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fecret duties? Sincere fouls are uniform fouls, Pfal. cxix. 6. the hypocrite is no closet-man, Matth. vi. 5.

2. Doth that which I call grace in me oppofe and mortify, or doth it not rather quietly confift with, and protect my lufts and corruptions? True grace tolerates no luft, Gal. v. 17. No, not the bofom darling corruptions, Pfal. xviii. 23.

3. Doth that which I call my grace, humble, empty, and abate my foul? Or rather, doth it not puff it up with felf-conceitedness? All faving grace is humbling grace, 1 Cor. xv. 10. "But the foul which is lifted up, is not upright," Hab. ii. 4.

Laftly, Cantt thou, my foul, rejoice and blefs God for the grace imparted to others? And rejoice, if any defign for Chrift be carried on in the world by other hands? Or, rather, doft thou not envy those that excel thee, and careft for no work in which thou art not feen?

But ftay, my foul, it is enough: If these be the substantial differences betwixt fpecial and common grace, I more than doubt, I shall not endure the day of his coming, Whose fan is in his band. Do not thofe fpots appear upon me, which are not the spots of his children? Woe is me, poor wretch! the characters of death are upon my foul! Lord add power to the form, life to the name to live, practice to the knowledge, or I perish eternally! O rather give me the faint's heart, than the angels tongue; the pooreft breathing of the Spirit, than the richest ornaments of common gifts! Let me never deceive myself, or others, in matters of fo deep and everlasting confequence.

IN

The POE M.

'N eastern countries, as good authors write,
Tares, in their springing up, appear to fight,
Not like itself, a weed, but real wheat;
Whose shape and form it counterfeits fo neat,
That 'twould require a moft judicious eye,
The one from t'other to diverfify.
Till both to fome maturity be grown,
And then the difference is eas'ly known.
Even thus hypocrify, that cursed weed,
Springs up fo like true grace, that he will need
More than a common infight in this cafe,
That faith, this is not, that is real grace.
Ne'er did the cunning actor, tho' a slave
Array'd in princely robes, himfelf behave
So like a king, as this doth act the part

of faving grace, by its deep hellish art.
Do gracious fouls melt, mourn, and weep for fin?
The like in hypocrites obferv'd hath been.

Have they their comforts, joys, and raptures fweet?
With them in comforts hypocrites do meet.
In all religious duties they can go

As far as faints, in fomethings farther too;
They speak like angels, and you'll think within,
The very spirit of Christ and grace hath been.
They come fo near, that fome, like Ifaac, take
Jacob for Efau, this, for that mistake:
And boldly call (their eyes, with his, being dim)
True grace; hypocrify; and duty, fin:
Yea, many alfo, Jacob-like, embrace
Leah for Rachel, common gifts for grace:
And in their bofom bug it, 'till the light
Discover their mistake, and clear their fight:
And then, like him, confounded they will cry,
Alas! 'tis Leah, curs'd hypocrify!

Guide me, my God, that I may not, instead
Of faving grace, nurfe up this curfed weed.
O let my heart, at last, by thee be found
Sincere, and all thy workings on it found!

CHA P. XIII.

Upon the Dangers incident to the Corn from Seed-time to Harveft.

Fowls, weeds, and blastings do your corn annoy ;
Even fo corruptions would your grace deftroy.

THE

OBSERVATIO N.

HERE are, amongft many others, three critical and dangerous periods between the feed time and harvest. The firit, when corn is newly committed to the earth, all that lies uncovered is quickly picked up by the birds; and much of that which is but flightly covered, is plucked up as foon as it begins to sprout, by rooks, and other devouring fowls, Mat. xiii. 4. But if it elcape the fowls, and gets root in the earth, yet then it is hazarded by noxious weeds, which purloin, and fuck away its nourishment, whilst it is yet in the tender blade. If by the care of the vigilant hufbaudman it be freed from choaking weeds; yet, laftly, as great a danger as any of the

former fill attends it; for oftentimes, whilft it is blowing in the ear, blaftings and mildews fmite it in the ftalk, and cuts off the juice and fap that should ascend to nourish the ear, and to fhrivels and dries up the grain whilft it is yet immaturate; whereby it becomes like thofe ears of corn in Pharaoh's vision, which were thin and blasted with the east-wind; or like the ears the Pfalmift speaks of upon the houfe-top, wherewith the reaper filleth not his arms.

APPLICATIO N.

TR RUE grace, from the infancy to the perfection thereof, conflicts with far more greater dangers, amongst which it answerably meets with three dangerous periods, which marvellously hazard it: So that it is a much greater wonder that it ever arrives at its just perfection. For, (1.) No fooner hath the great Hufbandman diffeminated these holy feeds in the regenerate heart, but multitudes of impetuous corruptions immediately affault, and would certainly devour them, like the fowls of the air, did not the fame arm that fowed them, alfo protect them. It fares with grace, as with Chrift, its Author, whom Herod fought to deftroy in his very infancy. The new creature is scarce warm in its feat, before it must fight to defend itself. This conflict is excellently fet forth in that famous text, Gal. v. 17. "The "flesh lufteth against the spirit, and the fpirit against the flesh; "and these are contrary the one to the other, fo that ye can"not do the things that ye would."

By flesh here understand the corruption of nature by original fin, and the finful motions thereof; by Spirit, not the foul, or natural spirit of man, but the Spirit of God in man, viz. those graces in man which are the workmanship of the Spirit, and therefore called by his name. The oppofition betwixt these two is expressed by lufting, (i. e.) defiring the mutual ruin and destruction of each, other; for even when they are not acting, yet then they are lufting; there is an oppofite difpofition against each other? which oppofition is both a formal and an effective oppofition. There are two contrary forms; two men in every faint, Col. ii. 9, ro. From hence an effective oppofition must needs follow; for as things are in their natures and principles, fo they are in their operations and effects; workings always follow beings; fire and water are of contrary qualities, and when they meet, they effectively oppofe each o ther. Sin and grace are so oppofite, that if fin fhould cease to oppose grace, it would cease to be fia; and if grace should cease to oppofe fia, it would ceafe to be grace. And this doth much

more endanger the work of grace than any other enemy it hath ; because it works against it more inwardly, conftantly, and advantageously, than any thing elfe can do. (1.) More inwardly, for it hath its being and working in the fame foul where grace dwells; yea, in the felf-fame faculties; fo that it not only fets one faculty against another, but the fame faculty against itfelf; the understanding against the understanding, and the will against the will; fo that ye cannot do the good, nor yet the evil that ye would; not the good that ye would, because when the fpirit moveth to good, and beats upon the heart by Divine pulfations, exciting it to duty, the flesh-croffes and oppofes it there; and if it cannot totally hinder the performance of a duty, yet it lames the foul upon the working hand, whereby the performance is not fo fpiritual, free and compofed, as it defires; nor yet the evil that you would commit, if grace were not there; because when luft ftirs, in its first motions, grace puts a rub in its way. "How can I do this great wickedness,

and fin against God?" Gen. xxxix. 9. And if it cannot (which for the most part it doth) hinder the acting of fin, yet it so engages the will against it, that it is not committed with complacency and full confent, Rom. vii. 15. "What I do, I allow not." (2.) It opposes it more conftantly, it is like a continual dropping; a man can no more fly from this enemy than from himfelf. There is a time when the devil leaves tempting, Matth. iv. 11. but no time when corruption ceases from working. And, laftly, It oppofes grace more advantageously than any other enemy can do, for it is not only always in the fame foul with it, but it is there naturally; it hath the advantage of the foil which fuits with it. And yet, oh the wonder of free grace! it is not fwallowed up in victory, but it escapes this hazard.

But (2.) It foon meets with another, though it escapes this, even by temptations, which strike desperately at the very life of it; for thefe, like the weeds, with feemingly-loving embraces, clafp about it; and did not the faithful God now make a way to escape, inftead of an harveft, we fhould have an heap? For, alas, what are we! to wrestle with principalities and powers and spiritual wickedneffes in high places?

Laftly, Sad relapfes, like blafts and ruftings, do often fade, and greatly endanger it, when it is even ready for the harvest. Thus it fell out with David, whofe last ways were not like his firft; and yet by this thefe holy fruits were not utterly destroyed, because it is the feed of God, and fo is immortal, 1 John v. 4, 5. And alfo becaufe the promifes of perfeverance and victory made to it, cannot be fruftrated; amongst which thefe

are excellent, Ifa. liv. 10. Jer. xxxiv. 40. 1 Cor. i. 8. Pfal. i. 3. Pfal. cxxv. 1. John iv. 15. So that here is matter of unSpeakable comfort; though the flesh fay, Ego deficiam, I will fail thee; though the world fay, Ego decipiam, I will deceive thee; though the devil fay, Ego eripiam, I will fnatch thee away; yet as long as Chrift faith, I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee, thy graces are fecure in the midst of all these enemies.

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The apoftate's reflection.

REFLECTIONS.

1. This foul of mine was once plowed up by conviction, and fown (as I thought) with the feed of God. In thofe days many purposes and good refolutions began to chink and bud forth, promifing a bleffed harveft: but oh! (with what confternation and horror should I fpeak it) the cares and pleafures of this life, the lufts and corruptions of my base heart fpringing up, have quite deftroyed and choaked it; by which it appears it was not the feed of God, as I then imagined it to be; and now my expected harvest shall be an heap in the day of grief and defperate forrow, Ifa. xvii. 11. I had convictions, but they are gone; troubles for fin, confcience of duties, but all is blasted, and my foul is now as a barren field, which God hath curfed.

Woe is me! I have revolted from God, and now that dreadful word, Jer. xvii. 5, 6. is evidently fulfilled upon me; “for "I am like the heath in the defart, that feeth not when good "cometh; my foul inhabits the parched places of the wilder

nefs." Alas! all my formal and heartless duties were but as fo many fcare-crows in the field, which could not defend these flight workings from being devoured by the infernal fowls. Had these principles been the feed of God, no doubt they would have continued and overcome the world, 1 John ii. 19. Wretched foul! thy cafe is fad; it will be better with the uncultivated wildernefs, than with fuch a miscarrying foul, unless the great Husbandman plow thee up the fecond time, and fow thy heart with better feed.

2. And are the corruptions of my heart The careless foul's to grace, what fowls, weeds, and mildews reflection. are to the corn? O what need have I then to watch my heart, and keep it with all diligence; for in the life of that grace is wrapt up the life of my foul. He that carries a candle in his hand, in a bluftring ftormy night, had need to cover it clofe, left it be blown out, and he left in darknefs. O let me never fay, God hath pro

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