all sin in the root and branches of it; but only you are to do it in heart and resolution, engaging into an universal mortification of all sin, as by grace from above you shall be enabled : but your choice must be absolute, without reserves, as to love, interest, and design; God or the world, Christ or Belial, holiness or sin; there is no medium, no terms of composition, 2 Cor. vi. 15-18.

3. As unto what you pretend of your pleasures, the truth is, you never yet had any real pleasure, nor do know what it is; how easy were it to declare the folly, vanity, bitterness, poison of those things which you have esteemed your pleasures? Here alone, namely in Christ, and a participation of him, are true pleasures and durable riches to be obtained; pleasure of the same nature with, and such as like pleasant streams flow down into the ocean of eternal pleasures above. A few moments in these joys are to be preferred above the longest continuance in the cursed pleasures of this world, Prov. iii. 1318. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire, are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honHer ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is every one that retaineth her.'

our.

V. It will be said by some, that they do not see those who profess themselves to be believers, to be so much better than they are, as that you need to press us so earnestly to so great a change; we know not why we should not be accounted believers already as well as they. I shall in a few words, as well as I am able, lay this stumbling block out of the way, though I confess at this day it is weighty and cumbersome. And I say, 1. Among them that profess themselves to be believers, there are many false, corrupt hypocrites; and it is no wonder that on various occasions they lay the stumbling block of their iniquities before the face of others; but they shall bear their own. burden and judgment.

2. It is acknowledged, it must be bewailed that some who have reason to be judged true believers, yet through their unmortified pride, or covetousness, or carelessness in their conversation, or vain attire, and conformity to the world, or frowardness, do give just occasion of offence. We confess that God is displeased herewith, Christ and the gospel dishonoured, and many that are weak are wounded, and otherwise discouraged. But as for you, this is not your rule; this is not proposed unto you, but that word only is so that will never fail you.

3. The world doth not know, nor is able to make a right judgment of believers: nor do you so, for it is the spiritual man alone that discerneth the things of God. Their infirmities are visible to all, their graces invisible; the King's daughter is glorious within. And when you are able to make a right judgment of them, you will desire no greater advancement than to be of their society, Psal. xvi. 3.

These few instances of the pretences wherewith unbelief covers its deformity, and hides that destruction wherewith it is accompanied, may suffice unto our present purpose; they are multiplied in the minds of men, impregnated by the suggestions of Satan on their darkness and folly. A little spiritual wisdom will rend the vail of them all, and expose unbelief acting in enmity against Christ under them. But what hath been spoken, may suffice to answer the necessity of the preceding exhortation on this occasion.

CHAP. XVI.

THE WAY AND MEANS OF THE RECOVERY OF SPIRITUAL DECAYS, AND OF OBTAINING FRESH SPRINGS OF GRACE.

THE application of the same truth, in the second place, belongs unto believers, especially such as have made any long profession of walking in the ways of God and the gospel. And that which I design herein, is to manifest, that a steady spiritual view of the glory of Christ by faith, will give them a gracious revival from inward decays, and fresh springs of grace, even in their latter days. A truth this is, as we shall see confirmed by Scripture, with the joyful experience of multitades of believers, and is of great importance unto all that

are so.

There are two things, which those who after a long profession of the gospel are entering into the confines of eternity, do long for and desire. The one is, that all their breaches may be repaired, their decays recovered, their backslidings healed; for unto these things they have been less or more obnoxious in the course of their walking before God. The other is, that they may have fresh springs of spiritual life, and vigorous actings of all divine graces, in spiritual mindedness, holiness, and fruitfulness, unto the praise of God, the honour of the gospel, and the increase of their own peace and joy. These things they value more than all the world, and all that is in it; about these things are their thoughts and contrivances exercised night and day. Those with whom it is otherwise, whatever they pretend, are in the dark unto themselves, and their own condition; for it is in the nature of this grace to grow and increase unto the end. As rivers, the nearer they come unto the ocean whither they tend, the more they increase their waters, and speed their streams; so will grace flow more freely and fully in its near approaches to the ocean of glory. That is not saving which doth not so.

An experience hereof, I mean of the thriving of grace, to

wards the end of our course, is that alone which can support us under the troubles and temptations of life, which we have to conflict withal. So the Apostle tells us, that this is our great relief in all our distresses and afflictions, whereon' we faint not, that as our outward man doth perish, so the inward man is renewed day by day,' 2 Cor. iv. 16. If it be so, that in the daily decays of the outward man, in all the approaches of its dissolution, we have inward spiritual revivals and renovations, we shall not faint in what we undergo. And without such continual renovations, we shall faint in our distresses, whatever other things we may have, or whatever we pretend unto the contrary.

And ordinarily it is so in the holy, wise providence of God, that afflictions and troubles increase with age. It is so in an especial manner with ministers of the gospel; they have many of them a share in the lot of Peter, which our Lord Jesus Christ declared unto him, John xxi. 18. When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkest whether thou wouldst ; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whether thou wouldst not.' Besides those natural distempers and infirmities which accompany the decays of life, troubles of life, and in their affairs do usually grow upon them, when they look for nothing less, but were ready to say with Job, We shall die in our nest,' Job xxix. 18. So was it with Jacob after all his hard labour and travel to provide for his family, such things fell dut in it in his old age, as had almost broken his heart: And oft-times both persecutions and public dangers do befal them at the same season. Whilst the outward is thus perishing, we need great supportment that we faint not. And this is only to be had in an experience of daily spiritual renovations in the inner

man.

The excellency of this mercy the Psalmist expresseth in an heavenly manner, Psal. xcii. 12-15. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat, and flourishing; to shew

that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.'

The promise in the 12th verse, respects the times of the Messiah, or of the New Testament, for so it is prophesied of him; 'In his days shall the righteous flourish,' Psal. lxxii. 7. namely, through the abundance of grace that should be administered from his fulness, as John i. 16. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.' Col. i. 19. For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell.' And herein consists the glory of the gospel, and not in outward prosperity, or external ornaments of divine worship. The flourishing of the righteous, I say, in grace and holiness, is the glory of the office of Christ, and of the gospel. Where this is not, there is no glory in the profession of our religion. The glory of kings is in the wealth and peace of their subjects; and the glory of Christ is in the grace and holiness of his subjects.

This flourishing is compared to the palm-tree and the growth of the cedar. The palm-tree is of the greatest verdure, beauty, and fruitfulness, and the cedar of the greatest and longest growth of any trees. So are the righteous compared to the palm-tree, for the beauty of profession, and fruitfulness in obedience; and unto the cedar, for a continual constant growth and increase in grace. Thus it is with all that are righteous, unless it be from their own sinful neglect, as it is with many in this day. They are hereon rather like the shrubs and heaths in the wilderness, which see not when good cometh, than like the palm-tree, or the cedars of Lebanon. And hereby do men what lies in them, to obscure the glory of Christ and his kingdom, as well as disquiet their own souls.

เ

The words that follow, ver. 13. They that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God,' are not distinctive of some from other, as though some only of the flourishing righteous were so planted; but they are descriptive of them all, with an addition of the ways and means whereby they are caused so to grow and flourish. And this is their implantation in the house of the Lord; that is, in the church, which is the seat of all the means of spiritual life, both as unto growth and flourishing, which God is pleased to grant unto believers.