual race, from some ill company with which he is linked, from some impressions of his grand adversary the Devil. From the withdrawings of Divine Grace, those measures of it I mean which are necessary to a Christians running, though not to the upholding of the spiritual life. If a Christian be hindered from such ill company as he cannot avoid, or from some temptations of Satan, or from such divine desertions, he is the object of our pity, but not to be hastily censured or condemned, but in the mean time he ought to lie under convictions of his duty to run, though it be his misery, that at present he cannot run.

Secondly, We may from hence learn one great reason, Why many move not at all after Gȯd; and also of that uneven pace which is discernible even in the best of God's People.

The greater part of the World moveth not after Christ at all. One Man runs after his sensual satisfactions, anoher after sensible enjȯyments, making hast to be rich, few after Christ • : What is the reason? The Scripture layeth the fault upon the immediate proximate cause, that is, Man's perverse will, he will not come to Christ that he might live; but there is an higher cause, for no more would any other Soul have done, if the Lord had not drawn it, and made it partaker of his powerful, special Grace, had it pleased the Lord to have done as much for those other Souls, they would have come, they would have run likewise. But you will say then men's Damnation is from God, and is not caused so much from their not running, as from God's not drawing. I have before spoken to this Objection, but it comes again a cross me. I will add but a word, or two, or rather repeat what I have already said in the case.

The Objection were indeed considerable, if, 1. God did not in some degree draw every Soul to whom the Gospel is preached,

2. If the Sinner did to his utmost obey those drawings, and God yet denied his further and more effectual Grace. But as I have before shown you, there is no Soul that liveth under the preaching of the Gospel, but is drawn, drawn by Exhortations, Arguments, Promises of reward, &c. the proper Cords of a Man. Nay, there are none amongst the Heathens, but are drawn by the Cords of common gracious Providence, God (saith the Apostle) leaveth not them without witness. Now though none of these Cords are sufficient to draw the Soul home to Christ, yet they are sufficient with that power which is left in the will of Man, to engage him to many acts of Reformation, and to the performance of many acts of moral discipline; yea, and of Religion too, (that part of it, which lieth in Bodily exercise) if men will not do what they have a power to do, how shall their destruction be from God, for denying them his special grace? Especially when we say, That although the good use of common Grace meriteth nothing at the hand of God, yet God doth never deny his special Grace, but where common Grace is first willfully abused; and thus the destruction of Sinners lieth at their own Doors, not because that if they would they might repent, believe, and turn to God, but because, that if they would, they might make such an use of the common Grace of God, as in the use of it, God would not be wanting to them in the giving them that further power to Spiritual acts, which they have not of themselves. But now if we rise higher, and inquire, how some come to use common Grace better than others, when all have an equal Natural power, to do those acts of Moral discipline and of Religion also, which extend no further then to a bodily labor; how it comes to pass, that some get leave of themselves, of their Lusts and Passions to do them, others do not? We must say there is an influence of God's Spirit of Grace more upon the one than the other inclining them thereto; but so long as others have a Natural power thus far which they do not use, God is acquitted of their Blood, and their Damnation is of themselves, though his abounding grace be more seen as to others whom he doth further incline to a better use of common Grace, and their natural abilities; but of this I have spoken before, and do now little more than repeat.

2. The same account must be given of the uneven pace which is discernible in such as are Christians indeed. The running of God's own People is not alike, though they have all the same renewed Nature, and inward principle of life, To will is present with them all, yet they have not all an equal strength to perform. Nor an equal life, liveliness, freedom, and cheerfulness in their walkings with God, there may be much blame to be laid upon themselves, for not using the Grace of God as they ought to do, not keeping their Watch as they ought to keep it, but the Original cause is the want of Divine drawings, which are sometimes withheld as a punishment to some loose and careless walking sometimes, as the product of Divine Wisdom for the exercise of some habits of Grace, which are not so well tried and exercised under the full influences of divine grace upon them, as under the partial withdrawings of it.

There might be other uses made of this point, but they would be mostly such, as were proper to the former Doctrine, and there enlarged upon. So as I shall proceed no further in Application of this Discourse.

Serman XXIII.

YOu have heard the Spouses Petition opened, what she means, when she saith to her Beloved, Draw me; you have heard her Promise or Argument opened, We will run after thee. She prayeth for drawing, she promiseth her running. Drawing was the act of her beloved. Running was her own Act, though in force of his drawing. But here is (as I before observed) an alteration of the Number, She saith, Draw me; She addeth, We will run. She begs but for one, she promiseth for more, she prayeth for herself, she promiseth for others. How is this?

1. I told you when I opened the words, that some by We understand, The Spouse and the Spirit of God in conjunction. I, and thy Grace. This is a Sense hinted by Genebrard and De Ponte upon the Text, and it may seem to have some color from that of Christ, Without me you can do nothing, and that of Paul, Gal. 2. 20. I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the Flesh; I live by the Faith of the Son of God. It is a great truth, that when ever the Soul runs after Christ, the holy Spirit assists its motion; but yet it is drawing, that is Christ's and his Spirits work, running is ours. Grace works together with the Child of God, but it worketh by drawing, the Soul works by running; it is not Christ or the Spirit of Christ that is in us, that runneth the way of God's Commandments, but it is the Soul of the Christian, in and with the strength, and power of Christ. Grace is the Principle of our Spiritual life, like the Spirit within Ezekiel's Wheels, without which the Wheels move not; but they are the Wheels that move. I cannot therefore agree this sense.

2. Bernard hath another Notion, She begs (saith he) The sour part for herself, the sweeter part for others, but this is an interpretation which to me seemeth to have many faults. 1. It maketh the drawing here prayed for, to be a drawing by Afflictions, which are indeed the Lord's Cords, but such as he seldom draweth Souls to Christ by, not are they the proper matter of our Prayer. Secondly, It turneth the Promise into a Prayer, and makes the Sense to be to this purpose, Lord for me, Draw me with the Cords of Affliction: Let others run after thee; but I see no ground at all for such an Interpretation. It is not others, but We, she includeth herself. It is not, let others run, but we will run.

3. Thirdly, If by the Spouse we here understand the Church speaking, The Church being many yet make but one Body. So the Spouse prayeth for her whole Body which is but one, and saith properly, draw me, and then promiseth for every part, Rom. 12. 5. We being many are one Body; She prayeth for Grace, she promiseth not only action, and obedience, but unity in her obedience and action, God's Kingdom is not divided against its self, not different from itself, especially in the Fundamentals of Faith, and Holiness. They are an Army in order, and fighting together against the World, the Flesh, and the Devil; but this still is more than I will run.

4. I rather choose another sense of this Promise. A promise of an endeavor to cause others to run after Christ, or a Prophecy that others would run, so as the sense should be this; Lord draw me, and I will endeavor to be a cause of more than my own running after thee; others seeing, or hearing of thy Grace and Goodness to me, shall also by my example be provoked to run after thee. In this sense I shall carry it. The Proposition resulting from hence is this,

Prop. That God's sweet, and powerful drawing of one Soul, to, or after himself, will be a means of causing others also to run after him.

God's drawing of John, 1 John 26. draweth first two other Disciples, who when they heard him, followed Jesus: and Andrew drew Simon Peter, v. 40, Christ's drawing of Philip, was the occasion of Nathaniel 's running, v. 45. Philip findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the Law, and the Prophets did write. Christ draweth the Woman of Samaria, John 4. v. 28. She leaves her Water pot, and goes her way into the City, and saith to the men of the City, Come see a Man, which told me all things that I ever did, is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the City, and came unto him, and v. 41. Many more believed because of his own word.

There are two main grounds upon which the truth of this Proposition depends. 1. The first is the alluring nature of Divine Grace. 2. The Second is, The exceeding Charity of every pious Soul. I will a little enlarge upon them.

1. I say, first, Divine Grace in the effects of it is exceedingly attractive. The love of God (saith the Apostle) constraineth; nor doth it only constrain the Soul in which it is shed abroad through the Holy Ghost, but it also constraineth others, at least to some inquiries after it. The Fathers kindness to one Child maketh every Child more studious to please him, and the Masters kindness to one Servant, encourageth others to their duty. We have not perfect single Hearts, to act merely in compliance with a pree • pt, even Moses himself had an eye to the recompense of reward. Nor are we only incourag'd from the prospect of a futur recompense, but we must also be encouraged, from some promises, or hopes of present assistance. Solomon tells us, The Sluggard saith, there is a Lion in the way We are prone to fancy Lions, where indeed there are none, The way of holiness is a plain and lightsome way, no rough nor dark way, God hath said, Waysaring men though fools, shall not err therein; but we know not how to adventure, and indeed there are Lions and Mountains in the way. The roaring Lion is in the way, who goeth about continually seeking whom may he devour, & we have Mountains of Lusts and Corruptions, as well as of Worldly Temptations that are in our way. Christ hath told us, that his Yoke is easy, his burden is light. We cannot understand it; Is it an easy thing to deny ourselves, to take up the Cross, and to follow Christ? To keep a steady even pace with God? The very Thoughts of the difficulty of a Christians life, make many to turn away from it, looking upon the Yoke of Christ, as a Yoke which no Flesh and Blood is able to bear. But now the effects of Divine Grace upon one Soul here encourageth many others. We are like Travelers, going toward the City of God, we meet with Rivers over which we must pass, the River seems deep, and the Stream seems to run swift, here our Hearts fail; but as it is with earthly Travelers in such a case, if one ventures through, and gets safe on shore, then many follow: So when we see some that were under our discouragements from entering upon the ways of God, yet through Grace got into them, and finding them easy, and pleasant, this is a great encouragement to others. I have known some who have long stumbled at this Stone: Better never to know the way of Righteousness, never to enter into a course of Profession, than having entered into it to fall Back; that I shall do, I shall never be able to hold on in a course of Duty; I shall never conquer such Corruptions, &c. Now when God draweth but one Soul, others are encouraged to run, Psal. 40. v. 1, 2, 3. I waited (saith David) patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible Pit, out of the miry Clay, and set my seat up-a Rock, and established my goings, and he hath put a new Song into my Mouth, even praise unto our God. Many shall see it, and fear, and trust in the Lord. One blessed Martyr, is upheld by God, and Burns cheerfully, his ashes set many others on fire. From hence it is that the conversation of Christians is a Winning conversation, and Christians are persuaded to walk, that others may be won by them. There is nothing unlovely in the effects of special Grace. Serenity and peace of Conscience, contentation in all Estates, Justice, and Charity towards men, they are all the effects of Grace, and exceeding lovely in the Eyes of all reasonable Creatures.

2. A second ground of this lies in that Charity, or good will toward men, which is the steady effect of this grace; whosoever is taught of God to love God, is also taught to love men; all men with a love of good will, though the Saints only with a love of complacency or delight. Two things in pursuit of this will be found the effects of true Saving grace, in every Soul that hath been made partaker of it.

1. First, Such a Soul will reveal the grace that it hath received. 2. It will excite, and quicken others to look after their share in the same grace.

1. First, A gracious Soul is always communicative. Grace, in the Soul, is like new Wine in the Bottle, which must have vent, see David, Psal. 66. 16. Come, and hear all you that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my Soul. I cried unto him with my Mouth, and he was extolled by my Tongue. Christ when he healed the lame Man in the Gospel bid him, that he should tell no Man of it, yet he must go and publish it. He never when he heals a Soul, saith to it, Tell no Man of it, nay, he saith the quite contrary. When thou art converted (saith he to Peter Strengthen thy Brethren, Luk. 22. 32. Such a Soul cannot hold its peace. Job could not eat his bodily morsels alone, but much less can the Soul eat his Spiritual Morsels, and let none know of it. If the Woman in the parable could not find her lost Groat, but she must call in her Neighbors and spend it upon them, how shall a Man that discerns his lost Soul to be found, his lost Peace, and strength, and liveliness to be recovered not call his Neighbors, and tell them what God hath done for him? Sorrow and joy both fill the Heart, both pain it, the communication of either unto others in some degree easeth it. There are in the World Mysteries of other knowledge, which Men have and do very studiously conceal, because the more are made partakers of them, the worse it is for those who got the first knowledge, they get the less; but it is otherwise as to Grace that is an inexhaustible Fountain, all may have their fill of the Fountain of Living Waters, and the Soul that makes first discovery of it to another loseth nothing by the discovery. If Abraham knoweth anything of the mind of God, he will teach his Family; therefore, God will not hide from Abraham, what he intends to do to Sodom. Several reasons might be given, why grace will not lie hid in the Soul: Such a Soul apprehends itself under some Obligation of duty, that of Christ to Peter, when thou art converted, strengthen thy Brethren, must not be understood as a special and particular precept. 2. The Joy of that Soul, that hath any evidence that it hath tasted of of this grace, is such as cannot be concealed; little Streams may be circumscribed by the Banks of the River; but great falls and flows of Water, will overflow them. We cannot bite in great passions. Nor can a greater joy fill the Soul, than that which ariseth from the sense of God's special love, either in the first Collation of it upon, or the returns of it unto the Soul.

3. Again this Soul knoweth, That much of God's praise ariseth from his Peoples telling of his wondrous works; you shall in Scripture observe it as a constant piece of God's Peoples thanksgiving, and what we are often called to for. Now the good report which a pious Soul makes of Christ, hath a great influence upon others. If a Physicians Name be up, if but two or three Neighbors make a report, what wonderful Cures he hath done in, and for them, all in like Circumstances will be running to him. See what David saith, Psal. 34. 2. My Soul shall make her boast in the Lord, the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. v. 6. This poor Man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his Troubles. When a gracious Soul makes its boast in the Lord, relates with joy and thankfulness, what God hath done for it: The humble, that is, those that are in poor, afflicted conditions, they hear of it, and are glad, and are encouraged to go to God. They say, Here's a poor Soul that cried, and the Lord heard it, and saved it out of all its troubles. This is the first way, by which Souls once drawn are a means to make others run, by making a good report of God unto them. But this is not all.

2. Secondly, Such a Souls Charity extendeth further, viz. To an exciting, exhorting, and quickening of others, to labor to be made partakers of the same grace. Come (saith the Woman of Samaria) and see the Man that hath told me all things that I ever did, Is not this the Christ? Come saith the Soul, and taste of that love which hath so refreshed me; my Soul was as sad as yours. God hath comforted me; as dead as yours, The Lord hath quickened me. I had once as much prejudice against the ways of God as you; I once thought them as difficult: I now delight in them. I find now the Yoke of Christ is casis, his burden is light. Come, let us go up together to the Mountain of the Lora's House, he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths. I will show you in two or three words, from whence it is that a Soul that hath tasted the special grace of God, will be so busy with others to bring them into the same circumstances with itself.

1. It knoweth that it shall lose nothing by others running. Nature makes us all in the first place to secure our own Interest, but that being first secured, good nature obligeth all Men to wish the best they can to others, and the Moralists give it us for a Rule, That those kindnesses ought to be denied to none which we can do them without any prejudice to ourselves. There is no Soul that hath received anything of the special grace of God, but knoweth something of the value of it, and that no so great kindness can be done for another, as to be an Instrument to bring men and Women acquainted with that grace of God which bringeth Salvation, Acts 26. 29. I would to God (saith Paul to Agrippa) that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these Bonds. This Soul knoweth, that it should be never the poorer, if all others were enriched with the riches of Grace. All Envy which maketh us pine at the good of others is taken out of the heart of a Child of God, (it is one of those lusts that are mortified in it.)

2. Nay further, It knows that the more Souls it can be a means to bring to Heaven, the more welcome itself shall be. Those who win Souls are wise, and those who win many to Righteousness, shall shine as the Stars, forever and ever, Dan. 12. 3. It was Christ's work to bring many Sons unto Glory. It was David 's Language, and he spoke in the Person of Christ, I will declare thy Name unto my Brethren, in the midst of the Congregation I will praise thee. The Propagation of its Species, is one of the most perfect acts of the Creature. It is a great piece of the perfection of a Christian, to propagate his Species. The Romans designed rewards for the Father of such a number of Children; God hath prepared great rewards for those that are co-workers with him in bringing Souls unto Christ.

3. Lastly, Such a Soul knows the Price of a Soul, and the sad condition of those who want Christ either in the first, or further influences of his special grace, and so doth it out of mere pity and commiseration. None knows the misery of a Christless Soul, so well as that Soul, that hath been lost, and is now found, hath been dead, and is now alive. None so well knows the misery of that poor Creature whose Conscience is upon a Rack, or whose Soul is under a Divine desertion, crying out, Where is my God become? We never well understand the misery of others, nor thoroughly pity them under any misery till ourselves have felt it. Nor on the other side do we ever understand the riches of Grace, the consolations of the Spirit, or the Soul satisfaction which a Christian hath in God and in his ways, till we have in some measures had experience of them. Hence it is that a natural man is so unconcerned, in the natural state of his Relations, it is because his own Eyes are not open; he wants Faith, he doth not see the misery of a Soul that is without Christ, nor doth he believe what God hath in his Word revealed as to the state of such Souls. But the Spiritual Man whose Eyes God hath opened, (knowing God's terrors) persuades with others to get out of the horrible Pit; the believing Soul, giving a firm and steady assent to what God hath revealed in his Word about the Eternal State of Souls, and the only way to happiness, cannot but Night and Day persuade with others those especially in whom it is most nearly concerned, that they would be reconciled to God, and flee from that Wrath which is to come.

In the first place, This puts an argument into our Mouths to use with God, wh • n we go unto him for any influences of special grace. Say unto God, Draw me, and we will run after thee. Tell him that his drawing thy Soul, will-not only engage thee, but be a means also to make others to run after God. It was David 's argument, Psal. 51. 12, 13. Restore unto me the joy of thy Salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit; then will I teach Transgressors thy way and Sinners shall be converted unto thee. An Argument which he often made use of. The humble shall hear thereof and be glad, Psal. 34. 2. An Argument whose force lieth, in the concern of God's glory. The glory of God is the great end of all his actions, he doth all that he doth for his own glory, and he useth a great argument with God that tells him, that if he doth such a thing for him, there will a great deal of glory by it accrue to his holy Name. God is glorified by nothing more, than by our, and others running after him.

Secondly, This discourse will let us see a difference between one who is a Christian indeed, and one who is only a Christian in name. An Hypocrite would seem to be something, but is nothing, he doth nothing, he is inconcerned in the good of others Souls, whereas, if he were a true Plant of righteousness, he would cast his Seed. Prov. 10. 21. The Lips of the Righteous feed many. It is an i • l sign that there is a truth of grace wanting in that Soul, in which are found no endeavors to propagate the knowledge, & fear of God.

But I shall shut up my Discourse upon this Argument with a word of Exhortation, to all those who profess themselves to have received the special grace of God; So to manage their conversation, that others by their examples, or by their means may be provoked to run after Christ. Christ tells his Disciples, Mat. 5. 13. That they were the Salt of the Earth: and v. 14. The light of the World, a City set upon an Hill; that God had not lighted up a light in their Souls to be hid, for no Man lighteth a Candle to put to it under a Bushel (saith he) but to be set on a Candlestick, that it might give light to all them that are in the House. Upon this he foundeth an Exhortation, v. 16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. I see no reason to restrain those Texts unto those that are the Ministers of the Gospel; they are true of all true Christians, the Children of God in the World, are the Salt of the World, and it is their duty to season others. They are the light of the World, and to show light to the World; they are obliged so to live that being themselves drawn, others also by their means may run after Christ. You will say to me how shall this be? How should a Christian so live as to draw others to run after Christ. I answer It will very much depend upon, 1. The Seriousness of his pious behavior towards God. 2. The Humility and Inn cency, and quietness of his behavior toward men. 3. His abounding in good works. 4. His Communicativeness both of his Gifts, and of his Experiences. I will a little enlarge upon all these.

1. I sav First, It will much depend upon the Evenness, and Seriousness of a Christians pious behavior toward God. Religion is in itself a lovely thing, and many who cannot get leave of themselves to be pious, and devout, yet are constrained to commend it in others, where they see the Practitioners in it serious, and even in their practice, for nothing is more odious even to common Eyes, than to see men act a part in Religion; but for a Christian in praying to pray, in hearing to hear, to be serious and in earnest in his acts of devotion, so to demean himself, that he shall appear to others to mind what he is about, to be fervent in Spirit while he is serving the Lord, is lovely in all men's account; to see men gaping about the Church whiles they are pretending to pray, sleeping, or talking when they are pretending to hear the Word of God, winneth none, but rather estrangeth the World from God and makes them think there is nothing in Religion but a vain show: But to see a Christian serious, and servant in prayer, diligent and attentive in hearing, hanging as it were upon the Preachers Lips, as it is said of those who heard Christ, Luke 19. 48. (we translate it they were very attentive to hear him, the Greek is they did hang upon him) this makes People think there is something in Godliness: Especially when men are even in their pious conversation, that their warmth in Piety, is not by fits, but there are the same at all times, having to do with the same God, and being in the same service of God.

2. A second thing upon which the inciting others to come to, and to run after Christ, doth much depend, is Christians behavior towards men; so three things much commend the grace of God to the World.

1. Humility. Pride, and self exalting, are generally odious to all men, and men (as it were by a natural instinct) conclude there is nothing of God in those in whom they see much of Pride, discovered by an immoderate boasting, uncharitable judging, and censuring, superciliousness, a scorn, and contempt of others; but now where men have the advantage of the Word of God, which commands men to deny themselves to be clothed with humility, in honor to prefer others before themselves, to learn of Christ for he is meek, and lowly, &c. they are much more confirmed in this; and anything of pride in Christians doth rather estrange men from God and Christ, then cause them to run after him.

2. Innocency in Christians is another thing, which much commends the ways of God to others. Christ commanded his Disciples to be wise as Serpents, innocent as Doves. Paul exhorteth the Philippians, 2. Phil. 15. to be blameless and harmless, the Sons of God without rebuke. Most People have a natural Notion of God that he is full of goodness, and doth no Man harm; and those who are in any measure acquainted with the Scriptures, observe that Christ's conversation on Earth was an innocent, harmless conversation, the Apostle, Heb. 7. 26. calleth him, not only undefiled, and separate from Sinners, but holy, and harmless. Now an innocent conversation implieth righteousness, in all injustice there must be harm done to others.

3. A third thing that makes an honest and winning Conversation towards men is quietness and peaceableness in opposition to Tumultuousness, Sedition, and qua • reling. The Apostle commands us to study to be Q • iet, 1 Thess. 4. 11. I need not enlarge upon this, Experience tells you how much a quietness, and peaceableness of behavior obligeth the World, and how much a contrary temper disobligeth it from Men and Women professing to Religion and Godliness. God is the God of Peace, and delighteth not in confusion.

3. A third thing upon which much depends, the winning and gaining of others to run after Christ is abounding in good works. I here restrain the Notion of good works, understanding by them acts of Mercy and Charity towards men. Our Savior bids us make ourselves Friends of the Mammon of Unrighteousness, and by it teacheth us, that good works of this Nature, are not unprofitable as to our own Souls, though they are no fit price to purchase Heaven with. But they are also of great use to save the Souls of others, as they have a tendency to commend the grace, and ways of God unto other men. On the other side, acts of Oppression, Cruelty, and uncharitableness, have a great malignity, to estrange Souls from Religion and Godliness. It is a sad story I have somewhere met with upon the Cruelty shown by the Spaniards to the Indians upon their pretended converting them to the Faith of the Gospel; A great Person of the Indians would know whither the Souls of the Spaniards went when they died, to Heaven or to Hell; and being told they went to Heaven, replied▪ Then he woula go to Hell. Being it seems naturally persuaded that cruel, bloody, and uncharitable men could never be happy in another life.

4. I will add a fourth thing (though not beforementioned) which experience hath constantly shown us to be of very great force, to draw others, viz. A bold, and courageous Suffering for the Name of Christ. It hath been a constant Observation, that the Blood of Martyrs hath been the seed of the Church. Men naturally are inclined to think there is a great deal in that Religion, which will make men so Valiant as to die in the defense and asserting of it. There is yet one thing more upon which this much depends; that is,

5. A Christians communicativeness both of his gifts, and of his experiences. 1. Of his gifts, his knowledge and other gifts, by which he informs Christians of the Truth, and persuades, and argues them out of their sinful courses. Come (saith David) I will teach you the sear of the Lord; O that there were more of this in the World than there is! how few are those Christians that have either grace or confidence enough to mind others of their conditions and to call upon them to look after Eternity! We can call upon our Children and Friends to mind their Worldly concerns, we are communicative euough to them of what we know, which may help them as to them; but how little do we call upon them to strive to enter in at the strait Gate, to make their Calling and Election sure. What should the reason of this be? Is it unbelief, or is it carelessness? Is it unbelief? do we not then believe an Immortal, Eternal state of Souls, into which no Souls can come, but bv and through Christ as the way? It cannot be, this is the Object of our Hope, it is the great thing we have in expectation; if we had hope only in this Life, we were of all men most miserable. Are we confident that our Children, our Friends, or Neighbors are in the road to this blessed state? Certainly there are many of them of whom we can have no such hopes. How are we then silent? if we know better things then they know, why do we not instruct them? St. John saith, He that hath of this Worlds goods, and seeth his Brother in want and releives him not, how dwells the love of God in h m? 1 Jo. 3. 17. What shall we say of those who have of the goods that relate to another World, the Treasures of Spiritual knowledge and seeth his Child, his Friend in want, and (to his power) relieves him not, how dwells the love of God, or of his Childs, or Friends Soul in him? Delilah asked Sampson, how he could say to her, that he loved her, when he kept his secrets from her, which she was not concerned to know; but how canst thou say, thou lovest thy Yoke-fellow thy Child, thy Friend, and concealest from them what thou knowest with reference to their Spiritual and Eternal good, and which it is as much their concern to know as it is thine? I remember Christ doth thus prove himself his Disciples friend, John 15. 15. I have called you Friends, for all things which I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you; that is, all things which my Father hath let me know, and which are of concern for you to know. Thus Christ hath discharged the Office of a Friend to our Souls, and should not we do likewise? Do we know anything concerns our near Friends Souls with reference to their Eternals happiness, and do we conceal our knowledge from them, how do we discharge the Office of Friends to them? how dwells either the love of God, or the love of them in our Souls?

2. Nor is the communicativeness of our own Experiences, What we have seen, as well as what we have heard, of less use, or less our duty. I know it is a thing which profane Persons may mock at, but let them mock on, Wisdom shall be justified of her Children. I am sure we meet with David and Paul, and others of the Servants of God of whom we have a sacred Record very frequent in it. Come saith David, and I will tell you what God hath done for my Soul. I know Men may boast beyond their line, or measure, they may boast of experiences they never had; experiences must be fulfillings of Promises. But certainly there can be nothing as a mean more powerful to draw others to a running after Christ in the ways of Holiness then the knowledge of what others have found, and experienced in them. I am sure it was the practice of the Woman of Samaria, of Andrew and Peter, and that with great success. O let everyone of us who have in our hearts any love for God, any zeal for the glory of God, any kindness for the Souls of others, being ourselves drawn, so behave ourselves, that others, allured by our examples, persuaded by our arguments may also run after Christ. Let those that cannot as yet discern the Savour of his good Oyntments be helped to discern them at second hand, while our Lips feed many, and our Garments smell of Myrrh, Aloes and Cassia.

Sermon XXIV.

I Have done with the Spouses Petition, Draw me, and with the argument by which she impleaded her Petition. She would then run after him, and of the alteration of the number, in the promise, we will run, not I, but we. I come now to the third thing which I took notice of in the verse which I called, The Spouses attestation of her beloveds favor in the answer of her Petition. That is in the words I have now read. The King hath brought me 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 unto his in Ward-Rooms 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 his Closet. His Chambers (so we translate it.) What is necessary for the opening of the words, you have heard before.

It was but even now that we heard the Spouse praying, draw me; and promising that if the Lord would hear, and answer her Prayers, both she and others would run after him. How presently is her tone altered, and her prayer turned into praise? Hence I observed;

Prop. That God is pleased sometimes to make a very quick return to his Peoples Prayers. But before I handle this, I shall take a little notice of the name she here giveth to her Beloved, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the King. The word is the same, that is everywhere used, to express the sole dominion of a Person over others; a term very properly given to Christ, and that not only as he is God over all blessed forever, and so the Psalmist telleth us, that his Throne is established in the Heavens, and his Kingdom ruleth over all; but in respect of his Mediatory Kingdom, as he is the Lord's King, whom he hath set upon his holy Hill of Zion, Psal. 2. 6. to whom he hath given the Heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost part of the Earth for his possession, v. 8. which Kingdom he doth not only exercise over all, in order to the gathering of his Church, subduing the hearts of people unto himself, and then over his Church, gathered, by giving laws to it, and setting Officers over it, but more particularly in the hearts of all believers, in whom he ruleth by his Spirit. But why doth the Spouse here speak to her beloved or of hėr beloved, in this lofty style, and not rather in that familiar style which she generally useth in this Song? What if we should say?

1. That in other places of this Divine Song, she is speaking to him, here she is speaking of him. God is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lord's; yet when we pray unto him, we are licensed and commanded to say unto him, Our Father; when she speaks of him to others, she useth another style, and saith, the King; though we are allowed an holy boldness in our accesses, and addresses to the Throne of Grace, yet this is not exclusive of that holy fear and reverence which we owe unto God as our King, we ought to remember, that he who is our Beloved [our Father] is also our King.

2. What if we should say that this lofty compellation is used, to enhance the favor that she had received? She was not admitted into ordinary Chambers, but into Royal Chambers; the King hath brought me into his Chambers. No words are too big to express the singular favor of God to our Souls.

3. What (finally) if we should say that she changeth her style to intimate the persons who must expect signal favor from God, and to remember herself of her duty, in consideration of such favors? I say first to intimate to us who those Persons must be, that expect any singular favors from God; they must be such, as apprehend and receive Christ, not for a Savior as a Priest only, but such as own, and acknowledge him as a King, as their Lord to command, and to rule over them, according to that promise, John 14. 21. He that hath my Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he who loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and manifest myself unto him. It might also remember her of the duty she owed unto God, in consideration of his favor to her, she resolveth to own, and to acknowledge him, as her Lord, her King. But these things being premised, I come to that Propesition which I raised from the connection of these words, testifying, the Lord's hearing of her Prayers; the words are immediately annexed to her Petition. Whence I observed,

That it pleaseth God sometimes to make very quick returns to his Peoples Prayers. That it is so, appears. 1. By the Lord's answering his People sometimes before they speak, or while they are speaking, Isaiah 65. 24. It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. Nothing can be quicker then that, for God to take notice of what his people have in their hearts to ask, and to give it, before they can form it by their lips into words, or while they are speaking, to give an answer, you have the first exemplified in David, Psal. 32. 5. I said I will confess my transgression unto the Lord, he had not confessed, he had only said in his heart that he would confess his transgression to the Lord, and (saith he) thou sorgavest the iniquity of my sin, you have an instance of the latter in Hannah, the Wife of Elkanah, 1 Sam 1. She was praying, her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, yet the Lord heard her, and though the time must be fulfilled before she could have a Son, yet 1 Sam, 1. 18. It is said of her at present, that she went away, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. She had a present answer of peace, her mind was quieted, her countenance was no more sad, you have another instance in Daniel (to name no more,) Dan. 9. 20. Daniel with the rest of the Jews had been in the captivity of Babylon, near 70 years, the time was almost expired, as to which God had promised they should come out, Daniel sets himself to pray, and you have a copy of his prayer from Dan. 9. v. 4. to v. 20. Observe now, v. 20. And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my People Israel, yea, v. 21. While I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in a vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me, about the time of the evening oblation, and he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill, and understanding; at the beginning of thy supplication the Commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee, for thou art greatly beloved, &c. Here now the Lord made a very quick return to Daniel's prayer, while he was speaking, the Lord answered him,

But a return of prayers may be quick, though it be not thus quick, but after the interval of some few months, days, or years; Abraham was thus answered as to his Prayer mentioned, Gen. 17. and David glorieth in the assurance of this, Psal. 4. 3. The Lord will hear when I call upon him. But now, because on the one hand this is a very desirable mercy, and many times the Souls of God's people are discouraged, and flagg in duty, because the vision is yet for an appointed time; It will not be out of our way▪ to inquire, what prayers these are that meet with so quick an audience from God, God doth not this at all times, nor for all persons, no, not for those who are most beloved of him. David himself complaineth; Psal. 22. 2. O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not, and in the night season, and am not silent. The Church complains of sometimes, when God is angry with the prayers of his people, Psal. 80. 4 God's own People sometimes shoot arrow after arrow, to find what they shot first; hence you so often meet with it as a piece of the Saints Prayer, Hear my prayer O God, give ear to my Supplications. Let us a little inquire from whence this variety of Providence proceeds, as to this hearing, and answering of prayers. God is the Lord that changeth not, therefore we are not consumed, we must therefore find the cause in the persons praying, or in the prayers which maketh this difference as to God's answers. That so quick and gracious answers may be obtained, something is necessary on the party praying: Something with respect to the matter prayed for: Something as to the manner of putting up the prayer.

1. As to the Person praying, 1. No Soul can expect such an answer, unless persons in special favor with God; this the Angel told Daniel, Dan. 9. 23. At the beginning of thy supplication, the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee, &c. for thou art greatly beloved. Ordinary subjects may have their petitions answered, but they must be favorites, that have the Kings ear presently; those Souls to whom God gives present answers of prayers are ordinarily such as are beloved, greatly beloved. A good natured Mother may help a Child that is another persons, being in any ill circumstances, and crying to her aloud, and fiercely, but it is a sign the Child is her own, when her bowels yern towards it as soon as it begins to cry, yet I find two instances at least in Scripture of God's present answering the cries of persons in no such state of favor with God, Ahab and the King of Nineveh, 1 Kin. 21. 27, 28, 29. & Jonas 3. 4. But besides, that those instances relate merely to temporal mercies, and such wherein not those Persons alone, but great bodies of people were concerned, and in such cases, as nothing but a present answer could have done them good, as to the thing wherein they were heard, Nineveh was within forty days of ruin, and it was only a deferring of that judgment which God had threatened, as to which they were heard, I say besides these things, it is one thing what God may do out of the abundance of his goodness, and mercy, and another thing, what they may with any confidence expect. It is most certain that persons who are strangers, and enemies to God, and so under a threatening, That although they make many prayers, God will not hear them; and of whom God hath said, that their sacrifices are abomination, cannot hope that the Lord should answer, much less presently answer their prayers. 2. As to a present answer of prayers, it is necessary not only that the persons praying be believers, persons in favor with God, but that their prayers be prayers of faith, that they exercise faith in their prayers, James 1. 5. If any of you want wisdom; let him ask of God. —But v. 6. Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth, is like a wave of the Sea, driven of the wind, and tossed, and James 5. 15. The prayer of faith shall save the sick; Prayers for Persons sick, ordinarily require present answers, now saith the Apostle, the prayer which saveth the sick▪ must be the prayer of faith. This is a point not well understood, viz. how to pray in faith, and what exercise of faith is required in prayer, I shall therefore shortly open it, and show you what exercises of faith are necessary to that Soul, that would have his prayers at all answered, at least who can expect a present answer.

1. Faith in prayer must respect God's being and goodness. This the Apostle informeth us, Heb. 11. 6. He who cometh unto God, must believe that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him. That God is, and that he is able to give what we ask of him; Believe you (saith Christ to the blind man) that I am able to do this? If God be, if he be God, he is able to do whatsoever we ask of him. But this is not all, we must also believe the goodness of God; That he is a rewarder of them that seek him: one who hath said to the Children of Men, seek ye my face, and who never said to the seed of Jacob, seek ye my face in vain. This is the first act of faith in prayer, whosoever cometh to seek God for any mercy, must steadily agree to this, That God is, and is able to grant the thing he asks of him, and that he is infinitely good, and a rewarder of those Souls, that obey his will in that precept, seek ye my face.

2. Faith must respect that promise which God hath made for that mercy, or good thing which we come to God for. There is hardly any particular good thing, for which God hath not somewhere in his word made a particular promise; now this promise is God's bond which faith lays hold on, and prayer puts in suit, if we want a particular promise, respecting the specifical mercy, yet there are general promises, within the latitude of which those particular good things fall, such as those, Psal. 84. 11. He will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly, Psal. 34. 10. They that seek the Lord, shall not want any good thing, Rom. 8. 24. We know that all things work together for them that love God, 1 Cor. 3. 22. 23. All things are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. Now I say that he that prayeth in faith, must have his Eye either upon some of these more general words, in which God hath promised all good things, or those particular promises, wherein God hath promised that specifical mercy, which he comes to ask of God, Mar. 11. 24, What things soever you desire when you pray, believe that you shall receive them, and you shall have them. It is not only necessary that when we go unto God in prayer, we should Eye him, as the fountain of power, so able to grant what we ask of him, and as the fountain of goodness, so willing to relieve all the straits, and supply all the necessities of poor creatures; but 3. As a God of truth and faithfulness, that he believe that he shall receive what he asketh of God, and to this end he must see the good thing either generally, or particularly promised.

3. There is yet a third act of faith necessary, which is a casting of our Souls upon God in the promise, a trusting in him for the receipt of the thing we have asked of him. James saith, we must ask in faith nothing wavering, the Soul must not doubt within itself, whether God hears, or will give in a gracious answer, yea or no, but commit itself wholly to God, upon the credit of his promise, believing that he who hath promised, is able to perform, and trusting in him for a performance. This is now praying in faith, and the truth is, all other praying is but praying in formality, of which we can expect no more profit then ariseth from a mere bodily labor. This, now is necessary with reference to an answer, especially a quick and a present answer, on the part of the person praying.

2. But something also is necessary to be observed, with respect to the matter that we pray for.

1. It must be something which is truly and really good for us and of which we stand in need. Our need of a thing, and the goodness of it for us, is not to be measured from our sense, and apprehension, for we are often mistaken, and do not keep what is good for ourselves, and therefore must refer ourselves to the wisdom of God, who knoweth what things we have need of. It is true that there are some things so perfectly, and absolutely good, as they can never be evil, such are the pardon of our sins, the love, and favor of God, &c. But there are other things that are not so, which at some time we may have a need of, and they would be good to us, at another time we have no need of, but they would be hurtful, and pernicious to us, and this is the reason why our supplications for some things may be absolute, and peremptory, for other things they ought to be limited, conditioned, and put up with a reference of ourselves to the will, and wisdom of God; God cannot give evil things unto his Children, though they ask them never so importunately, never so frequently. This our Savior hath taught us, Luke 11. 11. 12. If a Son shall ask Bread of any of you that is a Father, will he give him a stone, or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a Serpent. Or if he shall ask an Egg, will he offer him a Scorpion? if therefore you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your Children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that ask him, Mat. 7. 11. it is, give good things to them that ask him. It is most certain, that no one would ask things that are, or would be hurtful to him, wittingly. Children through ignorance may, but if they do, their parents that have more wisdom, will not give them such things. No more will our Heavenly Father, who knows it is nothing but ignorance that causeth us to ask anything of that nature. And this may help us to understand God's dispensations, and satisfy the people of God, though they have not all those things they ask of God, if they be such things as are not absolutely, and perfectly good, they may be such things as the Lord knoweth under our circumstances, would be evil and pernicious to us, and we are answered by being denied them, for though through our weakness and ignorance we asked them, as believing them to be good, yet had we known them as indeed they were, we would have prayed against them. The things we ask, must be good, and such things as we stand in need of (indeed therein lies the nature of goodness) or they are no matter of a promise, and consequently ought to be made no matter of prayer, nor would be but for our infirmity and weakness, and consequently they may be denied us, and we may never have an answer, by receiving the things which we ask, but are answered, in having them denied to us.

2. What we ask must be according to the will of God, 1 Joh. 5. 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to the will of God, he heareth us. The Spirit maketh intercession for us, according to the will of God. Indeed this doth very little differ from the other, for whatsoever is good for us, is doubtless according to the will of God. It is God's will that no good thing should be withheld from them who live uprightly. But there is yet something further that I shall add under this head, which is necessary in order to the receiving of a present answer from God; If we would have a present answer, we must ask for such things, not only as it is the will of God we should have, but as it is according to the will of God we should have at such a time as we ask, and under such circumstances as we then are Solomon telleth us, there is a time for all things. God hath appointed times and seasons for all his dispensations of providence, he had not only promised Canaan to the seed of Abraham, but he had set the time, after four hundred and thirty years; he had not only promised a deliverance, out of the Captivity of Babylon, but he had also set the time seventy years. Hence, Daniel was presently heard, when he prayed, the Text telleth you; that he understood by Books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the Prophet, that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then he set his face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with • asting, &c. Dan. 9. 2, 3. and while he was speaking, God gave him an answer. To Habakkuk it fell out otherwise, he put up a prayer to to God, ch. 1. his answer was, ch. 3. v. 3. The Vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, it shall not lie, though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Had the believing Jews prayed never so often, never so seriously, for the coming of the seed of Abraham's out of Egypt, and going into Canaan before the four hundred years were expired, they could have neither expected, nor received any present answer, other than according to the tenor of that to Habakkuk; because, Gen. 15. 16, 17. Though God had promised Abraham, that he would give unto his Seed the land of Canaan, yet he had also told him, that they should be strangers in a land that was not theirs, and they should serve them, and they should afflict them, 400 years—but afterwards they should come out with great substance, and v. 16. In the fourth generation his Seed should come again into Canaan. All things are seen by an Omniscient Eye, and ordered by an eternal thought. Now where the believing prayer meets with an eternal thought, as to the time of the mercy, there the answer is always present. See therefore how confidently the Psalmist prayeth, Psal. 202. 12. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion, for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come; when the time, the set time for God to favor a Nation, or a particular Soul is come, then the answer is always present. It is therefore the great wisdom of a Christian, before he sets himself to pray, to inquire so far as he may, whether God's set time for the collation of the mercy is come.

But will a good Christian say, How shall I ever find out this, how shall I knows when God's set time to favor his Church, or to favor my, or another's particular Soul is come? Times and seasons are not in our hands, nor within the compass of our knowledge. The case indeed was plain as to the Jews, with reference to their servitude in Egypt, and Captivity in Babylon. God had then revealed it to, and by his Prophets, but we have no such revelations now concerning Nations, or Churches, much less concerning particular Souls. It may be my Soul is under the power of some violent and impetuous temptations, under the pressure of some strong lusts 〈◊〉 corruptions, in some dark hour of desertion, I find 〈◊〉 in the case in Holy Writ; these promises are sufficient grounds for me to pray, but if my prayer must be suited to God's will, as to the time, how shall I ever know how to perform my duty, how shall I ever pray in faith?

1. As we say in our law; When in any contract for payment of any sum of money, no particular time is expressed for the payment, the present time is to be understood: So God having made promises to his people, which shall most certainly in their Season be fulfilled, and having not expressed the particular time when God will fulfill them to this, or that particular Soul: The Soul is warranted at all times, to ask them of God, for we may certainly pray for anything which is not contrary to God's revealed will.

2. But secondly, We knowing that God in his secret purpose, hath determined not only the beings, but the circumstances of all things, cannot infallibly expect present answers of our prayers, by giving us the very things which we ask of God. Suppose now a Christian under the power of some strong and impetuous temptation, whether from his flesh, or from his grand adversary, he may pray for deliverance from it, because God hath promised an happy issue of temptations, he may pray in faith, Eying God's power, his goodness, his truth, and faithfulness, and being fully persuaded that God will deliver him, nay, he may pray for a speedy issue and deliverance (with submission to the will, and wisdom of God;) you have it in the case of Paul, 2 Cor. 12. 9. When the Lord had given him a thorn in his flesh to buffet him (what that thorn in the flesh was, whether some impetuous motion to sin, from within, or without, we know not, be it what it will, it was a great burden, a great affliction) Paul prays to be delivered, and prayeth thrice, and no doubt prayed in faith, but his desires met not with God's set time, his answer was, My grace shall be sufficient for thee. Suppose a Soul walking in the dark, and seeing no light, it prayeth with David, when wilt thou comfort me; possibly God is not pleased, yet to visit it with his consolation, yet its prayer is warranted from the promise, God hath promised us the manifestations of the Spirit, Joh. 14. 21. It prayeth in faith, believing that God is able to do it, believing that he is full of goodness, a rewarder of them that seek him, believing that it shall receive even that particular mercy from God in God's time; but it cannot pray in faith, believing that it shall presently be comforted. Because as to this 〈…〉 hath no bottom, no promise to lay hold upon; but yet even as to this it may pray in faith, having confidence in God, that if it be truly good for it, it shall be presently answered.

Thirdly, When a Soul findeth that God's ends in the affliction are obtained, and that it is in such a frame as God hath required a people, or a soul to be, to whom such promises are made, it may then conclude that God's time, his set time is come. Here are now two rules to guide an inquisitive Christian in the knowledge of God's set time, for the collation of any mercy which he hath promised, whether more public and national, or more private, or personal. 1. When God's ends in afflicting are obtained, and satisfied. We say that God and nature do nothing in vain, indeed every rational agent propounds to himself an end of all his or her actions. Brute Creatures, and such as are not endued with reason, move and act for some end or other, but their end is set them by another. But rational agents propound an end to themselves, and their ends being obtained, their action ceaseth. God is the highest rational agent, and propoundeth to himself an end in all his actions, and his end is always good, his supreme end is his own glory, that is the best end, and he cannot act for one more ignoble, but his mediate ends, that is, by which he proposeth to get himself glory, they are several, you shall see much of them expressed in that one text, Hosea 5. 15. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offenses, and seek my face. In their affliction they will seek me early. There are also other texts of Scripture, which let us know God's ends in the affliction of his people, such as those, Jer. 9. 7. I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the Daughter of my people? Zech. 13 9. And I will bring the third part through the fire, & I will refine them as Silver is refined, and will try them as Gold is tried, they shall call on my name, and I will hear them, I will say it is my people, and they shall say, the Lord is my God. From these Scriptures now appear three great ends, the obtaining of which, he aimeth at, that thereby he might be glorified.

1. The first is a bringing them to the acknowledgment of their transgressions, and an humbling of them in the apprehension ef them. God by punishing us, whether in our flesh, or with more internal troubles in our minds, brings our iniquities to our remembrance, & says to us in every affliction, Know therefore, & see that it is an evil and bitter thing that thou hast done, in that thou hast departed from the living God, & that his fear hath not been within thee; and this is one thing which he aimeth at, to bring his people to be vile, & low in their own Eyes, when this is done, God's end is ordinarily fulfilled. Hence you shall observe, that before God's promise of a gracious return to his People, Jer. 3. 14, 15. there is put in v. 13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God; so that if our affliction hath brought us to this acknowledgment of our iniquities, and a lying low before God, it may give us encouragement to hope that God's time, his set time is come, for though he hath not particularly told us the day, and hour, when he will return unto his people, either in a way of special providence, or in a way of special grace, yet he having annexed the promise of his gracious returns to his people's acknowledgment of their offenses, and humbling themselves, he hath effectually told them, that when that is done, is the time when they may expect to seek his face, with a speedy success, and gracious issues.

2. A second end which God aimeth at in the afflictions of his people, whether by with holding some desired mercies from them, or making them to feel some sensible smart, is the exciting of his Peoples Grace. This is plainly expressed in the beforementioned text, Hos. 5. 15. I will return (saith God) unto my place, till they ackuowledge their offenses, and seek my face. There are two gracious exercises which the Lord by affliction extiteth. 1. The first is the grace of prayer. This is most properly signified, by the term seek my sace, (though I know it is a phrase more comprehensive) yet that is most ordinarily expressed by it; this is not only expressed in that text, but in many others. Is any man afflicted (saith James) let him pray, so Psal. 50. 12. Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt praise me. Hence it is an excellent sign that God's appointed time to show mercy, either to a people, or to a Soul is come, when the Lord poureth out upon them the Spirit of grace, and supplication, he more specially moveth, and inciteth his people to ask, when it is in his heart to give the mercy that they ask of him, and on the other side, the restraining of prayer from God on our part, or the with-holding the Spirit of Prayer (on God's part) is an ill sign that our mercy is yet afar off. 2. A second