And this is made known to the saints. Being inwardly renewed and taught by the Holy Spirit, they know by a blessed experience the riches and glory of the gospel mystery.

First, as to what pertains to the riches of this mystery. God, in this calling of the Gentiles, has unfolded his spiritual treasures, and offered to men the vast and admirable riches of his mercy, his goodness, and his grace; as it is expressed, Eph. ii. 7, He shows to the ages to come the exceeding riches of his grace. Nor are they only offered to us on the part of God; but if we are enrolled amongst his saints, we have actually received those most desirable riches of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Speaking of these riches, Christ says, I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. With these riches this mystery of

the gospel is filled.

1. Learn hence, that were it not for this grace of the gospel, the whole world would be in misery, in want, in beggary. Men, being blind, do not, perhaps, feel this their spiritual indigence; as it is said Rev. iii. 17, Thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Such is the condition of all those who have not yet been made partakers of the riches which the gospel brought to light.

2. Hence we learn what sort of riches we ought to thirst after, and pursue even with insatiable desire; not, forsooth, the dirty ore dug up from the dirty earth, but those heavenly and spiritual treasures sent down from above. For this grace contained in the mystery of the gospel, is that pearl of great price, which, a wise merchant, when he has once seen, will immediately sell all he has in the world to buy. As, then, we should consider the heir of some king, or other rich man, to be mad, who, thinking nothing of all his hereditary property, employed himself in scraping together the filth from his father's stable as his riches; so ought a similar suspicion of madness attach to any man, who can disregard these riches which his heavenly Father has offered him in the gospel, and give up his whole heart to scraping together gold and silver, which, in comparison with the other, are to be accounted as dung. Phil. iii. 8.

3. From the gospel mystery containing such great riches, an

argument may very seasonably be derived in favor of the dignity of the gospel ministry. For what office can be conceived more honorable than that of ministers, who are intrusted with the power of dispensing such great and valuable riches? Whoever, therefore, despises these ministers, does but too plainly prove his contempt of God himself; and, like swine, trample the gospel pearl under his feet.

For I reckon, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.-Rom. viii. 18.

IN what went before, Paul requires of the spiritual man the correcting of his habits, where he says, Ye are not debtors to live after the flesh, that such an one, for instance, should be above lust, anger, money, vain-glory, grudging. But here having reminded him of the whole gift, both as given and as to come, and raised him up aloft with hopes, and placed him near to Christ, and showed him to be a joint-heir of the Only-begotten; he now leads him forth with confidence even to dangers. For to get the better of the evil affections in us, is not the same thing with bearing up under those trials, scourges, famine, plunderings, bonds, chains, executions. For these last require much more of a noble and vigorous spirit. And observe how he at once allays and rouses the spirit of the combatants. For after he had shown that the rewards were greater than the labors, he both exhorts to greater efforts, and yet will not let them be elated, as being still outdone by the crowns given in requital. And in another passage he says, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: it being a deeper sort of persons he was then speaking to. Here, however, he does not allow that the afflictions were light; but still he mingles comfort with them by the compensation which good things to come afford, in the words, For I reckon, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared, and he does not say, with the rest that is to come, but what is much greater, with the glory which is to come. For it does not follow, that where rest is there is glory; but that where glory is there is rest, does follow: then as he had said that it is to come, he

shows that it already is. For he does not say, that which is to be, but which shall be revealed in us, as if already existing but unrevealed. As also, in another place he said in clearer words, Our life is hid with Christ in God. Be, then, of a good heart about it. For already hath it been prepared, and awaiteth thy labors. But if it vexes you that it is yet to come, rather let this very thing rejoice you. For it is owing to its being great and unutterable, and transcending our present condition, that it is stored up there. And so he does not say barely the sufferings of this present time, but he speaks so as to show that it is not in quality only, but in quantity also, that the other life has the advantage. For these sufferings, whatever they are, are attached to our present life; but the blessings to come reach themselves out over ages without end. And since he had no way of giving a particular description of these, or putting them before us in language, he gives them a name from what seems to be specially an object of desire with us,-glory. For the summit of blessings and the sum of them, this seems to be. And to urge the hearer on in another way also, he gives a loftiness to his discourse by the mention of the creation, gaining two points by what he is next saying, the contempt of things present, and the desire of things to come, and a third beside these, or rather the first, is the showing how the human race is cared for on God's part, and in what honor he holds our nature. And beside this, all the doctrines of the philosophers, which they had framed for themselves about this world, as a sort of cobweb or child's mound, he throws down with this one doctrine.

"In hope of that immortal crown,

I now the cross sustain;
And gladly wander up and down,
And smile at toil and pain:
I suffer out my threescore years,
Till my Deliv'rer come,

And wipe away his servant's tears,
And take his exile home."

In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people.—Is. xxviii. 5.

We have seen that the Lord of hosts is a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, unto the collective body of believers— his church. Again: we may consider this personally, as belonging in particular to every believer. They are all made kings and priests unto God the Father. They are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, how despicable soever to the world. This is their dignity The Lord is their crown and diadem. He subdues their lusts, and makes them kings over their own affections, and more than conquerors over all troubles and persecutions; whereas carnal men are continually hurried, like slaves, unto base employments, still kept toiling in the ignoble service of their own lusts. They think, indeed, it is their liberty; but that is a baseness of spirit that complies so well with so vile and servile a condition. And whereas they judge the godly to be the refuse and dross of the earth, and the proper objects of contempt, this is because this their crown, though most glorious, is

invisible to the eye of nature. The Lord is a crown. If they

knew what this is, they would see enough in it to countervail their outward meanness and the reproaches the world cast on them as Peter hath it, If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth on you. He is their crown.

And observe, how this crown is opposed to that blasted glory and fading crown of pride, spoken of in the former verses. Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower.

Who is there that sees not, in daily experience, the vanity and inconstancy of worldly glory, and yet how few are there that wean themselves from it, and learn to disdain it! Still men dote upon that which is not, upon a shadow, a nothing. But would you have a glory that fadeth not, a garland that can not wither, make the Lord your crown and your glory; and if he be so, glory in him, and in nothing else. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom; neither let the mighty man glory in his might ; let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth ME.

You that are noble, aspire to this crown, as being so far above your perishing honors and bounded powers. And you that are outwardly meaner and lower, see how little cause you have to complain of your condition, seeing you are not debarred from this best and greatest honor. And, that you may discern aright what it is, know that it consists in the renovation of God's image within you, which is in holiness and righteousness: so the Lord becomes your crown in the kingdom of grace. And by this you may discover whether or no you have attained it: if you can yet delight to wallow in the puddle and pleasures of sin, you are far from this royal condition; but if you find your soul possessed with the love of holiness, and that you are trampling upon profane delights, this may persuade you that God hath enabled you, and crowned you with his grace, and will crown you with his glory. Again, try it by this; if the Lord is become your crown and your glory, you will glory in him, and in nothing else. Though you be wise, you will not glory in your wisdom, nor in strength, nor in riches, nor in honors, though you had them all; but if you glory, you will glory in the Lord. And withal, your highest joy will be to see the advancement of his glory, and, if you can, to be any way serviceable to the advancing of it.

But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.-James i. 14.

Ir is a general mistake, and a great principle of temptation, which excuses very many of our crimes upon pretense of infirmity, calling all those sins, to which by natural disposition we are inclined, though by carelessness and evil customs, they are heightened to a habit,-by the name of sins of infirmity; to which men suppose they have reason and title to pretend. If, when they have committed a crime, their conscience checks them, and they are troubled, and, during the interval and abatement of the heats of desire, resolve against it, and commit it readily at the next opportunity; then they cry out against the weakness of their nature, and think, as long as this body of death is about them, it must be thus, and that this condition may stand with