us, than to raise us unto this entireness with thee, the all-glorious and eternal Son of God? How should we learn of thee to improve our highest advancement to our deepest humility; and so to regard each other, that when we are greatest we should be least!

XXVIII.

How apt are we to misconstrue the spirit of God to our own disadvantage! While the blessed apostle bids us to work out' our salvation with fear and trembling,' he doth not bid us to work it out with doubt and distrust. It is the Psalmist's charge, that we should serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in him with trembling:' so as there is a fear without diffidence, and a trembling that may consist with joy. Trembling is an effect of fear; but this fear which we must affect is reverential, not slavish, not distrustful. Indeed, when we look upon ourselves, and consider our own frailties and corruptions, and God's infinite justice, we have too just cause of doubt and dejection, yea, were it not for better helps, of utter despair; but when we cast up our eyes to the power of him that hath undertaken for us, and the faithfulness of him that hath promised, and the sure mercies of him that hath begun his good work in us, we can fear with confidence, and rejoice in our trembling. For what are our sins, to his mercies; our unworthiness, to his infinite merits; our weaknesses, to his omnipotence? I will therefore so distrust myself, that I will be steadfastly confident in the God of my salvation; I will so tremble before the glorious ma

1 1 Psalm, ii. 11.

jesty of my God, that I may not abate of the joy of his never-failing mercy.

XXIX.

What a large and open hand hath our God! How infinitely doth his bounty transcend, not the practice only, but the admiration of man! We think it well, if, upon often asking, we can receive small favours; if, after long delay, we can be gratified with a condescent; and, if we have received one courtesy, that is a bar to a second: whereas, our munificent God gives us, not only what we ask, but what we ask not, and therefore before we ask. Yea, it is he that gives us to ask; neither could we so much as crave good things, if he did not put into us those holy desires. Yea, he not only gives us blessings before we ask, but he gives us the best things, a right to eternal glory, before we are at all, yea, before the world was. And, as he prevents us in time, so he exceeds our thoughts in measure, giving us more than we ask: Rachel would have a son-God gives her two; Abraham sues that Ishmael may live-God gives him to prosper, and to be the father of many princes. Yet more, he gives us what we cannot ask: the dumb demoniac could not sue for himself; his very silence was vocal, and receives what he would, and could not request. Yea, lastly, which is the great improvement of his mercy, he gives us against our asking: our ignorance sues against ourselves, requiring hurtful things; he will not suffer our hearts and tongues to wrong us, but withholds what we unfitly crave, and gives us what we should, and do not crave; as the fond child cries to his father for a knife, he reaches him a spoon, that may feed and not hurt

him. O the ocean of divine bounty, boundless, bottomless! O our wretched unworthiness, if we be either niggardly to ourselves, in not asking blessings, or unthankful to our God in not acknowledging them.

XXX.

Thus

Infidelity and faith look both through the same perspective glass, but at contrary ends. Infidelity looks through the wrong end of the glass; and therefore sees those objects which are near afar off, and makes great things little, diminishing the greatest spiritual blessings, and removing far from us threatened evils: faith looks at the right end; and brings the blessings that are far off in time close to our eye, and multiplies God's mercies, which, in a distance, lost their greatness. Thus the faithful saw his seed possessed of the promised land, when as yet he had no seed, nor was likely to have any; when the seed, which he should have, should not enjoy it till after four hundred years. that good patriarch saw Christ's day, and rejoiced. Thus our first parent comforted himself, after his ejection out of paradise, with the foresight of that blessed seed of the woman, which should be exhibited almost four thousand years after. Still, and ever, faith is like itself. What use were there of that grace, if it did not fetch home to my eye things future and invisible? That this dissolved body shall be raised out of the dust, and enlivened with this very soul wherewith it is now animated, and both of them put into a condition eternally glorious, is as clearly represented to my soul in this glass as if it were already done. Faithful is he that hath promised, which will also do it.'

XXXI.

Who can think other than with scorn of that base and unworthy conceit which hath been entertained by some, that our Saviour lived here on earth upon alms? He that vouchsafed to take upon him the shape of a servant, would have hated to take upon him the trade of a beggar: service is a lawful calling, beggary not so. He that gave life to all creatures, could take a maintenance from them without asking. He that did command the fish to bring the tribute money for himself and his disciples, and could multiply a few loaves and fishes for the relief of thousands, could rather raise a sustenance to himself and his than beg it. But here was neither need nor cause; even ordinary means failed not; many wealthy followers, who had received cures and miraculous deliverances, besides heavenly doctrine from him, ministered to him of their substance. Neither was this out of charity, but out of duty in the charge which he gave to his disciples, when he sent them by pairs to preach abroad, he tells them the labourer ist worthy of his wages; and can we think this rule doth not much more hold concerning himself? Had not himself and his family been furnished with a meet stock raised from hence, what purse was it which Judas bore? and how could he be a thief in his office, if his bags were empty? He, therefore, that could say, 'It is a more blessed thing to give then to receive,' certainly would not choose, when it was in his power, rather to receive than give. The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;'

Luke, viii. 2, 3.

and he distributes it as he pleaseth amongst the children of men. For me, I hope I shall have the grace to be content with whatsoever share shall fall to my lot; but my prayer shall be, that I may beg of none but God.

XXXII.

What a madness it is in us, to presume on our interest in God's favour for the securing of our sinfulness from judgment! The angels were deeper in it than we mortals can ever hope to be in these houses of clay, yet, long since, are ugly devils; and they who enjoyed the liberty of the glorious heavens, are now reserved in everlasting chains of darkness. And, if we look down upon earth, what darling had God in the world but Israel? This was his firstborn, his lot, his inheritance; of whom he said, 'Here I have a delight to dwell.' And now, where is it? Oh, the woeful desolations of that select people! What is it to tell of the suffossion of her vineyards; vastation of her tents;3 the devouring of her land; demolition of walls;" breaking down altars, burning of cities, spoiling of houses, dashing in pieces their children, ravishing their wives; killing of their priests; eating of their own children of but a span long; and a thousand such woeful symptoms of war? The Psalmist hath said a word for all, (in a just, but contrary sense,) 'Destructions are come to a perpetual end: what destruction can be more, when there is no Israel? How is that wretched nation

1

6

4

2 Psalm, lxxx. 13.

4 Isaiah, i. 7.

6 Isaiah, xxvii. 9; xiii. 16.

8 Lam. ii. 20.