Chapter VII: Part 7

4. Widely different from these are the other sort of _wandering thoughts_: in which the heart does not wander from God, but the understanding wanders from the particular point it had then in view. For instance: I sit down to consider those words in the verse preceeding the text, _The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty thro’_ God. I think, “This ought to be the case with all that are called Christians. But how far is it otherwise? Look round into almost every part of what is termed the Christian world! What manner of weapons are these using? In what kind of warfare are they engaged,

“While men, like fiends, each other tear
In all the hellish rage of war?

See how _these Christians_ love one another! Wherein are they preferable to Turks and Pagans? What abomination can be found among Mahometans or Heathens, which is not found among Christians also?” And thus my mind runs off, before I am aware, from one circumstance to another. Now all these are in some sense _wandering thoughts_. For altho’ they do not wander from God, much less fight against him, yet they do wander from the particular point I had in view.

II. Such is the nature, such are the sorts (to speak rather usefully, than philosophically) of wandering thoughts. But what are the general occasions of them? This we are, in the second place to consider.

1. And it is easy to observe, that the occasion of the former sort of thoughts which oppose or wander from God, are in general, sinful tempers. For instance. Why _is not_ God _in all the thoughts_, in any of the thoughts of a natural man? For a plain reason: be he rich or poor, learned or unlearned, he is an atheist; (tho’ not vulgarly so called) he neither knows nor loves God. Why are his thoughts continually wandering after the world? Because he is an idolater. He does not indeed worship an image, or bow down to the stock of a tree: yet is he sunk into equally damnable idolatry: he loves, that is, worships the world. He seeks happiness in the things that are seen, in the pleasures that perish in the using. Why is it that his thoughts are perpetually wandering from the very end of his being, the knowledge of God in _Christ_? Because he is an unbeliever; because he has no faith, or at least, no more than a devil. So all these wandering thoughts easily and naturally spring from that evil root of unbelief.

2. The case is the same in other instances, pride, anger, revenge, vanity, lust, covetousness, every one of them occasion thoughts suitable to their own nature. And so does every sinful temper, of which the human mind is capable. The particulars it is hardly possible, nor is it needful to enumerate. It suffices to observe, that as many evil tempers as find a place in any soul, so many ways that soul will depart from God, by the worst kind of wandering thoughts.

3. The occasions of the latter kind of wandering thoughts, are exceeding various. Multitudes of them are occasioned, by the _natural union_ between the soul and body. How immediately and how deeply is the understanding affected by a _diseased_ body! Let but the blood move irregularly in the brain, and all regular thinking is at an end. _Raging madness_ ensues, and then farewell to all evenness of thought. Yea, let only the spirits be hurried or agitated to a certain degree, and a temporary madness, a _delirium_ prevents all settled thought. And is not the same irregularity of thought in a measure occasioned by every _nervous disorder_? So does _the corruptible body press down the soul, and cause it to muse about many things_.

4. *But does it only cause this in the time of sickness, or preternatural disorder? Nay, but more or less, at all times, even in a state of perfect health. Let a man be ever so healthy, he will be more or less delirious, every four-and-twenty hours. For does he not _sleep_? And while he sleeps, is he not liable to _dream_? And who then is master of his own thoughts, or able to preserve the order and consistency of them? Who can then keep them fixt to any one point, or prevent their wandering from pole to pole?

5. *But suppose we are awake, are we always so awake, that we can steadily govern our thoughts? Are we not unavoidably exposed to contrary extremes, by the very nature of this machine, the body? Sometimes we are too _heavy_ too dull and languid, to pursue any chain of thought. Sometimes, on the other hand, we are too _lively_. The _imagination_, without leave, starts to and fro, and carries us away, hither and thither, whether we will or no: and all this, from the merely natural motion of the spirits, or vibration of the nerves.

6. *Farther, How many wanderings of thought may arise, from those various _associations_ of our ideas, which are made entirely without our knowledge, and independently on our choice? How these connexions are formed we cannot tell: but they are formed in a thousand different manners. Nor is it in the power of the wisest or holiest of men, to break those associations, or to prevent what is the necessary consequence of them, and matter of daily observation. Let the fire but touch one end of the train, and it immediately runs on to the other.

7. *Once more. Let us fix our attention as studiously as we are able on any subject, yet let either _pleasure or pain_ arise, especially if it be intense, and it will demand our immediate attention, and attach our thought to itself. It will interrupt the steadiest contemplation, and divert the mind from its favourite subject.

8. *These occasions of wandering thoughts lie within, are wrought into our very nature. But they will likewise naturally and necessarily arise, from the various impulse of _outward objects_. Whatever strikes upon the organ of sense, the eye or ear, will raise a perception in the mind. And accordingly, whatever we see or hear, will break in upon our former train of thought. Every man therefore that does any thing in our sight, or speaks any thing in our hearing, occasions our mind to wander more or less from the point it was thinking of before.

9. *And there is no question but those _evil spirits_, who are continually _seeking whom they may devour_, make use of all the foregoing occasions, to hurry and distract our minds. Sometimes by one, sometimes by another of these means, they will harass and perplex us, and so far as God permits, interrupt our thoughts, particularly when they are engaged on the best subjects. Nor is this at all strange: they well understand the very springs of thought, and know on which of the bodily organs, the imagination, the understanding, and every other faculty of the mind more immediately depends. And hereby they know, how by affecting those organs, to affect the operations dependent on them. Add to this, that they can inject a thousand thoughts, without any of the preceding means: it being as natural for spirit to act upon spirit, as for matter to act upon matter. These things being considered, we cannot admire, that our thought so often wanders from any point which we have in view.

III. 1. What kind of wandering thoughts are sinful, and what not, is the third thing to be inquired into. And first, all those thoughts which wander from God, which leave him no room in our minds, are undoubtedly sinful. For all these imply practical atheism, and by these we are without God in the world. And so much more are all those which are contrary to God, which imply opposition or enmity to him. Such are all murmuring, discontented thoughts, which say in effect, We will not have thee to rule over us: all unbelieving thoughts, whether with regard to his being, his attributes, or his providence. I mean his _particular providence_ over all things as well as all persons in the universe: that _without_ which _not a sparrow falls to the ground_, by which _the hairs of our head are all numbered_. For as to a _general providence_ (vulgarly so called) contradistinguished from a particular, it is only a decent, well-sounding word, which means just nothing.

2. Again. All thoughts which spring from sinful tempers, are undoubtedly sinful. Such, for instance, are those that spring from a revengeful temper, from pride, or lust, or vanity. _An evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit._ Therefore if the tree be evil, so must the fruit be also.

3. And so must those be, which either produce or feed any sinful temper: those which either give rise to pride or vanity, to anger or love of the world, or confirm and increase these or any other unholy temper, passion, or affection. For not only whatever flows from evil is evil, but also whatever leads to it; whatever tends to alienate the soul from God, and to make or keep it _earthly_, _sensual_, and _devilish_.

4. Hence even those thoughts which are occasioned by weakness or disease, by the natural mechanism of the body, or by the laws of vital union, however innocent they may be in themselves, do nevertheless become sinful, when they either produce or cherish and increase in us any sinful temper: suppose the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life. In like manner the wandering thoughts which are occasioned, by the words or actions of other men, if they cause or feed any wrong disposition, then commence sinful. And the same we may observe of those which are suggested or injected by the devil. When they minister to any earthly or devilish temper (which they do, whenever we give place to them, and thereby make them our own) then they are equally sinful, with the tempers to which they minister.

5. But abstracting from these cases, wandering thoughts, in the latter sense of the word, that is, thoughts wherein our understanding wanders, from the point it has in view, are no more sinful than the motion of the blood in our veins, or of the spirits in our brain. If they arise from an infirm constitution, or from some accidental weakness or distemper, they are as innocent as it is to have a weak constitution, or a distempered body. And surely no one doubts but a bad state of nerves, a fever of any kind, and either a transient or a lasting delirium, may consist with perfect innocence. And if they should arise in a soul which is united to an healthful body, either from the natural union between the body and soul, or from any of ten thousand changes, which may occur in those organs of the body, that minister to thought: in any of these cases they are as perfectly innocent as the causes from which they spring. And so they are when they spring from the casual, involuntary associations of our ideas.

6. If our thoughts wander from the point we had in view, by means of other men, variously affecting our senses, they are equally innocent still: for it is no more a sin, to understand what I see and hear, and in many cases cannot help seeing, hearing, and understanding, than it is to have eyes and ears. “But if the devil injects wandering thoughts, are not those thoughts evil?” They are troublesome, and in that sense evil; but they are not sinful. I do not know that he spoke to our Lord with an audible voice; perhaps he spoke to his heart only, when he said, _All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me_. But whether he spoke inwardly or outwardly, our Lord doubtless understood what he said. He had therefore a thought correspondent to those words. But was it a sinful thought? We know it was not. _In him was no sin_, either in action, or word, or thought. Nor is there any sin in a thousand thoughts of the same kind, which Satan may inject into any of our Lord’s followers.

7. *It follows, that none of these wandering thoughts (whatever unwary persons have affirmed, thereby grieving whom the Lord had not grieved) are inconsistent with perfect love. Indeed if they were, then not only sharp pain, but sleep itself would be inconsistent with it: sharp pain; for whenever this supervenes, whatever we were before thinking of, it will interrupt our thinking, and of course draw our thoughts into another channel: yea, and sleep itself, as it is a state of insensibility and stupidity: and such as is generally mixt with thoughts wandering over the earth, loose, wild and incoherent. Yet certainly these are consistent with perfect love: so then are all wandering thoughts of this kind.

IV. 1. From what has been observed, it is easy to give a clear answer to the last question, What kind of wandering thoughts we may expect and pray to be delivered from?

2. From the former sort of wandering thoughts, those wherein the heart wanders from God: from all that are contrary to his will, or that leave us without God in the world, every one that is perfected in love, is unquestionably delivered. This deliverance therefore we may expect: this we may, we ought to pray for. Wandering thoughts of this kind imply unbelief, if not enmity against God. But both of these he will destroy, will bring utterly to an end. And indeed, from all sinful wandering thoughts we shall be absolutely delivered. All that are perfected in love are delivered from these; else they were not saved from sin. Men and devils will tempt them all manner of ways. But they cannot prevail over them.

♦2. With regard to the latter sort of wandering thoughts, the case is widely different. ’Till the cause is removed, we cannot in reason expect the effect should cease. But the causes or occasions of these will remain, as long as we remain in the body. So long therefore we have all reason to believe, the effects will remain also.

3. *To be more particular. Suppose a soul, however holy, to dwell in a distempered body. Suppose the brain be so throughly disordered, as that _raging madness_ follows: will not all the thoughts be wild and unconnected, as long as that disorder continues? Suppose a fever occasions that _temporary madness_, which we term a delirium, can there be any just connection of thought, ’till that delirium is removed? Yea, suppose what is called a _nervous disorder_, to rise to so high a degree, as to occasion at least a _partial madness_, will there not be a thousand wandering thoughts? And must not these irregular thoughts continue, as long as the disorder which occasions them?

4. Will not the case be the same, with regard to those thoughts that necessarily arise from violent pain? They will, more or less, continue while that pain continues, by the inviolable order of nature. This order likewise will obtain, where the thoughts are disturbed, broken or interrupted, by any defect of the apprehension, judgment or imagination, flowing from the natural constitution of the body. And how many interruptions may spring from the unaccountable and involuntary association of our ideas? Now all these are directly or indirectly caused by the corruptible body pressing down the mind. Nor therefore can we expect them to be removed, ’till _this corruptible shall put on incorruption_.

5. And then only, when we lie down in the dust, shall we be delivered from those wandering thoughts which are occasioned by what we see and hear, among those by whom we are now surrounded. To avoid these we must go out of the world. For as long as we remain therein, as long as there are men and women round about us, and we have eyes to see and ears to hear, the things which we daily see and hear, will certainly affect our mind, and will more or less, break in upon and interrupt our preceding thoughts.

6. And as long as evil spirits roam to and fro in a miserable, disordered world, so long they will assault (whether they can prevail or no) every inhabitant of flesh and blood. They will trouble even those whom they cannot destroy: they will attack if they cannot conquer. And from these attacks of our restless, unwearied enemies, we must not look for an entire deliverance, till we are lodged _where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weary are at rest_.

7. To sum up the whole. To expect deliverance from those wandering thoughts which are occasioned by evil spirits, is to expect that the devil should die or fall asleep; or at least should no more go about as a roaring lion. To expect deliverance from those which are occasioned by other men, is to expect either that men should cease from the earth; or that we should be absolutely secluded from them, and have no intercourse with them: or that having eyes we should not see, neither hear with our ears, but be as senseless as stocks or stones. And to pray for deliverance from those which are occasioned by the body, is in effect to pray that we may leave the body. Otherwise it is praying for impossibilities and absurdities; praying that God would reconcile contradictions, by continuing our union with a corruptible body, without the natural, necessary consequences of that union. It is as if we should pray to be angels and men, mortal and immortal at the same time. Nay, but when that which is immortal is come, mortality is done away.

8. Rather let us pray, both with the spirit and with the understanding, that _all_ these _things may work together for our good_: that we may suffer all the infirmities of our nature, all the interruptions of men, all the assaults and suggestions of evil spirits, and in all be _more than conquerors_. Let us pray, that we may be delivered from all sin, that both root and branch may be destroyed; that we may be _cleansed from all pollution of flesh and spirit_, from every evil temper and word and work: that we may _love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our soul, and with all our strength_: that all _the fruit of the spirit_ may be found in us; not only _love, joy, peace_; but also _long-suffering, gentleness, goodness; fidelity, meekness, temperance_. Pray that all _these things may flourish and abound_, may increase in you more and more, ’till an abundant _entrance be ministered unto you, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ_!

SERMON XLII.

SATAN’S DEVICES.
2 COR. ii. 11.

_We are not ignorant of his devices._

1. THE devices whereby the subtle _god of this world_, labours to destroy the children of God, or at least to torment whom he cannot destroy, to perplex and hinder them in running the race which is set before them, are numberless as the stars of heaven or the sand upon the sea-shore. But it is of one of them only that I now propose to speak, (altho’ exerted in various ways) whereby he endeavours to divide the gospel against itself, and by one part of it to overthrow the other.

2. The inward kingdom of heaven, which is set up in the heart of all that _repent and believe the gospel_, is no other than _righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost_. Every babe in Christ knows we are made partakers of these, the very hour that we believe in Jesus. But these are only the first fruits of his Spirit: the harvest is not yet. Altho’ these blessings are inconceivably great, yet we trust to see greater than these. We trust to _love the Lord our God_, not only as we do now, with a weak tho’ sincere affection, but _with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul and with all our strength_. We look for power to _rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing and in every thing to give thanks_; knowing _this is the will of God concerning_ us _in Christ Jesus_.

3. We expect to be _made perfect in love_, in that love which _casts out_ all painful _fear_, and all desire, but that of glorifying him we love, and of loving and serving him more and more. We look for such an increase in the experimental knowledge and love of God our Saviour, as will enable us, always to _walk in the light, as he is in the light_. We believe the whole _mind_ will be in us _which was also in Christ Jesus_: that we shall love every man so as to be ready _to lay down our life for his sake_. So as by this love to be freed from anger and pride, and from every unkind affection. We expect to be _cleansed from all our idols, from all filthiness_ whether _of flesh or spirit_: to be _saved from all_ our _uncleannesses_, inward or outward, to be _purified as he is pure_.

4. We trust in his promise who cannot lie, that the time will surely come, when in every word and work we shall _do his_ blessed _will on earth as it is done in heaven_: when all our conversation shall be _seasoned with salt_, all meet to _minister grace to the hearers_: when _whether we eat or drink or whatever we do_, it shall be done _to the glory of God_: when all our words and deeds shall be _in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks unto God even the Father thro’ him_.

5. Now this is the grand device of Satan, to destroy the first work of God in the soul, or at least, to hinder its increase, by our expectation of that greater work. It is therefore my present design, first, to point out the several ways whereby he endeavours this: and, secondly, to observe how we may retort these fiery darts of the wicked one: how we may rise the higher by what he intends for an occasion of our falling.

I. 1. I am, first, To point out the several ways whereby Satan endeavours to destroy the first work of God in the soul, or at least, to hinder its increase, by our expectation of that greater work. And 1. He endeavours to damp our joy in the Lord, by the consideration of our own vileness, sinfulness, unworthiness, added to this, that there _must_ be a far greater change than is yet, or we cannot see the Lord. If we knew we _must_ remain as we are, even to the day of our death, we might possibly draw a kind of comfort, poor as it was, from that necessity. But as we know, we need not remain in this state, as we are assured, there is a greater change to come, and that unless sin be all done away in this life, we cannot see God in glory: that subtle adversary often damps the joy we should otherwise feel in what we have already attained, by a perverse representation of what we have not attained, and the absolute necessity of attaining it. So that we cannot rejoice in what we have, because there is more which we have not. We cannot rightly taste the goodness of God, who hath done so great things for us, because there are so much greater things, which as yet he hath not done. Likewise the deeper conviction God works in us of our present unholiness, and the more vehement desire we feel in our heart, of the entire holiness he hath promised, the more are we tempted to think lightly of the present gifts of God, and to undervalue what we have already received, because of what we have not received.

2. If he can prevail thus far, if he can damp our joy, he will soon attack our peace also. He will suggest, “Are you fit to see God? He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. How then can you flatter yourself, so as to imagine he beholds _you_ with approbation? God is holy: You are unholy. What communion hath light with darkness? How is it possible that _you_, unclean as you are, should be in a state of acceptance with God? You see indeed the mark, the prize of your high calling. But do you not see, it is afar off? How can you presume then to think, that all your sins are already blotted out? How can this be, until you are brought nearer to God, until you bear more resemblance to him?” Thus will he endeavour, not only to shake your peace, but even to overturn the very foundation of it: to bring you back by insensible degrees, to the point from whence you set out first: even to seek for justification by works, or by your own righteousness; to make something in _you_ the ground of your acceptance, or at least necessarily previous to it.

3. Or if we hold fast, _other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, even Jesus Christ_; and I am _justified freely by God’s grace, through the redemption which is in Jesus_: yet he will not cease to urge, “But _the tree is known by its fruits_. And have you the fruits of justification? Is _that mind in you which was in Christ Jesus_? Are you _dead unto sin and alive unto_ righteousness? Are you made conformable to the death of Christ, and do you know the power of his resurrection?” And then, comparing the small fruits we feel in our souls, with the fullness of the promises, we shall be ready to conclude, “Surely God hath not said, that my sins are forgiven me! Surely I have not received the remission of my sins; for what lot have I among them that are sanctified?”

4. More especially in the time of sickness and pain, he will press this with all his might. “Is it not the word of him that cannot lie, without holiness no man shall see the Lord? But you are not holy. You know it well; you know holiness is the full image of God. And how far is this above, out of your sight? You cannot attain unto it. Therefore all your labour has been in vain. All these things you have suffered in vain. You have spent your strength for nought. You are yet in your sins and must therefore perish at the last.” And thus, if your eye be not steadily fixt on him who hath borne all your sins, he will bring you again under that _fear of death_, whereby you was so long _subject unto bondage_: and by this means impair, if not wholly destroy, your peace as well as joy in the Lord.

5. But his master-piece of subtility is still behind. Not content to strike at your peace and joy, he will carry his attempts farther yet: he will level his assault against your righteousness also. He will endeavour to shake, yea, if it be possible, to destroy the holiness you have already received by your very expectation of receiving more, of attaining all the image of God.

6. *The manner wherein he attempts this, may partly appear from what has been already observed. For, first, By striking at our joy in the Lord, he strikes likewise at our holiness: seeing joy in the Holy Ghost is a precious means of promoting every holy temper; a choice instrument of God whereby he carries on much of his work in a believing soul. And it is a considerable help not only to inward, but also to outward holiness. It strengthens our hands to go on in the work of faith and in the labour of love: manfully to _fight the good fight of faith, and_ to _lay hold on eternal life_. It is peculiarly designed of God to be a balance both against inward and outward sufferings: to _lift up the hands that hang down and_ confirm _the feeble knees_. Consequently, whatever damps our joy in the Lord, proportionally obstructs our holiness. And therefore so far as Satan shakes our joy, he hinders our holiness also.

7. *The same effect will ensue, if he can by any means either destroy or shake our peace. For the peace of God is another precious means of advancing the image of God in us. There is scarce a greater help to holiness than this, a continual tranquility of spirit, the evenness of a mind stayed upon God; a calm repose in the blood of Jesus. And without this, it is scarce possibly to grow in grace, and in the vital knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For all fear (unless the tender, filial fear) freezes and benumbs the soul. It binds up all the springs of spiritual life, and stops all motion of the heart toward God. And doubt, as it were, bemires the soul, so that it sticks fast in the deep clay. Therefore in the same proportion as either of these prevail, our growth in holiness is hindered.

8. *At the same time that our wise adversary endeavours, to make our conviction of the necessity of perfect love, an occasion of shaking our peace by doubts and fears, he endeavours to weaken, if not destroy our faith. Indeed these are inseparably connected; so that they must stand or fall together. So long as faith subsists, we remain in peace: our heart stands fast, while it believes in the Lord. But if we let go our faith, our filial confidence in a loving pardoning God, our peace is at an end, the very foundation on which it stood being overthrown. And this is the only foundation of holiness as well as of peace. Consequently whatever strikes at this, strikes at the very root of all holiness. For without this faith, without an abiding sense, that Christ loved me and gave himself for me, without a continuing conviction, that God for Christ’s sake is merciful to me a sinner, it is impossible that I should love God. _We love him, because he first loved us_; and in proportion to the strength and clearness of our conviction, that he hath loved us and accepted us in his Son. And unless we love God, it is not possible that we should love our neighbour as ourselves: nor consequently, that we should have any right affections, either toward God or toward man. It evidently follows, that whatever weakens our faith, must in the same degree obstruct our holiness. And this is not only the most effectual, but also the most compendious way of destroying all holiness. Seeing it does not affect any one Christian temper, any single grace or fruit of the spirit, but so far as it succeeds, tears up the very root of the whole work of God.

9. *No marvel therefore, that the ruler of the darkness of this world, should here put forth all his strength. And so we find by experience. For it is far easier to conceive than it is to express the unspeakable violence, wherewith this temptation is frequently urged on them, who hunger and thirst after righteousness. When they see in a strong and clear light, on the one hand, the desperate wickedness of their own hearts, on the other hand, the unspotted holiness to which they are called in Christ Jesus: on the one hand, the depth of their own corruption, of their total alienation from God; on the other, the height of the glory of God, that image of the Holy One wherein they are to be renewed: there is many times no spirit left in them; they could almost cry out, with God this is impossible. They are ready to give up both faith and hope, to cast away that very confidence, whereby they are to overcome all things, through Christ strengthning them; whereby, _after_ they _have done the will of God_, they are to _receive the promise_.

10. And if they _hold fast the beginning of their confidence stedfast unto the end_, they shall undoubtedly receive the promise of God, reaching through both time and eternity. But here is another snare laid for our feet. While we earnestly pant for that part of the promise which is to be accomplished here, _for the glorious liberty of the children of God_, we may be led unawares, from the consideration of the glory which shall be revealed. Our eye may be insensibly turned aside from that _crown which the righteous Judge_ hath promised to _give at that day, to all that love his appearing_: and we may be drawn away from the view of that incorruptible inheritance which is reserved in heaven for us. But this also would be a loss to our souls, and an obstruction to our holiness. For to walk in the continual sight of our goal, is a needful help in our running the race that is set before us. This it was, the having _respect unto the recompence of reward_, which of old time encouraged _Moses_, rather _to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season: esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt_. Nay it is expresly said of a greater than him, that _for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross and despised the shame_, till he _sat down at the right hand of the throne of God_. Whence we may easily infer, how much more needful for us, is the view of that joy set before us, that we may endure whatever cross the wisdom of God lays upon us, and press on thro’ holiness to glory.

11. But while we are reaching to this, as well as to that glorious liberty which is preparatory to it, we may be in danger of falling into another snare of the devil, wherein he labours to intangle the children of God. We may take too much _thought for to-morrow_, so as to neglect the improvement of to-day. We may so expect _perfect love_, as not to use that, which is already _shed abroad in our hearts_. There have not been wanting instances of those, who have greatly suffered hereby. They were so taken up with what they were to receive hereafter, as utterly to neglect what they had already received. In expectation of having five talents more, they buried their one talent in the earth. At least they did not improve it as they might have done, to the glory of God and the good of their own souls.

12. Thus does the subtle adversary of God and man, endeavour to make void the counsel of God, by dividing the gospel against itself, and making one part of it overthrow the other: while the first work of God in the soul is destroyed by the expectation of his perfect work. We have seen several of the ways wherein he attempts this, by cutting off, as it were, the springs of holiness. But this he likewise does more directly, by making that blessed hope an occasion of unholy tempers.

13. Thus, whenever our heart is eagerly athirst for all the great and precious promises, when we pant after the fulness of God, as the hart after the water-brook, when our soul breaketh out in fervent desire, “Why are his chariot-wheels so long a coming?” He will not neglect the opportunity, of tempting us to murmur against God. He will use all his wisdom and all his strength, if haply in an unguarded hour, we may be influenced to repine at our Lord, for thus delaying his coming. At least, he will labour to excite some degree of fretfulness or impatience: and perhaps of envy at those, whom we believe to have already attained the prize of our high calling. He well knows, that by giving way to any of these tempers, we are pulling down the very thing we would build up. By _thus_ following after perfect holiness, we become more unholy than before. Yea, there is great danger that our last state should be worse than the first: like them of whom the apostle speaks, in those dreadful words, _It had been better they had never known the way of righteousness, than after they had known it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them_.

14. *And from hence he hopes to reap another advantage, even to bring up an evil report of the good way. He is sensible, how few are able to distinguish (and too many are not willing so to do) between the accidental abuse and the natural tendency of a doctrine. These therefore, will he continually blend together, with regard to the doctrine of Christian perfection: in order to prejudice the minds of unwary men against the glorious promises of God. And how frequently, how generally, I had almost said, how universally has he prevailed herein? For who is there that observes any of these accidental ill effects of this doctrine, and does not immediately conclude, this is its natural tendency? And does not readily cry out, “See, these are the fruits (meaning the natural, necessary fruits) of such doctrine!” Not so. They are fruits which may accidentally spring from the abuse of a great and precious truth. But the abuse of this, or any other scriptural doctrine, does by no means destroy its use. Neither can the unfaithfulness of man, perverting his right way, _make the promise of God of no effect_. No: let God be true and every man a liar. The word of the Lord it shall stand. _Faithful is he that hath promised: he also will do it._ Let not us then be _removed from the hope of the gospel_. Rather let us observe, which was the second thing proposed, how we may retort these fiery darts of the wicked one: how we may rise the higher by what he intends for an occasion of our falling.

II. 1. And, first, does Satan endeavour to damp your joy in the Lord, by the consideration of your sinfulness, added to this, that without entire, universal _holiness no man can see the Lord_? You may cast back this dart upon his own head, while through the grace of God, the more you feel of your own vileness, the more you rejoice in confident hope, that all this shall be done away. While you hold fast this hope, every evil temper you feel, though you hate it with a perfect hatred, may be a means, not of lessening your humble joy, but rather of increasing it. “This and this, may you say, shall likewise perish from the presence of the Lord. Like as the wax melteth at the fire, so shall this melt away before his face.” By this means the greater that change is, which remains to be wrought in your soul, the more may you triumph in the Lord and rejoice in the God of your salvation: who hath done so great things for you already, and will do so much greater things than these.

2. Secondly, the more vehemently he assaults your peace with that suggestion, “God is holy, you are unholy. You are immensely distant from that holiness, without which you cannot see God: how then can you be in the favour of God? How can you fancy you are justified?” Take the more earnest heed to hold fast, that, _Not by works of righteousness which I have done_. I am _found in him_: I am _accepted in the beloved; not having my own righteousness_ (as the cause either in whole or in part of our justification before God) _but that which is by faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith_. O bind this about your neck: write it upon the table of thy heart. Wear it as a bracelet upon thy arm, as frontlets between thine eyes: I am _justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ_. Value and esteem more and more that precious truth, _By grace we are saved through faith_. Admire more and more the free grace of God, in so loving the world as to give _his only Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish but have everlasting life_. So shall the sense of the sinfulness you feel on the one hand, and of the holiness you expect on the other, both contribute to establish your peace and to make it flow as a river. So shall that peace flow on with an even stream, in spite of all those mountains of ungodliness, which shall become a plain in the day when the Lord cometh, to take full possession of your heart. Neither will sickness or pain, or the approach of death, occasion any doubt or fear. You know a day, an hour, a moment with God is as a thousand years. He cannot be streightened for time, wherein to work whatever remains to be done in your soul. And God’s time is always the best time. Therefore be thou _careful for nothing_. Only _make_ thy _request known unto him_, and that not with doubt or fear, but _thanksgiving_: as being previously assured, he cannot ♦withhold from thee any manner of thing that is good.

3. Thirdly, the more you are tempted to give up your shield, to cast away your faith, your confidence in his love, so much the more take heed that you hold fast that, whereunto you have attained. So much the more labour to _stir up the gift of God which is in you_. Never let that slip, I have _an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous_: and _the life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me_. Be this thy glory and crown of rejoicing. And see that no one take thy crown. Hold that fast, _I know that my Redeemer liveth, and shall stand at the latter day upon the earth_. And I now _have redemption in his blood, even the forgiveness of sins_. Thus, being filled with all peace and joy in believing, press on in the peace and joy of faith to the renewal of thy whole soul, in the image of him that created thee. Mean while cry continually to God, that thou mayst see that prize of thy high calling, not as Satan represents it, in a horrid dreadful shape, but in its genuine native beauty: not as something that _must_ be, or thou wilt go to hell, but as what _may_ be, to lead thee to heaven. Look upon it as the most _desirable_ gift, which is in all the stores of the rich mercies of God. Beholding it in the true point of light, thou wilt hunger after it more and more: thy whole soul will be athirst for God, and for this glorious conformity to his likeness. And having received a good hope of this, and strong consolation through grace, thou wilt no more be weary or faint in this mind, but wilt follow on till thou attainest.

4. *In the same power of faith, press on to glory. Indeed this is the same prospect still. God hath joined from the beginning pardon, holiness, heaven. And why should man put them asunder? O beware of this. Let not one link of the golden chain be broken. God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven me. He is now renewing me in his own image. Shortly he will make me meet for himself, and take me to stand before his face. I whom he hath justified thro’ the blood of his Son, being throughly sanctified by his Spirit, shall quickly ascend to the _New Jerusalem, the city of the living God_. Yet a little while and I shall _come to the general assembly and church of the first-born, and to God the judge of all, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant_. How soon will these shadows flee away, and the day of eternity dawn upon me! How soon shall I drink of _the river of the water of life, going out of the throne of God and of the Lamb? There all his servants shall praise him and shall see his face, and his name shall be upon their foreheads. And no night shall be there; and they have no need of a candle or the light of the sun. For the Lord God enlighteneth them, and they shall reign for ever and ever._

5. And if you thus _taste of the good word and of the powers of the world to come_, you will not murmur against God, because you are not yet _meet for the inheritance of the saints in light_. Instead of repining at your not being wholly delivered, you will praise God for thus far delivering you. You will magnify God for what he hath done, and take it as an earnest of what he will do. You will not fret against him, because you are not yet renewed, but bless him because you shall be; and because _now is your salvation_ from all sin, _nearer than when you_ first _believed_. Instead of uselessly tormenting yourself because the time is not fully come, you will calmly and quietly wait for it, knowing that it _will come and will not tarry_. You may therefore the more chearfully endure as yet, the burden of sin that still remains in you, because it will not always remain. Yet a little while and it shall be clean gone. Only _tarry thou the Lord’s leisure: be strong, and he shall comfort thy heart, and put thou thy trust in the Lord_.

6. And if you see any who appear (so far as man can judge, but God alone searcheth the hearts) to be already partakers of their hope, already _made perfect in love_: far from envying the grace of God in them, let it rejoice and comfort your heart. Glorify God for their sake. _If one member is honoured_, shall not _all the members rejoice with it_? Instead of jealousy or evil surmising concerning them, praise God for the consolation. Rejoice in having a fresh proof of the faithfulness of God in fulfilling all his promises. And stir yourself up the more, to _apprehend that for which you also are apprehended of Christ Jesus_.

♦6. *In order to this, redeem the time, improve the present moment. Buy up every opportunity of growing in grace, or of doing good. Let not the thought of receiving more grace to-morrow, make you negligent of to-day. You have one talent now. If you expect five more, so much the rather improve that you have. And the more you expect to receive hereafter, the more labour for God now. Sufficient for the day is the grace thereof. God is now pouring his benefits upon you. Now approve yourself a faithful steward, of the present grace of God. Whatever may be to-morrow, give all diligence to-day, to _add to your faith, courage, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness and the fear of God_, ’till you attain that pure and perfect love. Let _these things be_ now _in you and abound_. Be not now slothful or unfruitful. So shall an entrance be ministred _into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ_.

7. Lastly, If in time past you have abused this blessed hope of being holy as he is holy, yet do not therefore cast it away. Let the abuse cease, the use remain. Use it now to the more abundant glory of God and profit of your own soul. In stedfast faith, in calm tranquillity of spirit, in full assurance of hope, rejoicing evermore for what God hath done, _press_ ye _on unto perfection_. Daily growing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and going on from strength to strength, in resignation, in patience, in humble thankfulness for what ye have attained, and for what ye shall, run the race set before you, _looking unto Jesus_, ’till through perfect love ye enter into his glory!

SERMON XLIII.

THE SCRIPTURE WAY OF SALVATION.
EPH. ii. 8.

_Ye are saved through faith._

1. NOTHING can be more intricate, complex, and hard to be understood, than religion as it has been often described. And this is not only true concerning the religion of the Heathens, even many of the wisest of them, but concerning the religion of those also, who were, in some sense, Christians: yea, and men of great name in the Christian world, men _who seemed to be pillars_ thereof. Yet how easy to be understood, how plain and simple a thing is the genuine religion of Jesus Christ! Provided only, that we take it in its native form, just as it is described in the oracles of God. It is exactly suited by the wise Creator and Governor of the world, to the weak understanding, and narrow capacity, of man in his present state. How observable is this, both with regard to the end it proposes, and the means to attain that end! The end is, in one word salvation: the means to attain it faith.

2. It is easily discerned, that these two little words, I mean faith and salvation, include the substance of all the bible, the marrow, as it were, of the whole scripture. So much the more should we take all possible care, to avoid all mistake concerning them, and to form a true and accurate judgment concerning both the one and the other.

3. Let us then seriously enquire

I. What is salvation?
II. What is that faith whereby we are saved, and
III. How we are saved by it?

I. 1. And, first, let us enquire, What is _salvation_? The salvation which is here spoken of, is not what is frequently understood by that word, the going to heaven, eternal happiness. It is not the soul’s going to paradise, termed by our Lord, _Abraham’s bosom_. It is not a blessing which lies on the other side death, or (as we usually speak) in the other world. The very words of the text itself, put this beyond all question. _Ye_ are _saved_. It is not something at a distance: it is a present thing; a blessing, which through the free mercy of God, ye are now in possession of. Nay, the words may be rendered, and that with equal propriety, _Ye_ have been _saved_. So that the salvation which is here spoken of, might be extended to the entire work of God, from the first dawning of grace in the soul, ’till it is consummated in glory.

2. If we take this in its utmost extent, it will include all that is wrought in the soul, by what is frequently termed, _natural conscience_, but more properly, _preventing grace_: all the _drawings of the Father_: the desires after God, which, if we yield to them, increase more and more: all that _light_, wherewith the Son of God _inlighteneth every one that cometh into the world, shewing_ every man, _to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with_ his _God_: all the _convictions_ which his Spirit, from time to time, works in every child of man. Although, it is true, the generality of men stifle them as soon as possible; and after awhile forget, or at least deny, that ever they had them at all.

3. But we are at present concerned only with that salvation, which the apostle is directly speaking of. And this consists of two general parts, justification and sanctification.

Justification is another word for pardon. It is the forgiveness of all our sins, and (what is necessarily implied therein) our acceptance with God. The price whereby this hath been procured for us, (commonly termed the _meritorious cause_ of our justification) is the blood and righteousness of Christ, or (to express it a little more clearly) all that Christ hath done and suffered for us, ’till _he poured out his soul for the transgressors_. The immediate effects of justification are, the peace of God, a _peace that passeth all understanding_, and a _rejoicing in_ hope _of the glory of God_, with joy _unspeakable and full of glory_.

4. And at the same time that we are justified, yea in that very moment, _sanctification_ begins. In that instant, we are _born again, born from above, born of the Spirit_. There is a _real_ as well as a _relative_ change. We are inwardly renewed by the power of God. We feel the _love of God shed abroad in our heart, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us_, producing love to all mankind, and more especially to the children of God: expelling the love of the world, the love of pleasure, of ease, of honour, of money: together with pride, anger, self-will, and every other evil temper: in a word, changing the _earthly, sensual, devilish mind_, into _the mind which was in Christ Jesus_.