It is the property of a good christian to magnity the power of God, and to have high thoughts of it, and therefore it is his privilege to find safety in that power. David cannot satisfy himself with one, or two expressions of it, but delights in multiplying them. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. Faith looks above all, both that which the soul hath, and that which it wants, and answers all doubts and fears with this almighty power upon which it rests.

3dly. The time of full possession, ready to be revealed in the last time.] This salvation is that great work wherein God intended to manifest the glory of his grace, contrived before time, and in the several ages of the world brought forward, after the decreed manner; and the full accomplishment of it reserved for the end of time.

The souls of the faithful do enter into the possession of it, when they remove from their houses of clay; yet is not their happiness compleat till that great day of the appearing of Jesus Christ; they are naturally imperfect till their bodies be raised, and rejoined to their souls, to partake together of their bliss and they are mystically imperfect, till all the rest of the members of Jesus Christ be added to them.

But then shall their joy be absolutely full, when both their own bodies, and the mystical body of Christ shall be glorified, when all the children of that glorious family shall meet, and sit down to that great. marriage supper at their father's table. Then shall the music of that new song be full, when there is not one wanting of those that are appointed to sing it for eternity. In that day shall our Lord Jesus be glorified in his Saints, and admired in all them that believe".

You see what it is that the Gospel offers you, and you may gather how great both your folly and your

b Psal. xviii. 1.

2 Thes. i. 10.

guiltiness will be, if you neglect and slight so great salvation when it is brought to you, and you are intreated to receive it; this is all that the preaching of the word aims at, and yet who hearkens to it? How few lay hold on this eternal life, this inheritance, this crown that is held forth to all that hear of it?

Oh! that you could be persuaded to be saved, that you would be willing to embrace salvation. You think you would; but if it be so, then I may say, though you would be saved, yet your custom of sin, your love to sin, and love to the world, will not suffer you and these will still hinder you, unless you put on holy resolutions to break through them, and trample them under foot, and take this kingdom by a hand of violence, that God is so well pleased with; he is willingly overcome by that force, and gives this kingdom most willingly, where it is so taken; it is not attained by slothfulness, and sitting still with folded hands; it must be invaded with strength of faith, with armies of prayers and tears; and they that set upon it thus are sure to take it.

Consider what we are doing, how we misplace our diligence on things that abide not, or we abide not to enjoy them. We have no abiding city here (saith the Apostle';) but he adds, that which comforts the citizens of the new Jerusalem, We look for one to come, whose builder and maker is God. Hear not those things idly, as if they concerned you not, but let them move you to resolution and actions; say as they said of Canaan, It is a good land, let us go up and possess it. it. Learn to use what you have here as travellers, and let your home, your inheritance, your treasure be on high, which is by far the richest and the safest; and if it be so with you, then, Where your treasure is, there will your hearts be also

Ver. 6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season (if need be) ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.

THE same motives cannot beget contrary passions in the soul, therefore the Apostle reduces the mixture of sorrowing and rejoicing that is usual in the heart of a christian, to the different causes of both, and shews which of the two hath the stronger cause, and therefore is always predominant.

His scope is to stir up and strengthen spiritual joy in his afflicted brethren; and therefore having set the matter of it before them in the preceding verses, he now applies it, and expressly opposes it to their distresses.

Some read those words exhortatively, In which rejoice ye, it is so intended; but I conceive it serves that end better indicatively, as we now read it, In which ye rejoice. It exhorts in a more insinuating and persuasive manner, that it may be so, to urge it on them, that it is so. Thus St. Paul, King Agrippa believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. And straight he answered, Thou almost persuadest me to be a christian. This implies how just, and how reasonable it is, that the things spoken of should make them glad, they will rejoice in those, yea do rejoice. Certainly if you know and consider what the causes of your joy are, ye cannot chuse but find it within you, and in such a measure as to swallow up all your temporary sorrows, how great and how many soever their causes be.

We are then to consider severally those bitter waters, and sweet, this sorrow, and this joy, 1. In their springs. 2. In their streams.

And first they are called temptations, and manifold temptations. The habits of divine supernatural grace, are not acquirable by human study, or industry or by exercise, they are of immediate in

d Acts xxvi. 27.

fusion from Heaven; yet are they infused to that end, that they may act and exercise themselves in the several conditions and occurrences of a christian's life, and by that they grow stronger. Whatsoever oppositions or difficulties grace meets with in its acting, go under this general name of temptations. It is not necessary to reckon up the variety of senses of this word, in its full latitude, how God is said to tempt man, and how it is said that he tempts him not, how man tempts God, and how it is said that God is not tempted, how satan tempts men, and men one another, and a man himself. All those are several acceptations of this word, but the temptations here meant, are the things by which men are tempted, and particularly the saints of God. And though there is nothing in the words, that may not agree to all sorts of temptations the Godly are subject to; yet I conceive it is particularly meant of their afflictions and distresses, as the Apostle James likewise uses it'.

And they are so called, because they give particular and notable proof of the temper of a christian's Spirit, and draw forth evidence both of the truth, and the measure of the grace that is in them. If they fail and are foiled, as sometimes they are, this convinces them of that human frailty, and weakness that is in them, and so humbles them, and drives them out of themselves to depend upon another for more strength, and better success in afterencounters, If they acquit themselves like christians indeed, (the Lord managing and assisting that grace which he hath given them) then all their valour, and strength, and victories turn to his praise, from whom they have received all.

A man is not only unknown to others but to himself, that hath never met with such difficulties, as require faith and christian fortitude and patience to surmount them. How shall a man know whether his meekness and calmness of spirit be real or not, while he meets with no provocation, nothing that ' Chap. i. ver. 2.

contradicts or crosses him? But when somewhat sets upon him that is in itself very unpleasant and grievous to him, and yet if in that case he retains his moderation of spirit, and flies not out into impatience, neither against God nor men, this gives experiment of the truth and soundness of that grace in him; whereas standing water that is clear at top while it is untouched, yet if it have mud at the bottom, stir it a little, and it rises presently.

It is not altogether unprofitable, yea it is much wisdom in christians to be arming themselves against such temptations as may befal them hereafter, though they have not as yet met with them; to labour to overcome them before hand, to suppose the hardest things that may be incident to them, and to put on the strongest resolutions they can attain unto; yet all that is but an imaginary effort; and therefore there is no assurance that the victory is any more than imaginary too, till it come to action, and then they that have spoken, and thought very confidently may prove but (as one said of the Athenians) fortes in tabula, patient and courageous in picture or fancy; and notwithstanding all their arms, and dexterity in handling them by way of exercise, may be foully defeated when they are to fight in earnest. The children of Ephraim being armed, and carrying bows (says the Psalmist), yet turned back in the day of battle. It is the battle tries the soldier, and the storm the pilot. How would it appear that christians can be themselves, not only patient but chearful in poverty, in disgrace, and temptations, and persecutions, if it were not often their lot to meet with those? He that framed the heart knows it to be but deceitful, and he that gives grace knows the weakness, and strength of it exactly; yet he is pleased to speak thus, That by afflictions and hard tasks he tries what is in the hearts of his children. For the word of God speaks to men, and therefore it speaks the language of the children of men: thus, Now I know that thou fearest God,

8 Psal. lxxviii. 9.

h Gen. xxii. 12.