judgment are already upon a people, as harbingers and forerunners of more at hand. Luke iii. 30, 31. 1 Sam. ii. 12. Or what is the univerfal note and cry of God's minifters, who are his watchmen to foresee danger, Ezek. iii. 17. and his trumpeters to discover it, Numb. x. 8. And when thefe have one mouth given them, certainly there is much in it, Luke i. 70. Or, laftly, by pondering those fcripture-prophecies that yet remain to be fulfilled. They must all go out their times, and accomplish their full number of years and months; but certainly they shall be fulfilled in their feafons.

By attending to these things, a Chriftian may give a near guess at the judgments that are approaching a nation, and so order himself accordingly. Ecclef. viii. 5. " A wife man's heart difcerns both time "and judgment." And this is (even in the judgment of God) a choice point of wisdom; whereas, on the contrary, heedlefs and carelefs ones, that regard not these things, are branded for fools, and upbraided with more brutishness than the beafts of the field, or fowls of the air. Matth. xvi. 3. Jer. viii. 7. "The ftork in the heavens, the "fwallow, turtle, and crane," obferve their seasons of departing, and returning upon the approach of the winter and Spring, and that by a natural instinct, whereby they prolong their lives, which elfe must perish. But though God hath made man wifer than the fowls of the air, and beafts of the earth, which by instinct will quit colder climates, or run to the hedges when winter, or storms approach; yet the heavens may be astonished at this, to see nature caft by sin so far below itself; and that in reasonable creatures.

But now, if this be foreseen, then there is a fingular advantage in a man's hand, either to use the means of preventing thofe approaching calamities, Zeph. ii. 3. or if it cannot be prevented, yet to take fanctuary in Chrift, Mic. v. 5. to run to the promises and attributes, Ifa, xxiv. 21. and fo have a good roof over his head while the ftorm falls and the weather is tempeftuous abroad. And therefore certainly this preparation is an excellent thing, Whatever the Spirit of God fpeaks in the commendation of foreseeing evils, is with refpect to this duty of preparing for them; for forefight of evils without preparation, rather increases than diminishes the mifery.

6. A fixth excellency of preparation lies in the influence that it hath into a Chriftian's stability in the evil day. You cannot but know that your fability in that critical hour of temptation, is a choice and fingular mercy, inafmuch as all you are worth in the other world depends upon your standing then, Rev. xxi. 7, 8. Rom. ii. 6, 7. Luke xxii. 27. neither can you be ignorant how much you are like to be tried, and put to it then, whether you refpect the enemy that engages you, Eph. vi. 12. or your own weakness, who have been fo often foiled in leffer trials, Jer. xii. 5. All the grace you have will be little enough to keep the field and bear you up from finking; and therefore it cannot but be a blessed thing, to be able to stand and cope with the greatest difficulties in fuch a time of trial as that will be.

"Now he that expects to do this must put on the whole armour of "God." See Ephef. vi. 12, 13. 14. There is no expectation of ftanding in the evil day, except your foot be food, that is, your wills prepared with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

It is true, that our ability to ftand is not from our own inherent grace; "For by his ftrength fhall no man prevail," Sam. ii. 9. And yet it is as true, that without grace, both inherent in us, and excited and prepared for a storm, we cannot expect to ftand: For these two, grace inherent in us, and grace exciting and affifting without are not oppofed, but co-ordinated. Grace in us, is the weapon by which our enemy falls; but then that weapon must be managed by the hand of the Spirit.-Well then, look upon this as a choice mercy, which tends fo much to your stability.

7. A feventh excellency of a prepared heart, is that it is a very high teftification of our love to Jefus Chrift, when we thus fhew our willingness to take our lot with him, and follow him wherever he goes. What an high expreffion of love was that of Ruth to her mother Naomi? "I will not go back, but where thou lodgeft I will "lodge, and where thou goeft I will go." It is excellent when a foul can fay to Chrift, as Ittai to David, 2 Sam. xv. 21. "Surely in "what place my Lord the king fhall be, whether in death or in life, " even there also will thy fervant be." This is love indeed, to cleave to him in a time of fuch diftreffes and dangers. This is "love which "the waters cannot quench, nor the floods drown," Cant. viii. 7. Probatio amoris, eft exhibitio operis: If you love Christ indeed, fhew your love by fome fruits of it; and furely this is a very choice fruit, and proof of it. There are many that profefs a great deal of love to Christ, but when it comes to this touch-ftone, it pears false and counterfeit; but a mere flourish when no danger is

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But that foul which buckles on the fhoe of preparation, to follow him through thorns and briers, and over the rocks and mountains of difficulties and troubles, loves him indeed, Jer. ii. 2, 3. Beloved, it is one of the choiceft discoveries of your love to your mafter Chrift, yea, it is fuch a teftification of love to him, as angels are not capable of. They fhew their love by their readiness to do his will, in the execution of which they fly as with wings, Ezek. i. 24. but you only have the happiness of testifying your love by your readiness to fuffer for him, and is not this excellent?

8. When the heart is prepared for the worft fufferings, it is an argument that your will is fubdued to the will of God; for till this be done, in a good meafure, you cannot ftand ready to fuffer for him. But now, to have the will fubdued by grace to the will of God, is a very choice and excellent frame indeed; for in this the main power of grace lieth: Look in what faculty the chief refidence and strength of fin was, in the fame chief refidence the power of grace, after converfion, is alfo: Now it is in the will that the ftrength and power of fin (before converfion) lay. See John v. 40. Pfalm lxxxi. 11. Jer.

xliv. 16, 17. And indeed it was the devil's ftrong hold, which, in the day of Chrift's power, he storms and reduces to his obedience, Pfal. cx. 3. O what a bleffed thing is this! The will rules the man, it hath the empire of the whole man; it commands the faculties of the foul, imperio politico; and it commands the members of the body, imperio defpotico. Now to have Chrift and grace rule that which rules and commands your inner and outer man too, is no fmall mercy; and a better evidence that it is fo cannot be given than this, that you ftand ready, or do feriously prepare yourfelves to fuffer the hardest things for Chrift: If your will can like that work, it is an argument grace hath conquered and fubdued your wills indeed.

9. This preparation of heart to fufferings, is an excellent thing, becaufe God is fo abundantly pleafed with it, that he often excufes them from fufferings in whom he finds it, and accepts it, as if the fervice had been actually done. So Abraham, Gen. xxii. 12. he was ready to offer up his Ifaac's life to God; but God feeing his fervant's heart really prepared, and ready for that difficult fervice, and high point of felf-denial, provided himself another facrifice inftead of Ifaac. Abraham fhall have his fon Ifaac back again, and that with advantage; for he hath with him not only a choice experiment of his love to God, but God's high approbation of him, and acceptation of his offering. It was all one in refpect of divine acceptance, as if he had been flain; and fo the fcripture reprefents it, Jam. ii. 21. And in this fenfe that promise is often made good to God's people who ftand ready to give up their Ifaacs, their lives, liberties, and deareft enjoyments to the Lord: «He that will lose his life for my name's fake, "fhall fave it," Luke ix. 24.

Now what a bleffed thing is this! you may this way have the crown of martyrdom, and yet not shed one drop of blood for Christ actually. Ah! how kindly doth God accept it at his poor creatures hands, when he fees how willing they are to ferve him with their best enjoyments!" It is well (faith he to David) that it was in thy heart." 1 Kings viii. 18.

10. And then, latly, to add no more, it is beyond controversy an excellent and blessed thing; because should such a Christian, after all his pains and preparations, be over-borne, and fall by temptation; yet this preparation of his heart excufes his fall, from those aggravations that are upon the falls of others, and will give him both Jupport under fuch a condition, and encouragement to hope for a speedy recoAh! it is no fmall comfort when a poor foul that very out of it. hath been over-borne by temptation, can come to God and fay, Lord, thou knoweft that this was not a wilful departure from my duty, but contrary to the bent and refolutions of my heart; thou faweft my diligence before-hand to prepare for it; thou faweft my fears and tremblings of heart about it: O Lord, forgive, O Lord, recover thy fervant, wash away this fpot, it is one of the fpots of thy

' children, an infirmity, not a rebellion: This may much stay the foul.

Surely, in this case, thou haft many grounds of comfort that another wants; for thy fin being but an infirmity, (1.) It is that which is common to all faints, Pfal. ciii. 11, 12, 13, 14. (2.) God hath mercy and pardons for fuch fins as thefe, elfe woe to the holiest foul, Pfal. cxxx. 3. 4. Solomon, upon this ground, pleads for mercy for them that prepared their hearts, 2 Chron. xxx. 18, 19. And God hath laid in fweet grounds of encouragement for fuch fouls, Numb. xv. 27, 28. Heb. v. 2. How tenderly doth Chrift deal with his difciples under this kind of fin, Matth. xxvi. 41. and though they forfook him for a time, yet he received them again; though they fled from him, yet they all returned again and appeared boldly for Chrift afterwards, and fealed their confeffion of him with their blood. And that which recovered them again was this, that their fall and departure was contrary to the refolution, and ftanding frame, and bent of their hearts; for they refolved all to cleave to him to the death, Mat. xxvi. 35. whereas thofe that engaged in a profeffion of him inconfiderately, and never refolved, nor prepared for the worst, fell off from him, and never returned any more, John vi. 66. So then, upon the whole, you cannot but grant, that it is a very bleffed and excellent thing, to prepare thus for the greatest fuffering that can befal us for Christ. We come next to fhew wherein it lies.

CHAP. V.

Evincing the neceffity of a found and real work of grace upon the heart, to fit a man for fuffering for Chrift.

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AVING fhewed you that God doth fometimes put his dearest people upon very hard fervices for him, and what an excellent thing it is to prepare ourselves to obey the call of God to them: In the next place I come to fhew you, wherein this preparation, or readinefs for fuffering confifts, and how many things concur and contribute their affiftance to this work.

Now there is a twofold preparation or readiness for fuffering; the one is habitual, the other actual: That habitual readiness is nothing else but the inclination of a foul to fuffer any thing for Chrift: which inclination arifeth from the principles of grace infufed into the foul: But then as fire, though it have a natural inclination to afcend, yet may be violently depreffed and hindered, that it cannot afcend actually, fo may it be in this cafe; and therefore, before a man can be fitted for fufferings as Paul was, there muft, to this habitual, be fuperadded an actual readiness, which is nothing elfe but the rouzing of. grace out of the fleepy and dull habits, and awakening it to its work VOL. VI.

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in a time of need: as the lion is faid to lafh himself with his tail, to rouze up his courage before he fight. The former is a remote power, the latter a proxim and immediate power. I muft handle the former in this chapter, and you are to know that it confifteth in a found and real work of grace or converfion wrought upon the foul; without which, I fhall make it evidently appear to you, that no man can be fit or ready to fuffer as a Christian.

Whatever flock of natural courage, moral principles, or common gifts of the Spirit be lodged in any man's breast, yet all this (without fpecial grace) can never fit him to fuffer for Chrift. And had not this work been really and foundly wrought upon the heart of this bleffed man, as indeed it was, Acts ix. 3, 4, 5. he had quickly fainted under his fufferings and fo will every foul fooner or later do, that fuffers not upon the fame principles that he did

1. For firft, No man can fuffer for Chrift until he be able to deny himfelf. See Matth. xvi. 24. Self-denial goes in order of nature before fufferings. Beloved, in a fuffering hour the intereft of Chrift and felf meet like two men upon a narrow bridge, one must of neceffity go back, or the other cannot pafs on: If you cannot now deny felf you must deny Chrift. The yoke and dominion of felf muft be caft off, or elfe Chrift's yoke and burden cannot be taken on.

It is confeffed that felf may not only confift with, but be a motive to fome kind of fufferings: Ambition and applaufe may carry a man far this way pride is a falamander that it feems can live in the flames of martyrdom, 1 Cor. xiii. 3. But to be a fervant to felf and a true fufferer for Chrift is incompatible. Self may make you the devil's martyrs, but grace only can make you Chrifl's martyrs. So that let a man be feemingly carried for a while with never fo high a tide of zeal for Chrift, yet if felf be the fpring that feeds, thofe felf-ends, like fo many little ditches joined to the brink of a river, will fo fuck and draw away the water into themselves, that the lofty ftream will fink and come to nothing ere it have ran far: So then, of neceffity, felf muft be dethroned in the hearts of Chrift's fuffering fervants.

But now it is real grace only that difpofes felf, and fubjects its intereft to Chrift's; for fanctification is nothing elfe but the dethroning of exalted felf, and the fetting up of Chrift's intereft above it in the foul. This is it that alters the property of all a man hath, and fuperfcribes them with a new title, Holiness to the Lord, Ifa. xxiii. 18. Zech. xiv. 20, 21. Thenceforth a man looks at himfelf as none of his own, but paft into another's right, 1 Cor. vi. 19; and that he must neither live, nor act ultimately for himself, but for Chrift, Rom. xiv. 7. Heb. xiii. 7, 8. Phil. i. 20. He is no more as a proprietor, but a fteward of all he hath; and fo holds upon thefe terms, to lay it out as may best serve his Master's ends and glory.

All that he is or hath, is by grace fubordinated to Chrift; and if once fuborbinated, then no more oppofed to him, fubordinata non pugnant. This is it that makes him fay, I care not what becomes of me or mine,