THE LIFE OF CHRIST

THE

PITH AND KERNEL OF ALL RELIGION

A SERMON

PREACHED BEFORE

THE HONORABLE HOUSE OF COMMONS,
At Westminster, March 31, 1647.

BY R. CUDWORTH, B.D.

VOL. 9:

DEDICATION

TO THE HONORABLE

HOUSE OF COMMONS.­

            THE scope of this Sermon, which not long since ex­ercised Your patience, worthy Senators, was not to con­tend for this or that opinion; but only to persuade men to the life of CHRIST, as the pith and kernel of all religion. without which, I may boldly say, all the several forms of religion in the world, Though we please ourselves never so much in them, are but so many several dreams. Arid those many opinions about religion that are every where so eagerly contended for, where this does not he at the bottom, are but so many shadows fighting with one another. Wherefore I could not think any thing else either more necessary for Christians in general, or more seasonable at this time, than to stir them up to the real. establishment of the righteousness of GOD in their hearts, and that participation of the Divine nature, which the apostle speaks of. That so they might not content themselves with mere conceits of CHRIST, without the Spirit of CHRIST really dwelling in them, and CHRIST him­self inwardly formed in their hearts. Nor satisfy them­selves with the mere holding of right and orthodox opinions, whilst they are utterly devoid of that Divine life, which CHRIST came to kindle in men's souls; whence they are so apt to spend all their zeal in a violent ob­truding their own opinions upon others. Which, besides its repugnance to the doctrine and example of CHRIST, is like to be the bellows that will blow a perpetual fire of discord in Christian commonwealths; whilst, in the mean time, these hungry and starved opinions devour all the life and substance of religion, as the lean kine in Pharaoh's dream did eat up the fat. Nor, lastly, that men should please themselves only in the violent opposing of other men's superstitions, without substituting in the room of them an inward principle of spirit and life in their souls. For I fear many of us, that pull, down idols in churches, may set them up in our hearts; and whilst we quarrel with painted glass, make no scruple at all of entertaining many foul lusts in our souls, and committing continual idolatry with them.

            This, in general, was the design of this following dis­course, which Thou were pleased, noble Senators, not only to express Your good acceptance of, but also to give a real signification of Your great undeserved favor to the author of it. Who therefore cannot but, as the least expression of his thankfulness, humbly devote it to Thou; presenting it here again to Your eye in the same form in which it was delivered to Your ear. Desirous of nothing more, than that it may be some way useful to Thou, to kindle in Thou the life and heat of that which is endeavored here to be described upon paper, that Thou may express it both in Your private conversations, and likewise in Your public employments for the common­wealth.

            I have but one word more, if Thou please to give me leave; that, after Your care for the advancement of re­ligion, and the public good of the commonwealth, Thou would think it worthy of Thou to promote ingenuous learning, and cast a favorable influence upon it. I mean not that only which furnisheth the pulpit, which Thou seem to be very regardful of; but that which is more remote from such popular use, in several kinds of it, which yet are all of them both very subservient to religion, and useful to the commonwealth. There is indeed ,*, as the philosopher tells us, a bastardly kind of literature, and a+~EUSwvulAos yvwals, as the apostle instructeth us, a knowledge falsely so called; which deserve not to be pleaded for. But the improvement "of our under­standing in the true contemplation of the wisdom, good­ness, and other attributes of God; in this great fabric of the universe, cannot easily be disparaged, without a blemish cast upon the Maker of it. Doubtless, we may as well enjoy that which GOD has communicated of himself to the creatures, by this larger faculty of our understanding, as by those narrow faculties of our senses; and yet nobody counts it unlawful to hear a lesson played upon the lute, or to smell at a rose. And these raised improvements of our natural understandings may, be, as well subservient to a Divine light in our minds, as the natural use of these outward creatures `to the life of GOD in our hearts. Nay, all true knowledge does of itself tend to GOD, who is the fountain of it, and would' ever be raising of our souls up upon its wings thither, did not we ,*, detain it, and hold it down, in un­righteousness, as the apostle speaks. All philosophy to a wise man, to a truly sanctified mind, as he in Plutarch speaks, is but matter for divinity to work upon. Re­ligion is the queen of all those endowments of the soul; and all pure natural knowledge, all virgin and unde­flowered arts and sciences, are her hand-maids, that rise up, and call her blessed. I need not tell Thou how much then the skill of languages conduceth to the right under­standing of the letter of the Sacred Writings, on which the spiritual notions must be built; for none can possibly be ignorant of that,. which have but once heard of a translation of the Bible. The apostle exhorteth private Christians to " Whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, to think on those things:" and therefore it may well become Thou, noble gentlemen, in Your public sphere, to, encourage so noble a thing as knowledge is, which will reflect so much lustre back upon Thourselves. That GOD would direct Thou in all Your councils, and still bless Thou, and prosper Thou in all Your sincere endeavors for the, public good,, is the hearty prayer of,

Your most humble servant,

RALPH CUDWORTH.

Die Mercurii ultimo Martii, 1647.

            Ordered by the Commons assembled in- Parliament: That Sir Henry Mildmay do from this House give thanks unto Mr. Cudworth, for the great pains he took in the sermon he preached on this day at Margaret's, Westminster, before the House of Commons, (it being a day of public humiliation,) and that he do desire him to print his sermon.

H. ELSYNG, Cler. Parl. D. Com.

1 JOHN 2: 3, 4.

            "And hereby we do know that we know him, if w& keep his commandments. He that says,_I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." WE have much inquiry concerning-knowledge in these latter times. The sons of Adam are now, as busy- as ever himself was, about the tree of knowledge, of good and evil, shaking the boughs of it, and scrambling, for the fruit: whilst, I fear, many are too unmindful of the tree of life. And Though there be now no cherubim with their flaming swords, to fright men off from it; yet the way that leads to it seems to be solitary and untrodden, as if there were but few that had any mind to taste of the fruit of it. There be many that speak of new discoveries of truth, of dawnings of gospel-light; and no question but GOD has reserved much of this for the very evening and sun-set of the world, for " in the latter days know­ledge shall be increased." But yet I wish, whilst we talk of light, and dispute about truth, we could walk more as children of the light. Whereas if St. John's rule be good here in the text, that no man truly knows CHRIST, but he that keeps his commandments; it is much to be sus­pected many of us, which pretend to light; have a thick and gloomy darkness over-spreading our souls. There be

now many large volumes and discourses written con­cerning CHRIST, Thousands of controversies discussed; so that our bookish Christians, that have all their religion in writings and papers, think they are now completely fur­nished with all kind of knowledge concerning CHRIST; and when they see all their leaves lying about them, they think they cannot possibly miss of the way to heaven; as if religion were nothing but a little book-craft, a mere paper-skill. But if St. John's rule here be good, we must not judge of our knowing of CHRIST by our skill in books and papers, but by our keeping his commandments. And that I fear will discover many of us (notwithstanding all this light which we boast of round us) to have nothing but Egyptian darkness within upon our hearts. The vulgar think they know CHRIST enough, out of their creeds and catechisms; and if they have but a little acquainted themselves with these, and like parrots conned the words of them, they doubt not but they are sufficiently instructed in the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Many of the more learned, if they can but wrangle and dispute about CHRIST, imagine themselves to be grown great pro­ficients in the school of CHRIST. The greatest part of the world, whether learned or unlearned, think that there is no need of purging and purifying their hearts, for the right knowledge of CHRIST and his gospel; but Though their lives be never so wicked, their hearts never so foul within, yet they may know CHRIST sufficiently out of their treatises and discourses; out of their mere systems and bodies of divinity; which I deny not to be useful in a subordinate way: although our Savior prescribed his disciples ano­ther method, to come to the right knowledge of Divine truths, by doing of GOD’s will; "be that will do my Father's will," says he, " shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God." He is a true Christian indeed, not that is only book-taught, but that is God-taught; he that has an unction from the Holy One that teaches him all things; he that has the Spirit of CHRIST within him, that searcheth out the deep things of God. "

            For as no man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him, even so the things of GOD knows no man but the Spirit of God." Ink and paper can never make us Christians, can never beget a new nature in us; can never form CHRIST, or any true notions of spiritual things in our hearts. The gospel, that new law which CHRIST delivered to the world, it is not merely a letter without us, but a quickening Spirit within us. Cold theorems and maxims, dry disputes and reasonings, could never yet of themselves beget the least glimpse of true heavenly light, the least sap of saving knowledge in any heart. All this is but the groping of the poor dark spirit of man after truth, to find it out with his own endeavors, and feel it with his own cold and benumbed hands. Words and syllables which are but dead things, cannot possibly convey the living no­tions of heavenly truths to us. The secret mysteries of a Divine life, of a new nature, of CHRIST formed in our hearts; cannot be written or spoken, language cannot reach them )­neither can they ever be truly understood, except the soul itself be kindled from within, and awakened into the life of them. A painter that would draw a rose, Though he may flourish some likeness of it in figure and color, yet he can never paint the fragrancy; or if he would draw a flame, he cannot put a constant heat into his colors he cannot make his pencil drop a sound, as the echo in the epigram mocks at him,-Si vis similem pingere, pinge sonum. All the skill of cunning artisans and mechanics, cannot put a principle of life into a statue of their own making. Neither are we able to enclose in words and letters, the life, soul, and essence of any spiritual truths; and as it were to incorporate it in them. Some philoso­phers have determined, virtue cannot be taught by any certain rules or precepts. Men and books may propound some directions to us, that may set us in such a way of life and practice, as in which we shall at last find it within ourselves, and be experimen­tally acquainted with it; but they cannot teach it us like a mechanic art or trade. No, surely, there is a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the Almighty gives this­understanding. But we shall not meet with this Spirit any where but in the way of obedience; the knowledge of CHRIST, and the keeping of his commandments, must always go together, and be mutual causes of one another.

            "Hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that sayeth, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." I come now unto these words themselves; I shall not need to force out any thing from them; I shall only take notice of some few observations, which drop. from them of their own accord, and then conclude with some appli­cation of them to ourselves.

            First then, if this be the right method of discovering our knowledge of CHRIST, by our keeping of his com­mandments; then we may safely draw conclusions con­cerning our state and condition, from the conformity of our lives to the will of CHRIST. Would we know whether we know CHRIST aright, let us consider whether the life of CHRIST be in us. He that has not the life of CHRIST in him, has nothing but the name of CHRIST, not the sub­stance. He that builds his house upon this foundation; not an airy notion of CHRIST swimming in his brain, but CHRIST dwelling and living in his heart; as our Savior himself witnesseth, " buildeth his house upon a rock;" and when floods come, and winds blow, and the rain descends, and beat upon it, it shall stand impregnable. But he that builds all his comfort upon an ungrounded persuasion, that GOD from all eternity has loved him; and seeks not for GOD really dwelling in his soul; he builds his house upon a quicksand, and it shall suddenly sink and be swallowed up: " His hope shall be cut off, and his trust shall be a spider's web; he shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand, he shall hold it fast but it shall not endure." We are no where commanded to pry into these secrets, but the advice given us, is, to " make our calling and election sure."

            We have no warrant in Scripture, to peep into these hidden rolls of eternity, and to make it our first thing that we do when we come to CHRIST, to persuade ourselves that we are elected to everlasting happiness; before we see the image of GOD, in righteousness and true holiness, shaped in our hearts. GOD’s everlasting decree is too dazzling an ob­ject for us at first to set our eyes upon. It is far easier and safer for us to look upon the rays of his goodness and holiness, as they are reflected in our own hearts; and there to read the mild and gentle characters of GOD’s love to us, in our love to him, and our hearty compliance with his heavenly will: as it is safer for us, if we would see the sun, to look upon it here below in a pail of water; than to cast up our daring eyes upon the body of the sun itself, which is too radiant and scorching for us. Those Divine purposes, whatsoever they be, are altogether un­searchable by us; they he wrapt in everlasting darkness, and covered in a deep abyss; who is able to fathom the bottom of them? Let us not therefore make this our first attempt towards GOD and religion, to persuade our­selves strongly of these everlasting decrees. For if at our first flight we aim so high, we shall haply but scorch our wings, and be struck back with lightning, as those giants of old were, that would needs attempt to invade heaven.

            The way to obtain a full assurance of our title to heaven, is not to clamber up to it, by a ladder of our own un­grounded persuasions; but to dig as low as hell by humi­lity in our hearts. We must avaCawnv xarw and xa-rwCa vsv avw, as the Greek epigram speaks, ascend downwards, and descend upward; if we would indeed come to heaven. The most triumphant confidence of a Christian riseth safely and surely upon this low foundation, that lies deep under ground; and there stands firmly and steadfastly. When our heart is once tuned into a conformity with the word of GOD, when we feel our will perfectly to concur with his will, we shall then presently perceive a Spirit of adoption within ourselves, teaching us to cry Abba, Father.

            We shall not then care for peeping into those records of eternity, to see whether our names be written there. No, we shall find a copy of GOD’s Thoughts concerning us; written in our own breasts. There we may read the characters of his favor to us; there we may feel an inward sense of his love to us, flowing out of our hearty and unfeigned love to him. And we shall be more un­doubtedly persuaded of it, than if any of those winged watchmen above, that are privy to heaven's secrets, should come to tell us; that they saw our name enrolled in those volumes of eternity. Whereas on the contrary, Though we strive to persuade ourselves never so confidently, that God from all eternity has elected us to life and happiness; if we do yet, in the mean time, entertain any iniquity within our hearts, and willingly close with any lust; do what we can, we shall find many a cold qualm every now and then seizing upon us. The least inward lust willingly continued in, will be like a worm, fretting the gourd of our confidence and presumptuous persuasion of GOD’s love, and always gnawing at the root of it; and Though we strive to keep it alive, and continually besprinkle it with some dews of our own; yet it will always be dying and withering in our bosons. But a good conscience within will be better to a Christian than " health to his navel, and marrow to his bones;" it will be an ever­lasting cordial to his heart; it will be softer to him than a bed of down, and be may sleep securely upon it, in the midst of raging and tempestuous seas; when the winds bluster, and the waves beat round about him. A good conscience, is the best looking-glass of heaven; in which the soul may see GOD’s Thoughts and purposes concerning it, as so many shining stars reflected to it. " Hereby we know that we know CHRIST, hereby we know that CHRIST loves us, if we keep his commandments."

            Secondly, if hereby we know that we know CHRIST, by our keeping his commandments; then the knowledge of CHRIST does not consist in a few barren notions, in certain dry and sapless opinions. CHRIST came not into the world to fill our heads with speculations; to kindle a fire of wrangling amongst us, and to warm our spirits against one another with angry and peevish debates, whilst in the mean time our hearts remain all ice towards GOD, and have not the least spark of true heavenly fire to melt them. CHRIST came not to possess our brains only with some cold opinions, that send down nothing but a freezing and benumbing influence upon our hearts. He is the best Christian whose heart beats with the truest pulse towards heaven;-not he whose head spinneth out the finest cobwebs. Surely the way to heaven that CHRIST has taught us, is plain and easy, if we have but honest hearts. We need not many criticisms, many school­distinctions, to come to the right understanding of it. No man shall ever be kept out of heaven, for not com­prehending mysteries that were beyond the reach of his shallow understanding; if he had but an honest and good heart, that was ready to comply with CHRIST's command­ments. " Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven?" That is, with high speculations to bring down CHRIST from thence. Or, " who shall descend into the abyss beneath?" That is, with deep searching Thoughts to fetch up CHRIST from thence: but to! " the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart." But I wish it were not the distemper of our times, to make men solicitous about this and that opinion; whilst in the mean time there is no care taken about keeping CHRIST's commandments, and being renewed in our minds according to the image of GOD, in righteousness and true holiness. We say, " Lo, here is CHRIST, and lo, there is CHRIST," in these and these opinions; whereas in truth, CHRIST is neither here, nor there, nor any where; but where the Spirit of CHRIST, where the life of CHRIST is. Do we not now-a-days open and lock up heaven, with the private key of this or that opinion of our own? And if any one serve GOD with faith and a pure conscience, and yet is not skilful in some contended-for opinions; he has not the. Shibboleth, he has not the true watch-word; he must not pass the guards into heaven.

            Whereas every true Christian finds the least dram of hearty affection towards GOD tobe more cordial and sovereign to his soul, than all the speculative notions and opinions in the world. And Though he study also to inform his understanding aright, and free his mind from all error; yet it is nothing but the life of CHRIST deeply rooted in his heart, which is the elixir that he feeds upon. Had he " all faith that he could remove mountains," as St. Paul speaks, had he " all knowledges, all tongues and languages;" yet he prizeth one dram of love beyond them all. He accounteth him that feeds upon mere notions in religion, to be but an airy and chameleon-like Christian. He finds himself now otherwise rooted and centered in GOD, than when he did before merely contemplate and gaze upon him. He tasteth and relisheth GOD within himself, he has a savour of him; whereas before he did but rove and guess at random at him. He feeleth himself safely anchored in GOD, and will not be dissuaded from it; Though perhaps he knows not many of those subtilties, which others make the Alpha and Omega of their religion. It was well spoken by a noble philosopher, " without virtue GOD is an empty name:" so without obedience to CHRIST's com­mandments, without the life of CHRIST dwells in us, whatsoever opinions we entertain of him, CHRIST is only named by us, he is not known. I speak not here against a free and ingenuous inquiry into all truth, according to our several abilities and opportunities; I plead not for the enthralling our judgments to the dictates of men, I do not disparage the natural improvement of our understand­ing by true knowledge. But the thing I aim against is, the dispiriting the life and vigor of our religion, by dry specu­lations, and making it nothing but a mere dead skeleton of opinions, a few dry bones without any flesh and sinews tied up together: and misplacing all our zeal upon these, which should be spent to better purpose upon other objects.

            Knowledge indeed is a thing far more excellent than riches, outward pleasures, worldly dignities, or any thing else besides holiness; but yet our happiness consists not in it, but in a Divine temper and constitution of soul which is far above it. But it is a piece of that corruption that runneth through human nature, that

we naturally prize knowledge more than holiness. We think it a gallant thing to be fluttering'up to heaven with our wings of knowledge and speculation: whereas the highest mystery of a divine life here, and of perfect hap­piness hereafter, consists in nothing but mere obedience to the Divine will. Happiness is nothing but that inward sweet delight, that will arise from the harmonious agree­ment between our wills and GOD’s will. There is nothing contrary to GOD in the whole world, nothing that fights against him but self-will. This is the strong castle, that we all keep garrisoned against heaven in every one of our hearts, which GOD continually layeth siege unto. And it must be conquered and demolished, before we can con­quer heaven. It was by this self-will that Adam fell in Paradise; that those glorious angels, those morning-stars, kept not their first station, but dropped down from heaven like falling stars, and sunk into this condition of bitter­ness, anxiety, and wretchedness. They all entangled themselves with the length of their own wings, they would needs will otherwise than GOD would will in them. And going about to make their wills wider, the more they struggled, they found themselves the faster pinioned; insomuch that now they are not able to use any wings at all, but inheriting the serpent's curse, can only creep with their bellies upon the earth. Now our only way to recover GOD and happiness again, is not to soar up with our understandings, but to destroy this self-will of ours. And then we shall find our wings to grow again; our plumes fairly spread, and ourselves raised aloft into the free air of perfect liberty, which is perfect happiness. There is nothing in the whole world able to do us good or hurt, but GOD and our own will; neither riches nor po­verty, nor disgrace nor honor, nor life nor death, nor angels nor devils; but willing or not willing as we ought to do.

            Should hell itself cast all its fiery darts against us, if our will be right, if it be informed by the Divine will, they can do us no hurt; we have then (if I may so speak,) an enchanted shield that is impenetrable, and will bear off all. GOD will not hurt us, and hell cannot hurt us, if we will nothing but what GOD wills. Nay, then we are acted by GOD himself, and the whole Divinity floweth in upon us; and when we have cashiered this self-will, which did but shackle and confine our souls, our wills shall then become truly free, being widened and enlarged to the extent of GOD’s own will. " Hereby we know that we know CHRIST' indeed," not by our speculative opinions concerning him, but " by our keeping his command­ments."

            Thirdly, if hereby we are to judge whether we truly know CHRIST, by our "keeping his commandments;" so that " he that says he knows him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar;" then, " this was not the design of the gospel, to give the world an indulgence to sin, upon any pretence soever." Though we are too prone to make such misconstructions of it; as if GOD had intended nothing else in it, but to dandle our corrupt nature, and contrive a smooth and easy way for us to come to happiness, without the toilsome labor of sub­duing our sinful affections. Or, as if the gospel were nothing else but a declaration to the world, of GOD’s engaging his affections from all eternity, on some particular persons, in such a manner, that he would resolve to love them, Though he never made them partakers of his holiness, and Though they should remain under the power of their lusts, yet they should still continue his beloved ones, and he would, notwithstanding, at last bring them undoubtedly to heaven. Which is nothing else but to make the GOD whom we worship an accepter of persons; and one that should encourage that in the world which is diametrically opposite to GOD’s own life and being. And indeed nothing is more ordinary, than for us to shape out such monstrous notions of GOD unto ourselves, by looking unto him through the colored medium of our own corrupt hearts, and having the eye of our soul tinctured by our own lusts. And, therefore, because we mortals can fondly love and hate, and sometimes hug the very vices of those to whom our affections are engaged; we are so ready to shape out a deity like ourselves, and to fashion out such a GOD, as will in CHRIST at least hug the very wickedness of the world. And in those that be once his own, by I know not what fond affection appropriated to himself, connive at their very sins, so that they shall not make the least breach between himself and them. Truly, I know not whether of the two be the worst idolatry, for a man to make a GOD out of a piece of wood, and CO fall down unto it and worship it, and say, Deliver me, for Thou art my god;" or to set up such an idol-god of our own imaginations, fashioned according to the similitude of our own fondness and wickedness. And when we should paint our GOD with the liveliest colors that we can possibly borrow from any created being; to draw him out thus with the blackest coal of our own corrupt hearts; and to make the very blots and blurs of our souls to be the very letters which we spell out his name by. But there is no such GOD as this any where in the world, but only in some men's false imaginations, who know not all this while that they look upon themselves instead of GOD, and make an idol of themselves, which they worship and adore for him; being so full of themselves, that what­soever they see round about them, even GOD himself, they color with their own tincture. And therefore it is no wonder if men seem more devoutly affected toward such an imaginary GOD, than to the true GOD, clothed with hiss own proper attributes; since it is nothing but an image of themselves, which, Narcissus-like, they fall in love with. No wonder if they kiss and dandle such a baby as this, which, like little children, they have dressed up according to their own likeness. But GOD will ever dwell in spotless light, howsoever we paint and disfigure him here below.

            He will still be circled about with his own rays of un=stained and immaculate glory. And Though the gospel be not GOD, as he is in his own brightness, but GOD veiled tows, GOD in a state of humiliation, as the sun in a rain­bow; yet it is nothing else but a clear and unspotted mirror of Divine holiness, goodness, purity; in which attributes he the very life and essence of GOD himself. The gospel is nothing else but GOD descending into the world in our form, and conversing with us in our likeness; that he might allure and draw us up to GOD, and make us partakers of his Divine form, as Athanasius speaks, “GOD was made man, that he might deify us," that is, (as St. Peter expresseth it,) " make us partakers of the Divine nature." Now, I say, the proper character, and essential tincture of GOD himself, is nothing else but goodness. Nay, I may be bold to add, that GOD is therefore GOD, because he is the highest and most perfect good. And good is not therefore good because GOD, out of an arbitrary. will of his, would have it so. Whatsoever GOD does in the world, he does it as is suitable to the highest goodness; the first idea and fairest copy of which is his own essence. Virtue and holiness in creatures, as Plato well discourseth, are not therefore good because GOD loves them, and will have them be accounted such; but rather, " GOD therefore loves them because they are in themselves simply good." It is another mistake, which sometimes we have of GOD, by shaping him according to the model of ourselves, when we make him nothing but a blind, dark, impetuous Self-will, running through the world; such as we ourselves are furiously acted with, that have not the ballast of absolute goodness to poise, and settle us. That I may therefore come nearer to the thing in hand: GOD, who is absolute goodness, cannot love any of his creatures and take pleasure in them, without bestowing a communication of his goodness upon them. GOD cannot make a gospel, to promise men life and happiness here­after, without being regenerated, and made partakers of his holiness. As soon may heaven and hell be reconciled together, and lovingly shake hands with one another, as GOD can be fondly indulgent to any sin, in whomsoever it be.

            As soon tray light and darkness be espoused together, and midnight be married to the noon-day; as GOD can., be joined in a league of friendship to any wicked soul. The great design of GOD in the gospel, is to clear up this mist of sin and corruption which we are here sur­rounded with. And to bring up his creatures out of the shadow of death, to the region of light above, the land of truth and holiness. The great mystery of the gospel is to establish a God-like frame and disposition of spirit, which consists in righteousness and true holiness, in the hearts of men.- And CHRIST, who is the great and mighty Savior, came on purpose into the world, not only to save us from fire and brimstone, but also to save us from our sins. CHRIST has therefore made an expiation of our sins by his death upon the cross, that we being thus a deli­vered out of the hands of" these our greatest " enemies, might serve GOD without fear, in holiness and righteous­ness before him, all the days of our life." This " grace of GOD that brings salvation," has therefore "appeared to all men" in the gospel, that it might teach us " to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearance of the great GOD, and our Savior JESUS CHRIST; who gave himself for us, that. he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." " These things I write unto Thou," says our apostle, (a little before my text,) " that Thou sin not:" therein expressing the end of the whole gospel, which is, not only to cover sin, by spreading the purple robe of CHRIST's death and sufferings over it, whilst it still remains in us with all its filth and noisomeness, but also to convey a powerful and mighty spirit of holiness to cleanse us, and free us from it. And this is a greater grace of GOD’s to us than the former, which still go both together in the gospel; besides the free remission and pardon of sin in the blood of CHRIST, the delivering us from the power of sin,' by the Spirit of CHRIST dwelling in our hearts.

            CHRIST came not into the world only to cast a mantle, over us, and hide all our filthy sores from GOD’s avenging eye, with his merits and righteousness; but he came like­ wise to be a chirurgeon, and physician of souls, to free us from the filth and corruption of them; which is more grievous and burthensome, more noisome to a true Christian, than the guilt of sin itself. Should a poor wretched and diseased creature, that is full of sores and ulcers, be covered- all over with purple, or clothed with scarlet; he would take but little contentment in it, whilst his sores and wounds remained upon him: and he had much rather he arrayed in rags, so he might obtain but soundness and health within. The gospel is a true Bethesda, a pool of grace, where such poor, lame, and infirm creatures as we are, upon the moving of GOD’s Spirit in it, may descend, not only to wash our skin, but to be cured of our diseases within. And whatever the world thinks, there is a powerful Spirit that moves upon these waters, the waters of the gospel, for this new creation, the regeneration of souls; the very same Spirit that once moved upon the waters of the universe at the first creation, and spreading its mighty wings over them, did hatch the new-born world into this perfection: I say, the same almighty Spirit of CHRIST still works in the gospel, spreading its gentle, healing, quickening wings over our souls. The gospel is not like Abana and Pharphar, those common rivers of Damascus, that could only cleanse the outside; but it is a true Jordan, in which such leprous Naamans as we all are may wash and be clean. " Blessed indeed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered: blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin:" but yet, rather blessed are they whose sins are removed like a morning cloud, and quite taken away from them. "Blessed," thrice blessed, "are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Our Savior CHRIST came (as John the Baptist tells us,) with’a fan in his hand, "that he might

thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire." He came (as the prophet Malachi speaks,) "like a refiner's fire, and fuller's soap, to sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and to purify all the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." CHRIST came not only to write holiness to the Lord upon Aaron's forehead, and to put his urim and thummim upon his breast-plate, but " this is the covenant, says the Lord, that I will make with them in those days; I will put my law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and I will be their GOD, and they shall be my people." "God sent his own Son, (says St. Paul,) in the likeness of sinful flesh, and by a sacrifice for sin, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

            The first Adam, as the Scripture tells us, brought in a real defilement, which, like a noisome leprosy, has over­spread all mankind: and therefore the second Adam must not only fill the world with a conceit of holiness; but he must really convey such an immortal seed of grace into the hearts of true believers, as may prevail still more in them, till it have at last quite wrought out that poison of the serpent. CHRIST, that was nothing but Divinity dwell­ing in a tabernacle of flesh, and GOD himself immediately actuating a human nature, carne into the world to kindle here that Divine life amongst men, which is certainly dearer unto GOD than any thing else in the world; and to propagate this celestial fire from one heart to another, until the end of the world. Neither is he, nor was he ever, absent from this spark of his divinity kindled amongst men, wheresoever it be, Though he seem bodily to be withdrawn from us. He is the standing, constant, inex­hausted fountain of this Divine light and heat, that still toucheth every soul that is enlivened by it with an out­stretched ray, and freely lends his beams, and disperseth his influence to all, from the beginning of the world to the end of it.

            We all receive of his fullness, grace for grace, as all the stars in heaven are said to light their candles at the sun's flame. For Though his body be with­drawn from us, yet by the lively and virtual contact of his Spirit, he is always kindling, cheering, quickening, warming, enlivening our hearts. Is GOD powerful to kill and to destroy, and is he not powerful to save? Nay, it is the sweetest flower in all the garland of his attributes; it is the richest diamond in his crown of glory, that he is mighty to save: and this is far more magnificent for him, than to be styled mighty to destroy. For that, except it be in the way of justice, speaks no power at all, but mere impotency, for the root of all power is goodness. Or must we say, that GOD indeed is able to rescue us out of the power of sin and SATAN, when we sigh and groan towards him, but yet sometimes, to exercise his absolute authority, his uncontrollable dominion, he delights rather in plunging wretched souls into infernal night, and ever­lasting darkness? What shall we then make the GOD of the whole world? Nothing but a cruel and dreadful Erynnis, with curled fiery snakes about his head, and fire­brands in his hands, thus governing the world? Surely this will make us either secretly to think that there is no GOD, if he must be such, or else to wish there were none. But doubtless, GOD will at last confute all these our mis­apprehensions of him, cast the shame of all our sinful deficiencies upon ourselves, and vindicate his own glory. In the mean time let us know, that the gospel requires far more of us than ever the law did; for it requires a new creature, a Divine nature, CHRIST formed in us: but withal, it bestoweth a quickening spirit, an enlivening power, to enable us to express that which is required of us. Whosoever therefore truly knows CHRIST, the same also keeps CHRIST's commandments. But "he that says I know him, and keeps not his commandments, he is a _liar, and the truth is not in him."

            I have now done with the first part of my discourse, concerning those observations which arise naturally from the words. I-sliall in the next place proceed to make some general application of them all together.  Now therefore, I beseech Thou, let us consider whether or not we know CHRIST: not by our acquaintance with systems of divinity; not by our skill in books and papers; but by our keeping of CHRIST's commandments. All the books and writings which we converse with, can but represent spiritual objects to our understandings; which yet we can never see in their true figure, color, and proportion, until we have a Divine light within, to irradiate and shine upon them. Though there be never such excel­lent truths concerning CHRIST and his gospel set down in words and letters, yet they will be but unknown characters to us, until we have a living Spirit within us that can de­cypher them; until the same Spirit, by secret whispers in our hearts, comment upon them, which did at first indite them. There are many that understand the Greek and Hebrew-of the Scripture, the original languages in which the text was written, that never understood the language of the Spirit. There is a flesh and a spirit, a body and a soul, in all the writings of the Scripture. It is but the flesh and body of Divine truths, that is printed upon paper.; which many moths of books and libraries feed upon; many walking skeletons of knowledge, that bury and entomb truths in the living sepulchres of their souls, do only converse with: such as never did any thing else but pick at the mere bark and rind of truths, and crack the shells of them. But there is a soul, and spirit of Divine truths, that could never yet be congealed into ink, that could never be blotted upon paper, which by a secret conveyance passes from one soul to another; being able to dwell and lodge no where but in a spiritual being, in a living thing; because itself is nothing but life and spirit. Neither can it where it is express itself sufficiently in words and sounds, but it will best declare and speak itself in actions: as the old manner of writing among the Egyptians was, not by words, but things. The life of Divine truths is better expressed in actions than in words-, because actions are more living things than words.

            Words are nothing but the dead resemblances and pictures of those truths which live and breathe in actions: and the kingdom of GOD (as the apostle speaks,) consists not in word, but in life and power. Let us not, (I beseech Thou,) judge of our knowing CHRIST by our ungrounded persuasions that CHRIST from all eternity has loved us, and given himself particularly for us, without the real partaking of the image of CHRIST in our hearts. The great mystery of the gospel does not he only in CHRIST without us, (Though we must know also what he hath done for us,) but the very pith and kernel of it con­sists in CHRIST inwardly formed in our hearts. Nothing is truly ours but what lives in our spirits. Salvation itself cannot save us as long as it is only without us; no more than health can cure us when it is not within us, but somewhere at a distance from us; no more than arts and sciences, whilst they he only in books and papers without us, can make us learned. The gospel, Though it be a sovereign and medicinal thing in itself, yet the mere knowing and believing the history of it will do us no good. We can receive no virtue from it till it be inwardly digested in our souls; till it be made ours, and become a living thing in our hearts. The gospel, if it be only without us, cannot save us; no more than that physician's bill could cure the ignorant patient of his disease, who, when it was commended to him, took the paper only, and put it up in his pocket, but never drank the potion that was prescribed in it. All that CHRIST did for us in the flesh, from his lying in a manger when he was born, to his bleeding upon the cross, will not save us from our sins, unless CHRIST by his Spirit dwell in us. It will not avail us to believe that he was born of a Virgin, unless the power of the Most High overshadow our hearts, and beget him there likewise. It will not profit us to believe that he died upon the cross for us, unless we be baptized into his death by the mortification of all our lusts; unless the old man of sin be crucified in our hearts.

            CHRIST indeed has made an expiation for our sins upon his cross; and the blood of CHRIST is the only sovereign balsam to free us from the guilt of them. But yet, besides the sprinkling of the blood of CHRIST upon us, we must be made par­takers also of his Spirit. CHRIST came into the world as well to redeem us from the power and bondage of our sins, as to free us from the guilt of them. "Thou know" (says St. John,) "that he was manifested to take away our sins; whosoever therefore abides in him, sins not; whosoever sins, has not seen nor known him." Lo the end of CHRIST's coming into the world; to a design worthy of GOD "manifested in the flesh!"

            CHRIST did not take all those pains, to lay aside his robes of glory, and come down hither into the world; to enter into a virgin's womb; to be born in our shape, and be laid, a poor crying infant, in a manger; and having no "form nor comeliness" at all upon him, to take upon him the "form of a servant;" to undergo an ignominious life, and at last to be abandoned to a shameful. death, a death upon the cross; I say, he did not do all this merely to bring in a notion into the world, without producing any real and substantial effect, without the changing, mend­ing, and reforming the world: so that men should still be as wicked as they were before, and as much under the power of the prince of darkness; only they should not be Thought so: they should still remain as full of all the filthy sores of sin and corruption as before; only they should be accounted whole. Shall GOD come down from heaven, and pitch a tabernacle amongst men? Shall he undertake such a huge design, and make so great a noise of doing something, which, when it is all summed up, shall not at last amount to a reality? Surely,.CHRIST did not undergo all this to so little purpose; he would not take all this pains for us, that he might be able at last to put into our hands nothing but a blank. He "was with child," he "was in pain and travail," and has "he brought forth nothing but wind?" has he been delivered "of the east wind?"

            Is that great design that was so long carried in the womb of eternity, now proved abortive, or else but a mere windy birth? No, surely, the end of the

gospel is life and perfection, it is a Divine nature; it is a godlike frame and disposition of spirit; it is to make us partakers of the image of GOD, in righteousness and true holiness. CHRIST came indeed into the world, to make an atonement for our sins; but the end of this was, that we might eschew sin, that we might forsake "all un­ godliness and wordly lusts." The gospel declares pardon of sin to those that are heavy laden with it, to this end, that it might enliven us to new obedience. Whereas, otherwise, the guilt of sin might have detained us in horror and despair, and so have kept us still more strongly under the power of it, in dismal apprehensions of GOD’s wrath provoked against us, and inevitably falling on us. But CHRIST has now appeared, like a day-star, with cheerful beams; nay, he is the " Sun of Righteous­ness himself;" which has risen upon the world with his healing wings, that he might chase away all those black despairing Thoughts. But CHRIST did not rise that we should play and sport with his light; but that we should do "the works of the day" in it: that we should walk not in our night-clothes of sinful deformity, but clad all over with the comely garments of light. The gospel is not big with child of Fancy, a mere conceit of righteous­ness without us, hanging at a distance over us; whilst our hearts within are nothing but cages of "unclean bird;" nay, the rendezvous, of fiends of darkness.

            Holiness is the best thing that GOD himself can bestow upon us, either in this world or the world to come. True evangelical holiness, that is, "CHRIST formed" in the hearts of believers, is the very quintessence of the gospel. And were our hearts sound within, were there not many thick and dark fumes that did arise from thence, and cloud our understandings, we could not easily conceive the substance of heaven itself to be any thing else but holiness, freed from those encumbrances that did ever clog it here; neither should we wish for any other heaven besides this. But many of us are like those children whose stomachs are so vitiated by some disease, that they think ashes, coal, or any such trash, to be more pleasant than the most wholesome food. Such sickly appetites have we about these spiritual things, that hanker after 1: know not what vain shows of happiness, whilst in the mean time we neglect that which is the only true food of our souls, that is able solidly to nourish them to everlast­ing life. Grace is holiness militant; holiness encumbered with many enemies and difficulties, which it still fights against, and manfully quits itself of; and glory is nothing else but holiness triumphant; holiness with a palm of victory in her hand, and a crown upon her head. GOD himself cannot make me happy, if he be only without me; unless he give a participation of himself and his own like­ness into my soul. I mean by holiness, nothing else but GOD stamped and printed upon the soul. And we may please ourselves with what conceits we will; but so long as we are void of this, we do but dream of heaven; we do but blowup and down an airy bubble of our own fancies, which riseth out of the froth of our vain hearts; we do but court a painted heaven, and woo happiness in a picture; whilst in the mean time a true and real hell will suck in our soul into it, and soon make us sensible of a solid woe, and--substantial misery.

Divine Wisdom has so ordered the frame of the whole universe, that every thing should have a proper place that should be a receptacle for it. Hell is the sink of all sin and wickedness. The strong magic of nature pulls and draws every thing continually to that place which is suit­able to it, and to which it does belong; so all these heavy bodies press downwards towards the centre of our earth, being drawn in by it.

            In like manner, hell, wheresoever it is, will, by strong sympathy, pull in all sin to itself. As true holiness is always breathing upwards, and flutter­

ing towards heaven, striving to embosom itself with God; and it will at last undoubtedly be conjoined with him, no dismal shades of darkness can possibly stop it in its course. We do but deceive ourselves with names; hell is nothing but the orb of sin and wickedness, or else that hemisphere of darkness, in which all evil moves: and heaven is the opposite hemisphere of light, the bright orb of truth, holiness, and goodness: and we actually in this life instate ourselves in the possession of one or other of them. Take sin and disobedience out of hell, and it will presently clear up into light, tranquility, serenity, and shine out into a heaven. Every true saint carries his heaven about with him in his own heart; and hell that is without him, can have no power over him. He might safely wade through hell itself; and, like the three chil­dren, pass through the midst of that fiery furnace, and yet not at all be scorched with the flames of it: he might " walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and yet fear no evil." Sin is the only thing in the world that is contrary to God. GOD is light, and that is darkness GOD is beauty, and that is deformity. All sin is direct rebellion against God; and with what notions soever we may sugar it, and sweeten it, yet GOD can never smile upon it, he will never make a truce with it. GOD declares, open war against sin, and bids defiance to it; for it is a professed enemy to GOD’s own life and being. GOD, who is infinite goodness, cannot but hate sin, which is purely evil; and wheresoever it is will be sure to scourge it, and lash it continually. GOD and sin can never agree to­gether.

            That I may come yet nearer to ourselves. " This is the message, that I have now to declare unto Thou, that GOD is light, and in him is no darkness at all: if we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." CHRIST and the gospel are light, and there is no darkness at all in them: if Thou say that Thou know CHRIST and his gospel, and yet keep not CHRIST's commandments, but dearly hug Your private darling corruptions, "Thou are liars, and the truth is not in-Thou;’ Thou have no acquaintance with the GOD of light, nor the gospel-of light. If any of Thou say, that Thou know CHRIST, and have an interest in him, and yet (as, I fear too many do,) still nourish ambition, pride, vain-glory within Your breasts; harbour malice, revenge, and hatred to Your neighbors; eagerly scramble after this worldly pelf, and make the strength of Your parts and endeavors serve that blind mammom, the GOD of this world; if Thou wallow in the filthy puddle of fleshly pleasures, or if Thou aim only at Thourselves in Your lives, and make Thourselves the compass by which Thou sail, and the star by which Thou steer Your course; deceive not Thourselves, " Thou have neither seen CHRIST, nor known him;" Thou are deeply incorporated (if I may so speak,) with the spirit of this world, and have no true sympathy with GOD and CHRIST, no fellowship at all with them. And (I beseech Thou) let us consider; be there not many of us that pretend much to CHRIST, that are plainly in our lives, as proud, ambi­tious, vain-glorious as any others? Are there not many of us, that are as much under the power of unruly passions; as cruel, revengeful, malicious, censorious as others? That have our minds as deeply engaged in the world, and as much envassalled to riches, gain, profit, those admired deities of the sons of men, and their souls as much overwhelmed and sunk with the cares of this life? Are there not many of us that have as deep a

share in injustice and oppression, in "vexing the fatherless and the widows?" I wish it may not prove some of our cases, at that last day, to use such pleas as these unto CHRIST; " Lord, I have prophesied in thy name;" I have preached many a zealous sermon for thee; I have kept many a long fast; I have been very active for thy cause in church, in state; nay, I never made any question but that my name was written in thy book of life; when yet, alas! we shall receive no other return from CHRIST but this, " I know Thou not; depart from me, ye workers of iniquity." I am sure there be too many of us, that have long pretended to CHRIST, who make little or no progress in true Christianity: that ever hang hovering in a twilight of grace, and never seriously put ourselves forwards into clear day-light, but like that faint twilight better than broad open day; whereas, a the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

            " I am sure there be many of us that are perpetual dwarfs in our spiritual stature; like those silly women that are " ever learning, and never able to come

to the knowledge of the truth:" that are not now one jot taller in Christianity, than we were many years ago; but have still as sickly, crazy, and unsound a temper of soul as we, had Long before. Indeed we seem to do something, we are always moving and lifting at the stone of corruption, that lies upon our hearts, but yet we

never stir it, or at least never roll it off from us. We are sometimes a little troubled with the guilt of our sins, and then we think we must thrust our lusts out of our hearts; but afterwards we sprinkle ourselves over, with I know not what holy water, and so are contented to let them still abide. We every day confess the same sins, and pray against them, and yet commit them as much as ever, and he as deeply under the power of them. We have the same water to pump out in every prayer, and still we let the same, leak in again upon us. We make a great deal of noise, and raise a great deal of dust with our feet; but we do not move from off the ground on which we stood; or if we do sometimes make a little progress, we quickly lose the ground we had gained: as if religion were nothing else, but a dancing up and down upon the same piece of ground; and not a sober journeying and traveling onwards towards some certain place. Like those Danaides, which the poets speak of, we are always filling water into a seive, by our prayers, duties, and performances; which still runs out as fast as we pour it in.

            What is it that thus cheats us of our religion? That makes us thus constantly to tread the same ring and circle of duties, where we make no progress at all for.­wards; and the further we go, are still never the nearer to our journey's end? What is it that thus starves our religion, and makes it. look like those kine in Pharaoh's dream, ill favored and lean fleshed; that it has, no color in its face, no blood in its veins, no life nor heat at all in its members? What is it that does thus bedwarf us in our Christianity? What low, sordid, and unworthy principles do we act by, that thus hinder our growth, and make us stand at a stay, and keep us always in the very porch and entrance? Is it a sleepy, sluggish con­ceit, that it is enough for us if we be but once in a state of grace, if we have but once stepped over the threshold; we need not take so great pains to travel any further? Or is it another damping, choking, stifling opinion, that CHRIST has done all for us already without us? No matter how wicked we be in ourselves, for we have holiness without us; no matter how sickly and diseased our souls be within, for they have health without them. Why may we not as well be satisfied and contented to have happiness without us too to all eternity, and so ourselves for ever continue miserable? " Little children, let no man deceive Thou; he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous: but he that com­mitteth sin is of the devil." I shall therefore exhort Thou in the wholesome words of St. Peter; " Give all diligence to add to Your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kind­ness; and to brotherly kindness, charity; for if these things be in Thou and abound, they make Thou that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord JESUS CHRIST." The apostle still goes on, and I cannot leave him yet; ",But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see far off, and has forgotten that’he was once purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence to make Your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things ye shall never fall." Let us not only talk and dispute of CHRIST, but let us indeed GO put on the Lord JESUS CHRIST."

            Having those great and precious promises, which he has given us, let us strive to be made “partakers of the Divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust:" and being begotten again to a lively hope of enjoying CHRIST hereafter, "let us purify ourselves as he is pure." Let us really declare that we know CHRIST, that we are his disciples, by our keeping his command­ments: and amongst the rest, that commandment espe­cially which our Savior CHRIST himself commends to his disciples in a peculiar manner; "This is my com­mandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved Thou:" and again, C1 These things I command Thou, that Thou love one another. Let us follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see God. Let us put on, as the elect of GOD, holy, and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as CHRIST forgave us: and above all these things, let us put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Let us in meekness instruct those that oppose themselves, if GOD peradventure will give them repentance, to the acknow­ledging of the truth, that they may recover themselves out of the snares of the devil, that are taken captive by him at his will."

            "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of GOD, and whosoever loves is born of GOD, and knows God." O Divine love! The sweet harmony of souls! The music of angels! The joy of GOD’s own heart, the very darling of his bosom! The source of true happiness! The pure quintessence of heaven! That which recon­ciles the jarring principles of the world, and makes them all chime together! That which melts men's hearts into one another! See how St. Paul describes it, and it cannot choose but enamour Your affections towards it "Love envieth not, it is not puffed up, it does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity; bears all things, believeth all things, hopes all things, endures all things:" I may add, in a word, it is the best natured thing in the world. Let us express this sweet harmonious affection in these jarring times; that so, if it be possible, we may tune the world, at last, into better music. Especially, in matters of religion, let us strive with all meekness to instruct and convince one another. Let us endeavor to promote the gospel of peace, the dove-like gospel with a dove-like spirit. This was the way by which the gospel at first was propagated in the world: CHRIST " did not cry, nor lift up his voice in the streets, a bruised reed he did not break, and the smoking flax he did not quench, and yet he brought forth judgment unto victory." He whispered the gospel to us from mount Sion, in a still voice, and yet the sound thereof went out quickly throughout all the earth. The gospel at first came down upon the world gently and softly, like the dew upon Gideon's fleece, and yet it quickly soaked quite through it. And doubtless this is still the most effectual way to promote it. Sweetness and tenderness will more powerfully command men's minds, than passion, sourness, and severity: as the soft pillow sooner breaks the flint than the hardest marble. Let us follow truth in love:, and of the two indeed, be contented rather to miss of the conveying a speculative truth, than to part with love. When we would convince men of any error by the strength of truth, let us withal pour the sweet balm of love upon their heads. Truth and love are the two most powerful things in the world, and when they both go together, they cannot easily be withstood. The golden beams of truth, and the silken cords of love, twisted together, will draw men on with a sweet violence, whether they will or not.

            Let us take heed we do not sometimes call that zeal for GOD and his gospel, which is nothing else but our own tempestuous and stormy passion. True zeal is a sweet, heavenly, and gentle flame, which makes us active for GOD, but always within the sphere of love. It never calls for fire from heaven, to consume those that differ from us in their apprehensions. It is like that kind of lightning that melts the sword within, but singeth not the scabbard. It strives to save the soul, but hurteth not the body. True zeal is a loving thing, and makes us always active to edification, and not to destruction. If we keep the fire of zeal within the chimney, in its own proper place, it never does any hurt; it only warmeth, quickeneth, and enliveneth us: but if once we let it break out, and catch hold of the thatch of our flesh, and kindle our corrupt nature, and set the house of our body on fire, it is no longer zeal, it is no longer heavenly fire, it is a most destructive and devouring thing. True zeal is a soft and gentle flame, that will not scorch one's hand; it is no voracious thing. But carnal and fleshly zeal is like gunpowder set on fire, that tears and blows up all that stands before it. True zeal is like the vital heat in us, which we never feel to be angry or trouble­some; but that other furious and distempered zeal is nothing but a fever in the soul.

            To conclude, we may learn what kind of zeal it is that wee should make use of in promoting the gospel, by an emblem of GOD’s own, given us in the Scripture, those fiery tongues that, upon the day of Pentecost, sat upon the apostles; which sure were harmless flames, for we cannot read that they did any hurt, or that they did so much as singe an hair of their heads. I will therefore shut up this, with that of the apostle: " Let us keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Let this soft and silken knot of love tie our hearts together; Though our heads and apprehensions cannot meet, as indeed they never will, but always stand at some distance off from one another. Our zeal, if it be heavenly, if it be true vestal fire kindled from above, it will not delight to tarry here below, burning up straw and stubble, and such combustible things, and sending up nothing but gross fumes to heaven; but it will, rise up, and return back, pure as it came down, and will ever be striving to carry up men's hearts to GOD along with it. It will be only occupied about those things which are unquestionably good, and removing sin. Here let our zeal exercise itself, every one of us beginning at our own hearts. Let us be more zealous than ever we have yet been in fighting against our lusts, in pulling down those strong holds of sin and SATAN in our hearts. Here let us exercise all our courage and resolution, our manhood and magnanimity. Let us trust in the almighty arm of our GOD, and doubt not but he will as well deliver us from the power of sin in our hearts, as preserve us from the wrath to come. Let us go out against these uncircumcised Philistines, I meann our lusts, not with shield or spear, not in any confidence of our own strength, but in the name of the Lord of hosts, and we shall prevail: we shall overcome our I lusts;, " for greater is he that is in us, than he that is in them. The eternal GOD is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: he shall thrust out these enemies from before us, and he shall say, Destroy them." We shall enter the true Canaan, the good land of promise, " that floweth with milk and honey," the land of truth and holiness. " Wherefore take unto Thou the whole armor of GOD, that Thou may be able to withstand: let Your loins be girt about with truth; have on the breast-plate of righteousness; and let Your feet be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above, all take the shield of faith, whereby Thou shall be able to quench all the fiery. darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - And lastly, be sure of this, that ye "be strong only in the Lord, and in the power of his might."

            There be some that dishearten us in this spiritual war­fare, and would make us let our weapons fall out of our hands,, by working in us a despair of victory. There be some evil spies that weaken the hands. and. the hearts of the children of Israel; and bring an ill report upon that land that we are to conquer, telling of nothing but strange giants, the sons of Anak there, that we shall never be able to overcome. The Amalekites (say they,) dwell in the south, the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites in the moun­tain:;, and the Canaanites by the sea-coast: huge armies of tall invincible lusts: we shall never be able to go against them, we shall never be able to prevail against our corruptions. Hearken not unto them, (I beseech Thou,) but hear what Caleb and Joshua say, " Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are able to overcome them:" not by our own strength, but by the power of the Lord of Hosts. There are indeed sons of Anak there, there arc mighty giant-like lusts, that we are to grapple with; nay, there are principalities and powers too, that we are to oppose: but the great Michael, the Captain of the Lord's host, is with us; he commands in chief for us, and we need not be dismayed. " Under­stand therefore this day, that the Lord thy GOD is he,, which goes before thee as a consuming fire, he shall destroy these enemies, and bring them down before thy face." If Thou wilt be faithful to him, and put thy trust in him, " as the fire consumes the stubble, and as the flame burneth up the chaff," so’o ill he destroy thy lusts in thee: " their root shall be rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust." What therefore the wise man speaks concerning wisdom, I shall apply to holiness­" Take fast hold of holiness, let her not go, keep her, for she is thy life: keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life," and of death too. Let nothing be esteemed of greater consequence to thee, than what Thou dost and attest, how Thou livest. Nothing without us can make us either happy or miserable; nothing can either defile us, or hurt us, but what goes out from us, what springeth up out of our own hearts. We have dreadful apprehensions of the flames of hell without us; we tremble and are afraid when we hear of fire and brimstone, whilst in the mean time, we securely nourish in our own hearts a true and living hell. Et taco carpinzur is ni

            The dark fire of our lusts consumeth our bowels within; and miserably scorcheth our souls, and we are not troubled at it. We do not perceive how hell steals upon us whilst we live here. And as for heaven, we only gaze. abroad, expecting that it should conic in to us from without, but never look for the beginnings of it to arise within in our own hearts.

            But lest there should yet remain any prejudice against that which 1 have all this while commended to Thou, true holiness, and the keeping of CHRIST's -commandments; as if it were a legal and servile thing, that would subject us to a state of bondage, I must add a word or two, either for the prevention or removal of it. 1 do not therefore mean by holiness, the mere performance of outward. duties, acted over as a task; not our habitual prayings, hearings, fastings, multiplied one upon another, (Though these be all good, as subservient to a higher end,) but I mean an inward principle of Divine life, that spiriteth all these; that enliveneth and quickeneth the dead carcass of all our outward performances. I do not here urge the dead law of outward works, which indeed, if it be alone, subjects us to a state of bondage; but the inward law of the gospel, the "law of the spirit of life," than which nothing can be more free and ingenuous: for it does not actuate us by principles without us, but is a self-moving principle, living in our hearts. I do not urge the law written upon tables of stone without us, (Though there is still a good use of that too,) but the law of holiness written within, upon the " fleshly tables of our hearts." The first, Though it work us into some outward con­formity to GOD’s commandments, and has a good effect upon the world; yet we are all this while but like dead instruments of music, that sound sweetly, when they are only struck and played upon from without by the musician's hand, who has the theory and law of music living within himself. But the second; the living law of the gospel, the- law of the spirit of life within us, is as if the soul of music should incorporate itself with the in­strument, land live in the strings, and make them of their own accord, without any touch or impulse from without, dance up and down, and warble out their har­monies. This new law of the gospel is a kind of musical soul, informing the dead organs of our hearts, that makes them of their own accord delight to act harmoniously, according to the rule of GOD’s word. The law that I speak. of, it is a law of love, which is the most powerful law in the world; and yet it freeth us in a manner from all law without us, because it makes us become a law unto ourselves.   The more it prevails in us, the more it eats up and devours all other laws without us; just as Aaron's living rod did swallow up those rods of the magicians, that were made only to counterfeit a little life. Love is at once a freedom from all law,. a state of purest liberty, and yet a law too of the most constraining and indispensable necessity. The worst law in the world is the law of sin, which is in our members; which keeps us in a condition of most absolute slavery, when we are wholly under the tyrannical commands of our lusts. This is a cruel Pharaoh indeed, that sets his hard task­masters over us, and makes us wretchedly drudge in mire and clay. The law of the letter without us sets us in a condition of a little more liberty, by restraining us from many outward acts of sin; but yet it doth' not dis­enthral us from the power of sin in our hearts. But the law of the spirit of life, the gospel-law of love, puts us into a condition of pure and perfect liberty; and whoso­ever really entertains this law, he has thrust out Hagar quite, he has "cast out the bond-woman and her chil­dren;" from henceforth Sarah, the free-woman, shall live for ever with him, and she shall be to him a mother of many children.; her seed shall be "as the sand of the sea-shore for number, and as " the stars of heaven." Here is evangelical liberty, here is gospel freedom, when the law of the Spirit of life in CHRIST JESUS has made us free from the-law of sin and death:" when we have a liberty from sin, and not a liberty to sin: for our dear Lord and Master has told us, that " whosoever com­rnitteth sin, he is the servant of it.." He that lies under the power of his base lusts, and yet talks. of gospel­ freedom; he is but like a poor condemned prisoner, that in his sleep dreams of being set at liberty, and of walking up and down wheresoever he pleases; whilst his legs are all the while fast in irons. To please our­-selves with a notion of gospel-liberty, whilst we have not a gospel principle of holiness within us, to free us from the power of sin, is nothing else but to gild over our fetters. There is a straightness, slavery, and narrow­ness in all sin; sin crowds and crumples all our souls, which, if they were freely spread abroad, would be as wide as the whole universe.

            No man is truly free, but be that has his will enlarged to the extent of GOD’s will, by loving whatsoever GOD loves, and nothing else. Such a one does not fondly hug this and that particular created good, and envassal himself unto it, but he loves every thing that is lovely, beginning at GOD, and descending

down to all his creatures, according to the several degrees of perfection in them. He enjoys a boundless liberty, and a boundless sweetness, according to his boundless love. He enclaspeth the whole world within his out­ stretched arms; his soul is as wide as the whole universe, as big as-yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Whosoever is once acquainted with this disposition of spirit, he never desires anything else; and he loves the life of GOD in himself dearer than his own life. To conclude this, if we love CHRIST, and keep his commandments, " his com­mandments will not be grievous to us: his yoke will be easy, and his burden light." It will not put us into a state of bondage, but of perfect liberty. For that is most true of evangelical obedience, which the wise man speaks of wisdom; " Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace; she is a tree of life to those that lay hold upon her, and happy are all they that retain her."

I will now shut up all with one or two considerations to persuade Thou further to the keeping of CHRIST's com­mandments.

            First, from the desire which we all have of knowledge; if we would indeed know Divine truths, the only way to come to this is by keeping of CHRIST's commandments. The grossness of our apprehensions in spiritual things, and our many mistakes about them, proceed from nothing but those dull and foggy steams which rise up from our foul hearts, and becloud our understandings. If we did but heartily comply with CHRIST's commandments, and purge our hearts from all gross and sensual affections, we should not then look about for truth wholly without our­selves, and enslave ourselves to the dictates of this and that teacher, and hang upon the lips of men; but we should find the great eternal GOD inwardly teaching our souls, and continually instructing us more and more in the mysteries of his will: and "out of their bellies should flow rivers of living waters." Nothing puts a stop and hindrance to the passage of truth in the world, but the carnality of our hearts, and the corruption of our lives. It is not wrangling disputes that are mighty pillars, that underprop truth in the world; if we would but underset it with the holiness of our hearts and lives, it should never fail. Truth is a conquering thing, and would quickly overcome the world, did not the earthiness of our dis­positions, and the darkness of our false hearts hinder it. Our Savior bids the blind man wash off the clay that was upon his eyes in the pool of Siloam, and then he should see clearly; intimating, that it is the earthiness of men's affections that darkens the eye of their under­standings in spiritual things. Truth is always ready, if our eyes were not closed up with mud, that we could but open them to look upon it. Truth always waits upon our souls, and offers itself freely to us, as the sun offers

its beams to every eye that will but open, and let them shine in upon it. If we could but purge our hearts from that filth and defilement which hangs about them, there would be no doubt at all of truth's prevailing in the world. " For, truth is great, and stronger than all things: all the earth calls upon truth, and the heaven blesses it, all works shake and tremble at it. The truth endures, and is always strong, it lives and conquereth for evermore. She is the strength, kingdom, power, and majesty of all ages. Blessed be the GOD of truth."

            Last of all, if we desire a true reformation, as we seem to do; let us begin here in reforming our hearts and lives; in keeping of CHRIST's commandments. All outward forms and models of reformation, Though they be never so good in their kind: yet they are of little worth to us, without this inward reformation of the heart. Tin, or lead, or any other baser metal, if it be cast into never so good a mould, and made up into never so elegant a figure; yet it is but tin or lead still, it is the same metal that it was before. And if we be moulded into never so good' a form of outward government, unless we new mould our hearts within; we are but little better than we were before. If adulterate silver, that has much allay or dross in it, have never so current a stamp put upon it, yet it will not pass notwithstanding, when the touchstone trieth it. We must be reformed within with a spirit of fire, and a spirit of burning, to purge us from the dross and corruption of our hearts; and refine us as gold and silver; and then we shall' be reformed truly, and not before. When this once comes to pass, then shall CHRIST be set upon his throne indeed; then we shall be a people acceptable unto him, and as mount Sion, which he dearly loved.

EXTRACTS

FROM

THE WORKS

OF

NATHANAEL CULVERWELL,

Some time Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

THE

ACT OF OBLIVION.

ISAIAH XLIII. 25.

I, even I am he that blots out thy transgressions for
mine own sake, and will not remember My sins.

            EVERY promise is a breast full of consolation, that would fain be drawn. And as Job, speaking of the breasts, calls them very elegantly, the milk-pails of the breast; they are, as it were, carnea mulctralia. So there are the receptacles of that * which is stored up for babes in CHRIST, where the thirsty soul may come and fill itself with most precious sweetness. In the whole word of GOD there is most sincere milk; but the promises are the purest and sweetest of all.

Here is a bottle filled with heavenly dew, which will never fail like that of Hagar;' but cherish the soul, till it come to a well of life. Here is a pure emanation of GOD’s sweetest love, which would fain communicate itself to a sinful creature; and therefore puts on the most amiable expressions that the wisdom of GOD himself can clothe it with, while he breathes out free grace, by the mouth of his prophet, to a disobedient and rebellious Israel, and beseeches them to be reconciled unto him.

And if Thou look but upon the foregoing words, Thou will wonder how this verse should come in; it is some­ what a strange context, and unusual kind of coherence.

For GOD there complains by his prophet, that his people of Israel had done nothing at all for him. ’He took them indeed for his pleasant plant, but they were a very barren and ungrateful plant. He had made them a choice and a spreading plant, but not one delicious cluster was to be found upon them. In the verse immediately before, "Thou has bought me no sweet cane with money;' which is meant of that cane which was to be a chief ingredient in the precious ointment, as Thou may see in Exod. 30: "Neither has Thou made me to drink the fat of thy sacrifices; or, as the words flow in the fountain,  "Thou has not moistened me abundantly with thy sacrifices:" not that the Jews did neglect these duties of GOD’s worship; no, they were very punctual in observing them; but the force of the complaint lies in this, Thou didst them not unto me. For

            1. Thou didst them not with that cheerfulness of spirit which I required of thee, and might well expect from thee. Love should have dropped oil into the wheels, and thy soul should have moved like the chariots of Ammodab; but Thou wentest on heavily, and lookedst upon my service as an hard yoke, more intolerable than that of Egypt.

            2. Thou trustedst in thy legal performances, and Thoughtest to be justified by thine own righteousness; Thou didst them not for those ends which I aimed at, for I intended only to raise thy Thoughts higher to that great salvation which I had stored up for thee in the Messias.

            3. Thou didst them not to me, while Thou restedst in a fair flourish of outward formality, and Thou Thoughtest to put me off with a mock-worship, with a mere outside and surface of devotion, in giving me a shell, and nothing of the kernel. Thou couldst sin against me, when Thou listedst, and then Thoughtest to appease me with a sacrifice. " I hate Your burnt. offerings, my soul nauseates Your solemn assemblies. Bring me no more vain oblations. He that will be my servant, let him seal up every spiritual service with integrity of heart. A pure soul, that is the only present for a God; a gift that may be united to GOD himself, as Hierocles speaks; " Sacrifices and burnt­ offerings he would not have;" then Thou should have said, " Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God!" Thou should have presented thyself a living and a reasonable sacrifice; for without this, all others were no better than fewel for fire. " Thou didst not make me to drink the fat of thy sacrifices." Well, but they stay not here; " Thou has made me to serve with thy sins; and Thou has wearied me with thine iniquities." Thou have made me to serve with thy sins; that is either,

            1. Thou has so abused my patience, and long-sufferance; and has heaped sin upon sin, as if I had been a very servant, that was bound to endure all these thine ini­quities: or else, 2. It is a more prophetical passage looking upon CHRIST, who took upon him the form of a servant, and bore our sins in his body upon the tree.  3. Thou has made me to serve with thy sins, whilst Thou dost these things under a spew of holiness, and care of pleasing me; as a peculiar people that served an holy GOD, and had righteous laws; and yet while Thou neglect­ the more weighty things that I require of thee, Thou dost dishonor my name, and wrong my law, and degene­rate from those noble principles that I had planted in thee. For what will the heathen say; that I am a God that delights in the blood of bulls and goats, and gives thee liberty in other things to do what Thou listest?

            "Thou has made me to serve with thy sins." And con­sider what a strong indignity this is offered to the great God of heaven and earth, to make him a servant, and then to serve sin, which he so much hates and abhors, that he cannot endure to look upon it, as being that which strikes at his very being: "Thou has made me to serve with thy sins; and Thou has wearied me with thine iniquities." All outward performances, Though never so pompous, do but weary Almighty GOD, unless they flow from a sincere spirit. They Thought they had pleased him with sacrifices; but he tells them, " they weary him with iniquities."

            And see here how the mighty GOD of Jacob, the Rock of Ages, Omnipotency itself is weary; he is pressed with sins, and wearied with iniquities. Well, what follows upon all this: " I, even I am he that blotteth out thine iniquities for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Surely Israel could not look for this in the next verse. One would have Thought it should have been, I, even I am he, that will revenge these thine iniquities: "Thou have made me to serve with thy sins," and I will make thee to serve with my plagues. " Thou has wearied me with thine iniquities," and I will weary thee with my judgments. Mine indignation shall flame out against thee, and I will pour out the dregs of my wrath upon thee; it is I, even I am he, that will set thy sins in order before thee. One would have Thought it should have run thus; but. GOD comes in the still voice, " I, even I am he, that blotteth out thine iniquities. Thou has made me to serve with thy sins," and I will make thee a servant to myself "Thou has wearied me with thine iniquities," and I will load thee with my mercies: "Thou has blotted out my testimonies," and I will blot out thine iniquities, " Thou has not remembered my covenant," and I will not re­member thy sins. Thus does GOD’s goodness contend with a sinful nation; thus does he conquer rebellion, and triumph over sin. Indeed his very drift is to make a glorious illustration of free grace; and therefore he first discovers his people's sin, and then displays his own mercy. He first shows Israel's stiff neck and iron sinew, and then opens his own tender bowels, and dearest com­passions; he bids Thou take notice of the blackness of the Ethiopian, and then tells Thou how white he will make him. He would have Thou consider well the deep die, the bloody die of the scarlet, and then see it become as white as snow.

            Look upon the vastness of the Egyptian army, and see them all drowned in a Red Sea. Cast a sad eye upon a large volume of iniquity, and behold them all blotted out in a moment. The sinfulness of sin sets a glorious lustre upon grace; when sin becomes exceeding sinful, then grace becomes exceeding glorious. " I, even I am he, that blotteth out thine iniquities." There is much emphasis in redoubling the words, that it stills many objections that might rise up in a-wavering soul. And,

            (1.) " I, even I," whore Thou has offended. For the distrusting soul might object and say, Is it Thou, O GOD, that will blot out mine iniquities? It is thy sacred Majesty which I have provoked; and it is thy glorious name which I have profaned; it is thy righteous law which I have violated; and it is thy covenant which I have broken; and is it Thou, O GOD, that wilt blot out mine iniquities? + us watt ln, it is " I, even I am he that blotteth them out for my own sake." GOD’s goodness runs over to a sinful creature; and where sin has abounded, there grace does superabound. Consider, 1. There is not so much evil in sin, as good in God. Sin indeed is thus infinite, as it is against an infinite Being; but there is an absolute infiniteness in God. And this is no extenuation of sin to advance grace above it. 2. There is not so much sin in man, as there is goodness in God. There is a vast more disproportion between sin and grace, than between a spark and an ocean. Now, who would doubt whether a spark could be quenched in an ocean? Thy Thoughts of disobedience towards GOD have been within the compass of time; but his goodness has been bubbling up towards thee from everlasting. The devils themselves, Though irreversibly sealed to destruction; yet they are not so bad as GOD is good. " I, even I am he, that blotteth out thine iniquities;" even I, whom Thou has thus offended.

            (2.) 111, even I," whose royal prerogative it is to pardon transgression, and to blot out sin; for otherwise the soul would still be left rolling and fluctuating. This would be welcome news, indeed, to hear of iniquity blotted out, and they were messengers of beautiful feet that could bring me such gospel tidings; but, oh, it is not so easy a matter to have sin remitted, and pardoning mercy is not so soon obtained. Who is it that can wash off guilt from the soul, and set at liberty a captivated spirit? Why, it is GOD himself that undertakes so great a work; it is " I, even I am he that blotteth out thine iniquities," and it includes these two particulars: 1. GOD can blot out our iniquities. For first, the offence is wholly against him, and therefore he can freely pass it by. Sin is so far an evil, as it opposes his will, the rule of goodness, and as it swerves from his law, the expression of his will, and that the supreme Law-giver can pardon. 2. CHRIST has made full satisfaction to his justice, so that now it is but dipping the pen in the blood of CHRIST, and dashing out of iniquity. Nay, CHRIST himself has blotted out even this hand-writing that was against us, and nailed it to his cross. And hence there are such wooings and beseechings of souls to come in and be subject to the sceptre of CHRIST; for GOD has more satisfaction to his justice by every believer, than by the damned that he roaring in hell to all eternity, for they are never able to discharge the debt; but every believer by his surety has paid the utmost farthing.

            (3.) Only GOD can blot out iniquities. " I, even I am he," and none else. A poor creature may soon involve itself in sin and misery, there is none but has power enough to damn himself. Thy destruction is of thyself, O Ephraim. But it is beyond the sphere of men, or angels' activity, to blot out the least sin, or to disentangle the soul of the least corruption; they can neither take off the guilt of sin, nor yet subdue the power of it. There is

none but knows how to wound himself; but he must have skill that knows how to cure himself; it is easy enough to run into debt, and many find it hard enough to discharge it: there is none but can heap up sin, and treasure up wrath, and wound conscience: but who is there that can appease wrath and calm conscience, and screen a soul from a consuming fire" Sin is an offence against an infinite justice, so that only an infinite Being can either dispense with it, or satisfy for it. It is not the blessed Virgin's milk can wash out so deep a stain, it is not this can whiten the soul; no, if the saints' robes be washed white, it must be in the blood of the Lamb. And the power of the keys cannot reach thus far. A minister can no more by any way of efficacy remit a sin, than he can create a world. And I know not what a Pope's indulgence should do, unless it be to send some ignorant people to hell with more cheerfulness, that they may descend into heaven, as the Satyrist said Nero did; when they look for heaven, drop into hell irrecoverably. The mighty hand of GOD himself must be put to the blotting out of ini­quities; it is CQ 1, even I, that blotteth out thy trans­gression," even I, whose royal prerogative is to pardon transgression, and to blot out sin.

            (4.) I, even I, that have manifested mine anger against thee, in punishing thee for thine iniquities; even I am he that will blot them out. For the soul will still be doubting and misgiving; why, it is Thou, O GOD, that has shot off so many threatenings against us, and spent all thine arrows upon us. Thou has hewn us by thy prophets, and slain us by the words of thy mouth: Thou has dipped thy pen in gall, and written bitter things against us. Thou has followed us with a whole army of judgments, and every where shown thyself an angry God; and wilt Thou now blot out our iniquities? The text has the same answer ready for this too: 111, even I am he, that will blot there out;" and it speaks these two things: 1. GOD is not long angry; as it is in the 54th of Isaiah, ver. 8, " In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, says the Lord thy Redeemer." As GOD is not quickly provoked, so neither is he long displeased. GOD is love, says the apostle; now love is hardly provoked, and quickly recon­ciled: GOD is love. He writes not injuries in marble, his law indeed he writes in stone; but the breach of the law he writes in the dust. All the wrong has been done to him, and yet he beseeches us to be reconciled; he is far more ready to offer mercy, than the creature is to embrace it; and more willing to speak peace, than man is to hear it. Where will Thou meet with a man so ready to put up a wrong, and so ambitious to forgive an injury? But­ " as far as the heavens are above the earth, so far are his Thoughts above our Thoughts;" he writes not our sins in so deep characters, but that they may be easily blotted out. 2. GOD requires no more humiliation than to bring a soul unto himself, and make it capable of mercy. Many

a weak Christian questions his condition, because he has not filled GOD’s bottle so full of tears as others; he has not had such rendings of heart; such breakings and

piercings of spirit, such scorching apprehensions of hell and wrath, as others have had. But let such a one consider that GOD is very gracious in his dealings, and we must not look for the like degrees of humiliation in all; some have a quicker delivery, and are sooner freed from the pangs of the new birth; some hearts are more wrought upon in a winning and melting way; others are beat in pieces by a stroke of Omnipotency. But this we are sure, that soul is humbled enough that is brought to a sight and sense of his sin, so as to see the necessity of a Savior, and to prize him, and love him as the fairest of ten Thousand. When GOD has made a soul to see his sins, he is ready then to blot them out; fQ I, even I, am he that blotteth out thine iniquities;" even I, that have punished thee for them, and shown my anger against them.

            I might add, that it is a note of GOD’s complacency in his own goodness, he does even glory in the riches of his grace; and therefore it is so often repeated. " I, even I am he, that will do it for mine own sake;" but I hasten to the next words. " Blot out thine iniquities."] There are many things wrapt up in this expression. And, 1, Blotting out of iniquities implies that they were all written and taken notice of. (1.) They were written in GOD’s book. GOD knows all things, every idle word, every vain Thought, every glance of the soul; the least tendency to sin, the first bubbling up of original corruption, they are all taken notice of. In his book are all thine iniquities written.

            (2.) Thou have a book within sine own breast, and conscience has the pen of a ready writer, it can write as -fast as the soul can dictate; with an accurate pencil it can give thee a full portraiture of thy most reserved actions, of thy most private behavior, of thy most retired motions; and Though there be a curtain drawn over them here, yet then they shall be made very apparent. Such works as Thou wouldst have suppressed, shall be published to the eyes of men and angels; sins of the smallest print, of the most indiscernible character, shall be made clearly legible, and become as atoms in the presence of a sun-beam. With what a furious reflection wilt Thou then read over thine own sinful life; when all thine iniquity shall stare thy soul in the face to all eternity? Whereas a Christian's life shall be set out in a new edition; for all errata shall be corrected. Every iniquity shall be blotted out, and all desiderata shall be supplied; the book shall become perfect, and be looked on as a fair object to all eternity.

            2. Every transgression leaves a blot. For even re­mission of sins is expressed by blotting out of iniquity. although the blot was here greater before it was blotted out; for blotting out of iniquities is the wiping out of a blot. Besides the guilt of sin, and the power of sin, there is the stain of sin.

            3. Thou see here the nature of justification; it does not take away the being of sin, but takes it away from being imputed and laid to the charge of the soul. Sins in Scripture-idiom are debts: now in justification there is a crossing of the book, a blotting out of the debt, so as it cannot be required of the soul. And the justified person in the thirty-second Psalm, is styled m mn aim, one whose sin is covered, which supposes the being of it; and Though our adversaries urge the force of the other phrase rwa'11C], one whose sin is taken away; yet it is sufficiently cleared by the following words, by *, " GOD will not impute iniquity unto hiin." (1.) Look upon the fullness of the discharge. The soul may rest satisfied, and roll itself upon the grace of GOD in CHRIST, and lay all the stress of its salvation upon it; the debt is blotted out, and it were injustice to ask it twice. (2.) Consider the easiness of it. The hand was longer in writing than it is in blotting out; the hand was more weary with writing than it is with blotting out: " I have blotted out thy transgressions as a thick cloud," Isa. xliv. 22. Now, how is a cloud blotted out? Nay, indeed, what is a cloud but a blot upon nature's fairest and well-flourished letter? A sun­beam comes, rushes in upon it, wipes away the cloud. The sun fights against it; *, it raises a glorious army of beams, which quickly puts the enemy to flight; they scatter the cloud. And I will blot out thy transgressions like a cloud. An act of grace, a beam of mercy shall blot out a whole cloud of transgressions; which otherwise would have proved a cloud of witnesses against the soul. (3.) Here is the extent of remission a great debt may be blotted out as well as