upon

only than the ram which he actually offered, but even than his dearest son whom he had brought to the altar. He was strong in faith, says the apostle, and so he gave glory to God. And again, only they who offer the sacrifice of righteousness can rely him with a true and solid confidence. Not that these sacrifices, though the choicest and best of all, can pretend to any merit, but because they are the most genuine signs and most certain seals of a soul in covenant with God. So there is indeed a mutual signing; God offering the dearest pledges of his favor to us, and we, in like manner, as is most fit, rendering all that we have, and all that we are, to him, with the most humble and grateful heart. And certainly this union, and perpetual, undivided friendship, is the true cheerful temperature of the soul, which, alone can give it solid tranquillity and felicity.

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life.-1 John v. 11, 12.

BLESSED record! How eagerly should poor mortal man hasten to believe it! Here we have a precious gift-the sum of man's desires, life, eternal life. The richest fountain, the Son-" Now I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life that I live, is by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Even here, "he that hath the Son," that believes in him, "hath life: " the holy, spiritual, blessed life of God in the soul. And this life is the beginning of the eternal and glorious life in heaven. He who lives the life of faith and holiness on earth, is assured of the life of glory in heaven. Already in several respects, he that hath the Son hath eternal life in him.

First, He hath the price that procured it, esteemed his. It was bought with the precious blood of Christ in his name, and to his use; and it was so bought for him, that he has a present right and claim to it. It is not his in reversion after an expiration of any other's right, there are no leases nor reversions in heaven; but it is his, as an inheritance is the heir's after the death of the ancestor, who yet by minority of years, or distance of place, may occupy and possess it by some other person.

Secondly, He hath it in the promise; he has God's charter, his assurance sealed with an oath, and a double sacrament, to establish his heart in the expectation of it. By "two immutable things," saith the apostle, namely, the word and the oath of God, wherein it was impossible for him to lie, we have strong consolation and great ground of hope; which hope is sure and steadfast, and leadeth us to that place which is within the vail, whither Christ our forerunner is gone before us.

Thirdly, He hath it in the earnest, and first-fruits of it; in those few clusters of grapes, and bunches of figs, those graces of Christ's Spirit, that peace, comfort, serenity, which is shed forth into the heart already from that heavenly Canaan. The Holy Spirit of promise is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption and full fruition and revelation of our purchased possession to the praise of his glory. The graces of the Spirit in the soul, are as certain evidences of salvation, as the day-star, or the morning aurora, is of the ensuing day or sun-rising. For all spiritual things in the soul are the beginnings of heaven, parcel of the Spirit, the fullness and residue of which is in Christ's keeping to adorn us with, when he shall present us unto his Father.

1. O then where the treasure is, let the heart be; if we are already freemen of heaven, let our thoughts, our language, our conversation, our trading be for heaven. Let us set our faces towards our home; let us awake out of sleep, considering that now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. If we have a hope to be like him at his coming, let us purify ourselves, even as he is pure. Since there is a prize, a high calling, a crown before us, let us press forward with all violence of devotion, never think ourselves far enough, but prepare our hearts still, and lay hold on every advantage to further progress. Since there is a rest remaining for the people of God, let us labor to enter into it, and to hold fast our profession, that, as well absent as present, we may be accepted of him.

2. If God will glorify us with his life hereafter, let us labor as much as we can, to glorify him in our lives here. It was our Saviour's argument, "Glorify me with thyself, with the glory that I had with thee before the world was; for I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." If we are indeed persuaded, that there is laid up for us

a crown of righteousness, we can not but, with Paul, resolve to fight a good fight, to finish our course, to keep the faith, to bring forth much fruit, that our Father may be glorified in us.

Unto you, therefore, which believe, he is precious.-1 Peter ii. 7.

He is precious. Or, your honor. The difference is small. You account him your glory and your gain; he is not only precious to you, but preciousness itself. He is the thing that you make most account of, your jewel, which, if you keep, though you be robbed of all besides, you know yourselves to be rich enough.

To you that believe. Faith is absolutely necessary to make this due estimate of Christ.

1. The most excellent things, while their worth is undiscerned and unknown, affect us not. Now, faith is the proper seeing faculty of the soul, in relation to Christ: that inward light must be infused from above, to make Christ visible to us; without it, though he is beautiful, yet we are blind; and therefore can not love him for that beauty. But by faith we are enabled to see him who is fairer than the children of men, Psalm xlv. 2, yea, to see in him, the glory of the only-begotten Son of God, John i. 14; and then, it is not possible but to account him precious, and to bestow the entire affections of our hearts upon him. And if any one say to the soul, What is thy beloved more than another? Cant. fii. 9, it willingly lays hold on the question, and is glad of an opportunity to extol him.

2. Faith, as it is that which discerns Christ, so it alone appropriates him and makes him our own. And these are the two reasons for our esteeming and affecting any thing, its own worth, and our interest in it. Faith begets this esteem of Christ by both first it discovers to us his excellences, which we could not see before; and then, it makes him ours, gives us possession of whole Christ, all that he hath, and is. As it is faith that commends Christ so much, and describes his comeliness in that song, so that word is the voice of faith, that expresses propriety, My well-beloved is mine, and I am his. Cant. ii. 16. And these together make him most precious to the soul. Having once pos

session of him, then it looks upon all his sufferings as endured particularly for it, and the benefit of them all as belonging to itself. Sure, it will say, can I choose but account him precious, who suffered shame that I might not be ashamed, and suffered death that I might not die; who took that bitter cup of the Father's wrath, and drank it out, that I might be free from it?

Think not that you believe, if your hearts be not taken up with Christ, if his love do not possess your soul, so that nothing is precious to you in respect to him; if you can not despise and trample upon all advantages that either you have or would have, for Christ, and count them, with the great apostle, loss and dung in comparison of him, Phil. iii. 8. And if you do esteem him, labor for increase of faith, that you may esteem him more; for as faith grows, so will he be more precious to you. And if you would have it grow, turn that spiritual eye frequently to him, who is the proper object of it. For even they who are believers, may possibly abate their love and esteem of Christ, by suffering faith to lie dead within them, and not using it in beholding and applying of Christ; and the world, or some particular vanities, may insensibly creep in, and get into the heart, and cause them much pains ere they can be thrust out again. But when they are daily reviewing those excellences that are in Christ, which first persuaded their hearts to love him, and are discovering still more and more of them, his love will certainly grow, and will chase away those follies that the world dotes upon, as unworthy to be taken notice of.

Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.-Eccles. vii. 29.

1. DID God create man upright? then how little reason had man to sin! how little reason had he to desert God! to be weary of his first estate! Could God's making him, his making him upright, be a reason why he should sin against him? was his directing his heart, and the natural course of his affections towards himself, a reason why he should forsake him? What was there in his state that should make it grievous to him? Was his duty too much for him? God made him upright, so

that every part of it was connatural to him. Was his privilege too little? He knew, and loved, and enjoyed the highest and infinite good. O think then how unreasonable and disingenuous a thing sin was! that a creature that was nothing a few hours ago, now a reasonable being, capable of God, should yet sin! Urge your hearts with this, we are too apt to think ourselves unconcerned in Adam's sin; we look upon ourselves too abstractly, we should remember we are members of a community, and it should be grievous to us to think that our species hath dealt so unkindly and unworthily with God: and besides, do not we sin daily, after the similitude of Adam's transgression? and is not sin as unreasonable and unjust a thing as ever?

Was our primitive state so good and happy, how justly may we reflect and look back towards our first state! How fitly might we take up Job's words: O that I were as in months past;-as in the days of my youth;-when the Almighty was with me; when I put on righteousness and it clothed me ;— when my glory was fresh in me! With what sadness may we call to mind the things that are past, and the beginnings of ancient time! when there was no stain upon our natures, no cloud upon our minds, no pollution upon our hearts; when with pure and undefiled souls we could embrace and rest, and rejoice in the eternal incomprehensible good! When we remember these things, do not our bowels turn? are not our souls poured out within us?

2. Did man so voluntarily ruin himself? how unlikely is he now to be his own saviour! He that was a self-destroyer from the beginning, that ruined himself as soon as God had made him, is he likely now to save himself? Is it easier for him to recover his station than to have kept it? or hath he improved himself by sinning, and gained strength by his fall for a more difficult undertaking? Is he grown better natured towards himself and his God than he was at first?

How little reason hath he to blame God, though he finally perish! What would he have had God to have done more to prevent it; he gave his law to direct him; his promise for his encouragement was evidently implied; his nature was sufficiently disposed to improve and comport with all these; yet he sins! Is God to be charged with this? Sins upon no necessity, with no pretense; but that he must be seeking out inventions, trying