And now, Lord, what wait I for?-Psalm xxxix. 7.

To entertain the minds of men with thoughts of their own vanity, and discourses of their own misery, seems to be sad and unpleasant; but certainly it is not unprofitable, unless it be our own choice to make it so, and that were the greatest vanity and misery of all. Indeed, if there were no help for this sore evil, then the common shift were not to be blamed, yea, it were to be chosen as the only help in such a desperate case, not to think on it, to forget our misery, and to divert our thoughts from it by all possible means, rather than to increase it, and torment ourselves by insisting and poring on it; and in that case shallow minds would have the advantage, that could not converse with these sad thoughts, for to increase this knowledge were but to increase sorrow. But far be it from us thus to determine: there is a hope which is a help to this evil, and this is what this holy man fixes on: And now, Lord, my hope is in thee. Otherwise, it were strange, that the most excellent piece of the visible creation should be made subject to the most incurable unhappiness; to feel misery which he can not shun, and to be tormented with desires that can not be satisfied. But there is some better expectation for the souls of men, and it is no other than HIMSELF who made them.

The wisest natural men have discoursed of man's vanity, and passionately bemoaned it; but in this way they have fallen short, how to remedy it. They have aimed at it, and come near it, but have not been able to work it: they still labor to be satisfied in themselves. They speak somewhat of reason, but that will not do it; for man being fallen under the curse of God, there is nothing but darkness and folly in himself. The only way to blessedness is by going out of ourselves unto God.

All our discourses of our own vanity will but further disquiet us, if they do not terminate here, if they do not fix on his eternal happiness, goodness, and verity.

I am persuaded, if many would ask this question of themselves, What wait I for? they would puzzle themselves, and not find an answer. There are a great many things that men desire and are gaping after, but few seek after one thing chiefly and

staidly they float up and down, and are carried about without any certain motion, but by fancy and by guess; and no wind can be fair for such persons, who aim at no certain haven.

If we put this question to ourselves, What would I have? it were easy for many to answer, I would have an easy, quiet, peaceable life in this world. So would an ox or a horse. And is that all? May be you would have a greater height of pleasure and honor. But think on this one thing: there is this one crack and vanity that spoils all these things, that they will not bear you up when you lean to them in times of distress; and besides, when you have them they may be pulled from you, and if not, you must be plucked away from them within a little while. There is much seeming content in the pursuit of these things, but they are lost with greater discontent. It is God's goodness to men, to blast all things in the world to them, and to break their fairest hopes, that they may be constrained to look above to himself: he beats them from all shores, that he may bring them to the Rock that is higher than they.

Oh, that God would once touch some of your hearts, who are under the chains of darkness, that ye might once bethink where to rest your heads in the midst of all our confusions. And here is the resting-place; hope in God. Now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee. Blessed soul that can say, "Lord, thou scest I desire nothing but thyself (as Peter said, Lord, thou knowest I love thee;) all the corners of my heart stand open in thy sight; thou seest if there be any other desire or expectation but to please thee; and if there be any such thing in me (for I see it not), I pray thee discover it to me, and through thy grace it shall lodge no longer. My heart is thine alone, it is consecrated to thee: and if any thing would profane thy temple, if it will not go forth. by fair warning, let it be scourged out by thy rod, yea by any rod whatsoever it pleaseth thee to choose."

Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.— Psalm cxlix. 5.

I WOULD say somewhat important: listen very heedfully about the glory of the saints. For there is no one who loveth

not glory. But the glory of fools, popular glory as it is called, hath snares to deceive, so that a man, influenced by the praises of vain men, shall be willing to live in such fashion as to be spoken of by men, whosoever they be, in whatsoever way. Hence it is that men, rendered mad, and puffed up with pride, empty within, without swollen, are willing ever to ruin their fortunes by bestowing them on stage-players, actors, men who fight with wild beasts, charioteers. What sums they give, what sums

they spend! They lavish the powers not only of their patrimony, but of their minds too. They scorn the poor, because the people shouteth not that the poor should be given to, but the people do shout that the fighter with wild beasts be given to. When then no shout is raised to them, they refuse to spend; when madmen shout to them, they are mad too: nay, all are mad, both performer, and spectator, and the giver. This mad glory is blamed by the Lord, is offensive in the eyes of the Almighty. And yet, my brethren, Christ thus reproacheth his people, and saith, “I have not received at your hands as much as they who fight with wild beasts: and in giving to them, ye gave what was mine; but I was naked, and ye clothed me not. Then say they, When saw we thee naked, and clothed thee not? And he saith, Forasmuch as ye have not done it unto one of the least of mine, ye have not done it unto me. But thou choosest to clothe him, who pleaseth thee, whereas Christ displeaseth thee. Thou choosest to clothe the fighter with wild beasts, who may be beaten, and make thee blush: Christ is never conquered; he hath conquered the devil, he hath conquered for thee, and to thee, and in thee; such a conqueror is this thou choosest not to clothe. Wherefore? Because there is less shouting, less madness about it. They then who delight in such glory, have an empty conscience. Just as they drain their chests, to send garments as presents, so do they empty their conscience, so as to have nothing precious therein.

But the saints who exult in glory, no need is there for us to say how they exult: just hear the verse of the psalm which followeth Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds: not in theatres, or amphitheatres, or circuses, or follies, or market-places, but in their beds. What is, in their beds? In their hearts. Hear the Apostle Paul exulting in his bed: For this is our glory, the testimony of our conscience.

On

the other hand, there is reason to fear lest any be pleasing to himself, and so seem to be proud, and boast of his conscience. For every one ought to exult with fear, for that wherein he exulteth is God's gift, not his own desert. For there be many that please themselves, and think themselves righteous; and there is another passage which goeth against them, which saith, Who shall boast that he hath a clean heart, and that he is pure from sin? There is then, so to speak, a limit to glorying in our conscience, namely, to know that thy faith is sincere, thy hope sure, thy love without dissimulation. But since there are still many things which may offend the eyes of God, praise God who has given what thou hast; so shall he perfect what he hath given. Wherefore when he had said, they shall rejoice in their beds, lest they should seem as it were self-satisfied, he added at once, verse 6, the exultations of God are in their mouths. In such wise shall they rejoice upon their beds, as not to attribute to themselves that they are good, but praise him from whom they have what they are, by whom they are called to attain to what they are not, and from whom they hope for perfection, to whom they give thanks, because he hath begun. The exultations of God are in their mouths. Now behold the saints, behold their glory, behold throughout the whole world, behold that the exultations of God are in their mouths.

But the greatest of these is charity.-1 Cor. xiii. 13.

LOVE has the supremacy among all the graces of the Spirit. This, in the most proper sense, is the fire our Saviour came to kindle on the earth. The apostle declares that charity is greater than faith and hope; which are evangelical graces of eminent usefulness: For,

1. It is the brightest part of the divine image in us. God is love it is the most adequate notion of the Deity, and more significant of his blessed nature than any other single attribute. The most proper and honorable conception we can form of the Deity is love directed by infinite wisdom, and exercised by infinite power. Faith and hope can not be ascribed to God; they imply imperfection in their nature, and necessarily respect an

absent object. Now all things are present to the knowledge of God, and in his power and possession. But love is his essential perfection, the productive principle of all good. Love transforms us into his likeness, and infuses the divinest temper into the soul. In the acts of other graces we obey God; in the acts of love we imitate him.

2. Love is more extensive in its influence than faith and hope; their operations are confined to the person in whom they are. The just lives by his own faith, and is saved by his own hope, without communicating life and salvation to others. But it is the spirit and perfection of love, to be beneficial to all. Love comforts the afflicted, relieves the indigent, directs those who want counsel. It is the vital cement of mankind. In the universe, conversation and reciprocal kindness are the blood and spirits of society, and love makes the circulation.

3. Love gives value and acceptance to all other gifts and graces, and their operations. The apostle tells us, Though I have the gift of prophecies, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; though I have all faith, and could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Without charity, faith is but a dead assent; hope is like a tympany, the bigger it grows, the more dangerous it proves. The most diffusive beneficence, without love, is but a sacrifice to vanity. It is not the richness of the gift, but the love of the giver, that makes it accepted and rewarded in heaven. The widow's two mites, cast into the treasury of the temple, were of more value, in our Saviour's account, than the rich offerings of others; for she gave her heart, the most precious and comprehensive gift, with them. The giving our bodies to be burned, for the truth and glory of the gospel, is the highest expression of obedience, which the angels are not capable of performing; yet, without charity, martyrdom is but a vainglorious blaze; and the sealing the truth with our blood, is to seal our shame and folly. Sincere love, when it can not express itself in suitable effects, has this privilege, to be accepted in God's sight, as if it were exuberant and evident in outward actions; for God accepts the will for the deed: If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.