they that are joined in mutual Relations,, whose Countenance our Misery or Feli

city hangs; then certainly, we are happy: If we please him, it matters not whom we difplease; for he alone hath abTolute, uncontroled and univerfal Power over us, as our Saviour speaks, over both Soul and Body. We may expect that his good Pleasure towards us will not be

and depend one upon another; that which makes all pleafant, is this, To pleafe one another. Now, certainly all the Dependencies of Creatures one upon another, are but Shadows unto the abfolute Dependance of Creatures upon the Creator, for in bim we live, and move, and have our Being: The Dependance of the Ray up-fatisfied, but in communicating his Fulness on the Sun, of the Stream upon the Foun- and manifefting his Favour to us, efpecitain, is one of the greatest in Nature; but ally fince the Goodness of God is fo exall Creatures have a more neceffary Con- undant, as to overflow even to the wicked nexion with this Fountain-being, both in World, and vent itself as out of Supertheir Being and Well-being: They are abundance, in a River of Goodness nothing but a Flux and Emanation of his throughout the whole Earth; how much Power and Pleasure, and, as the Pfalmift more will it run abundantly towards them expreffeth it, He bides bis Face, and whom he is well-pleafed with: And therethey are troubled, be takes away their fore the Pfalmift cries out, as being already Breath, and they die, and return to their full in the very Hope and Expectation of Duft: He fends fortb bis Spirit, and it, that he would burft, if he had the they are created, and be renews the Vent of Admiration and Praife. O bow Face of the Earth, Pfal. cxliv. 29, 30. great is bis Goodness, and bow excelYou may extend this to the Being and lent bis loving Kindness laid up for Well-being, the Happiness and Mifery of them that fear him! Pfal. xxxi. 19. and Creatures; our Souls which animate our xxxvi. 7. But on the other Hand, how Bodies are but his Breath which he incomparable is the Mifery of them, who breathed into the Duft, and can retract it cannot please God; even though they did when he pleaseth: The Life of our Souls, both please themselves and all others for the Peace, and Tranquillity, and Satif the prefent: To be at odds with him, in faction is another Breathing of his Spirit, whom alone they can fubfift, and withand another Look of his Countenance, and out whofe Favour is nothing but Wretchas he pleases to withdraw it, or interpofe ednefs and Mifery, O! that must be the between his Face and us, fo we live or worst and most curfed Eftate imaginable: die, are bleffed or miferable. Our Being To be in fuch a State, as do what they or Well-being hath a more indifpen- can, they cannot please him, whom alone fible Dependance on him, than the J-to please is of only Concernment,what can mage in the Glafs hath upon the living Face.

If it be so then, certainly of all Things in the World, it concerns us nearest bow to please him,and to be at Peace with him. If we be in good Terms with him, in whofe Hand our Breath is, and whofe are all our Ways, Dan. v. 23. upon

be invented to that? Now, if you ask who they are that are fuch? The Words fpeak it plainly, in way of Inference from the former Doctrine, Therefore they that are in the Flefb, cannot please God. Not, they in whom there is Flesh; for there is Remnants of that in the moft fpiritual Man in this Life: We cannot at

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attain here to angelick Purity, though it ners with the greater Force. He hath apfhould be the Aisu and Du But They that are in the Chrift the Meeting place with. very Christian. Flesh, or after the Flefb, imports the on both; and therefore he i Predomination of that, and an univerfal his Hand on God, and Man to lay his Thraldom of Nature unto it, which in- Hand on Man, and bring both into a deed is the State of all Men that are but peaceable and amicable Conjunction. Now. once born, till a fecond Birth come, by then, whoever are not in Jefus Chrift, the Spirit of Jefus Chrift. as is fpoken, Ver. 1 certainly they cannot please God, do what they can; be caufe God hath made Chrift the Center, in which he would have the good Pleasure of Sinners meeting with his good Pleasure;. and therefore, without Faith it is imposfible to please God, Heb. xi. 6. not fo much for the Excellency of the Act itself, as for the well-pleafing Object of it, Chrift.

The Ground of this may be taken from the foregoing Difcourfe, and it is chiefly twofold; one is, Because they are not in Jefus Chrift, in whom bis Soul is well pleafed; another is, Because they cannot fuit and frame their Carriage to bis Pleasure. Since all Mankind hath fallen under the Displeasure of the moft high God, by finning against him, in pre-The Love of the Father is terminate in ferring the Pleasure of the Flesh, and the him, his Juftice is fatisfied in him, his Pleasure of Satan, to the Pleasure of God, Love is well pleased with the Excellency there can be no Atonement found to of his Perfon; he finds in him an Object pacify him, no Sacrifice to appease him, of Delight, which is no where elfe; and no Ranfom to fatisfy his Juftice, but that his Juftice is well pleased with the Sufone perfect Offering for Sin, Jefus Chrift, ficiency and Worthiness of his Ransom ; the Propitiation for the Sins of the elect and without this Compafs, there is nei World. This the Father accepts, in the ther Satisfaction to the one, nor to the oName of Sinners; and in Teftimony of ther: So then, whatsoever you are, how his Acceptance, he did two feveral Times, high foever your Degree in the World, by a Voice from Heaven, declare, how fweet foever your Difpofition, let. first to a Multitude, Matth. iii. 17. and your Natures be never fo good, your then to the beloved Difciples, Matth. Carriage never fo fmooth; yet certainly: xvii. 5. and both Times, with great Ma- there is nothing in all this, that can please jefty and Solemnity (as did become him) God, either by an Object of Love, or a That this is bis well-beloved Son, in Price for Juftice. You are under that ewhom bis Soul is well pleafed. It pleaf- ternal Displeasure, which will fall on and ed God, to make the Stream of his Love crush you to Pieces; Mountains will not to take another Channel after Man's Sin, be fo heavy, as it will appear in that great and not to run immediately towards Day of his Wrath, Rev. vi. I fay, you wretched Man; but he turned the Current cannot come from under that imminent of his Love another Way, to his own Weight of eternal Wrath, unless you be Son, whom he choofed for that End, to re found in Jefus Chrift, that bleffed Place concile Man, and bring him unto Favour; of Immunity and Refuge, if you have not and his Love going about, by that Com- forfaken your felves, and your own Napafs, comes in the Iffye towards poor Sin-tures, and denied your own Righteouf

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Life: ; many wicked Perfons are fet contrary to themselves, and all to them; they are like Efau, their Hand against all, and all Mens Hands against them; yea, their own Confciences continually vexing them: This is a Fruit of that fundamental Dif cord and Enmity between Men and God; and if you find it not now, you shall find i hereafter.

If you love him, you cannot but fashion your felves fo as he may be pleased. O how exact and obferv ant is Love of that which may ingratiate itself in the Beloved's Favour! It is the moft ftudious Thing to pleafe, and most afraid of difpleafing. Enoch had a large and honourable Teftimony, as ever was given to Man, that he pleafed God, Heb. xi. 5. I beseech you be ambitious of this after a holy Manner; labour to know his Will, and that for this End, that you may approve it, and prove it, that you may do that good and acceptable Will of God: Let his Pleafure be your Rule, your Law, to which all within you may conform it felf, Though you cannot attain an exact Correfpondence with his Pleasure, but in many Things you will offend; yet cer. tainly this will be the refolved Study of your Hearts how to please bim; and in as far as you cannot please him, you will be difpleafed with your felves: But then, I would advise you, in as far as you are difpleafed with your felyes, for not pleafing God, be as much well pleased with Chrift, the pleafing Sacrifice and Atone ment; and this shall please God as much as your Obedience could do, or your Dif obedience can difplease him. To him

But as for you that are in Jefus Chrift, who, being difpleased with your felves, have fled unto the Well-beloved, in whom the Father is well pleased, to escape God's Displeasure; I fay unto fuch, your Perfons God is well pleased with in Chrift, and this shall make Way and Place for Acceptance to your weak and imperfect Performances; this is the Ground of your Peace and Acceptance; and you would take it so, and it fhall yield you much Peace, when you cannot be pleased with your felves. But I would charge that upon you, that as you by believing are well pleased with Chrift, so you would henceforth ftudy, to walk worthy of your Lord into all Well-pleafing, being fruitful in every good Work, and increasing in the Knowledge of God, Col. i. 10. This is that, to which you are called, to fuch a Work as may please him, to conform your felve's even to his Pleasure and Will:be Praife and Glory.

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SERMON XXIII:

Verfe 9. But ye are not in the Flesh, but in the Spirit, if fo be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any Man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his.

the Paftor to his own Heart, it cannot

Application is the very Life of the Word, at leaft it is a neceffary Condition, profit. Now indeed, the right Applicati for the living Operation of it: The Ap- on of the Word to Souls, is the difficult plication of the Word to the Hearts of Part of Preaching, and it is the hardHearers by Preaching, and the Applicati- eft Point of Hearing; in which there on of your Hearts again to the Word by needs both much Affection and much Di Meditation, these two meeting together, rection, the one to be ferious and earneft and ftriking_one upon another, will in it, the other to be wife and prudentin yield Fire. Paul fpeaks of a right di-: Without fuitable Affection, it will not viding of the Word of Truth, 2 Tim. ii. pafe into the Substance of the Soul to feed 15. not that ordinary Way of cutting it it, no more than the Stomach can digeft all in Parcels, and difmembring it, by Meat, that wants convenient Heat; and manifold Divifions, which judge makes without Diferation and Wisdom, to choofe it lofe much of its Vertue, which con- our own Portion, it will not yield confifts in Union, tho' fome have Pleasure venient Food, but increase Humours and in it, and think it profitable; yet I do not Super fairies diftemper our Spirits. fee that this was the apoftolick Way, That which I look at in thefe Words, js, that either they preached it themselves, or the Difcretion and Prudence of this wife recommended it to others; but rather, Steward in God's House, after he hath he means, the real Diftribution of the reprefented the wretched and woful Food of Souls unto their various Conditi-Eftate of them that are in the Flesh, how ons, as it is the Duty of a Steward to their Natures an be both faithful and wife in that, to give every one their own Portion: And as it is the Paftor's Duty, thus to diftribute the Word of God unto you, fo it is your Part to apply it home to your felves, without which Application, the former Divifion of the Word aright, will not feed your Souls: If every Man act not

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Enmity againft God, how their End is Deatherď Deion, he fubjoins in de Beafon a fuitable Encouragement to Believers, You are not in the Flefb, &c. Because there is no Man fo fenfible of that Corruption that dwells within, as he that is in part renewed; as Pain to a healthful Body is moft fenfible, and as the Abundance of

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