like that in Nebuchadnezzar, to give them the heart of a beast; I mean, for a time, suffer them to fall into beastly practices, by which he shows them how far they are from that perfection they dreamed of so vainly. Thirdly, Others who have true grace, and desire the advancement of it, yet are discouraged in their endeavour for moi-e, from too deep a sense of their present penury. Bid some such labour to get more power over corruption, more faith in, and love to God, that they may be able to do the will of God cheerfully, and suffer it in the greatest afflictions patiently, yea, thank- fully, and they will never believe, that they, whose faith is so weak, and love so chill, and stock so little in hand, should ever attain to an} thing like such a pitch. You may as well persuade a beggar with one poor penny in his purse, that if he will go and trade with that, he shall come to be Lord Mayor of London before he die. But why, poor hearts, should you thus des})ise the day of small things? Do you not see a little grain of mus- tard-seed spread into a tree, and weak grace compared to it for its growth at last, as well as littleness at first ? Darest thou say thou hast no grace at all? If thou hast but any, (though the least that ever any had to begin with,) I dare tell thee that he hath done more for thee in that, than he should in making that which is now so weak, as perfect as the saint's grace is now in heaven. First, He hath done more, considering it as an act of power. There is a greater gulf between no grace and grace, than between weak grace and stx-ong ; between a chaos and nothing, than between a chaos and this beautiful frame of heaven and earth. The first day's work of both creations is the greates'. Secondly, Consider it as an act of grace; it is a greater mercy to give the first grace of conversion, than to crown that with glory. It is more grace and condescent in a prince to marry a poor damsel, than, having married her, to clothe her like a princess ; he was free to do the first or not ; but his relation to her pleads strongly for the other. God might have chosen whether he woidd have given thee grace or no, but having done this, thy relation to him and his covenant also do oblige him to add more and more, till he hath fitted thee as a bride for himself in glory.
CHAPTER V.
OF THE USE OF OUR SPIRITUAL ARMOUR, OR THE EXERCISE OF GRACE.
The fourth and last branch in the saint's furniture is, the use they are to make thereof: * Put on the whole armour of God.' Briefly, what is this duty, ' Put on ? ' These being saints (many of them at least) he writes to, it is not only putting on by conversion, what some of them might not yet have ; but also, he means they should exercise what they have. It is one thing to have armour in the house, and another thing to have it buckled on ; to have grace in the principle, and grace in the act. So that the in- struction will be,
Doct. It is not enough to have grace, but this grace must be kept in exercise. The Christian armour is made to be worn ; no laying down, or putting off our armour, till we have done our warfare, and finished our course. Our armour and our garments of flesh go off together ; then indeed will be no need of watch and ward, shield or helmet. Those military duties and field graces, (as I may call faith, hope, and the rest,) they shall be honourably discharged. In heaven we shall appear, not in ai-mour, but in robes of glory ; but here they are to be worn night and day ; we must walk, work, and sleep in them, or else we are not true soldiers of Christ. This Paul professeth to endeavour, Acts xxiv. 16: 'Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man.' Here we have this holy man at his arms, training and exercising himself in his postures, like some soldier by himself handling his pike, and inuring himself before the battle. Now the reason of this is.
Section I. First, Christ commands us to have our armour on, our grace in exercise, Luke xii. 35. ' Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning.' Christ speaks either in a martial phrase, as to soldiers, or in a domestic, as to servants : if as to soldiers, then let your loins be girded.
PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD. 41