fealed by the conftant experience of all gracious fouls that are witnelles. of the truth hereof. (3.) A divine and Almighty power goes forth to produce and work it; and hence faith is faid to be of the operation of God, Col. ii. 12. Yea, that the fame power which raifed Jefus Chrift from the dead, goes to the production of it, Ephef. i. 19, 20. And if fo, how much less than blafphemy is it, to call it a conceit or fancy? Doth God fet on work his infinite power to beget a fancy, or raife an imagination? (4) Conceits and whim.fies abound moft in men of weak reafon: Children, and fuch as are crackt in their understandings, have most of them: Strength of reason banishes them, as the fun doth mifts and vapours: But now the more rational any gracious perfon is, by fo much the more he is fixed, fettled, and fatisfied in the grounds of religion: Yea, there is the higheft and pureft reafon in religion; and when this change is wrought upon men, it is carried on in a rational way, Ifa. i. 18. John xvi. 9. The Spirit overpowers the understanding with clear demonstrations, and filences all objections, pleas, and pretences to the contrary. (5.) It is a real thing, and gracious fouls know it to be fo; elfe fo many thousands of the faints would never have fuffered fo many cruel torments and miferies, rather than forfake a fancy, and fo fave all. They have been fo well fatisfied of the reality of that which the world calls a fancy, that they have chofen rather to embrace the stake than deny it. The conftancy of Chriftians, in cleaving to religion, was common to a proverb among the heathen; who when they would exprefs the greatest difficulty, would fay, You may as foon turn a Chriftian from Chrift as do it.' Surely no wife man would facrifice his liberty, estate, life, and all that is dear, for a conceit. (6.) Its reality appears in its uniformity in all thofe in whom it is wrought: "They "have all obtained like precious faith," 2 Pet. i. 1. " They are all

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changed into the fame image," 2 Cor. iii. 18. Three thousand perfons affected in one and the fame manner at one fermon, Acts ii. 37. Could one and the fame conceit poffefs them altogether? Take two Chriftians that live a thousand miles distant from each other, that never heard of one another, let these persons be examined, and their reports compared, and fee if they do not fubftantially agree, and whether as face anfwers face in the water, fo their experiences do not answer one to the other? Which could never be, if it were a groundless conceit. (7.) And laftly, It is manifeft it is a reality, and puts a real difference betwixt one and another, becaufe God carries himfelf fo differently towards them after their conversion; now he fmiles, before he frowned; now they are under the promises, before they were under the threats and curfes; and what a vaft difference will he put betwixt the one and the other in that great day? See Matth. xxv. Surely if thefe nominal Chriftians did but differ in conceit, not really from others, the righteous Judge of all the earth would not pafs fuch a different judgment and doom upon

them.

By all this you evidently fee, that grace is a real change, and not a conceited one.

3. We fay that this real change paffes upon the whole man: he is changed in foul, body, and practice: all things are become new. (1.) This change appears in his foul: For by it, (1.) His understanding is ftrangely altered, and receive things in another way than formerly. It did look at Chrift and things eternal as uncertain and light matters; the things that are feen and prefent did moftly affect, and appeared great and excellent: It admired riches and honour, while Christ and glory were overlooked and despised. But now all these temporals are efteemed dung, drofs, vanity, Phil. iii. 8, 11. Rom. viii. 18. And Jefus Chrift is now efteemed "the wifdom and the power of God," 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. It did look on the faints as defpicable perfons, but now as the "excellent of the earth," Pfal. xvi. 3. Strictnefs and duty was once esteemed a needless thing, but now the only thing defirable, Pfal. cxix. 14. "Oh, faith the renewed foul, where were "mine eyes, that I could fee no more excellency in Chrift, his ways, " and people?" (2.) It stops not there (as it doth in hypocrites) but paffes on further, and reduces the will; that frong hold is taken, and delivered up to Chrift. It did rebel against God, and could not be fubject, but now it fubmits, Acts ix. 6. " Lord, what wilt thou "have me to do?" In the day of Chrift's power he prefents himfelf in all his drawing glory and lovelinefs before the will, and cries to that ftubborn faculty, "Open to me, open to me;" with which word there goes forth an opening and fubduing power, which the will no fooner feels, but it fpontaneously moves towards him, and faith, "Stand open ye everlasting gates, that the King of glory may come "in." Henceforth it votes for God, fubfcribes and fubmits to his will as its only rule and law; and indeed it becomes the principal feat where grace makes its refidence; and where, for the most part, it is more vifible than in any other faculty. For after a man hath fearched for it in all other faculties, and cannot discern it, yet here he ordinarily finds it; to will is prefent, Rom. vii. 18 (3.) The will being thus gained to Chrift, love comes in of courfe; it, feeling the power of grace alfo, prefently changeth its object: It feizeth not for greedily on earthly objects as before, but is ftrangely cooled and deadned to them, by the appearance of a far greater glory in Jefus Chrift; which hath fo captivated the foul, and strongly attracted their affection, that it is now become very remifs in all its actings towards them; and often (especially at firft) it is fo weaned from all things on earth, that the temptation feems to lie on the other extreme, even in too great neglect of our lawful employments and comforts. Now Jefus Chrift, Cant. i. 3 his ordinances, Pfal. cxix. 97. and his faints, 1 John iii. 14. are the only delights and fweeteft companions; he could fit from morning till night, to hear difcourfes of Chrift his beloved, and could live and die in the company of his people, whofe VOL. VI.

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company is now moft delightful and fweet, Pfal. cxix. 63. (4) The defires are altered, they pant no more after the dust of the earth, Pfal. iv. 6. but pant for God, as the "hart after the water-brooks," Pfal. xlii. I. Yea, fo big is the foul with them, that it is fometimes ready to faint, yea, to break with the longing it hath after him, Pfal. cxix. 20. (5.) The thoughts are changed, Pfal. cxix. 113. and the thoughts of God are now moft precious, Pfal. cxxxix. 47. mufing when alone of him; and in its folitudes the foul entertains itfelf with a delightful feaft, which its thoughts of God bring in to refresh it, Pfal. Ixiii. 5, 6. (6.) The defigns and projects of the foul are changed; all are now fwallowed up in one grand defign, even to approve himself to God, and be accepted of him, 2 Cor. v. 9. and if he fail not there, it will not much trouble him, if all his other defigns fhould be dafhed. It were eafy to inftance in the rest of the affections, and fhew how grace fpreads and diffufes itself into them all, as light in the air, or leaven in the lump; but this may fuffice, to fhew how it paffes upon the whole foul, and enters the feveral faculties and affections thereof.

And the foul being thus poffeft for God, the body with all its members is confequently refigned up to him alfo: For the will hath the empire of the members of the body, as well as of the paffions and affections of the foul. Thefe are not any more delivered up to execute the lufts of Satan, but are yielded up to God for his ends and ufes, Rom. vi. 19. And thus you have the third thing in the def cription made out alfo, that it is an univerfal, as well as a real change. But then,

4. Laftly, You must know that by this change God prepares a man for choice and excellent fervices; and this indeed is the main thing defigned in this chapter, and is the refult and iffue of all that' hath hitherto been faid about this work of grace.

Beloved, can you imagine that God could employ his infinite and glorious power to produce this new creature in fuch an excellent nature, it being the mafter-piece of all his works of wonder wrought upon man, and not aim at fome fingular use and excellent end? Every wife agent defigns fome end; and what God aims at he hath told us, Ifa. xliii. 21. Eph. ii. 20. And accordingly he expects fingular things from fuch perfons, Matth. v. 47. If God had not aimed at fome new fervice, he need not have made a new creature: the old creature was fit enough for the old use and service it was employed in.

But God hath fome choice fervice to be done wherein he will be glorified. He will have his name glorified, even in this world, by the active and paflive obedience of his people. But this being far above all the power of nature, God therefore brings them forth in a new and heavenly nature, endowed with rare, fupernatural, and divine qualities, by which it is fitted and excellently prepared for any fervice of God, by doing or by fuffering, which before he had no fitnefs or ability for.

The very make and constitution of this new creature fpeaks its ufe and end: As now, if a man look upon a fword or knife, (fuppofing he had never feen either before) yet, I fay, by viewing the fhape and properties of it, he will fay, this was made to cut. Even

fo here, this new creature was formed for fome glorious and fingular fervice for God, to which it is exceedingly advantaged, whether God put you upon doing or fuffering. If you ask wherein this advantage of the new creature to honour God either way lies; I anfwer, it principally confifts in its heavenly inclination, or natural tendency to "God. This is its great advantage; for, by virtue of this,

1. If God call a man to any duty, there is a principle within, clofing with the command without, and moving the foul freely and fpon- | taneously to duty, Pfal. xxvii. 8. If God fay, Seek my face, fuch an heart echoes to the call, Thy face, Lord, will I feek: And this is it which is called, The writing of God's law in the heart, Jer. xxxi. 33. and muft needs be a mighty advantage; for now its work is its deTight and wages, Pfal. xix. 11. The command to fuch a foul is not grievous, 1 John v. 3. and by this it is kept from tiring in duty, and being weary of its work. As you fee what pains children can take at play, how they will run and fweat, and endure knocks and falls, and take no notice of it; put them upon any manual labour, and they cannot endure half fo much: When our work is our delight, we never faint nor tire at it. This inclination to God is to the foul as wings to a bird, or fails to a fhip. This carries the foul eafily through every duty. O there is a vast difference betwixt a man that works for wages, and one whose work is wages to him. And here you may at once fee wherein the principal difference betwixt the hypocrite and real Christian lies in the performance of duty; and alfo have a true account of the reason why one perfeveres in his work to the end, when the other flags. Why, here is ne true account of both; the one is moved to duty from a natural inclination to it, the other is forced upon it by fome external motives: For the hypocrite takes not delight in the fpiritual and inward part of duty, but is fecretly weary of it, Mal. i. 13. only his ambition and felf-ends put him upon it as a tafk. But now the upright heart goes to God as his joy, Pfal. Ixiii. 4. And faith, "It is good for me to draw nigh to God," Pfal. lxxiii. ult. When the fabbath comes, (that golden fpot of the week), oh how he longs to fee the beauty of the Lord in his ordinances! Pfal. xxvii. 4. And when engaged in the worship of God, he cannot fatisfy himself in bodily fervice, or to ferve God in the oldness of the letter. He knoweth that this perfuafion comes not of him that called him, Gal. v. 7, 8. He labours to engage his heart to approach to God, Jer. xxx. 21. And hence those mountings of heart and violent fallies of the defires heavenward. And thus you fee one rare advantage to glorify God actively, flowing from the inclination of this new creature.

2. But then, fecondly, hence in like manner hath the foul as great an advantage for fufferings; for this new creature having fuch a na

tural tendency to God, will enable the foul in which it is, to break its way to God through all the interpofing obftacles and difcouragements. What are perfecutions, what are reproaches, what are the fears and frowns of enemies, but fo many blocks thrown into the foul's way to keep it from God and duty? And indeed where this principle of grace is wanting, they prove inacceffible mountains. Graceless hearts are ftalled, and quite difcouraged by them: but now this tendency of the foul to God enables the Chriftian to break his way through all. You may fay of him in fuch a cafe as the hiftorian doth of Hannibal, (who forced a way over the Alps with fire and vinegar) either he will find a way, or make a way; "Shall fword or famine, or any other creature feparate me from "Chrift?" faith an upright foul. No, it will make its way through all to him, and that from this tendency of his new nature. You fee in nature, every thing hath a tendency to its centre; fire will up, do what you can to fupprefs it; water will to the fea; if it meet with dams, yea, mountains in its way, if it cannot bear them down, it will creep about fome other way, and wind and turn to find a paffage to the fea. God is the centre of all gracious fpirits, and grace will carry the foul through all to him. This is grace, and this is your advantage by it in the most difficult part of your work. It will carry you through all; make the hardest work eafy and pleafant, 2 Cor. xii. And if great fufferings or temptations interpofe betwixt you and your God, it will break through all, and enable you to withftand all; as it did Paul in the text, who forced his way not only through the fury of enemies, but also through the entreaties and tears of friends.

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CHAP. VII.

In which the neceffity of getting clear evidences of this work of grace in us, in order to our readiness for fufferings, is held forth, the nature of that evidence opened; and divers things that cloud and obfcure it removed out of the way.

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HAVE done with habitual readiness, confifting in an in-wrought work of grace. The following particulars are the things in which our actual readiness lies. And of them, that which comes next to be handled, is the getting of clear evidences in our own fouls, that this work hath been wrought in us: this will exceedingly tend to your ftrengthening and comfort in a fuffering hour. Bleffed Paul, who here profeffeth himself ready both for bonds and death, was clear in this point; 2 Tim. i. 12. and iv. 6, 7. And indeed had be been cloudy and dark in this, he could not have faid, I am ready. No, he had been in an ill cafe to undertake that journey to JerufaJem and thou wilt find it a fingular advantage in dark and difficult