2. There is in it, a fympathy and fellow-feeling with the church in diftrefs, as being members of the fame body. We fee every living member of the body feels the injuries which are done to it, or to any of its fellow-members, and is ready to act for their relief: So the eyes and hands are ready to help the leg or foot when hurt, as feeling the smart of it. In like manner the members of Chrift's body-myftical have a fellowfeeling together, and are ready to act for the relief of each other in diftrefs.

3. It imports not only a deep concern and forrow for the church in trouble, but alfo a difpofition to express and evidence this concern, by using all the means in our power to help and relieve her; fuch as fafting, mourning, and weeping, for all the fins, whether of ourfelves or others, which draw down wrath and calamities upon the church; and wrestling with God by earnest prayer for her relief, looking to Chrift and his blood for pardoning and removing thofe fins which have raifed the ftorm against her. Thus did Nehemiah, Daniel, Ezra, David, Jeremiah, and others.

II. The 2d head, is to fhew the reasonableness and neceffity of this public fpirit, and zealous concern for the church in diftrefs. Now this will appear from feveral grounds and confiderations; fuch as,

1. The near relation to, and intereft which Chrift hath in his church. The church is his building, his houfhold, his peculiar treasure, his jewels, and dear purchafe; yea, fhe is Chrift's body, of which he is the Head. Now, if you have any love to Chrift him felf, you cannot be unconcerned for the church, which is fo nearly related to him, when he is in trouble. If you love the Head, you cannot but love the body alfo. Again, as Chrift's relation to the church is near, fo his love to her is proportionable; he compares his love to that of a tender mother's to her fucking child, which the cannot forget: and therefore "he engraves Zion upon the palms of his hands, and hath her walls continually before him," If. xlix. 15, 16. In that expreffion, he alludes to the practice of the Jews in fhewing their concern for Jerufalem in ruins, during the Babylonish captivity: They

engraved

engraved, the effigies of Jerufalem upon their rings, to keep her in perpetual remembrance: In like manner, faith the Lord, I have the church engraven upon the palms of my hands, fo that I can never open my hand. to bestow a bleffing upon any, but the church's cafe prefents to my eye. Now, if God fo loves the church, and is concerned for her welfare, it becomes us alfo to be concerned and aff. Cted for her.

2. This affectionate concern is reasonable and neceffary, because it is your intereft. Every one of you is nearly, connected with that of the church, as being men.bers of the fame myftical body, who must fuffer one with another; fo that in feeking the public good of the church, you confult your own private interest alfo; for your own profperity is bound up in her welfare. You are like paffengers in a fhip, that have your perfons and all your effects along with you there; fo that, if the fhip be profperous, you are well, but if fhe fink, you lofe all. Your precious fouls in particular must fuffer when the church doth fuffer: They cannot but be reduced to a melancholy firuation, when the church is diftreffed with fpititual judgments; fuch as the plagus of dry breafts, and the withdrawing of the Spirit of God from ordinances. If the mother be fickly, the fuckling child muft languish.

them.

3. To be public-fpirited makes a man a public bleffing, and an inftrument of much good to others, which is a man's greatest honour. This would make you refemble your heavenly Father, who doth good to sil, by making his fun to rife and his rain to fall And alfo like your Saviour, who was a public bleffing, while on earth, for he ftill "went about doing good," Acts x. 38. And like Abraham, who was a "blefling to the nations," Gen. xii. 2. Job was a man of a noble public fpirit, upon which account he was had in the greatest love and efteem, refpect and reverence, by all ranks; when the ear heard him, or the eye faw him, they bleffed him; why? because (faith he) "I delivered the poor that cried, I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame," &c. Job xxix. 11, 12, &c.

4. Becaufe God's glory fuffers when the church fuffers, "for Zion is the feat of his glory," Pí. lxxvi. 1, 2.

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It is the church that doth difplay and fhew it forth. God's revenue of honour and praise in the world would come to little, if God had not a church therein to pay him his rent; hence he calls his church " the branch of my planting, the work of my hands that I may be glorified," If. lx. 21. The rest of the world embezzle their talents, but God's church and people improve theirs for God's glory. Now when thefe are fuppreffed and funk, they are disabled for thewing forth his glory. Nay, then the enemy is ready to infult them, and to reproach both them and their God. Hence king Hezekiah called the time of Jerufalem's distress," a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blafphemy, Ifa. xxxvii. 3.

5. Becaufe God is highly pleafed with a public fpirit, and with those who interpofe for his church in trouble; he represents himself in feripture as feeking carefully for those to put marks of honour and refpect upon them, Jer. v. 1. Ezek. xxii. 30. Alfo we fee what fingular honour God put upon Mofes and Phineas upon that account, Exod. xxxii 11, 14. Numb. xxv. 10. 11. Pfal. cvi. 23, 30, 31. Alfo he promises profperity to all fuch, and familiarity with himself, Pfal. cxxii. 6. Ifa. xlv. II.

6. Because, on the other hand, God is much displeased with those who are unconcerned about his church when in distress, yea, he denounces a woe against them who are at ease in Zion, and are not grieved for the affliction of Jofeph," Amos vi. 1. 6. And we see what wrath was threatened against Esther, if she should be eafy or filent when the church was in danger, Efth. iv. 14. "For if thou altogether hold thy peace at this time, then shall enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's houfe fhall be deftroyed."

THE APPLICATION.

Infer. 1. If God be well pleafed with those who are fenfibly affected with the church's cafe when in diftrefs, how flaming muft his wrath be against those who are the inftruments

inftruments of her diftrefs, and, instead of fympathizing with her in it, do rejoice in her trouble: O that fuch would know, that they are not only the enemies of the church, but they are the enemies of God, and the very butt of his anger every day, Pfal. vii. 11. How dreadful is their cafe, who have the poifoned arrows of God's 、 wrath levelled against them!

Infer. 2. If it be the character of gracious fouls to be concerned for the church, what a bad fign must it be, of those who mind their own things, and not the things of Jefus Chrift? of whom the apofle speaks, Phil. ii. 21. And, alas! how many are there amongst us, who have their minds and affections wholly fet upon the earth! They are warm, keen, and anxious about the concerns of their bodies and families, but cold and indifferent about the things of Chrift and his church: They, like Gallio, care for none of thefe things, Acts xviii. 17. If their bodies or friends be in diftrefs, they are troubled; but though the church of God be in af fiction, it gives them no uneafmefs; which is a fad fign they are not living members of Jefus Chrift; for if they were, they would have a feeling and fympathy with the body.

3. We may take up a lamentation for the want of a public-fpirited and generous concern for the church of God among us, which is this day in great danger and diftrefs by errors, divifions, and decay of piety: And yet, how few are laying it to heart? Ah! whence® doth this indifference proceed? Surely from want of love to Chrift, the church's Head, or from exceffive love to the world and carnal pleasures. When men 66 ly upon beds of ivory, chant to the found of the viol, and drink wine in bowls, they are not grieved for the afflic tion of Jofeph," Amos vi. 4, 5, 6. Again, this indifferency about Chrift's matters, proceeds from that curfed root of felf-love, and felf-feeking, which is in all men by nature; though, in the mean time, fin and fatan have blinded their eyes, that they know not their true interest: They know not what it is rightly to feek themselves; if they feek the good of their bodies with the neglect of their fouls, they think to feek themselves

best

beft this way: But O if their eyes were opened, they would fee that this felf-feeking is nothing but self-hating and felf deftroying. The rich glutton fancied he was feeking himself and his own happiness, when he cloathed himself in purple and fared delicioufly every day; but afterwards, when he lifted up his eyes, he faw his felf feeking was really felf deftroying; for by pampering his body a little time, he damned his foul for ever. So that those who serve God beft, by seeking his glory and his church's good, before their worldly intereft, do really feek themselves moft; for they hereby fecure the happiness of both foul and body through all eternity.

4. It may be needful here to give fome caution against the wrong ufe of this doctrine, which fome may be in hazard to make, by spending their zeal and concern about the public cafe of the church to the neglect of their own personal cafe. O fars, beware of this extreme, and suspect this zeal not to be of the right fort; for where there is a fincere regard to God's glory, it will fhew itfelf, in the first place, in feeking to have matters right at home, to have your own fouls cafe put in good order, to have a true faith in Christ, the nature renewed, and corruptions fubdued, without which you can never glorify God, or do any thing to please him: Likewife, it will fhew itfelf in eftceming and preferring the great and effential truths of the gospel, and defiring to hear of the excellency and usefulness of a crucified Jefus, and of the Holy Spirit's dealing with fouls in beginning and carrying on a work of grace. Now when the fe fweet truths are not fo much relished, as to hear reflections and cenfures upon the manage ment of public affairs, you have ground to be jealous that your deceitful hearts are carrying you to an extreme, and to a zeal for the church, which is not right. True zeal for God will make you careful to be acquainted with your own hearts, to have matters right in the first place between God and your own souls, to have humility, truth and fincerity in the inward parts, without which God will not dwell, nor hold communion with you, nor can you claim God's promises of

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