ference which is between the beginning of a thing, and the perfection of it.

Having thus endeavoured to clear this truth, I come,

in the

Fourth and last place, to make some brief application of it to ourselves.

1. This is matter of great encouragement to us, under the sense of our own weakness and impotency. When we consider the corruption of our nature, the strength of our lufts, and the malice and power of the Devil, and compare our weakness with the strength of those mighty enemies of our fouls, we are apt to despond in our minds, and our hearts are ready to fail within us; like the people of Ifrael, when they heard the report of the spies, concerning the strength of the land which they were to conquer; and the terror of the inhabitants, they wished themselves almost dead for fear of death; Would to God we had died

in the land of Egypt ; or would to God we had died in the wilderness. Wherefore hath the Lord brought us into this land, to fall by the sword? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt ? Numb. xiv. 2, &c. Thus we are apt to be difheartened, when we look only to ourselves, and confider the power of our enemies.; but when we look beyond ourselves, as Caleb and Joshua did, to that prefence and strength of God, which was promised to go along with them; if we would but confider those gracious and powerful assistances of God's Holy Spirit which are offered to us, and are ready to join with us in this holy warfare of fighting, against sin, and fubduing and mortifying our lufts, we should then encourage ourselves as they did Fear ye not the people of the land; for they are bread forus: their defence is departed from them, the Lord is with us, fear them not, Numb. xiv. 9. If we would but apply ourselves to God for the aids of his grace and Holy Spirit, and make use of that afsistance which he offers, we should (as the Apostle speaks in another cafe, Heb. xi. 34.) out of weakness be made strong, wax valiant in fight, and be able to put to flight the armies of aliens. If we would but

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but wisely confider our own strength, How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight! All our spiritual enemies would quail before us, and as it is said of the Canaanites, Josh. v. 1. Their hearts would melt, and there would be no more Spirit left in them. 2 Kings vi. 15. when Elisha's fervant faw an host compassing the city of Samaria, with horfes and chariots, he was in great fear and perplexity, and faid, Master, what shall we do? but when upon Elisha's prayer, the Lord had opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha: then he took heart, and his fears vanished, because those that were with them quere more than they that were against them. Thus, if our eyes were opened by faith, to difcern those invisible aids and assistances which stand by us, how should this raise our courage and our confidence, and make us to triumph with the Apostle, Rom. viii. 31. If God be for us, who can be against us? And to rebuke our fears, and the defpondency of our spirits, as David does, Why art thou cast down, O my foul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Trust still in God: and to say with him, when multitudes of enemies compass us about, in the name of the Lord we will destroy them. Eph. vi. 10. when the Apostle represents to the Christians what enemies they had to contest withal, we fight not only against flesh and blood; that is, not only against men who perfecute us; but against Devils, who continually infest and tempt us, against principalities and powers, &c. he encourageth them against all these, by the strength of God, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Thus we should encourage ourselves in God, and animate our refolutions from the confideration of God's Holy Spirit, that Spirit of might and of power, which God is ready to give to every one of us, to assist us to do whatever he requires of us. And we have no reason to complain of weakness, so long as the strength of God stands by us, and the powerful aids of God's Spirit are ready to join themselves to us.

2. Let us earnestly beg of God his Holy Spirit, seeing it is so neceffary to us, and God is to ready to bestow this best of gifts upon us. Bread is not more neceffary to the support of our natural life, than the Holy Spirit of God is to our spiritual life and ftrength: and there is no father upon earth more ready to give bread to his children that cry after him, than God is to give his Holy Spirit to those who heartily and earnestly beg it of him. Did we but know how great a gift the Spirit of God is, and how necessary to us, we would not lose such a blessing for want of asking, but we would be importunate with God, and give him no rest, ask, and seek, and knock, and address ourselves to him with all earnestness, and never give over till our defires were granted.

3. Let us take heed of grieving the Spirit of God, and provoking him to withdraw himself from us. As God is very ready to give his Spirit to us, so we should give the best entertainment we can to so great a guest, left we give him cause to take away his Holy Spirit from us. And there are two things chiefly which provoke God hereto.

(1.) If we refift and quench the motions of his Spirit, and be not compliant to the dictates and fug. gettions of it. We affront the Spirit of God which is given us for our guidance and direction, when we will not be ruled, and governed, and led by it; we thrust the Spirit of God out of his office, and make his prefence uselefs and unnecessary to us; and this causeth him to go away grieved from us.

(2.) If we harbour and entertain any thing that is of a contrary quality and nature to him, and inconfiftent with him; and of fuch a nature is every luft and corruption that is cherished in our fouls. The Spirit of God is the best friend in the world : but as friends have the most tender resentments of unkind usage, so the Spirit of God is of a most tender and delicate sense, and cannot bear unkindness, especially fuch an unkindness as to take in to him the greatest enemy he hath in the world: for there is no such strong antipathy, in nature, as there is be

tween fin and the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit of God cannot endure to dwell in an impure foul. If we would have the Spirit of God abide with us, we must give no entertainment to any lust, we must banish the love of all fin for ever out of our hearts : for if we harbour any lust in our bosom, it will be to us as Delilah was to Sampson, it will insensibly bereave us of our strength: the Spirit of God will depart from us, and we hall be like other men.

4. And lastly, God's readiness to afford the grace and assistance of his Holy Spirit to us, to enable us to the performance of our duty, and the obedience of his laws, makes all wilful fin and disobedience inexcusable. Let us not pretend any longer the impoffibility, or infuperable difficulty of our duty, when so powerful an assistance is offered to us. If any man come short of happiness for want of performing the conditions of the gospel, it is by his own wilful fault and negligence; because he would not beg God's grace, and because he would not make ufe of it. If any man be wicked, and continue in a finful course, it is not for want of power, but of will to do better. God is always before-hand with us in the offers of his grace and assistance, and is wanting to no man in that which is necessary to make him good and happy. No man shalt be able to plead at the day of judgment want of power to have done his duty: for God will judge the world in righteousness; and then I am fure he will condemn no man for not having done that which was impossible for him to do. God hath done enough for every man to leave him without excuse. St. Paul tells us, that the blind Heathen should have no apology to make for themselves. Next to the being of a God, and his goodness and justice, I do as verily believe it, as I do any thing in the world, that no man shall be able to say to God at the great day, Lord, I would have repented of my fins, and obeyed thy laws, but I wanted power to do it, I was left destitute of the grace which was necessary to the performance and difcharge of my duty; I did earnestly beg thy Holy Spirit, but thou didst deny me. No man shall have

the

the face to say this to God at the great day; every man's confcience will then acquit God, and lay all the fault upon his own folly and neglect: for then every mouth shall be stopped, and God shall be juftified in his saying, and overcome when we are judged.

SERMON CCLIV.

The bad and the good use of God's signal judgments upon others.

LUKE xiii. 5.

I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

T

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HE occasion of these words you have at the beginning of the chapter, There were present at that season (says the Evangelift) fome that told our Saviour of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with ther facrifices. These in all probability were some of the faction of Judas Gaulonita, who about that time, as Josephus tells us, had stirred up the Galileans to a sedition againft the Roman government, under a pretence of afferting their liberty, by freeing themselves from the Roman tribute; and some of these coming to Jerufalem to facrifice, (as the custom of the Jews was, especially at the time of the passover) Pilate caused them to be slain upon the place, while they were at this service, shedding their blood with that of the beasts, which were killed for facrifice. The report of this profane cruelty being brought to our Saviour, he (as his custom was in all his converfation, to raise some useful meditation, from fuch occurrences that happened, and to turn them to a spiritual advantage) takes occasion from the relation of this

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