clothed in Christ's own kingly robe, and having the armor of the Spirit. Nay, I have not as yet said any great thing: they are clothed with the king himself.

Now as this is a great and wonderful thing, so if thou approach it with pureness, thou approachest for salvation; but if with an evil conscience, for punishment and vengeance. For, it saith, he that eateth and drinketh unworthily of the Lord, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself; since if they who defile the kingly purple are punished equally with those who rend it, it is not unreasonable that they who receive the Body with unclean thoughts, suffer the same punishment as those who rent it with the nails. Observe at least how fearful a punishment, Paul declareth, when he saith, He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the Blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing? Take we then heed to ourselves, beloved, we who enjoy such blessings; and if we desire to utter any shameful word, or perceive ourselves hurried away by wrath or any like passion, let us consider of what things we have been deemed worthy, of how great a Spirit we have partaken, and this consideration shall be a sobering of our unreasonable passions. For how long shall we be nailed to present things? How long shall it be before we rouse ourselves? How long shall we neglect our own salvation? Let us bear in mind of what things Christ has deemed us worthy; let us give thanks, let us glorify him, not by our faith alone, but also by our very works, that we may obtain the good things that are to come, through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom and with whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.

FAITH may be considered in a double respect: either as it is a quality inherent in the soul, or as an instrument by which the soul apprehends some other thing. Now, in the same thing

there is much difference between itself as a quality, and as an instrument. Heat as a quality can only produce the like quality again; but as an instrument of the sun, it can produce life and sense, things of more excellency than the quality itself. Faith as a quality, is no better than other graces of the Spirit; but as an instrument, so it has a quickening quality which no other grace has. This preciousness of faith is seen chiefly in two respects, First, in regard of the objects; and Secondly, in regard of the offices of it.

First. Faith has the most precious and excellent object of any other, Christ and his truth, and promises. "Herein God commended his love, in that when we were sinners, Christ died." This was the sovereign and most excellent love-token, and testification of divine favor that ever was sent from heaven to men. "God so loved the world; " so superlatively, so beyond all measure or apprehension, "that he gave his Son." There is such a compass of all dimensions in God's love, manifested through Christ; such a height, and length, and breadth, and depth, as makes it exceed all knowledge. It is exceeding and unsearchable riches. In one word, that which faith looks upon in Christ, is the price, the purchase, and the promises which we have by him :-The price which made satisfaction unto God; the purchase, which procured salvation for us; and the promises, which comfort and secure us in the certainty of both; and all these are precious things. The blood of Christ, "precious blood." The promises of Christ, "precious promises." And the purchase of Christ, a "very exceeding and abundant weight of glory." But it may be objected, Have not other graces the same object as well as faith? Do we not love Christ, and fear him, and hope in him, and desire him, as well as believe in him? True indeed; but herein is the excellency of faith, that it is the first grace which looks towards Christ. The messenger that brings the first tidings of good things, is ever most welcome: the servant who is ever nearest his master's person, is esteemed the best man in that order: so faith, being the first grace that brings tidings of salvation, the nearest grace to Christ's person, is therefore the most excellent in regard to the object.

Secondly. Faith is the most precious grace, in regard to the offices of it. Though in its inherent and habitual qualification, it be no more noble than other graces, yet in the offices

which it executes, it is far more excellent than any. Two pieces of parchment and wax are, in themselves, of little or no difference in value; but in their offices, which they bear as instruments and patents, one may as far exceed the other, as a man's life exceeds his lands: for one may be a pardon of life, the other a lease of a cottage. One man in a city may, in his personal estate, be much inferior to another; yet as an officer in the city, he may have a great precedence and distance above him. Compare a piece of gold with a seal of silver or brass, and it may have far more worth in itself; yet the seal has an office or relative power to ratify covenants of far more worth than the piece of gold: so it is between faith and other graces. Consider faith in its inherent properties,—so it is not more noble than the rest; but consder it as an instrument, by God appointed for the most noble offices, so it is the most precious and excellent grace. There are several specific offices peculiar to faith, as to justify, to sanctify, and to overcome the world. But these are all comprehended in the one great office of faith to unite to Christ, and give possession of him. The apostle prays for the Ephesians, "that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith." Wealth in the mine does no good at all, till it be severed and appropriated to persons and uses. Water in the fountain is of no service unto me, till it be conveyed thence to my own cistern. The light of the sun brings no comfort to him, who has no eyes to enjoy it. So though Christ be a mine, full of excellent and unsearchable riches, a fountain, full of comforts and refreshments,-a sun of righteousness, a captain and prince of life and salvation; yet till he is made ours, till there be some bond and communion between him and us, we remain as poor and miserable, as if this fountain had never been opened, nor this mine discovered. But it is the office of faith to unite the soul to Christ, and appropriate him to the soul of the believer. Hence the apostle says of the believer: "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." How precious then is faith. "Lord, increase our faith."

33

Ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.-Eph. v. 8.

Wo to that way, wherein none walketh, neither heareth in it the voice of man! for it is become a receptacle of beasts. Wo to the soul when the Lord walketh not in her, neither driveth out of her the spiritual beasts of wickedness with his voice! Wo to the house, when the master of it doth not inhabit it! Wo to the earth, when it hath no husbandman to till it! Wo to the ship, when it hath no pilot; for then it is tossed about with the waves and storms! Wo to the soul, when it hath not the true pilot in her! for then being in the sea of darkness, tossed about with the waves of unruly passions, at the mercy of wicked spirits, it obtains in the end destruction. Wo to the soul, when it wanteth Christ to till it with care, that it may bring forth the good fruits of the Spirit! For lying waste, and being full of thorns and thistles, in the end it is burnt with fire. Wo to the soul, when it hath not Christ, the Master, dwelling in it! for then it is a wilderness; yea, is filled with the ill savor of disorderly affections, the sink of all corruption.

As in Egypt, during the three days' darkness, the son saw not his father, neither the brother his brother, the darkness concealing them; so when Adam had transgressed the commandment, the veil of darkness came upon his soul, and now he saw not his true heavenly Father, and neither his brother, the Lord, nor his friends and kindred, the holy angels. And even to this time, they, upon whom Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, hath not risen, and in whom the eyes of the soul have not been opened, are under the same darkness of sin, and have not eyes to behold their Father.

For this every one ought to know, that there are eyes within these outward eyes, and a sense of hearing more inward than this of the outward ear. And as these eyes of ours sensibly behold and know the face of a friend, or one we love; so do the eyes of a faithful soul, enlightened with divine light, see the true Friend, the Bridegroom, the Lord. And thus beholding the only beauty, which surpasses expression, it is wounded with divine love; it is directed to all the virtues of the Spirit; and obtains the boundless and never-failing love of her Lord.

He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.-John iii. 18.

THOUGH, alas, such poor creatures will not consider it themselves, God doth consider with compassion the horrid, forlorn state of unrenewed souls: where his regenerating influence as yet hath had no place or effect, they are not only liable to eternal wrath (whereupon they are said to be by nature children of wrath) by the inclinations and propensions of their own vicious nature, that hath set them at enmity with God, at enmity with one another, and set them at enmity with themselves. They are not only, I say, liable to eternal wrath by the inclination of their own nature, to which that tends to carry them, and to which it suits them; but they are a present hell to themselves, as every unrenewed soul is, For he that believeth not is condemned already. If you consider the constituent parts of hell, loss and torment; loss of the best good, torment by the worst evil; there are both these in kind in this present state, though they are both higher in degree hereafter. But in kind, both do fall into the present state of an unbelieving soul. Because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

1. The misery of loss. They are without God in the world: Ephes. ii. 12, "without Christ, and without hope, and without God in the world." They do not reflect upon this; but if occasion were given them to consider the state of their case, and they would truly consider it, whatsoever their straits and necessities are, they must needs say, I do not know which way in the world to turn myself; I have no God to go to, none to whom my heart inclines, none in whom I can justly pretend myself to have a present interest; I must bear all my burdens alone; in the midst of my wants I have no God; in the midst of my enjoyments I have no God; no God to supply my wants, no God to sweeten my enjoyments. This is their forlorn case. And if,

2. You look to the misery of torment, which is the other constituent part of hell, there must be that in degree in every unrenewed soul. And so they have the same misery in kind that they shall have hereafter, for all degrees are comprehended in the kind. And therefore the lowest degree speaks the true