Ifa. xxvii. 9. “By this therefore fhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his fin." Why then fhould we be angry with our crofs? Why fhould we be frighted at it? The believer must take up his cross, and follow his leader, the Lord Jefus Chrift. He muft take up his ilk-day's cross, Luke ix. 23. "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, "and take up his crofs daily." Yea, he must take up his holy-days crofs too, Lam..ii. 22. Thou hast called, as in a folemn day, my "terrers round about." The church of the Jews had, of a long time, many a pleafing meeting at the temple, on folemn days, for the worship of God: but they got a folemnity of another nature, when God called together, about the temple and city, the Chaldean army that burnt the temple, and laid Jerufalem on heaps. And now, that the church of God is yet militant in this lower region, how can it be but the clouds will return after the rain? But the cross of Chrift (which name the faints troubles do bear) is a kindly name to the believer. It is a cross indeed; but not to the believer's graces, but to his corruptions. The hypocrite's feeming graces may indeed breathe out their laft on a crofs, as thefe of the ftony-ground hearers did, Matth. xiii. 6. "And when the fun (of perfecution, ver. "26) was up, they were fcorched: And because they had not

root, they withered away." But never did one of the real graces in a believer die upon the crofs yet. Nay, as the candle fhines brightest in the night, and the fire burns fiercest in intenfe froft: So the believer's graces are, ordinarily moft vigorous in a time of trouble.

There is a certain pleasure and sweetness in the cross, to them who have their fenfes exercifed to difcern, and to find it out. There is a certain fweetnefs in one's feeing himself upon his trials for heaven, and standing candidate for glory. There is a pleafure in travelling over these mountains, where the Chriftian can fee the prints of Chrift's own feet, and the foot-fteps of the flock, who have been there before him. How pleafant is it to a faint, in the exercife of grace, to fee how a good God croffeth his corrupt inclinations, and prevents his folly! How fweet is it to behold thefe thieves upon the crofs! How refined a pleasure is there in obferving how God draws away provifion from unruly lufts, and fo pincheth them, that the Chriftian may get them governed! Of a truth, there is a paradife within this thorn-hedge. Many a time the people of God are in bonds; which are never loofed, till they be bound with cords of affliction. God takes them, and throws them into a fiery furnace, that burns off their bonds; and then like the three children, Dan. iii. 25. they are loofe, walking in the midft of the fire. God gives his children a potion, with one bitter ingredient: If that will not work upon them, he will put in a fecond, a third, and fo on, as there is need, that they may work together, for their good, Rom. viii. 28. With crofs-winds he haftens them to the harbour. They are often found in fuch ways, as that the crefs is the

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happiest foot they can meet with: and well may they falute it, ás David did Abigail, faying, " Bleffed be the Lord God of Ifrael, which "fent thee this day to meet me," 1 Sam. xxv. 32. Worldly things are often fuch a load to the Christian, that he moves but very flowly heaven-ward God fends a wind of trouble, that blows the burden off the man's back and then he walks more speedily on his way; after God hath drawn fome gilded earth from him, that was drawing his heart away from God, Zeph.iii. 12. "I will alfo leave in the midst "of thee, an afflicted and poor people, and they fhall truft in the "name of the Lord." It was an observe of an heathen moralist, "That no history makes mention of any man, who hath been made "better by riches." I doubt if our modern hiftories can supply the defect of ancient hiftories in this point. But fure I am, many have been the worfe of riches: thousands have been hugged to death, in the embraces of a finiling world; and many good men have got wounds from outward profperity, that behoved to be cured by the crofs. I remember to have read of one, who having an impofthume in his breaft, had in vain used the help of phyficians: but being wounded with a fword, the impofthume broke; and his life was faved by that accident, which threatned immediate death. Often have fpiritual impofthumes gathered in the breafts of God's people, in the time of outward profperity, and been thus broken and difcuffed by the cross. It is kindly for believers to be healed by stripes; although they are ufually fo weak as to cry out for fear, at the fight of the pruning-hook, as if it were the deftroying ax: and to think the Lord is coming to kill them, when he is indeed coming to cure them.

I thall now conclude, addreffing myself in a few words, first to faints, and next to finners..

I. To you that are faints, I fay,

Firft, Strive to obtain and keep up actual communion and fellowship with Jefus Chrift; that is, to be ftill deriving fresh fupplies of grace, from the fountan thereof, in him, by faith; and making fuitable returns of them, in the exercife of grace and holy obedience. Beware of eftrangement betwixt Chrift and your fouls. If it has got in already, (which feems to be the cafe of many in this day,) endeavour to get it removed. There are multitudes in the world that flight Chrift, though ye fhould not flight him: many have turned their backs on him, that fometimes looked fair for heaven. The warm fun of outward peace and profperity has caused fome caft their cloak of religion from them, who held it faft when the wind of trouble was blowing upon them and will ye also go away? John vi. 67. The greatest ingratitude is ftampt on your flighting of communion with Chrift, Jer. ii 31. "Have I been a wilderness unto Ifrael; a land of darkness? Where"fore fay my people, We are lords, we will come no more unto "thee?" Oh! beloved, "Is this your kindness to your friend?" It is unbecoming any wife to flight converfe with her husband, but her efpecially who was taken from a prifon or a dunghill, as ye were,

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by our Lord. But remember, I pray you, this is a very ill chofen time to live at a diftance from God:-it is a time in which divine providence frowns upon the land we live in; the clouds of wrath are gathering, and are thick above our heads? It is not a time for you to be out of your chambers, Ifa. xxvi. 20. They that now are walking moft clolly with God, may have enough ado to and when the trial comes; how hard will it be for others then, who are like to be furprised with troubles, when guilt is lying on their confciences unremoved. To be awakened out of a found fleep, and caft into a raging fea, as Jonah was, will be a fearful trial. To feel trouble before we fee it coming, to be paft hope, before we have any fear, is a very fad cafe. Wherefore break down your idols of jealoufy, mortify these lufts, thefe irregular appetites and defires, that have ftolen away your hearts, and left you, like Samfon, without his hair, and fay, "I will go and "return to my firft hufband; for then it was better with me than now," Hof. ii. 7.

Secondly, Walk as becomes thofe that are united to Chrift. Evidence your union with him by walking as he alfo walked, 1 John ii. 6. If ye be brought from under the power of darkness, let your light fhine before men. "Shine as lights in the world, holding forth the "word of life," as the lanthorn holds the candle, which being in it, fhines through it, Philip. ii. 15, 16. Now that ye profess Chrift to be in you, let his image fhine forth in your converfation, and remember the bufinefs of your lives is to prove by practical arguments what ye profefs.

1. Ye know the character of a wife," She that is married, careth "how the may please her hufband." Go you and do likewife: "walk "worthy of the Lord, unto all pleafing," Col. í. 10. This is the great bufinefs of life: you must please him, though it should displease all the world. What he hates must be hateful to you, because he hates it. Whatever lufts come in fuit of your hearts, deny them, feeing" the grace of God has appeared, teaching fo to do:" and you are, joined to the Lord. Let him be a covering to your eyes: for you have not your choice to make, it is made already; and you must not difhonour your Head. A man takes care of his feet, for that, if he catch hold there, it flies up to his head. "Shall I then take the "members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God "forbid," fays the Apostle, 2 Cor. vi. 15. Wilt thou take that heart of thine, which is Christ's dwelling-place, and lodge his enemies there? Wilt thou take that body, which is his temple, and defile it, by using the members thereof, as the inftruments of fin?

2. Be careful to bring forth fruit, and much fruit. The branch well laden with fruit, is the glory of the vine, and of the husbandman too, John xv. 8. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear inuch fruit,

fo fhall ye be my difciples." A barren tree ftands fefer in a wood, than an orchard: And branches in Chrift that bring not forth fruit, will be taken away and caft into the fire.

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3. Be heavenly-minded, and maintain a holy contempt of the world. Ye are united to Chrift, he is your lead and Hufband, and is in heaven: Wherefore your hearts fhould be there alfo, Col. iii. 1: "If ye then be rifen with Chrift, feek thofe things which are above, "where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of God" Let the ferpent's feed go on their belly, and eat the duft of this earth: but let the members of Chrift be afhamed to bow down and feed with them.

4. Live and act dependently, depending by faith on Jefus Chrift. That which grows on its own root, is a tree, not a branch. It is of the nature of a branch, to depend on the stock for all, and to derive all its fap from thence. Depend on him for life, light, ftrength, and all fpiritual benefits, Gal. ii. 20. "I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in "me: and the life which I now live in the flefh, I live by the faith "of the Son of God." For this caufe, in the myftical union, ftrength is united to weakness, life to death, and heaven to earth; that weaknefs, death and earth, may mount up on borrowed wings Depend on him for temporal benefits alfo, Matth. vi. 2. "Give us this day 661 our daily bread." If we have trufted him with our eternal concerns, let us be afhaned to diftruft him in the matter of our provifion in the world.

Laftly, Be of a meek difpofition, and an uniting temper with the fellow members of Chrift's body, as being united to the meek Jefus, the bleffed centre of union. There is a prophecy, to this purpole concerning the kingdom of Chrift, Ifa. ii. 6. The wolf

fhall dwell with the lamb; and the leopard fhall ly down with "the kid." It is an allufion to the beafts in Noah's ark. The beafts of prey, that were wont to kill and devour others, when once they came into the ark, lay down in peace with them: the lamb was in no hazard by the wolf there; nor the kid by the leopard. There was a beautiful accomplishment of it in the primitive church, Acts iv. 32. And the multitude of them that believed, were of one heart, and of one foul." And this prevails in all members of Chrift, according to the measure of the grace of God in them. Man is born naked, he comes naked into this world, as if God defigned him for the picture of peace: and furely when he is born again he comes not into the new world of grace, with claws to tear, a fword to wound, and a fire in his hand to burn up his fel. low-members in Chrift, becaufe they cannot fee with his light. Oh! it is fad to fee Chrift's lillies as thorns in one another's fides: Chrift's lambs devouring one another like lions, and God's diamonds cutting one another: yet it must be remembred, that fin is no proper cement for the members of Chrift, tho' Herod and Pontius Pilate may be made friends that way. The apostle's rule is plain, Heb. xii. 14. "Follow peace with all men, and holinefs." To follow peace no further than our humour, credit, and fuch like things will allow us, 'tis too fhort: to pursue it further than holiness, that is, conformity to the divine will allows us, is too far.

Peace

Peace is precious, yet it may be bought too dear: wherefore we muft rather want it, than purchase it, at the expence of truth or holinefs. But other ways it cannot be over dear bought; and it will always be precious in the eyes of the fons of peace.

II. And now, finners, what Chall I fay to you? I have given you fome view of the privileges of thefe in the flate of grace: ye have feen them afar off. But alas! they are not yours, because ye are not in Chrift's. The finfulness of an unregenerate ftate is yours; and the mifery of it is yours alfo: but, ye have neither part nor lot this matter. The guilt of all your fins lies upon you; ye have no part in the righteoufnefs of Chrift. There is no peace to you, no peace with God, no true peace of confcience; for ye have no faving intereft in the great Peace-maker. Ye are none of God's family: the adoption we fpoke of belongs not to you. Ye have no part in the Spirit of fanctification; and, in one word, ye have no inheritance among them that are fanctified. All I can fay to you in this matter, is, that the cafe is not defperate, they may yet be yours, Rev. iii. 20. 66 Behold, I ftand at the door and knock: if any man "hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and "will fup with him, and he with me." Heaven is propofing an union with earth ftill, the potter is making fuit to his own clay, and the gates of the city of refuge are not yet closed. O! that we could compel you to come in.

Thus far of the State of Grace.